Digimon: Dial Up!

So Graham and Justin were both talking about wanting to see JoJo again and I'm finally deciding to solve this. u 3u

So, after talking with Graham about times, I'm going to be showing Jojo Part 1 on Tuesday at 6PM EST. u 3u/ How long are we doing it? How many episodes? I dunno, it really depends how long people wanna binge. o 3o

Part 1 is by far the shortest part at only 9 episodes. But I will say those 9 episodes are some of my favorites, as the Bram Stoker's Dracula/Fist of the North Star parody pulls together a very solid stand alone story, even if you never go back to JoJo again. It's easy to see how this went from simple parody to it's own franchise in Shonen Jump.

Part 1 is the story of the rich, noble youth Jonathan Joestar and his battle against his cruel new step-brother Dio Brando. The first few minutes of episode one does a fantastic job of immediately selling and letting you understand both of these immensely important characters right off the bat with a great back and forth comparison sequence. These 9 episodes absolutely zero in on the core conflict between these two great, if simple, hero and villain characters, aided by an entertaining supporting cast containing the (frankly silly and cowardly) Robert E.O. Speedwagon and the top-hat-and-suit-clad Monk of the Ripple (I believe Crunchyroll leaves this as 'Hamon' in the translations) William Anthonio Zeppeli.

If you're looking for Stands, those don't appear until Part 3. For Parts 1 and 2, our heroes' primary source of power is the Ripple/Hamon. This is an energy built up with breathing techniques that replicates the positive energy of the sun's rays, allowing the user to heal certain wounds, have rather interesting effects on objects (Such as turning bubbles into a destructive weapon, or hardening noodles to pierce glass), and, of course, dust the fuck out of some zombies and vampires.

Everyone's invited, so come by to watch some really entertaining (and bizarre) supernatural battles and adventures.

Plus, I mean, how can this intro NOT get you pumped?

I'll post it again in Discord, but the site we're using is right here: https://www.rabb.it/VixAgri

I have been TOLD that Crunchyroll works on it, and even if for some reason not, I should be able to stream to it from my desktop.

You might have thought Cam would watch Jojo first...

BUT IT WAS ME, DIO GRAHAM!

....>_>; <_<; I'll see myself out

Okay, so PHANTOM BLOOD, which is only nine episodes, is a fantastic tale of man triumphing over vampire and also Aztec blood rituals and also Secret Tibetan Music Star Monks and I highly recommend it.

OK SO WE MAYBE ACCIDENTALLY DID ALL OF PART 1 AND PART 2

OOPS

OKAY SO

Part 1 (Phantom Blood) is cool and all, and nice and self-contained. You should watch it first. It introduces Dio (main villain, which everyone already knows) and the Joestar lineage really well, gives background to the Mask, etc.

THEN WATCH PART 2 BECAUSE IT'S FUCKIN' AMAZING. You know how Jason's advertised the hell out of it it's for Good Reasons it has:

-Joseph Joestar, who is 1000% better than Johnathan even if you love Johnathan (I did)
-An even better supporting cast somehow
-PILLAR MEN
-CARS AND WHAM, THE BEST VILLAINS (also Wham is incredibly sympathetic)
-really incredible musical cues
-like all the training and fighting elements of other shonen but just done REALLY well???? like seriously this is Good, this is miles and miles ahead of its time
-the hottest mom alive
-THAT. ENDING.
-seriously that ending
-Jotaro (hero of part 3, as everyone knows from the video game and old-school OVA) has probably had to hear the legend of that ending 3000 times but what he doesn't know is it's all true

The best part is that video doesn't even show THE FINAL PART. But yeah, that...that fucking octopus especially god dammit

We are now 12 episodes deep into PART 3: STARDUST CRUSADERS and I continue to be Mad Hype.

Part of it is the simple joy of Old Joseph (more Joseph is always good), but Jotaro is also a new and awesome protagonist who has his own fun idiosyncracies, and once more we're joined by an incredible supporting cast, including the Aku-esque Noriaki "rerorerorero" Kakyoin, the gloriously flamboyant JEAN-PIERRE POLNAREFF, and of course Mohammed Avdol, who I could make a Blaziken joke about but I won't because it's crass. Oh, and temporarily the Runaway Girl. She helps them fight a...Well...spoilers.

This is the one with all the Stands, and they add a predictably really cool element to things due to their unpredictability and variety. There's also a nice Tarot theme to start out.

The villains of Stardust Crusaders are also cool in that they definitely feel like a refined version of the threat from Part 1, in keeping with how Dio has become DIO (yes, there's a difference), and despite not being highly mobile they never lose their menace. Part of this is meeting and glimpsing DIO without losing his threat level, and keeping his true power mysterious. The heroes don't just run into him and have to go get stronger--in fact, the heroes don't get to "get stronger", period. You understand your Stand from the start, and you have to use it or die.

WE'RE THROUGH PART 1! WE EGYPTIAN NOW

I love this bunch of ridiculous muscular teen assholes and I already loved Irresponsible Grandpa Joseph. I am PSYCHED to see them take down DIIIIIOOOOOOO

Jotaro is way too fast at shitting outside.