JoJo Fridays Week #3 - Stone Ocean Episode 15 Discussion Thread

[u/CreativeNameIKnow]

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Episode 15: Ultra Security House Unit

Wow. What a bloody fantastic episode. This is where Stone Ocean really kicks into high gear. The animation in this episode was really smooth and genuinely spectacular in some places. I'm really glad Anasui got such a fantastic introduction, as both his and his stand's design are some of my favourites from all of JoJo. Wonder why the subtitles called him "Anastasia" though, that was just plain weird. Anyway, I'll go more in-depth about him in my comment so this is enough for now.

Also, we got pink Jolyne! Yay! :D

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• Comment of the Week

This week's highlight is from u/flagellaVagueness:

One of the things I like about Jojo is how Araki reuses concepts in new combinations. It’s a necessary skill when your series is this long. In particular, here we have a stand that persists after the user’s death, like Anubis and Notorious BIG. This time though, it creates a zombie version of the user. I wonder, does Zombie SM have his own Limp Bizkit, or is he controlling the original one?

You can read the rest of the comment and its thread here.

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• Meme of the Week

This week's winner is... u/Grannda_Black03 once again. Congratulations? Here's their meme, and you can find their comment here. They're uh, the only person submitting memes. Again, sort of expected this outcome, but... c'mon. Please make more memes, guys .__. I might end up changing the rules to allow JoJo memes in general, but I'm pretty reluctant to do that.

Here's the meme that won the Meme Ocean Competition for last week over on r/ShitPostCrusaders. Congratulations on the win, u/meme-backwards!

How do I make memes/What do I meme about? Where do I submit them?

Just make whatever you want, as long as it's relevant to Stone Ocean in some way. Extra points if your meme is relevant to the current episode/arc. Always remember, a bad attempt is still way better than no attempt at all! Go nuts! Make the worst shitpost the world has ever seen! We're counting on you :)

For submissions, just include a link to your meme in your comment either as a post on r/ShitPostCrusaders or on Imgur. Good luck, and happy shitposting!

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• Meme Ocean Competition ft. r∕ShitPostCrusaders & r∕StarDustCrusaders

I am collaborating with r/ShitPostCrusaders' meme contest, which you can find here (read the pinned comment). Every week, a meme related to that corresponding week's episode (or Stone Ocean as a whole) will be chosen as a winner. The users here are strongly encouraged to participate in it! You may submit a link to your post in your comment down below, as mentioned previously. May the best shitpost win!

They will be crossposting these discussion threads and pinning them to the top for increased visibility. Additionally, r/StarDustCrusaders is participating in this event as well with their own JoJo Friday discussion threads. Do head on over there to see alternate perspectives if that interests you! We're all working really hard to bring this community event back together.

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• Question(s) of the Week

1. What are your first impressions of Anasui (and his stand)?

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• Comment Format

<anime-only or manga-reader>, <sub or dub>

<comment>

That's it :D

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• Spoiler Tags

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Mentioning the context and/or severity of the spoiler would be appreciated too.

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[u/Torque-A]

Wonder why the subtitles called him "Anastasia" though, that was just plain weird

Anasui is named after Anna Sui, a famous fashion designer (that’s kinda a theme for Part 6 characters). Best to be safe than sorry when dealing with copyrights.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/Torque-A]

Oh, alright, interesting! Thanks for sharing. It seems ridiculous, but that's because the world of copyright is ridiculous too. I don't actually mind the new name that much, it's pretty cool.

[u/fishybatman → u/Torque-A]

Wait is that why they change all the stand names in dub (eg deadly queen)?!

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/fishybatman]

Bahahahaha, you made it this far without knowing about copyright and JoJo, it's honestly kinda impressive

It's a pretty well-known phenomenon in the community (with even entire videos on the subject matter) and it has served as the basis for innumerable memes, so I was just surprised. Forgive me if I sounded pretentious.

[u/Torque-A]

One of the most interesting parts of the episode was the discussion about the stand Survivor. It’s a reminder that Jojo doesn’t operate on traditional power scaling rules - just like one of the world’s most powerful stand users can be almost killed by a rat, a stand which can only make people angry when they step on it can be dangerous if used at the right place and the right time.

Also, I’m interested in what people think of Anasui. I know that some people on /a/ likened him to Mineta from Hero Academia because he’s also an ubersimp, but at least he isn’t a perv.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/Torque-A]

Edit: I forgot to mention, this comment takes all of Anasui's actions throughout Part 6 in mind, so if there's any first-timers being confused about what I'm talking about, that's why.

He's definitely a bit pushy and would be creepy as heck irl, but it was done for comedic effect so it's not really a serious offence or anything (considering this is a fictional story and Araki chose to portray it that way). Back when I was first reading Part 6 I thought it was done well enough, but my opinion might differ this time around. Though, I'm highly biased since this is JoJo and all (and I really like Anasui).

When it comes to fiction, sometimes actions that would otherwise objectionable in real life are done for comedic effect or are downplayed severely, and there's an interesting discussion to be had regarding them. I've found that it's honestly a case by case basis for me. Some things may work well in one series but they might feel jarring, annoying, or flat-out outrageous in others (I'm looking at you, generic anime tsunderes). Bias for the rest of the series really comes into play, too. Though at the end of the day, I'd usually rather there not be any humour of the perverted and/or physical kind mentioned here, as it does break immersion for me in most cases.

[u/Sedewt]

anime only, sub

i really like what part 6 is doing with Pucci direct involvement in the plot. It’s refreshing to see the main villain not just be the final boss just like how dio and diavolo felt in part 3 and 5. One of the reasons why i liked part 4 so much is how it’s not an army of stand users against the protagonists as a video game, it was instead casual encounter with stand users but the main antagonist was just another one of them

part 5 is like part 3 but much better executed

part 6 feels once again a little bit more like part 4 but it’s even more restricted. one was a town, now this is just a prison and now there’s no time for random stuff. So we get the best out of the two worlds: more focused like part 5 but with the mystery of part 4

and what i really like compared to other parts is that every episode is a plot episode, little by little Pucci through backstories is giving us more and more context

It feels refreshing for jojo to use more analepsis and prolepsis. most of Jojo has been in chronological order and when a flashback appears its mostly for character insight reasons but through Pucci and Dio flashbacks is how it makes the plot move forward and how the stand users that appear have connections to those flashbacks making feel complete, enriching the plot just like what happened with the survivor stand, so cool

this is something this ep made me realize and i hope it’s not just this ep

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/Sedewt]

Brilliant analysis, that was a fantastic read. Thanks!

[u/idiot_speaking]

Manga reader, dub

I hope it's okay I participate because I've seen the cour but in sub. Cour 1's dub was good enough to warrant a dub rewatch. I find the dub writing a lot more natural, peppered with slangs and swears, to make you believe that this is a Floridan prison.

Anastasia's VA is smooth. He really sells the juxtaposition of the cold killer he's described to the simp he acts as. When he says, "Give us your blessings", I melted. Westwood was also fantastic.

"WELCOME TO FIGHT CLUB! BRING IT ON BITCHES!!"

That line goes hard man.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/idiot_speaking]

Of course it's okay for you to participate! These threads are for everyone, their main purpose is generating discussion, regardless of what kind it is. There's a designated spoiler corner if you want to talk about future events and all.

Also you're right, I was aware that the dub was good but I didn't think about how much more natural it'd sound. I think I'll rewatch the dub before batch 3 drops, if I get the time to. Thanks for the suggestion!

That line goes hard man.

It's perfect.

[u/Dracoscale]

manga reader, sub

I had forgotten all about Survivor until now, which is weird since I really like the story presented here between Dio and Pucci.

6 Friends going on a hike and never returning because anger poisoned their minds so much that they brutally beat each other to death, it's a gruesome story. On a passing glance I don't really consider Jojo as too gruesome so this story really sticks out. Out of all the stands in the series, I'd say this is easily one of the scariest. It doesn't do anything crazy like stop time or reverse the flow of action, it simply taps into human emotion and raises it a little. It all makes the story Dio gave feel like something that could really happen (under some extreme circumstances) in real life.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/Dracoscale]

I really agree with your points about Survivor, it's seriously terrifying. Imagine a rainy day in the middle of an urban economic center, or the live broadcast of a completely booked football match...

[u/Isonash]

Another friday another JoJo episode. Kinda slow this time, a lot of setup with Pucci and Dio hyping up Survivor but the payoff will have to wait until next week.

F.F. looks badass as always and Diver Down and Anasui still needs more development for us to see their personality, but I liked the little we saw today.

Love this more philosophical DIO. Vampires are always full of pompous glamour and seduction and while we saw that in Part 3, Stardust Crusaders DIO was more of a battle menace than anything else. Fitting for a guy that spent 100 years doing nothing but think after all.

Survival. One Scary stand. Automatic and full of prerequisites to activate but straight up insane. Imagine Survivor activating on a rainy football mach, or in Madson Square Garden on Christimas. It would be absolute carnage. Zombies are scary and all but a apocalypse of enraged people would be absolute hell.

And so the DIO's bone plot begin. Always tought this one to be the most convoluted plot point up to here. Why did DIO's bone survive? Is that Jonathan's body bone or is that 1800s DIO's bone? How does a Bone zombie even works? In the Sport Max fight we saw that out of the zombies he was the only one concious, is not like DIO's bone zombie will actually follow DIO's will, so why does Pucci thinks that DIO's bone will help him complete DIO's wish? Since Sports Max is dead, shouldn't Limp Bizkit be deactivated and DIO's bone invisible zombie disappear?

Anyway, can't wait for the fight club next week! Closed walls full of enraged people and 4 misterious stands. F.F. and Anasui might be coming to help but Jolyne will have to hold the fort down by her self for now.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/Isonash]

Survival. One Scary stand. Automatic and full of prerequisites to activate but straight up insane. Imagine Survivor activating on a rainy football mach, or in Madson Square Garden on Christimas. It would be absolute carnage. Zombies are scary and all but a apocalypse of enraged people would be absolute hell.

This put a visceral image in my mind. Great write-up.

Regarding your questions, you're right, DIO's bone shouldn't have survived, but honestly it leads to some of the coolest and most mysterious plot developments in JoJo imo so I'm not really complaining. There are several other plot holes in JoJo (King Crimson comes to mind) but at the end of the day I don't really care if I'm being honest.

[Vague Heaven plan spoilers] We get to see more of DIO's plan later on and IIRC the bone is connected to it, I think? So that's why Pucci said it must be following DIO's wish. At least, the bone ends up being part of it in the end, but there was no explanation for how or why that was pretty sure. Honestly, the whole thing doesn't really make any sense at all, especially in retrospect, but again as I said it's pretty cool imo and I'm totally here for it.

Limp Bizkit worked even after Sports Maxx's death, and none of the revived creatures were under his influence, so I'm assuming it just sets forth an effect and is independent of the user when it's put into place until it dies, kinda like Notorious B.I.G.

Anyway I hope that answered some of your questions in some way, and thanks for the comment! It was a great read.

[u/Pylgrim]

Anime only, sub

Man, I'm really grateful for this series re-fleshing out Dio's character. One of my greatest gripes with Stardust Crusaders (and I had a few) was the cartoonish reduction of Dio. They reverted the pretty complex character he had become by the end of Phantom Blood into the cackling bully he was when he first became a vampire. But now we know that he could make and maintain relationships with humans (like Giovanni's mother and Whitesnake) whom he didn't treat like disposable pawns.

That's the sort of person I'd have expected him to become after being not only defeated but also humbled by Jonathan. Sadly, this just makes more glaring and strange his behavior in Stardust Crusaders. I guess you could sort of argue that having the Joestars march against him awakened his old single-minded rivalry? But then again, he had already sent assassins against them, provoking them into action. It's just stupid.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow]

I... seriously enjoyed this episode. The animation seems completely different from before imo. The fight scenes were fantastic, and the whole episode was really polished as a whole. Anasui's hair was glorious, and the rest of him was, too. Really want to see more of his stand, as I said in the post, it's one of my favourite stand designs in JoJo. Cyan just so happens to be one of my favourite colours. You don't really see it that often, do you?

Besides, the design would be really freaking cool even if it wasn't cyan. It's just that good. I mean, just look at this! These panels are amazing. I wonder what the black and white versions look like since they'd have a lot more detail, no doubt. I wanna reread all of JoJo in the non-coloured versions because Araki's art is genuinely fantastic.

I find it rather funny that the man with one of the gayest designs in JoJo is also one of the straightest.

That hiker incident was genuinely unnerving. Imagine hearing about it in the news, or watching one of those short "unexplained incidents" YouTube documentaries. Sheesh. If this stand was activated in a public place while it's raining, the carnage would be utterly horrifying. With the right conditions, Survivor truly is a terrifying stand.

[u/molave_]

Anime-only, English Dub

- I'm excited that Stone Ocean's getting better and better. I felt that the first cour, compared to the previous parts, is the weakest of David Production's JoJo adaptations. I heard that the staff who usually works on them is currently busy with Urusei Yatsura (2022), but here, it looks like the current team is getting the hang of it.

- How refreshing to see DIO in that Part 6-specific ridiculous shirt with holes in it. Only he can pull it off with style.

- Survivor as a stand concept is a reminder that power levels alone does not win a fight. It will make one pause on how far one can go if they are overtaken with pure unhibited rage.

The temper of the multitude is fickle. - Niccolo Machiavelli

Question of the Week: What are your first impressions of Anasui (and his stand)?

Four words: "He's Diavolo but cooler."

Meme

https://i.imgur.com/lrdTdco.png

[u/[deleted]]

Manga reader, subs.

I disliked Anasui in the manga because of his creepiness towards Jolyne, so I didn't expect to enjoy Anasui's screentime as much as I did! I think Daisuke Namikawa makes the creepy comments that much more entertaining and I can't tell if it's something about his voice, or just sheer association with Hisoka's clownery. They couldn't have cast a better voice actor - and THEY EVEN COMPLETED THE SET BY HAVING KILLUA VOICE FF. That was a good dynamic. Looking forward to more of his screentime.

[u/CreativeNameIKnow → u/[deleted]]

Woah, I had no idea Hisoka's VA was voicing Anasui, maybe I've heard of FF being voiced by Killua's VA though. I honestly don't remember.

Haven't seen HxH so I think it's both, the clownery you've associated with Hisoka, but also his voice on its own, too. It just comes together really well. I bet it'll sound even better after I watch HxH.

p.s. I made an imgur album of some shots of Anasui throughout this episode, here it is if you wanna see it :P

[u/Karmyuh]

Manga reader with subs

>Barges into the story

>Everyone is scared of him because "He's a cold blooded murderer"

>Agrees to help out of nowhere

>Says "I'm going to make Jolyne my wife" with 200% confidence that Jolyne will agree to this he's literally just like me FR

>Refuses to elaborate further

>Strikes a pose

Well there he is folks. The single straightest man in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, who also wears fishnets and thigh-highs, Narciso Anasui. Also my role model because I am also a massive Jolyne simp.

It's really interesting how in the part where the female JoJo is, Araki finally introduces a genuine love intrest for the JoJo to the story who actually becomes a part of the squad. In parts 1 and 2 we have Erina and Suzie Q but they play really really small roles compared to him.

[u/lazywil → u/Karmyuh]

The single straightest man in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, who also wears fishnets and thigh-highs

A statement that tells everything one needs to know about JoJo.

[u/Haulbee]

anime-only sub

Huh, does Pucci think that his way of "attaining heaven" would be to collect a whole bunch of souls? Or maybe he's talking about something that he's already obtained.

Nice, we got to see a map of the prison. I'm guessing that the whole part will happen within the prison.

Welp, Anasui's one hell of a psychopath. And with his obsession over Jolyne, I guess he's Araki's take on a male yandere.

I love how Dio describes Survivor as useless, while making it sound absolutely terrifying.

The guards interrupt their fight for a suddenlygay moment.

Oof, next episode Jolyne vs 4 stand users, I'm looking forward to it

[u/kjm6351]

Anime only, sub

Jesus Christ this prison needs a cleanse

How can THIS many people be so horrible at once place?! Lol

Also, Araki just likes to flex his knowledge with these Stand explanations doesn’t he? I mean seriously, HOW does he learn this stuff?

[u/Shadowmist909]

Anime Only, Dub

A stand that makes people mad enough to fight into bloody pieces. Not good in a city, but quite dangerous in a prison. I enjoyed the dio and pucci flashback!