I Said Buy the DVDs! Collection of All JoJo Blu-ray Commercials

One of the NicoTube channels has put out two collections of all the JoJo Disc commercials. One for Part 1 and one for Part 2. They aren’t subtitled, but you can pick up on the context of Santana being confused and Stroheim being as loud as possible. I particularly like Lisa Lisa saying you can’t become stronger without buying JoJo Blu-rays. If you’re going to have fun with a series, you might as well go full on with the commercials too.

“I Suggest Trying Joseph! He Has the Best Zoning IN THE WORLD!!!”

Hurricane Crew with more ASB news. This is a picture of a preview display case. Stroheim bids you good day and says:

“ YOU WILL BUY THIS GAAAAAAAME! SO SAYS GERMAN SCIEEEEEEENCE!!!!”

Absolutely beautiful. Along with this comes a bit more information. There’s a little bit about alternate colors at the beginning as well as a few of the special interactions. That should include the special ones we’ve seen in PV 4, but there’s also Dio with Johnathan, Jotaro, and Giorno, like you’d expect, Giorno and Polernaff, and Jolyne with Jotaro and Josuke with Okuyasu, both of which I believe we’ve seen.

The most important news, however, is this:

“Every character will have their own line when they make fun of Josuke’s hair. DIO’s from the PV was one of those. I’m assuming they say that when he activates his super-armor super cause well that’s the context of him getting pissed off. A source has given some of those lines for a couple characters but I’ll detail those in the character mentions for those mentioned.”

This will be the best game. This will be the best game forever.

JoJo Vol. 5 Blu-ray Box, Disc, and Mousepad Art

The art isn’t out by the anime twitter or the official site, but like usual, someone, this time in the JoJo anime thread, managed to sneak a picture of the box set out. This will be the box set with episodes 13 through 15 on it. Like all the box sets, it comes with a bonus item rolled in. It was Leicht Verwendbar for Vol. 4, but we’re out of new soundtracks for the moment, so this time it’s that little Pillar Men Relief mousepad. A cute bonus, and maybe it can strike a conversation during office work or look judgmentally at you while you look up unscrupulous things on the internet. Wham would not approve of actions like that.

This set is due out May 31st.

“Those throat drops saved me during recordings.” Parting Words from the Battle Tendency Cast

So I was digging around in old tweets from the JoJo’s Twitter. The one linked with the site, not the anime twitter, and I found this.

The picture is part of an interview session held by Animate TV with the core cast of Battle Tendency back on the 9th. Even though that’s a picture of seven people, there were ten in the interview: Tomokazu Sugita (Joseph), Takuya Sato (Caeser), Atsuko Tanaka (Lisa Lisa), Atsushi Imaruoka (Stroheim), Akio Ootsuka (Wham), Keiji Fujiwara (ACDC), Kazuhiko Inoue (Cars), Ayako Kawasumi (Erina), and Toru Okawa (The Narrator).

A lot of things were said. There’s only five questions, but with ten people, that comes out to a sizeable interview. I worked through it as best I could, and so I present you with a quick look into the interview and the final thoughts on JoJo’s from the Part 2 cast. As I’m no translator by any stretch, these will be summarized paragraphs of what was said rather than a full on translation.

“How do you feel having finished the last episode?”

Sugita was worried the whole time about “dropping the baton” passed to him from Part 1, but thinking back on it, he realized that there is no baton because Part 2 is so different from Part 1.

Sato is a JoJo’s reader, so he knew what the ending was. Still, there’s a sense of relief because Joseph wins in the end. It’s a sad feeling, though, because JoJo’s is very intense, but also very short.

Tanaka breifly just said that she was sad coming to the end.

Imaruoka felt a strong pride being the voice actor for Stroheim, a man who died honorably in battle.

Ootsuka and Fujiwara were both unhappy they weren’t able to see it to the end because Wham and ACDC die partway into the show.

Inoue was between Sugita and Tanaka: Worried about how the show would go, but sad now to be at the end.

Ueda is the wordiest of the bunch for all the questions. He is sad that it’s over because this was a full half year project for him. There was a lot of pressure, but a rewarding feeling for making it to the end. He gave it his all in the last scene and was left feeling very thankful.

Kawasumi was proud to have been a part of the cast and crew than managed to hold up the original spirit of JoJo’s so well.

Okawa is more towards the relieved side feeling like how you do after a really tough run.

“Having worked on the whole show, what do you look back on as your favorite scene?”

Sugita really liked the part of the OP where Joseph is strutting up and the title kanji burst in. He also really liked the Part 2 PV.

Sato picked the scene where Caeser and Joseph make the icicle rope when Joseph dives in after Cars into the gorge. That scene really portrayed Joseph and Caeser’s relationship with their confidence as a duo but also pride as rivals.

Tanaka was so moved by Caeser’s death scene that rehearsing it at home brought her to tears.

Imaruoka just went with the whole of “Caeser’s Lonely Youth” because the imagry, sound, and acting were all just perfect. He did, however, say that the Stroheim commercial was a close second.

Ootsuka and Fujiwara both went with the fight between Caeser and Wham. There’s a passion and sadness welling up through the scene between these two people fighting desperately for what they believe in even though there’s so much hostility between them.

Inoue felt a little guilty because he picked the scene where he pulled a “win-win” with Cars. I think that’s probably referring to when he traps Joseph in the balancing trap with Lisa Lisa. (Edit: Actually, it’s not “win-win” it’s “wiin wiin” as in air guitar sounds from when Cars was playing Lisa Lisa’s leg. Thanks for correcting me in the comments, Buddy Waters.)

Ueda had  a handful. There was episode 3 which convinced him that there is really something powerful about the show. Epsiode 6, the whole cast and crew did a great job conveying the feeling of the story. He has ones in Part 2, like the scene where Joseph and Speedwagon are talking over the radio and both desperately trying to fight inevitability. The last cry he does was completely real.

Kawasumi chose the whole end. It was sad to say “goodbye” while feeling that JoJo’s has so much more to offer.

Okawa wasn’t sure because there’s tons of good scenes, but he also really felt the power of JoJo’s in Episode 3.

“What’s your impression of your character, and when was it hard to play that character?”

Joseph was always the kind of hero Sugita empathized with because he would show what looked like weakness only for it to really be strategy. It was a little tough when Joseph had to be the one surprised.

Sato had trouble with approaching the end of his time as Caeser. “How do you give all you feelings to a close friend so far away?” It brought him a lot of anxiety, but once they started, he realized that the anxiety was meaningless. He also brought up that it can be tough to be the co-star character, but he was happy to express Caeser’s feelings so honestly.

Tanaka initially had trouble with Lisa Lisa because she’s 20 and also 50, so she wasn’t sure how to properly balance her voice. A sound director came up and told her that Lisa Lisa is a woman with a lot experiences, so Tanaka just needed to play it naturally. After that, she could concentrate solely on her acting and not the way her voice sounded.

Imaruoka was nervous because Stroheim has that unique way of talking with “!!” words and “…” words.

Ootsuka was, surprisingly, nervous because he heard about Wham having moves like “Holy Sandstorm” and “Final Mode,” and he was worried he couldn’t do the moves and the expectation of the moves justice.

Fujiwara was always giving 100%! So he had a sore stomach while acting. ACDC is kinda cute, though.

Inoue was confused at first how to go about Cars because he goes through so many transformations so quickly, both in literal form and personality, but it was fun to play him. He also really liked the written sound effects.

Ueda was very aware that Speedwagon is kind of a busybody and always thinking, “I want to do something!” But after he meets Johnathan and starts experiencing all these horrors unlike anything else in the world he changes and thinks, “I can’t do anything.” He’s a nice guy all the same, but speaks with a lot of long words, so he had to be careful not to be redundant. Also, not to speak in a way that would break the tension during strong scenes.

Fujiwara felt that Erina gives this impression that she’s an ideal woman and ahad this “princess” feeling to her. The hard part was moving on to playing Part 2 Erina.

Okawa came in with the weird impression that JoJo’s was a very calm story because there’s narration, so he had to fight as hard as he could against that feeling.

“I imagine recording scenes being very exciting, so tell me about the recordings. I was impressed to the point I figured it must not be like a typical recording.”

Sugita talked about how it was tough, but you get good stories. One time during a tough recording, he was able to get through because Ueda got him two containers of throat drops. Once they were almost all gone, he then had to move onto a big fight scene.

Sato was surprised that even people coming in for unnamed character roles were bringing the big fighting spirit. That sense of unity and the aura that came off actors like those playing the Pillar Men really excited him.

Tanaka talked about how there’s so much energy in saying something as simple as “IT’S!” because the show is so faithful to the original work. Inoue would apparently have a lot of leftover momentum even when doing rerecordings.

Imaruoka was worried because so many actors would leave in the middle because of sore throats. The staff giving out throat drops is what allowed his throat to survive.

Ootsuka talked about how there was lots of impassioned yelling because so many people were into the original.

Fujiwara remarked on how the original cast was just on fire all the way.

Inoue said there was a test recording that had to be scrapped because there was so much intensity. He said he was trying really hard.

Ueda was funny because of his self awareness. The clashing of acting with the preserved original dialogue made him feel like he was doing period piece kabuki. He had to pick up from the intensity of others like Sugita and Ootsuka, and said the staff must have had fun watching them work.

Kawasumi said that JoJo’s is pretty unique because they held so strongly to the original.

Okawa knew he always had to bring his A game because he was watching guys like Ootsuka sweat.

“Do you have a message to the fans?”

Sugita apparently keeps getting asked, “What about Part 3?” He just hopes that they get to do it. (Edit: It’s not that he’s being asked, it’s that he knows “your next words will be” asking about Part 3. Thanks for correcting me, Drakonia.)

Sato said that the show has so much support from the long history of JoJo fans. Getting to play Caeser is a feather in his cap both as an actor and fan of the manga. The passion rising will always be in his heart. He thanks the fans and asks that we’re sure to see the show.

Tanaka’s been getting lots of letters of encouragement since playing Lisa Lisa. She had fun, and wants to thank the fans.

Imaruoka simply said, “JOJO’S BIZZARE ADVENTURE IS THE BEST IN THE WORLD!” I’d like to think he paused for a second, holding up a finger to hold the question, then burst out of his chair screaming.

Ootsuka said that while the anime is over for now, make sure and continue to support it for Part 3. And also eventually Part 4.

Fujiwara thanks the fans and has already been buying some DVDs himself.

Inoue worked hard and wants you to accept his BURNING PASSION!

Ueda is glad that everyone is so happy with the show. There was so much passion brought in because JoJo’s now has a quarter century history. He thanks the fans and asks that we share this show, their feelings, with everyone.

Kawasumi leaves the legacy of JoJo’s to those that come after them. She hopes there’s a day when we can see a new JoJo which, if we’re good and supportive, we may just see it.

Okawa could feel the heated power of the original work and the cast and crew. He asked that we continue to support the show so that it may continue.

Whew. It’s quite the interview. I’m glad to see everyone coming away with such positive feelings about the show. Don’t let their feelings go to waste. As long as they’ve shown their passion, let’s show ours and support JoJo with all our hearts!

(Thanks to Araki JoJo Twitter for posting this. Make sure and check out the original article by Animate TV with the link up at the top)

Episode 26 “The Man Who Became a God” Teaser Images

It’s finally time. Let’s send the series that’s brought us so much joy off with a bang.

Episode 26 is an episode of moments.

A moment of despair

A moment of true JoJo power

A moment in space

A moment of love

A moment to say goodbye to old friends

And a moment of hope for the future

You can see the rest of the pictures at Yaraon. Hope to see everyone again for our trip to Egypt!

Episode 26 “The Man Who Became a God” Preview Images and Synopsis

It’s been a long road. Across the Earth, across generations, and it all climaxes here on a little volcanic island off the west coast of Sicily. Joseph’s suicide combo attack with Stroheim successfully airplane body slams Cars into the smoldering volcanic crater, but the Ultimate Lifeform is not so easily killed. He comes out of the lava with not so much as a scratch and goes back on the offensive. With half a cyborg, a red rock, and no anti-god ripple overdrives, what will Joseph do to overcome the perfect being?

Trimming down the crew as we head for the end. Storyboard and direction are being handled by Toshiyuki Kato, Screenplay once again done by Yasuko Kobayashi, and animation direction taken care of by series chief animation director Takako Shimizu. She’s also the one who handled general character design and some key animation on the ending sequence. It nice to see her sending off JoJo’s with a little personal touch.

Can you sense it in the air? That feeling of joy that we’re going to see the final climax, but the feeling of dread that this Friday will be the last JoJo’s until at least fall season and may be the last JoJo’s episode ever? I’ve seen a few people say how they both can wait for it and hope it never comes. I sympathize.

Episode 24 “The Ties that Bind JOJO” Teaser Images

Smokey, look out! There’s a tiny Lisa Lisa swinging right towards you!

We’re almost at the end. The next episode is supposed to be the last one. To that end, this preview set contains a pretty big reveal. If you check out the rest at Yaraon, make sure you’re ready.

Hey, Joseph. You seem to have ignited. Yo- You ok?

“Pfft. Ridiculous humans and your being flammable.”

“Yeah! Being human must really suck!”

“Wait! I can still explode! This is way worse than being on fire!”

And there is the family history we have to hear.

Even Nazi’s can appreciate the love between an estranged mother and son.

We’re gearing up. The crazy to top all crazy is coming soon.

Episode 24 “The Ties that Bind JOJO” Preview Images and Synopsis

Betrayal! Cars’s devious tricks have left Lisa Lisa on the verge of death. Now she literally hangs in the balance depending on what Joseph does, and Cars is using it to wear him down physically and mentally. As the battle reaches it’s climax, Speedwagon reveals the secret past ties between Joseph and Lisa Lisa because of the desperation of the moment. Oh, and Stroheim’s around with UV spotlights plugged into some of his ports, so he’s probably helping out.

Good staff this time around. Yasuko Kobayashi the Sentai Lady returns as screen writer, Animation Direction by Kenji Yokoyama and Hotani Yukitoshi, both of whom have done excellent work so far with JoJo’s, and the only newcomer on both Storyboard and Direction: Satoshi Osedo. Osedo’s a weird pick for a show like JoJo’s from what I see in his credits. Kobayashi made a lot of sense to me because she’s a sentai writer and JoJo’s is so flashy, but Osedo’s mostly done cutesy shojou stuff, not really the high style action stuff. Then again, JoJo’s is really pretty, so maybe it makes sense.

Episode 23 “Warrior Returns to the Wind” Teaser Images

Before we start, New Joseph Face:

Lookin’ good as always

All right, now that that’s out of the way, it’s time for the reunion episode. Everyone is here!

Stroheim is back with a reinforced stomach

And he brought Speedwagon along for the ride.

Cars is so excited he let his hair down and kicked the shine into high gear

It may help that he found that free leg lying around

Wham’s a little upset that he clawed his eyes out before getting to see the group again

And Lisa Lisa’s really looking down on herself for not being able to tell him

All in all, though, it’s still fun. A bunch of old comrades and enemies coming together for one last gathering before the gods of old rise up to destroy humanity with their perfect bodies. Good times. Good times.

(You can see the rest at Yaraon, but spoiler warnings)

No Violence EVER! An Analysis of Anime Self Censoship

So how do you feel about those violence filled blu-ray changes?

Did you ever wonder why those were censored in the first place? Anime gets violent all the time even now. There was a conversation going on in one of my internet lurking spots where a clip of Blood-C came up, and the violence in that was brutal to the point of being cartoonish. Those might have been DVD clips too, but violence is prevalent in anime. JoJo’s even airs at midnight. So why the censorship?

It turns out that just because kids might not see your violent Nazi battles doesn’t mean you don’t have to try anyway. The image linked Ure article sheds a little light on the decision to censor things like the intense violence and Stroheim’s Nazi connection. I hadn’t thought about it watching the episodes, but if you look at Stroheim across the episodes, his connections to Nazi Germany are a bit muted. It’s obvious because he’s a big wig military man from Germany in the 1930s, but he has iron eagles instead of swastikas, a more ubiquitous symbol of Nazi Germany. You also may remember this from Episode 19.

That is clearly a Nazi salute, but they covered it with the dark cross section used to cover up heavy violence. So why is that?

Well, it a self imposed censorship. The Q&A session with the anonymous Mr. T talks about why and reveals that it’s pretty much exactly why you’d think. JoJo’s does air at midnight, but because it airs on Saturday at midnight, there’s still a possibility that grade school age children will see it because they don’t need to go to bed. If the kids see it and it becomes an issue for the station, sponsors start pulling out. Sponsors pull out, then the show might have to pull out. It’s just safer in the long run to censor these things and give the full version in blu-rays that have to be bought instead of being randomly caught in the middle of the night.

But JoJo’s was always violent. Why wasn’t it a problem in publication when Araki did it? It’s because manga authors have a little more freedom in their expression. It comes back to that “have to be bought” thing. You have to go out and buy manga, but any TV can be watched so long as you get the channel the show is on. There’s a mentality of having to “protect the audience” by TV stations, and davidproduction can’t sell places like Tokyo MX a show that’s going to give rise to a scenario like the aforementioned.

The terms of self regulation are obviously up to whoever’s doing it, but there are some agreed upon standards. Discriminatory language, langauge against human rights, anything that might physically harm someone like the Porygon incident, and sexual violence and some levels of smoking and drinking. I’m starting to feel like a kid watching Toonami again and hearing anime fans complain about beer being edited into juice. Mr. T also mentions wanting to be cautious about religious talk, and that makes me wonder how all those Christian symbol heavy vampire shows get made.

Of course, those are older mostly. Mr. T closes the interview mentioning that regulation both internal and external has increased and may continue to, though there may also be some point in the future where there will be an agreed upon, ridged border when adapting a work. Regardless, they want to always make best possible show even if there is controversy among the fans.

Man, that got long. You can check out the original article for a little more fleshing out. This sort of stuff apparently also happened to some part of One Piece where some characters were starving on a desert island. Guess violent times are hard on the cartoon industry all over.

(Thanks to Yaraon for pointing me in the original article’s direction)