♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ [Jonathan] HOAHHH!!!!!!!
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ [Joseph]*grunts manly*
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ [Star Platinum] ORAAAAA!!!!!!!
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ [Okuyasu]*grunts painfully*
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ *Dio being thrown downwards*
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ *Stroheim and Joseph crashes onto the ground*
♪~The DU - Crazy, Noisy, Bizarre Town~♪ *Walk Like An Egyptian intensifies*
OH SH*T BOI!
IS THIS A MOTHERF*CKING JOJO'S REFERENCE?
Yes, if you have hanged around this community for
any extended period of time
or sometimes even if you haven't.
You would have definitely come across someone or
something that would have expose you to the weird,
and wonderful world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
It's bold. It's brash. And when you ask about it,
it probably makes absolutely no fu*king sense.
But for whatever reason, JoJo's seems to have become
one of the most loved franchise
in this modern anime era.
And if you are an active part of this anime community,
there is no running away from it.
It's rare to see a franchise so unanimously
shrouded in love
with such a wide cultural reach in our community
fueled by a fan base so eager
and passionate to share it,
which begs the question:
Why do people seem to bloody love JoJo so much?
How is this franchise seep into modern anime culture
so deeply? Using it's arsenal of countless memes,
passionate fans, and weird poses to get where is it today,
especially considering its over 25 years old now.
So join me as I take a closer look at the bizarre world of
JoJo's and it's popularity
in my attempt to understand.
[Autistic JoJo Fan] HOLY SH*T, GUYS!!!!!!
HE SAID STAND!!!!!!!!
WAS THAT A FU*KING JOJO'S REFERENCE?
[Gigguk]...for fu*k's sake....
♪~Sono chi no Sadame~♪
♪~Sono chi no Sadame~♪ [Jonathan] OVAHDRIFUU!!!!!!!!!
Now looking at the overwhelmingly positive lights Jojo
surrounded it and the passion of its fandom,
you could easily assume that couldn't this all just
be because the series is really good?
(which it is)
(which it is) [Joseph]NICEEEEEEE!!!!!!
The passion and care put into the new adaptation
by David productions can plainly be seen
and it's definitely deserving of the positive reception it's gotten critically.
I may jerk about it
But I have a lot of positive things to say about Jojo's
Some of which I've been saying far before the new
adaptation came to be
but its appeal is something that many other people have
already been able to dissect
so I won't be doing so here.
Simply put though, it's a completely unique and
fascinating experience when compared to your average
shōnen action series
when someone's done watching the four parts currently
adapted and feel like they need to
watch something similar.
There's nothing you can really do beyond
Just consuming more Jojo's in other mediums and it's
amazing to think that a story plotted in the 80s still feels
fresher than most contemporary animes
And there has never been anything quite like it .
However, viewing it through a critical lens,
it has a good number of flaws which is inevitable
coming from a franchise started in the 80s,
adapted to the Modern Day
But these are hardly ever mentioned
or even cared about
in the general consensus.
So I think there's more to it than just a series being good.
A positive critical reception doesn't always equate to the
love and passion seen surrounding the Jojo's franchise
And you only see something like this on the rare occasion
when the show comes along
But it's those positively received critically and immensely popular
so just how popular is Jojo's really?
Well, in Japan, it's no question really as the franchise
is one of the most influential to come out of the world of
Anime and Manga
The Manga has been steadily running for over 25 years to this day,
being one of the best-selling manga of all time and the amount of things have either been directly
influenced or referenced Jojo's is ridiculous.
From music, gaming, anime and other manga,
there are so many Jojo's references that exists.
I'm pretty sure that we will eventually reach a time that
Jojo's has been running for so long,
it'll reach a singularity what everything becomes a Jojo's reference.
[Masuzu] *le gasp*
[Masuzu] wtf do u mean u dunno jojo u fgt
[Eita] *Eita.exe has stopped working*
[Masuzu] let me fu*king enlighten u with some jojo maymays u scrub
♪~JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders OST ~♪ But while it's popularity and influence in Japan cannot be understated,
it hasn't got the easiest time gaining traction
outside of that.
So from now on when I refer to Jojo's popularity ,
I am talking about it from a perspective
outside of Japan and here in the West,
Jojo had an obscure cult following at best for the
longest time with only a short
Ova series
subpar scanlations and out of print volumes
of part 3 alone to draw people in.
It was a far cry from the spread it has now.
It only really gained popularity since
David Productions started giving it the long, overdue anime adaptation.
it thoroughly deserved.
But considering how vocal the fan base is
and how often we see JoJo's memes
and references floating around [Old Joseph]OHHHH SHHHHEEEEETTT!!!!!!
in our community.
You'd think that JoJo's was close to mainstream success.
But while trying to look for actual numbers to back this up,
whether it would be it's popularity on
MAL(MyAnimeList), view data on streaming sites,
or activity and upvote games on Reddit.
I was hard pressed to find any concrete data to point at
Jojo's being any more popular than
the standard hot anime come out per season.
Often being beaten out by
a few shows in it.
So why does it seem like the cultural reach of this
franchise goes much further than any of these other shows?
Well, to answer that, let's look up it deeper
at the culture of Jojo's itself
Especially since culture and history is such an important
part in defining what Jojo's is.
[Jonathan] DIIIIIIOOOOO!!!!!!!!
[Joseph] Your next line is....
[Jotaro] Yare Yare Daze....
[Josuke] Greato daze!
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure is an epic saga spanning generations,
but one of the reasons it's been able to survive for as long as it has
is because every part in Jojo's is so unique and diverse.
For those under where the story is separated into parts,
with every part starring a new member of the Joestar lineage
that differs in cast, setting, tone and sometimes genre,
all brimming with their own pop culture influences and references.
Editor's Note: Never heard of the song... :P
♪~ Wham! - Wake Me Up Before You Go-go~♪
♪~ Vanilla Ice - Ice Ice Baby~♪
♪~ Red Hot Chili Pepper - Can't Stop~♪
Global cultures deeply ingrained in this
franchises route and a big part of what makes Jojo feel unique.
Setting aside the countless music references in the names of the characters and stands,
let's take a look at some of these influences.
Part 1: Phantom Blood starts off in 19th century Britain,
in the time of Jack the Ripper
with the heavy inclusion of vampires being somewhat of
a love letter to Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Coming out during the late 80s,
it was nearer where stars like Stallone and Arnie War
everyday action stars on the big screen
which was a huge inspiration for bulky muscly designs that were a staple in these early days,
along with the iconic fist of the North Star.
[Arnie War]Who The Hell Are You?
[Jonathan]Jonathan Joestar!
The early franchise can almost be viewed as the celebration of culture at the time.
And this can truly be seen in Part 2: Battle Tendency, which switches us over to America
And it is here where the 80s culture and the over-the-top bravado of the action movies of the time get a chance to truly shine.
(which it does)
Combined with more global influences, World War II, Nazis, and Villains heavily influenced by
Egyptian, Japanese and Roman statues of gods.
All this leads to Stardust Crusaders,
where Araki fully embraces the global influence,
plotting a roadtrip style story inspired by
Jules Verne's Around The World in 80 Days,
taking our crew to all sorts of exotic places internationally
and with this flexibility of setting came the chance for
Araki's external influences to truly run wild .
His love for Western Horror was made even more evident,
with characters like Enya and Hanged Man.
And other villains reminiscent of the premise you known cult horror flicks like
Nightmare on Elm Street and Child's Play
Hol Horse as a character was born from his love of Westerns
and hell, more importantly
Jotaro was specifically inspired by Clint Eastwood movies
with both the signature pose and even his catchpharse
being inspired by Eastwood's iconic images and attitudes in certain films.
[Clint Eastwood] Go ahead, make my day.
[Jotaro] Yare Yare Daze...
Jojo's isn't just the inspiration for much of anime pop culture in Japan
It itself is seeding international pop culture references
and influences to the bone.
Every part adding something new and evolving with real world culture,
some acting almost like a time capsule of culture at a time.
These roots are part of why JoJo's has such a unique flavor
Its influence, and appeal doesn't just stem from Japan
♪~Yes - Roundabout~♪ But it is global which combined with is absolutely bizarre nature
provides the perfect ingredients to fuel a new phenomenon that has hit our modern culture,
so you know what. Let's change gears a bit.
Let's fu*k everything up and talk about something stupid
[Old Joseph]OHHHH MYYYYY GOOOOOOOODDD!!!!!! Let's talk about memes
Let's be real here. Memes are stupid.
Editor's Note: okay ._.
Memes are funny.
Memes...are a massive part of our modern culture
Shut up.
Yes, if you're a part of any social media platform
then you're likely to see them every day.
Many people can consume News & World
Events through the perception of mems alone
And though I'm not sure if anyone can properly define what a meme is .
The best definition I found is
which I'm not sure how accurately can be used to describe every way the term "meme" is being used now
But I think the important aspects to focus on is the ability of Mass
Replication and how much power that holds.
It's hilariously terrifying to think that what started as some stupid Macro images
has become an integral part of modern culture.
As much as we love to joke and laugh at them
We shouldn't dismiss the power of them
Careers have been started and ended overnight because of those .
Amazing things can be achieved with it.
And let's not forget that many believed this power of simple mass
Replication played a part in electing a candidate into the highest power of office in the world
A catchy meme can spread awareness within the community like wldfire
and this is no difference for the anime community.
Think about how many of your own first exposures to an anime have been through a
Random gif or Macro image on Twitter and Facebook.
Now with this in mind, what idea,
behavior or style from the Jojo's Franchise can we take and easily spread within a culture?
[Polnareff]YAAAAAAAA behavior or style from the Jojo's Franchise can we take and easily spread within a culture?
behavior or style from the Jojo's Franchise can we take and easily spread within a culture?
[DIO] ROAD ROLLA DA
JoJo's franchise is a full-on meme making machine,
stemming from it's iconic characteristics
and just how unique it is.
There is even nothing in anime quite like JoJo's
and with every new parts being so unique and fresh,
the well never dries up.
So much of Jojo's doesn't make sense out of context
and oftentimes in context,
leading to spreadable tidbits that people can enjoy
even if they have no idea what the fu*k Jojo's is about.
I know more people who only know Jojo's through the memes and references
than have actually watched the show.
and a huge part of its apparent popularity
come from the amount of times you see a Jojo meme
and people both jokingly and non jokingly referencing it all the god damn time.
To say that Jojo's works well with Modern meme culture is an understatement,
the franchise was nigh on built to thrive in it.
With it's deep roots in Pop culture
and it's never running pool of spreadable characteristics,
it seeds its way to the consensus of Modern anime community,
which is amazing to think that this all stems
from a story written 20 odd years ago.
With its influence from vintage western Pop culture
it itself has become an integral part of Modern Anime Pop Culture here in the West
which the more you think about there is only one way we can properly describe this phenomenon-
Bizarre (RIP Dire, never forget)
We've gotten to a point where the memes and this culture surrounding Jojo's
may be more well-known than Jojo's itself.
But while these stupid memes give the franchise to spread an attention,
what gives the franchise it's power
is undoubtedly the fan base.
♪~ Coda - BLOODY STREAM~♪
I don't think anyone would disagree with me
in saying that within this anime community,
one of the most outspoken and noticeable of them all
lies within the Jojo's fandom.
They are the critical reception of the anime's partly responsible for this
I think a big reason lies within its potential of a fan base
investment and how the franchise presents itself
Why is it that multimedia titans like Star wars
and Marvel have such a dedicated and passionate fan base?
It's because there is so much more to them than just the
movies or comics that make up the law and appeal
of a franchise at large
Even looking at Anime,
be it's Gundam, the Fate series,
even something like Pokemon to a lesser extent.
If you get into the Gundam franchise for example
You've got hundreds of episodes of anime spread across multiple timelines
And that's just the absolute floor level
There's manga, novels, video games, and not forgetting,
the all-important model kit.
You can spent years constantly consuming the media
and merchandise of franchises like this
and still end up with things you've yet to come across
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure has the potential for a huge fan base investment
in the way very few things do
Each part has their own set of characteristics and rules
Countless stand users with interesting abilities and a deep root in Pop culture
Hell, how many Jojo's fans out there have decided to start listening to a band or song
entirely because there was a stand user named after them?
How many people who have gotten into the franchise from the recent adaptations
have gone on to read all of the 20-plus years worth of Manga?
All this are under the flagship of an anime series that is
obviously being handled as much passion and love
who are most likely fans themselves.
There's so much of this franchise to explore and latch onto
but with the way the franchise presents itself,
there is no such thing as just casually being a Jojo's fan
Part of being a JoJo's fan is embracing
the over-the-top bravado that the series relishes in,
Surrendering yourself to its eccentricities to become a part of it,
which is no doubt why the Jojo's fandom
is one of the most passionate,
outspoken and eccentric Fandoms in Anime.
So much so that the idea of referencing Jojo at any given opportunity has become a meme itself
and to that end, passionately loving Jojo's and expressing that loudly
has become a part of this culture
At the end of the day there is no simple way to describe
this strange, enigma that is the Jojo's franchise
for a 25 + year old franchise seemingly mesh
so perfectly with the federal meme culture of today in itself is strange
But I think what's even more amazing is that for as long as it's been running there has never been any quite like it
It's a unique entity brimming with Pop culture,
Global appeal and various other influences while being able to stand on its own without any of that.
It's a highly entertaining romp that stands up shout to
it's heart's contempt and refuses to be ignored
And in doing so has created a fandom
cultivated out of passion and love
Producing this culture around it that seemingly has this bizarre mind of its own,
much like the show itself
Whatever it is
Jojo's currently sits in a kind of weird place.
Aside of its obvious influence and popularity in Japan
it has become a small cultural phenomenon for dedicated fans here,
where the culture surrounding the franchise may actually
be better known than a franchise itself.
It's in this space just below mainstream success,
but still instantly recognizable for anyone who spent a
decent amount of time in the anime fandom.
And I think because it's in the sweet spot that you rarely see anything negative about it
It has enough critical backing, a very dedicated fan base, a perfect platform for it's unique culture to spread
But just enough popularity that it doesn't tip it over the breaking point
which is why this franchise is So loved and seemingly can do nothing wrong.
So the next time you sent out of context Jojo gif,
or millions of comments referencing it,
or a group of people doing weird ass poses.
Remember that weirdly enough that has become part of what Jojo's is about
And as much as I tried to describe it,
there is no way to fully comprehend it,
unless you venture into the world yourself.
Because you know what, it's not just the poses,
it's not just the memes, the loud fan base
the great OPs, the works of enemy stands
the beautiful 『D U W A N G』s,
the immortally young Araki, the never-ending manga
the Dios, ZA WARUDO
the references, the pop culture,
or the great anime.
It's just Jojo's
*BITES ZA DUSTO*
♪~Queen - Killer Queen~♪ She keeps Moët et Chandon
In her pretty cabinet
'Let them eat cake,' she says
Just like Marie Antoinette