JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 2

Episode 2 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure fast-forwards 7 years from the events of the first episode.  JoJo and Dio have both grown up and from the looks their oversized muscles, they probably hit the roids pretty hard.

The episode opens with JoJo and Dio displaying some awesome teamwork while  playing together on their high school football team. It would seem that JoJo’s beating in the first episode has made Dio see the value of friendship. But JoJo is not so naïve as to forget the atrocities that Dio made him suffer through( I mean how do you forget a dude kneeing your dog in the face!?)

This makes JoJo suspicious of his bond with Dio and considers it a farce being run by ulterior motives. 

JoJo is quite right to be suspicious of the dastardly Dio, as he uncovers that Dio is plotting to kill JoJo’s father and to take over the inheritance of the Joestar family.

 In order to save his father, JoJo travels to the seediest part of London in search of a cure for the poison that Dio has been slipping Jojo’s father.  JoJo ends up fighting some of the local low-lives, including Robert Edward O Speedwagon, a thug with a hat that conceals several deadly blades.

During the scuffle between Speedwagon and JoJo, JoJo show his determination to save his father by allowing Speedwagon’s hat to cut into his arm all the way to the bone.

This act by JoJo and the gesture taking it easy on the assailants, make Speedwagon accept that JoJo is a good person and  Speedwagon allows JoJo to continue his search for the antidote that will can save his father’s life. It is insinuated that Speedwagon helps JoJo in his search, but it is not revealed how the rest of the journey to find the antidote reaches its conclusion. 

While JoJo is trying to save his father and thus foiling Dio’s plan, Dio is pretty miffed that his plan is falling apart. Determined to come out on top no matter what, he comes across the mysterious mask that has been in the possession of the Joestar’s along with JoJo’s notes that disclose the masks penchant for blood.

 Convinced that he is going to use the mask to take JoJo’s life and pass it off as an accident, Dio takes the mask to the streets of London where he uses the mask on a vagrant. To Dio’s surprise, the mask does not kill the man and instead turns him into powerful vampire, who almost manages to take Dio’s life.

This episode of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure really propels the story forward as the darker and magical elements of the story are beginning to take center stage in the narrative. Also becoming more present is the flamboyantly awesome wardrobe that is a signature of the series. The show still suffers from subpar animation, which is sometimes made livelier by the Japanese sound effect symbols that are animated into the show. Since it is obvious that more of the budget has been spent on the action sequences than the rest of the show, it is good to see that there is a substantial amount of action in the second episode.  

Episode 2 also introduces the opening of the series, which is beautifully animated in the vein of a 3-D cel shaded video game, like Valkyria Chronicles or Street Fighter 4.

The character design in the opening sequence is superior to that used in the actual series itself and is a nice combination of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Initial D and Fist of the North Star.

It is a shame that the animation for the rest of the show could not be as good as the intro.