English Dub Review: Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders “Bast’s Mariah Pt. 2“

We’re back after Toonami’s 2018 April Fools prank.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

As Joseph and Avdol attempt to detach themselves from each other due to being affected by Mariah’s Bast Stand which left them both magnetized, it leads to a slew of comedic awkwardness & embarrassment in the process, as exemplified in various scenes such as Joseph suggesting they walk to a wooden fence to separate making them look like they’re dancing, or when Avdol having to move downward which puts him in a suggestive pose infront of a group of young strangers, only to later roll down a hill where they encounter Mariah again and get stuck on some railroad tracks. The scene itself is well-paced while giving the proper balance of comedy and suspense as Joseph hears a train coming towards them. Just as all hope seems lost for the two, It turns out that Avdol’s Stand, Magician’s Red manages to help himself & Joseph avoid danger in a clever scene.

As Avdol and Joseph escape their predicament and continue pursuing Mariah, It turns out she has several aces up her sleeve as she has “hidden weapons” in the form of nuts & bolts that almost kill Joseph & Avdol due to the magnet’s pull forcing the tiny metal objects to hit them at high-velocity speed until Avdol puts a stop to it. As she slowly runs away, Joseph comes to the conclusion that Mariah’s greatest weakness is the fact her Stand is limited to a particular distance from the two in order to maintain her magnetism powers, but it leads to a badass scene where Joseph proclaims that despite his track-record of retreating from battles in the past, he’s never truly abandoned those fights and always figures out a solution. It’s an awesome moment where he manages to separate himself temporarily from Avdol through sheer force of will as they now know exactly where Mariah is heading.

As the two finally confront the obnoxious cunt, they end up being caught in a trap as she sets off several loose power lines that are drawn to their magnetism but are quick to counter them. The scene itself keeps upping the suspense factor, but it turns out they positioned themselves so that Mariah is standing right between them. Given that the two are magnetized with heavy metallic objects stuck to them in combination with their weight and magnetic force, the duo manages to use Mariah’s powers against her and let’s just say, it doesn’t go well for her… As her Stand is now effectively turned off due to being injured, we’re told in a narrated text that Mariah later went to the hospital for “multiple bone fractures”, but the episode ends on a foreboding cliffhanger as a Stand User named “Alessi” along with his creepy Shadow-Stand, sets his sights on Jotaro, Polnareff, and Iggy.

Our Take

I really didn’t expect them to replay this episode again English dubbed, but I’m kinda glad they did just to keep a consistent flow of the episodes and to assure fans every episode is dubbed. As for Joseph’s strategy, it’s exactly like him to pull something under-handed to his foes when begging for his life doesn’t work. Had Mariah stopped dicking around with Joseph and Avdol, she probably would’ve succeeded in killing them but her defeat was well-deserved, also her angry-face was priceless.

While we do have scenes of Jotaro, Polnareff, and Iggy waiting around, there is a genuine sense of unease with the Creepy Shadow-Stand dude being just around the corner and I’m curious how they’ll get out of this one at the same time Joseph & Avdol are facing their predicament.