English Dub Review: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Steel Ball Run “The Desert-Born Outlaws”
Overview
At Camp, Johnny catches a glimpse of Gyro’s past. Then the notorious “Boomboom Family” strikes with an Otherworldly power. The duo escapes, or so they think…
Our Take
Picking up from the previous episode, JoJo Steel Ball Run continues to build momentum as Johnny and Gyro face another bizarre challenge on their journey. This episode benefits greatly from the restructuring, giving their relationship more room to develop while allowing the suspense to build naturally. The delayed introduction of Stands (A Staple in the franchise since “Stardust Crusaders) also makes their arrival feel more impactful, with the alternate color palette and flickering imagery creating an especially memorable reveal. The episode balances JoJo’s stranger elements with a more focused sense of tension.
The animation and direction remain some of the episode’s biggest strengths. The cinematography gives the action a dramatic feel through creative camera movements, slow-motion shots, reflections, and striking compositions. Several sequences make excellent use of limited animation and compositing to create memorable visuals, while the increasingly creative battles show just how much personality the anime can bring to these encounters. The weekly release schedule also gives these smaller confrontations a chance to stand on their own rather than being overshadowed by later events.
Overall, this is another entertaining episode that feels like a strong step forward for Steel Ball Run. The bizarre characters, unusual abilities, gruesome imagery, and trademark JoJo absurdity all come together nicely, while the growing mysteries surrounding the world give the story plenty to build on. With the animation continuing to impress and the series settling more comfortably into its rhythm, Steel Ball Run is finally hitting its stride, and judging by where things are headed, the race is only about to get crazier.
