The second season (and part 3) of Jojo is upon us and going strong! And my spirits have been renewed by the news that Crunchyroll is streaming all the episodes of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure!
Now everyone can watch it with no fear or guilt! 
Check it out here: Watch JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure at Crunchyroll
Since I’m pumped with excitement about Jojo, it’s time for me to catch up on my Jojo posts and talk about Part 2 (here’s Part 1), which is the last 17 episodes of the first season.
In Part 2, we meet a new Jojo; and with a new Jojo, comes a whole new feel to the story. With our beloved Jonathan Joestar, gentlemen of all gentlemen, gone; we remember his sacrifice fondly only to be greeted with his short tempered and sometimes ridiculous grandson, Joseph Joestar.
Maybe it was just me, but I remember not liking Joseph at first because he wasn’t like his grandfather at all. Plus, I was still sad over Jonathan’s death to be amused by Joseph’s cheeky attitude and clever tricks (granted, using Ripple powers to fire the cap off a soda bottle to break someone’s fingers is pretty impressive).
Like Jonathan, Joseph realized he has Ripple powers, though he had not had any proper training with them. Since the disappearance of Dio, there weren’t too many vampires around, so the power of the sun (the Ripple) wasn’t really needed.
That is, until the Pillar Men are awakened.
Now, there’s a lot of interesting angles I can approach Part 2 from (because it’s so full of really interesting stuff: Pillar Men, the quest to become the ultimate life form, Germans, etc.), but I’ll stick with my original theme of human nature.
I’ll leave an invitation for anyone who watched the series to talk about other interesting elements in it in the comments. I’ll gladly join the discussion. But for now, I’m keeping it simple.
Joseph surprisingly became one of my favorite Jojo’s despite my first impressions of him. And actually, it’s because he’s pretty easy to relate to and easy to like.
Okay, so, it’s not like any of us have Ripple powers (though some of us can pose very well!), but Joseph’s attitude about life makes him lovable and more down to earth (er, in a manner of speaking) and really a hero worth rooting for until the end.
As mentioned, Joseph is a man of a quick temper, but also one of quick thinking. He’s the guy you go to for crazy plans that look like they will never work, and sometimes they don’t; and even when he fails, there’s always another trick up his sleeve.
He is by far not the brightest bulb in the bunch either, but he values his friends very highly and his family more so.
The most important character trait of Joseph is that he has flaws, and he knows he has flaws. Even when he meets the outstanding Caesar Zeppeli, Joseph admits, disgruntled, that Caesar is stronger than he is. But what does Joseph do? He does his best to get stronger, even despite his quick temper and uncontrolled Ripple. Instead of trying to work against his flaws, he works with them and turns them into strengths.
Granted, most of his battles with the Pillar Men do need more than traditional fighting methods to work (the battles range from fighting over spikes to vampire horse chariot races, to a fight involving an erupting volcano and a plane), so Joseph realizes his once considered cheap tricks and crazy ideas can be used to his advantage in battle and in turn save the world.
There’s still a lot of depth to the character of Joseph, but in truth, while he does whine about stuff at times, he never gives up.
Can you see why Joseph is so easy to relate to yet? I’m sure many of us struggle with flaws about ourselves. We’re not this or that or another thing. I’m no smart enough, I don’t get good enough grades, I have a terrible sense of humor, etc. We’re not “good” enough, basically.
Now, Joseph doesn’t really get depressed about his inadequacy (he does get sad and angry though, especially after the loss of a friend. ;o; ) But in impossible and dire situations, Joseph gets fired up and we get this:
But he is easy to relate because he’s obviously flawed. He messes up, a lot. He doesn’t “act” like a hero, but he doesn’t get wrapped up on what he isn’t, but rather the importance of accomplishing his goals to save his family, friends, and the world, despite the odds piling against him (I mean, come on, he has to defeat a guy who pretty much becomes a god).
I think we, Christians especially, can sometimes get too obsessed with our flaws and not being “good enough” to see that our weaknesses can become our strengths. Plus, God can work through any weakness and anyone, no matter how impossible it may seem.
Take David (from the Bible) for example. The guy was considered a “man after God’s heart” throughout his life and did you see how much he screwed up? He messed up constantly and terribly.
Actually, that does remind me of Joseph Joestar again. His character appears again in two other parts of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure (in part 3 and part 4) and we do find out that Joseph does mess up even more in his life, but he still is remembered as a hero.
Now, how about this to top off our feelings of self confidence!
I feel like I had waited my whole life just for this one scene.
Reminder to everyone again that the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure anime is streaming on Crunchyroll (you have no idea how impossible I thought this was. It’s been like five weeks and I’m still happy about it).
Hurry and catch up so you all can understand what I’m going to be talking about in my next post, which will most likely be about Dio. Look forward to it!
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- Untangled: Christianity Forbids Jojo Part 3’s Tarot Cards? - 11.13.2014
Unlike his grandfather, Joseph NEVER beat anyone in part 2 straight up with martial art or ripple. He’s less powerful in both regard compared to Jonathan. The opponents he faces are also far more powerful than the bad guys in part 1, so creative thinking and outright cheating is what’s needed.
Sora made a pretty epic speech on this topic in No Game No Life.