Jotaro Kujo makes his epic debut in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders out now on DVD and Blu-Ray. After defeating the legendary Pillar Men, Joseph Joestar must use the aide of his aforementioned grandson Jotaro as well as his ally Abdul in a battle which places him against an ancient family enemy; the now vampyric Dio Brandon as his possession of the original Jojo’s body has placed a curse on Holly Kujo, Joseph’s daughter and Jotaro’s mother. If they can’t defeat Dio within the time limit Holly will die from the curse.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is a 2012 shounen/seinen anime series based on the manga of the same name, it is produced by David Productions and licensed by Viz Media. Parts 1, 2, and the first half of part 3 “Stardust Crusaders” are currently available on DVD and Blu-Ray in English.

Editor’s Note: A Blu-Ray review copy of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders was provided by Viz Media in support of this review, near complete to complete spoilers for the arc’s first half will be present.

The third generation “Joestar gang” as they appear in the anime.

Being a relatively new Jojo fan within the last year or so, I’m always pleasantly surprised when I stumble upon a new cast of characters for each forthcoming arc of the series, including a newly cast lead Jojo. Initially I have to admit that I found the current “Jojo”; Jotaro Kujo to be a bit of a dickhead/ass hat/etc compared to Jonathan and Joseph, the latter of the two remaining as a main character albeit aged significantly in the present arc. Despite changing nearly 100% of its cast every arc, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure has the uncanny ability to make you care and love almost all of the characters as the arc goes on, and this was no different for new “Jojo” Jotaro. In Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders, Joseph, Jotaro, and their comrades Polnareff, Kakyoin, and Avdol use their stands to battle the ancient Joestar nemesis Dio Brandon to save Jotaro’s mother Holly from a curse caused by him.

Jojo makes it rain joy for almost all who give it their time.

THE GOOD: Another new Jojo part animated and another new Jojo and cast of characters to fall in love with all over again. Stardust Crusaders is kind of tricky, I can’t help but feel that due to the initial portrayal of Jotaro newer fans will have a tough time following part 3 compared to Phantom Blood & Battle Tendency who had fairly lovable Jojos when pairing them to the aforementioned Kujo. For example, he spends the first handful of episodes consistently referring to his kind-hearted mother Holly as a “dumb/stupid bitch” for zero reason and comes off as an emo try hard. Eventually however, Jotaro does get some excellent character development and progression and shows his human side a bit more sometimes even in comedic relief. I honestly wish Dio was able to come back as often as possible, but unfortunately all good things come to an end. He’s just such a well written and charismatic villain that you hate to see him go, but you know it’s coming.

Strong side characters in addition to excellent leads helps Jojo outshine other anime of its genre.

Side characters like the aforementioned Polnareff, Kakyoin, and Avdol are introduced over time and they get a good amount of build as the story goes on. Jojo just knows how to build characters and nearly everyone feels important it’s a rare gem in anime and manga. To give you an idea of just how well thought out these characters are, Jojo even makes you care about the stand wielding mutt Iggy who is forced to accompany the Joestar gang in their battle against Dio. Act 1 which this set covers is presented as an “Around the World in 80 Days” type of deal as Jotaro and co. are traveling to Egypt where Dio is currently in hiding. The comedy and action scenes are almost always top notch, especially the latter.

Jotaro and his stand Star Platinum.

THE BAD: If you’re not a fan of vulgar humor then Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure might not be for you as there’s plenty of it throughout the series.

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders is an excellent continuation of the already amazing Jojo anime.

OVERALL THOUGHTS: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but for those long invested into the franchise the anime adaptation of “Stardust Crusaders/Part 3” is an incredible addition to the long-running series. Otaku Dome gives Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Part 1 Blu-Ray a 100 out of 100.