JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.....Or How I Came To Enjoy Something So Weird (So Far)

There is a strange beauty to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure from 2012, which I must admit I've only seen the first 8 episodes but am totally enthralled with due to its extreme nature. The show takes place in a late 1800's London where a young, aristocrat named Jonathan Joestar has his life turned upside down by the recently taken in Dio Brando. Jonathan epitomizes at the core what I love about this show. He has this air of innocence among gratuitous violence and obscene amounts of screaming (which I will get to later). He begins

Jonathan's innocence has been what holds this together.

his arc as a young teen who takes a beating to help a young woman in trouble. Only a few episodes later he develops into a ripped athlete with ridiculous amounts of strength and the ability to punch an enemies head off. However, one thing has stayed the same through these first several episodes. He is presented as the "Goku" of his world with a golden heart and boyish charm. This wholesome goodness is one of the main reasons this show hasn't teetered over the edge into one abrasive, annoying sequence after another.

Dio's violent, evil nature is the perfect counterbalance to Jonathan's
Goku-esque innocence.

Another reason this show has been able to strive as well as it has is due to the character Dio Brando. This inhumane son-of-a-bitch comes straight out the slums of hellish London. His father was a drunk thief who "saved" the life of Jonathan's father at the beginning of the show. As his life draws to a close, he urges Dio to go live with Jonathan's family and become rich. This blood-thirst for power is at the core of the show. He drives himself to lose his humanity and becomes a vampire, or at least some sort of violent creature of the night. He is a violent, ruthless figure that takes the show to ridiculous heights. Dio has created an army of "zombies" to help him take over the world. What comes along with these violent escapades includes uber-violent fights and copious amounts of shouting.

This show has a shit ton of style. It is always switching up color palettes to emphasize extreme situations. It is With letters popping up on the screen, the show seems like it is straight out of a colorful manga. Also, the characters move with an elegant motion. And the battles? Oh so violent and oh so beautifully done. Characters have ridiculous portions that match the show's attitude. It really is like watching a manga in motion, which is what an anime is I guess, but this one especially. There is also an egregious amount of screaming. Characters emphasize every damn detail. It is like the show is mocking every shit-tier shounen out there. And I must say.....I really love it.

Yeah this show looks really damn good.

I feel like it isn't a show that I am supposed to love. However, I can't help but have been drawn by the show's boisterous nature. I hope that it can keep it up for the rest of the season. However, I am worried about the possibility that the show will strain itself out. It needs to keep its pace and attempts at innocence, which may not always be earned but I appreciate them. At least don't turn into Dragonball Z. Please, anything but that godawful show.