Review of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind
First of all, I don't think anyone will come to see Golden Wind without seeing the other parts of Jojo, but if that's the case, I can strongly say that this season doesn't deviate from the other's episodic structure, meaning that it builds its own universe and set of rules, and can be enjoyed just as well if this is your entry piece. Araki changes the formula of the series once again, making it an Italian gangsters plot. Of course it's not an overly-dramatic personal plot, nor will you remain with a strong moral lesson after watching it. It's just fun and fascinating to followthrough to the end, because Araki's creativeness reverberates through the entire series, captivating your attention and twisting your beliefs at every turn. This is due to the classic "Araki forgot" moments, but if you're an old fan, these grew to you and don't present a problem anymore, but if you're a newcomer, these might be quite unsettling. I'll explain it in a few moments.
The main plot is good, it's driven solely by its characters, meaning you won't find any luck elements to justify the plot's advancement. The 39 episodes are sectioned in half: the first half has a lighter tone, concentrating on weird Stand battles and character interactions, which is very fun to watch; and the second half has a more serious tone, the stakes suddenly jump through the roof, and the show doesn't have the same leisure to mess with it's viewers as in the beginning. The first half is closer to the previous 4 parts' tone, and is better executed over-all because the main characters are presented in the exposition as being so weird and unique, making you eager to see what they are up to in any nonsensical situation. Also, the last act, the climax, is completely off the rails. The pace is faster, accelerating to its conclusion, but it leaves a lot more battle details and rules unexplained. A couple of times I checked the original manga to follow with the action at my own pace, because things happened too fast, and were never brought up later. Maybe I'm just slow to catch on little-shown frames, but I won't deny that the anime is a faithful adaptation to the manga. I've learned to go with the flow, and not ask too many question when it comes to Jojo's, but this time I felt there was nothing tying together a lot of beautiful and interesting elements. I was satisfied with the conclusion and the little epilogue, I just wanted a more detailed last act. The "Araki Forgot" moments, which I've said that are to be expected, present themselves in form of: introducing a Stand ability, using it in a battle or two, and them completely erase it from existence. New elements are constantly introduced and then "forgot", because the author built this story as he went, meaning if something didn't seem fun, or opposed with further essential plot elements, Araki would do everything he can to make you forget about that one particular rule or ability. It's not completely annoying, because for each erased element, he compensates with three better ones, but it bugged me sometimes.
The visual art is reminiscent of the previous chapters and, at the same time, it's own style. I liked the realistic approach to environments, the vivid colors, the strong outlines, the fluid animation. Basically the art is amazing, it is hard to take your eyes off it even if you don't enjoy what's happening on the screen, because Araki's style reverberates through each frame. It's just a joy to watch.
One factor which picked your interest in part 5 might've been Giorno's theme, from the memes. I know because I wasn't planing to watch it so soon, but here I was, courtesy of the memes. If that's the case, I can say that you'll be truly satisfied. This theme kicks in the best moments, when one character fully outsmart another, or finds a nitpick it each other's invincible Stand Powers. Besides this, the OST goes perfectly with what happens on the screen, never breaking the immersion. It's a mix of electronic funk and classical music. It's on point. One thing which blew me out of my chair immediately was the first OP, which is so good that it deserves a review on it's on. If you want to make an idea on how it is, I thought that the vocalist's voice sounded familiar, and I was exalted to find that it was the same guy's who made "Bloody Stream", another OP which haunted my day and night dreams, on a good note tho.
As I've said, the characters are the main fuel for this plots, because they feel very organic, very realistic, despite all their weird features and Stands. They interact with each other as you would expect, they have their personal world views and agendas, and, although the main plot doesn't have a clear message to transmit (except to follow you dreams and resolves 'till your literally last heart-beat), these characters do, each their own, because they have different backgrounds and growth potential. The character development is very well done in the first half, leaving you to care even more about Giorono and his team in the second half, were the risk is more fierce. The villain had an unique approach, having both a good side and bad side until on point. His Stand was op of course, as any Jojo villain would be, but I expected more creative ways to use his powers in the last encounters.
This season is very enjoyable, you can clearly see the show's evolution in the art style, the characters, the creative Stand battles, and, although I liked Diamond is Unbreakable more because of its plot cohesiveness, I would thoroughly recommend Part 5 to anyone who looks for some quality mindless fun combined with amazing art direction.