One of the most popular modern anime of all time, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure was an incredibly popular manga series in Japan that was in dire need of an adaptation that would do the legend of this series justice. This is precisely what David Animation managed to accomplish, adding their own flair into a well-established manga and turning it into one of the biggest modern cultural phenomenons of all time.
However, what most modern fans of JoJo probably aren't aware of is the fact that the third arc of JoJo — Stardust Crusaders — actually had an OVA series covering the entire arc. Of course, there's a reason why this OVA is not all that well-known — it's notorious for being one of the worst animations of all time, with absolutely nothing in the OVA working towards a coherent aesthetic, which is a huge disservice to Araki's distinctive art style. So, for the people who half-heartedly saw this disastrous OVA without focusing on the fine details, here are ten things you might've missed in this disaster show.
10 The OVA Released In A Rather Strange Format
The first way in which this OVA messes up is the order of its release. For some reason, Studio A.P.P.P. decided to cover the second half of Stardust Crusaders in six episodes, assuming that people were already familiar with the manga up to that point.
After realizing what a foolhardy move this was, the studio decided to release a prequel 8 years after the original OVA had aired, which is such a mind-boggling move in every way.
9 The Animation Is Bad
While this might be hard to miss out on, the fidelity of the animation is one of the biggest reasons why the OVAs are ridiculed among the JoJo fandom, and for good reason.
Trying to get through a single episode can prove to be a task due to just how phoned in all the animations are. It's true that this show is old, but that's no excuse for a show that honestly feels like stop-motion at times.
8 Some Of The Fight Scenes Are Somewhat Impressive
However, the show isn't visually horrid all the time. A big part of what makes JoJo special are the Stand battles, and the OVA manages to do justice to these scenes... for the most part.
Of course, there are moments when the animation can be quite painful to watch in such breakneck scenes. However, for the most part, the studio did an admirable job of giving these battles the respect they deserve.
7 The Pacing Of The Show Is Simply Ridiculous
However, aside from a few good fight scenes, it doesn't really seem like the OVA manages to do anything admirable. Most of this is due to the ridiculous pacing of the show, which is absolutely breakneck in peaceful moments and halts to a standstill during some intense face-offs.
The pacing is a major part of what makes the OVA such a jarring experience.
6 The OVA Was Translated To English Before The Manga Itself
One of the weirdest facts surrounding the OVA is the fact that this piece of JoJo media was translated before the manga itself, which got an official translation two years after the first half of this OVA was released.
What makes this fact especially hilarious is the quality of the English dub itself — something that will be touched upon in the next entry.
5 The English Voice Acting Is A Thing Of Beauty
People who take time out of their lives to watch the OVA tend to favor the English dub... simply because it makes the experience all the more entertaining.
The English dub of this OVA is notoriously bad, to the point where people treat this OVA as a comedy of sorts, as opposed to the serious action thriller it's made out to be.
4 The Composer Of The Show And His Wife Played Minor Roles In The Show
While this might not be a direct comment against the voice acting quality present in the English dub, it is quite suspect that a person who was responsible for composing the soundtrack of the OVA decided to play a minor role in the show along with his wife.
There's a reason why voice actors need to train this talent from the get-go, and inserting two random people to play roles in the show goes to show how much the cast cared when it came to making a faithful English dub.
3 Names Are Mispronounced Like It's No One's Business
Mispronunciations run rampant in most English dubs of Japanese media that aren't up to the mark. The JoJo Stardust Crusaders OVA definitely falls into this category... but it manages to be even more egregious in this regard.
In most subpar English dubs, the mispronounced name remains constant throughout the show. However, in the OVA, every person has a different pronunciation for the Japanese words being uttered. The sheer number of ways and styles in which the names Jotaro and Kakyoin have been mispronounced in the OVA has become a meme in itself.
2 A Lot Of Content Is Skipped Out On Because Of The Format
As is the case with most OVAs, JoJo's Stardust Crusaders ends up skipping out on a ton of content in a bid to move the plot forward.
This makes an already broken piece of entertainment all the more disjointed, leading to a rather unsatisfactory viewing experience with some of the more interesting Stand battles being completely skipped out on.
1 The OVA Is Not Available Anymore Because It Hurt Religious Sentiments
Perhaps the weirdest thing about the Stardust Crusaders OVA is the fact that it's one of the rarest forms of media around. This originated from a complained by Egyptian Islamic fundamentalists, who were less-than-enthused upon finding out that Dio reads the Quran at one point in the show.
This led to the OVA getting unlicensed in Japan and without any distributors in the East or the West. The OVA is now nothing more than a forgotten memory, and people who are truly interested in watching it can search for it online as a last resort.