Since the show's initial release in 2012, Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has succeeded in changing anime as we know it. With its wildly colorful costumes and daring animation, JoJo retains the playful eccentricity of its 1980's manga counterpart. The stylized poses and over the top fight scenes makes this anime feel like Italian melodrama and Murakami's superflat style had a lovechild.
In spite of this originality, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's excessive nature derails itself on many occasions. In a show where every stunt must outdo the last, it's easy to muddy the plot. For all of its wonders, JoJo still leaves the fandom wanting more. Here, we'll be listing five reasons why JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is groundbreaking, and five reasons it's just as terrible.
10 Terrible: Over Narration
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure would be a much easier watch if it weren't for the overzealous narrator chiming in every other line. Third-person narration can be used as a beautiful tool of meta storytelling throughout anime and often is. Take the Chimera Ant Arc in Hunter X Hunter for example, which highlights all of the new characters and abilities being shown through an omniscient narrator who follows the development of each character in the arc.
JoJo's, however, uses their third-person narration to further explain Hamon abilities that are happening right before us and aren't difficult to understand in the first place. Instead of following the classic rule "show, don't tell" in writing, JoJo has an annoying habit of narrating word for word the character's actions that we can clearly see.
9 Groundbreaking: Fashion
There isn't an anime in the world that matches JoJo's fashion sense, nor it's level of popularity in the fashion industry. Though, Araki's flamboyant designs were inspired by the likes of Christian Dior and Gianni Versace, so it's no surprise fashion loves JoJo as well. Araki's stylistic taste for JoJo has even been featured in an exhibit at the Louvre in Paris and in a fashion line for Gucci.
These artistic endeavors were addressed in the story, of course, with character Rohan having a spin-off of him visiting the Louvre and studying a mysterious painting and another of him discovering a Stand in a Gucci bag. Araki has also teamed up with other clothing lines for JoJo like Vans, Glamb and Jam Home Made.
8 Terrible: Soap Opera-Like Narrative
Although there are technically five JoJo storylines, each one succeeds at being even more over the top than the last. Being that almost all of the JoJo's are Italian or have Italian descent, and the problems they face always stem from the Joestar family, JoJo might actually count as an Italian melodrama.
Well, that and the fact that each dispute sounds like something one might hear in Days of Our Lives. Take Dio, who poisons his abusive father and moves in with the Joestar family to poison that father and steal their money and influence.
7 Groundbreaking: The JoJo's Diversity
In spite of having five separate protagonists, JoJo finds a remarkable way to differentiate between them. Once over the minor confusion of multiple JoJo reincarnations, one can appreciate the vastness of the Joestars. Spoiled and ill-mannered Jotaro of part three is nothing like the gentlemanly Jonathan of part one.
Comparatively, Jotaro's brash nature makes him much stronger than Jonathan and his need to be the "good guy". These two couldn't be more different than the JoJo between them, Joseph, who's a better comedian than fighter. For characters that all technically have the same name, they're surprisingly versatile.
6 Terrible: Dio
Dio Brando might just be one of the evilest characters in all of anime, and he's definitely the reason why many stray from the JoJo series. With a tragic backstory like his, the fans begin ready to support Dio, but soon learn that he's just as awful as he wants to be.
Dio has killed a dog, assaulted women, killed for sport, betrayed his friends, mind-controlled innocent characters to do his bidding and just about any other awful thing one can imagine. What's truly terrible, though, is that when it seems we're finally rid of this terror, he comes back as an immortal vampire.
5 Groundbreaking: Animation
From its occasional "color shifts" to the switching between 2D and 3D animation, JoJo's distinctive style makes an unmistakable aesthetic. In both the opening credits and dramatic moments of the story, JoJo is known for drastically changing the color scheme of characters in order to show off Araki's various designs featured in the manga.
The openings, endings and battle scenes also have a dynamic way of incorporating 3D animation when characters are in motion. This technique allows the drag-like "poses" of the characters to be emphasized with dark shadows and heavy usage of color in their Western-comic-looking stills.
4 Terrible: Lisa Lisa Plot Device
Despite sharing an epic name with the lead singer of 80's sensation Cult Jam, this Lisa Lisa fell a bit short of the epic mark. From her character's introduction, Lisa Lisa is described as the best Hamon user to date. In fact, it's Lisa Lisa who trains Joseph and Caesar, so why does she come off so incredibly useless? It might be because after hyping Lisa Lisa's strength up for nearly ten episodes, she ends up falling into one of Kars' silly traps and needs to be saved by Joseph.
As she's quite literally hanging to her death, it's revealed that Lisa Lisa is actually Joseph's mother. Instead of making it seem like Lisa Lisa's training of Caesar and Joseph was leading into a mighty showdown of the heroine's powers, they could've just said she was only important because she's Joseph's mother. They could've also had an actual scene where Joseph finds out Lisa Lisa is his mother, but who's complaining?
3 Groundbreaking: Soundtrack
There's nary an anime fan in the world that doesn't at least partially recognize Giorno's Theme "Golden Wind" from part five of JoJo, and those that can't place the song title could still probably say where it's from. That type of credibility is saved for anime showstoppers, and JoJo's soundtrack is without a doubt a showstopper.
This anime is one of few in the business that holds the popularity and courage to have American artists on their OST, and Jodeci and The Bangles aren't exactly no-names. The sheer psychedelic funkiness of the soundtrack only Stands to make the 80's disco fashion work better in tandem.
2 Terrible: Hamon/ The Ripple
For starters, giving this technique two different names was one quick way to confuse fans. Especially being that the characters in the show even say it doesn't matter which title is used. They mean the same thing, yet are nothing alike and actually sound like two different powers.
In addition to this, Hamon is no different than Chakra (Naruto) or Total Concentration Breathing (Demon Slayer). It's an energy that can be harvested into a multitude of techniques with little to no limiting factors. What these other techniques have that Hamon doesn't, however, is a uniqueness to their characters. For instance, Hamon could theoretically be used in Demon Slayer because of the technique's heavy use of breathing, but Total Concentration Breathing is much too varied to be put into JoJo's fighting style.
1 Groundbreaking: Stands
Stands are arguably one of the most unique fighting styles in all of anime, and it's a shame that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure didn't start with them in the first place. Stands give the user the ability to physically manifest their life energy as figures with magic-like abilities. Some characters have stands with their own style, persona and techniques, while others have stands that solely serve as an ability.
Unlike the simplistic beginnings of Hamon, Stands are derivative of Tarot cards and Ancient Egyptian deities, which in itself makes them more interesting. A few more differing factors are that one must be born with a Stand or the potential for one to develop and that characters suffer the same damage their Stand does. Say what you will about the show needing to change battle tactics, a character and their ability being able to take damage is pretty fascinating.