English Dub Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable “July 15th (Thurs), Part 1”

The only game you know is Do or Die.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

While the Joestar gang continues their search, Yoshihiro spots the disguised Kira by his long fingernails but also spots Hayato monitoring him with a portable camera. Determined to protect his son, Yoshihiro springs the Stand users he’s created with the Arrow into action against his foes. The first makes his move when Josuke, Okuyasu, and Mikitaka spot a guy living in an abandoned radio tower. He’s apparently managed to make a self-sufficient living within the tower, which amazes the boys, but begs them not to enter it. But when Josuke catches Yoshihiro talking to the man, he rushes in. This turns out to be the result of reverse psychology, as the squatter is revealed to be a Stand user made by Yoshihiro. His Stand, Superfly, is independent of him and exists within the tower, with anyone who enters it being trapped but allowing whoever was in it before to escape.

Josuke also finds that, if the most recent entrant tries to leave before getting someone else in, they begin to change into metal and then start merging with the tower. The tower also is able to reflect damage it takes back at the person damaging, as seen when Josuke and Okuyasu try beating it down. Mikitaka uses his shapeshifting powers to try and get the nameless user to get trapped back in it, but then he gets injured and trapped himself.

Meanwhile, Rohan spots Hayato in his investigation photos while waiting for a house renovator, while Koichi and Josuke’s mom mysteriously disappears.

OUR TAKE

So begins the four-part finale to this drawn out detour from the main plot as Josuke and pals take on the remaining three Stand users created by Yoshihiro as a diversion from his son. As the title implies, all of these encounters will be taking place over the course of a single day, but jumping back and forth in time to show what’s happening with each character and who they’re facing. I’ve seen times when protagonist groups get split up by the elite members of the antagonist group. This actual sort of happened in Part 3 when Jotaro and his gang fought the Stand users with Egypt names. Except just like that, there’s really nothing that sets them apart in terms of strength or skills from the other ones Josuke and co. have fought. They’re just later in the story, but not necessarily more powerful.

Also, Yoshihiro says he’s made five other users before he tries to take Mikitaka, but it’s unclear how he coordinates or gets them to do what he wants. Superfly’s user talks about being trapped in the tower for years, which is confusing because I’m pretty sure this story hasn’t been taking place over multiple years. Plus, how the heck was his plan supposed to work if Josuke or Okuyasu hadn’t spotted him in the tower? The other two users’ plans make a bit more sense, but there still doesn’t seem to be any motive for them other than to be mini-bosses. More on them as they show up in the next few weeks.

Though for all my hole-poking I’ve come out of the gate with, I will say that this fight is already showing the insane levels of specificity and creativity that I’ve come to like and expect from this series, even if the fight ends up meaning nothing in the long term. Just like a lot of encounters I’ve previously talked about, having one set in a jungle-gym-like tower and setting the rules that one person has to stay inside feels like something that could have come about through playground adventures of Araki’s youth, as well as adding to the recurring air of suburban superstition that Morioh has flowed through it. I still have a problem with this kind of padding that’s just there to spin the wheels until the plot, but keeping me entertained in the meantime definitely helps. Only three weeks left!