The last we saw Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean’s Jolyne (dub voice by Kira Buckland), she was suffering from gunshot wounds. Though she ended up thwarting Pucci (dub voice by Yong Yea) and the bird Savage Guardian was able to fly away with her father’s Stand disc, what about his memory disc? What about Pucci’s plan to ascend to heaven? Does this recent chunk of episodes have many casualties? JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is known for bizarre adventures (duh!), but it’s also notorious for chaotic events and emotional journeys. Stone Ocean has continued that tradition so to speak, with the debut of part 2 on Netflix.
*Minor spoilers for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean parts one and two.*
Spoiling part 2 isn’t my plan here, and that’s primarily because we all waited for 9 months to watch part 2. Whether the anticipation died for you or not, it doesn’t matter. Without spoiling too much, Stone Ocean marks a pivotal shift in the series. If you don’t already know what happens, then you’re in for a shock with part 3. However, in terms of the events of part 2, lots went down for Team Jolyne and the opposing side.
Stone Ocean is by far one of the strangest parts of the series. The enemy Stand users are weirder than ever, Anasui (dub voice by Howard Wang) has definitely lived up to being a simp, and Pucci is dialed up more than a few notches. Where Jolyne is concerned, she continues to be a bad bitch, and the reoccurring topic of resolve for the JoJo clan lives on. Even with the immense dangers posed by following Jolyne, her allies haven’t wavered. They continue to risk their lives for the cause.
Part 2 of this highly beloved arc isn’t perfect, but that can be said for just about anything. There are a few dips in terms of the story, like Ermes’ backstory. Prior to watching, I knew a bit about her life pre-prison, and it felt very typical. A quest to avenge the death of a loved one isn’t very original, after all (though the manga came out in 1999-2003, so we must take that into account). What hasn’t failed to grip me is Pucci’s aim and his history with Dio.
This batch of episodes delivers in terms of iconic manga panels. Dio (Patrick Seitz)’s hold on Pucci was always strong and there’s a deep love/reverence there. Shipping them is a finnicky topic of discussion (for a number of reasons), but there’s certainly an intensity there that adds weight to Pucci’s persistence. He’s willing to kill and manipulate to achieve his goals. Him being a man of religion makes it even less surprising, and out of all the villains (that have been brought to life in the anime), his goals will have more of a catastrophic outcome.
Unfortunately, the ongoing battle (directly and indirectly) between Jolyne + co. and Pucci hasn’t been without casualty. You’ll have to watch part 2 to see who, because I’m not about to spoil that for you. Overall, Stone Ocean part 2 has almost everything you’re expecting from JoJo’s. Whoever’s decision it was not to have a new opening theme needs a stern talking to. Experiencing new opening themes is a huge part of the experience. That’s why it’s still disappointing that we were stuck with “STONE OCEAN” by ichigo again. It’s a great opening, but I and many others wanted something new. I’m fine with “Distant Dreamer” by Duffy because not only is the song good, but it makes the upcoming events all the more heartbreaking.
Catch up Stone Ocean part 1 or watch part 2 on Netflix. Below is a trailer for you to watch, if you haven’t seen it already.
(featured image: Netflix)
