Dio Brando emerges from the ocean after nearly 100 years entombed beneath the waves. The vampire quickly begins creating a small army of psychic warriors to wipe out the progeny of his old enemy Jonathan Joestar. Across the ocean, a Japanese teenager named Jotaro Kujo whiles away the hours in a police station jail cell, arrested on various petty charges including theft, vandalism, and assault. He is an especially interesting case as he continues to procure entertainment for himself: RC cars, radios, and magazines keep appearing despite regular cell searches and confiscations.
A strange man comes forward to bail out Jotaro. His name is Muhammad Avdol and he is a spiritualist from Egypt. The two face off and Jotaro reveals his Stand, Star Platinum, to defend against Avdol’s pyromantic Magician's Red. Satisfied that the boy is ready for the journey, Avdol reveals himself as a friend and ally of Joseph Joestar, Jotaro’s estranged father. The duo sets off on a grand tour; their destination is Egypt and Dio Brando.
This JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series is an absolute romp from episode one to episode forty-eight. Fans of action and supernatural thrillers will find hours of enjoyment in Stardust Crusaders. The introduction of several characters who will impact future storylines plays out during Jotaro, Avdol, and Joseph’s journey to defeat Dio Brando and his evil servants.
While the vampire Dio makes an appearance, the existence of vampire-destroying hamon is overshadowed by the introduction of ‘Stands’: Psychic manifestations of a person's will. Some are born with the potential to develop stands (Like Joseph and Jotaro) while others (like many of Dio’s servants) are created by special artifacts which either kill or transform their victims into stand users.
This series contains a lot of fun easter eggs and enjoyment in the form of classic top 40s hits. Stardust Crusaders uses The Bangles’ "Walk Like an Egyptian" as the ending theme for the majority of its episodes and many characters and their stands are named after bands, hit songs, or famous rockers. The action in this series is—as advertised—bizarre and high stakes. While some plain ol’ hand-to-hand combat is featured, most stands don’t fight in ways that make a lot of conventional sense. Fighting anime fans may already be asking after this title. Highly Recommended.
Where does this title belong on public library shelves?
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders belongs on paranormal, fighting, and adventure Anime shelves.