Jojo-vember continues with Battle Tendency. This time we have a bit more of a weird, but fun story.
Joseph and Suzie were sitting at a table with Lisa on the side of it, "Soooo. What are we doing here?"
"We're here to discuss our situation."
"You're my mom and she's my wife. I don't see what needs to be talked about."
Suzie looked back and forth between Joseph and Lisa, "Now guys. I'm sure there's nothing to really worry about."
"There's more to it than that Suzie."
"Look. This whole thing is just silly."
Lisa smirked, "Is there a reason you want to end this conversation so quickly?"
Joseph stuttered for a moment, "No! Of course not!"
Smokey and Speedwagon were standing outside the room, "What are they talking about?"
"I have no idea."
"All I'm saying is that it's not our place to do what you're asking of us."
"But you should!"
Smokey turned to Speedwagon, "Sounds like it's about to get intense."
"You're right."
Speedwagon opened the door, "We can't let this get out of hand!"
The three at the table looked at Speedwagon with confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"Whatever you're talking about, we'll all do it together! I'll do everything in my power to ensure this task is done!"
Joseph started to smirk, "Really?"
"Yes! Now what is it?"
"Lisa Lisa's wedding."
Speedwagon was silent as Joseph got up, "Thanks for saying you'll take care of it."
"How did I fall for that?"
"Have fun!"
Speedwagon started to chase after Joseph as Lisa looked at Suzie, "So, how's the baby?"
"It's going great!"
"Do you think it will be a boy or a girl?"
"I'm pretty sure it'll be a girl-"
Joseph backed into the room with Speedwagon holding a grenade, "Speedwagon? What are you do-"
Speedwagon pulled the pin.
To be continued.
Ah, referencing a gender reveal party meme two months after it stopped relevant.
So, Battle Tendency. I think BT is also really good. Spoilers, I think all the arcs are good. So keep that in mind.
One of the main problems with doing these reviews is that I don't really know how to start talking. So, let's start with the obvious thing to say.
Battle Tendency does a really good job of following up on Phantom Blood. It expands on the story in a really good way.
They show where the mask that gave Dio his powers came from and expand on the story there.
The plot is a journey to stop them with other stuff along the way.
It offers a lot of sights to see. More so than the other arcs. PB is in 1800 century towns, SC is mostly in deserts, and DiU is in a town.
Battle Tendency takes place in a wider variety of places and that helps it be more visually distinct.
Hamon is used very well here and very creatively. It's used for a lot of creative attacks.
That's the thing with Jojo. The fights are really cool and very creative. They're not like typical anime fights, there's a lot more strategy used in them.
I bring this up because Joseph and Wammu's fight in the column is probably one of my favorite fight scenes ever.
It's fast paced. There's a lot of strategy and good interplay between the characters.
Let's talk villains.
Esidsi was kinda there. He did have a personality, that of a manchild, but he just came in to die.
Wammu isn't the most fascinating character, but he's a cool villain. He's basically an 'honorable warrior' type character, but his scenes are the most memorable of the entire arc and he is probably the best villain of the arc.
Kars is a tricky villain to talk about. I don't think he's a bad villain, but he isn't really a compelling character. He's just there to fill the role of big bad.
He was a schemer and a planner, but he didn't have the over the top moments of most Jojo villains. While I do think it does harm him in general, in terms of Jojo villains, I think it helps him stand out.
In the crowd of over the top villains, his more subdued personality does help him stand out amongst his peers.
The next thing I'm gonna talk about is the heroes.
Joseph is probably my favorite Jojo. He's jokey, but not to an obnoxious degree.
I do like characters who are jokey, but take their situations seriously.
His introduction scene is great. Beating up two crooked cops to help Smokey. It's a good scene and shows the good side of his character.
I like that his asshole moments aren't just him being an asshole. He's usually a nice guy, unless you piss him off.
Caesar is a pretty cool character. While the family honor thing is a little cliched, his character makes it work well.
He's a bit more of a hardass, but he's got his smug or jokey qualities.
Smokey Brown was there. He's sort of the straight man in the episodes he's in and the jokes around him are funny. I guess they didn't want him to come across as a disney esque sidekick.
Lisa Lisa is cool. I do wish there was more in the story with her being Joseph's mom, but I guess they figured it would have burned too much time. I do like how she is the baby Erina saved at the end of PB. Nice call back and a show that Jonathan's sacrifice meant more than just his own bloodline.
Apparently in the game Eyes of Heaven, they make a 'The Room' reference with her and that brings joy to me.
Speedwagon got a more active role in this arc and I like that. It's not a lot, but it does have a major impact on the story.
I would have liked for his and Erina's deaths to be on screen, but I guess it would have been hard to put it somewhere it doesn't belong or drag out.
The climax is probably the best thing ever. Kars becomes an immortal and Joseph uses a volcano to send him into space. It's amazing.
Overall, Battle Tendency is great and I feel like it's here where the series really takes off.
Also, there are Nazis getting murdered and who doesn't love that?