i might know what to do someday.

Tonight me & the buds got through the first 9 episodes of JJBA's Golden Wind. Since December, my two friends (who are dating and living together) and I have been watching Jojo together nearly weekly, streaming through discord. G & M had already seen all the past parts, while I had only gotten through Parts 1 through 4. I didn't care to finish Part 5 in time for Jolyne's season start, so we jumped right in on Part 6 when it first aired on Netflix. After that, the holidays came up and there was a lull, until M brought up that she wanted to rewatch Jonathan's season, and G wanted to rewatch Part 5, due to his confusion over the end (???). Although both of them insisted Part 5 was disappointing, I still was antsy to get through it.

We rewatched Jonathan's season in a single night early January--which turned into a long night, due to my playing a cute romance game that still makes me gooey (Blooming Panic on itch.io) despite how short it is. But so, we got through Joseph's arc in two nights, and it was just as fun as i remembered. Joseph is my favorite Joestar, and his antics always cheer me up. Jonathan's season was entertaining, but it wasn't until Joseph that it clicked for me, "oh, this is why the crowds are obsessed." Insert Rosa Diaz puppy speech: "I didn't understand why people care so much about their dumb Jojo's & Speedwagons & Zepelli's till I got a dumb Jojo myself. I've only had Joseph Joestar for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him, I would kill everyone in this room and then myself." I originally watched the dubs of Part 1 and 2, and Ben Diskin as Joseph is so enjoyable. He's got the curve ball energy and outrageous tone that's perfect for Joseph. M & G bantered over if Joseph reads as an American or not (due to his abrasiveness), and as a dub-original viewer, I could only laugh. Diskin's voice still full-on blasts in my head when I look at Joseph. His British accent is never in question for me. The sub is just as good too, now that I've watched it. I'm not a sub vs dub arguing person. I'll happily watch dubs, though I gravitate towards subs, probably just because some English VAs sound strange to my ears (yeah idk what's going on there with me), so the sub voices get me out of that judgemental state and immerse me better. But when my eyes are strained and I still want to consume a bunch of media? Dub all the way. (that said, Sk8 the Infinity dub is unmatched and i cannot watch the sub, it must be dub, hey bitches and bros and non-binary hoes! listen, i love David Wald, he was phenomenal).

After we finished Part 2, M & G were set to move on to Part 3. M was craving some Jotaro, but I'm not willing to go through that long roadtrip which is then a slippery slope to Part 4, elongating my wait for Part 5. I still needed to see it! And there's no real reason to do this re-watch in order. Chronology, sure, but meh? I love Part 3 & 4, don't get me wrong. But I need to rip Part 5 off like a Band-Aid if it's truly horrendous like M & G say (seriously, they groan about it. i'm holding out hope). Thankfully, G remembered he was still confused by Part 5's ending, so they agreed. And so...Part 5's watch started tonight. I have thoughts. I think. More questions than anything.

Positives:

• Giorno's stand
• Mista's cashmere crop-top sweater, i would like this in my closet. it's ridiculous, it's an eyesore, i'm obsessed. the hat with the sweater? i'm shot in the chest, i'm in love. i refuse to look at his low-rise, leather, tiger-striped pants and boots, i do not see them. good day.
• Jotaro's office with its fascinating starfish (haha, Joestar) collection, cute little white loveseat behind his desk for visitors or naps, and high bookshelf that i'm fully convinced Jotaro utilizes Star Platinum to access. we paused on this panel for a good 5 minutes exploring it, and we couldn't decide if he's living in Florida or Japan, but we did decide he should've gone to Italy himself, not sent a high schooler, but of course, thesis comes first. (none of us have read the manga, maybe Araki covers this in it? we're judging Jotaro though either way).
• the banana is a gun
• Bucciarati full on licking Giorno's face and Giorno L E T T I N G him, didn't even flinch despite clearly not wanting it to happen! Giorno, my dude. (if i had a jjba bingo card for each part, "tongue focus scene" or some snappier version of that would be a box)
• Giorno's connection to the Joestars: technically Dio AND Jonathan's son! A Joestar heart with Dio ambition! Trauma background, mirroring Dio's but coming out with a love for life!
• Fascinating set-up & goal: taking down a criminal organization from the inside, without being law enforcement. Giorno is a low-time criminal, clever in how he pick-pockets, and has a positive father figure in a gangster.

Negatives:

• the outfits are lacking for me. somehow they're not as dynamic as I'd want? which is silly because within the main group there's a plethora of colors, patterns, cut-outs, silhouettes, and yet...they fall flat. There's something wrong with each of the main group's outfits and i just throw my hands up. i'm not sure i can explain.
• p e e t o o t h. tooth is jellyfish with ruffles. it triggered my trypophobia somehow??? i hate my brain, but also the stupidest exchange that haunts me, i have to block it out. i suppose Giorno needed to keep his cool, impress them somehow, & not drink the pee, but um. no way it didn't touch his lips and gum. just throw the "tea" on Abbacchio and call it a day. also, if i'm forced to witness this atrocious hazing, show me how he got rid of the pee, Araki. Show me. how do you write your way out of this one, Araki. how did he get the pee out. the rest of the episode and following Boat Incident had me questioning the state of his mouth.
• no team spirit. Bucciarati & violence & gang status tie the group together. this worries me. if they're not bros, i'm less compelled by the story.

Questions/Watching Out For:

• how will that gangster who protected Giorno come back? will he return? what role will he play in the current story? this will be on my mind 24/7 during this season.
• so far the Team was thrown pre-made at Giorno & Bucciarati, contrasting past Jojo's picking up teammates along the journey. i think a pre-made team might've been a mistake on Araki's part. i'll be on the lookout to see how Araki builds their comraderie, which at the moment is lacking. they hang out, as is expected of their gang, but each scene of their downtime is marked by some sort of hostility (fork in cheek; soda poured on boombox). Bucciarati is the one that gathered them, and he's obviously the heart. but do they bond and share brotherhood by the end of the season? this and team chemistry is a big draw for me to JJBA.
• i don't think i'll get this one answered beyond what ep 2 showed, but...what does Giorno's mom remember about Dio? he was such a villainous recluse, his food was brought to him, so i can't imagine how he and Giorno's mom met and got down to business. unless he really wanted to disco one night. no way does Giorno's mom go back to Dio's mansion and not have some sort of unsettled or worse memory of the place.
• looking out for clever battles, instead of kick-kick-punch-win battles. This is the mafia, violence is expected, but mind games and deceit are needed to snake to the top and cut off the head. Right? This is sort of why a pre-made team feels like a misstep. Giorno and Bucciarati finding and crafting their trusted teammates with like minds, evading or taking out bad teammates (backstabbers! obstacles! too loyal to the head! can't be trusted but figured out their plan!), finding connections in other groups within the organization (so can't be daily teammates but can help long distance, feed info!), gathering resources, and other stuff--this is what I would expect of a "take down the head" plotline. Now, having watched up to episode 9, I'm hoping once they establish enough money to become a capo, some mind games will happen.

I love how Araki went from full-offensive, destructive Star Platinum, to healing (but bends to offensive) Crazy Diamond, to this blooming, bursting, full-of-life stand of Giorno's. Golden Experience. It has its offensive side too, just like Josuke had to adapt his healing technique for fighting. Watching Giorno use his stand, growing a tree from an acorn, transforming cash into butterflies, suitcases into frogs, energizing his enemies senses fast enough that their body can't keep up. It's got me jumping. I love finding the breadcrumb trail of Araki's creative process.

That said, this season is rather serious. Sort of like Jonathan's! So I suppose it makes sense, what with Giorno being Jonathan's kid, genetic-wise. I'm not saying a season focused on fighting a mafia organization should be full of laughs. Josuke's later half dealt with catching a serial killer and had a serious atmosphere (glaring at "chase" opener) during that plotline. But there's something different about Part 5. It's serious throughout and stays that way. Some of it has situational humor--Koichi naively getting his luggage stolen by Giorno, the banana gun was clever and amusing. I'm sure the fork in the cheek was supposed to be shocking and maybe a little funny. Mista's stand is cute in its antics and Mista hand feeding them salami. But something's missing. Perhaps it has to do with Giorno being so straight laced. He's Dio's son, please tell me some of that hamminess was passed on! Tell me he me Giorno's a little unhinged! He mainly reminds me of Jonathan. Jonathan did not make jokes. Jonathan was a soft lad, gentle, good-natured and cautious. It fit the Gothic atmosphere, but after going through Joseph, Jotaro, and Josuke, I'm not sure I can return to such a protagonist. Not if he doesn't have friends with great chemistry (like anime-Jotaro) to bounce around him. Giorno's new team is full of character, but they're all hostile. An interesting vibe, but I'm not endeared. But then, I've only gotten to the 9th episode. I should let it settle all the backstories of the team, show more scenes of how they work together, etc. I'm just worrying ahead of time. And who knows, a team with no camaraderie, just efficiency, can still work! We don't need found family/fire-forged friends in every story (i guess, cries). I've been informed this season gets rather dark, darker than past seasons, so I'm steeling myself for that.

It's late, and my eyes are a little strained. I shouldn't have spent so much time on Twitter this morning, it's turning into a bad habit. The snow is on it's way to melting, but we're due for a freeze tonight. My dog, who has only seen snow once or twice, is having a blast, eating snow and bouncing around the backyard. I don't want to stand outside in the cold, but his bouncing makes it worth it. He still begs me to "take a turn around the garden". Meaning he stands on the patio, working those imploring doggy eyes on me, until I relent and walk around the wasteland that is our backyard with him while he sniffs and runs along the fence. A rambunctious little guy.