English Dub Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders “Bast’s Mariah Pt. 1“

“Fucking Magnets, how do they work?”

Overview (Possible Spoilers Below)

The episode begins at the hospital Kakyoin is staying at due to his eye injuries and is informed that the Speedwagon Foundation is taking over his medical treatment in an effort to speed up his recovery so he’ll meet up with Team Joestar in no time. Meanwhile, we get to the real meat of the story when rest of Team Joestar arrives in the Egyptian city of Luxor where the Tomb of King Tut was famously found. We then cut to a scene where Joseph hilariously learns the hard way that Egyptian Port-A-Johns aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, It’s a funny scene, but much like the “Death 13” episodes, Adult Swim felt the need to censor the feces with a mosaic. After that bit of randomness, Joseph cuts his losses and decides to check one out later at a hotel, only for him to notice something strange in the desert scenery. An electrical outlet that seems out of place in the middle of the desert rocks. Given the randomness of this object, Joseph’s curiosity in touching it goes about as well as you’d expect…

After stopping at a Cafe and later a Hotel for the night, A series of weird things begin happening to Joseph in effectively subtle ways that give an unsettling vibe for what’s to come, especially when a mysterious lady in a red cloak is shown to be watching from a distance. The next day, Joseph wakes up to Avdol informing him that Polnareff wants to know what place they’ll be eating at next, with Jotaro Polnareff & Iggy are outside the Hotel waiting for them. From Joseph’s perspective, the episode does an excellent job conveying a sense of unease when you feel something is off about Joseph when a series of mishaps begin to occur, only to figure out that his entire body has become a magnetized due to yesterday’s incident which leads to a lot of comedically awkward situations where metallic objects become possible lethal weapons for him. It’s here we learn that Joseph’s predicament is the handy-work of the red-cloaked woman named Mariah, who possesses a Stand called “Bast” named after the Egyptian cat deity.

Given that Stand powers are only more effective when their Users are physically close to their opponents/victims, Mariah stays close enough in her attempt to kill Joseph oncemore as exemplified with well-paced & intense moments such as an escalator trap that even Jojo’s creator Hirohiko Araki manages to find unique ways to make even funnier even after Avdol saves his ass. A good chunk of this episode devotes itself to Joseph & Avdol chasing after Mariah which leads to even more comedically awkward & dangerous scenarios due to Joseph’s magnetism that somehow keeps getting them into trouble. While continuing to pursue the obnoxious cunt, Joseph warns Avdol not to touch any electrical outlets, only for Avdol to admit he already had earlier when he pressed the emergency stop button on the escalator. The episode ends on an intense cliffhanger as Joseph & Avdol immediately become magnetically pulled together and can’t move, while Mariah giggles at her potential victory.

 

Our Take

It’s nice to get another Joseph-focused episode. Even in his old age, he still manages to have his share of comedic & badass moments as he did in Season 1 with a charm that feels equal to Bruce Campbell’s Ash from the Evil Dead Franchise. Araki as a writer keeps catching us off guard with Lots of physical comedy in the form of Joseph & Avdol’s situations, yet gives a proper balance of tension & suspense where it’s needed. Mariah as a villain seems like a legit threat but design-wise, Araki tends to put a lot of emphasis on her micro-miniskirt & legs which people find sexy, but I think that was intentional.