The Bizarre Cult Following of JBA

You know it's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (JBA) when it starts with iconic OSTs and eye-catching animation, spoiling the entire plot through its lyrics, and giving birth to once popular memes such as "To be continued". From bloody action scenes to death of main characters and plot holes, there's something unique that JBA has to offer to its audiences. The question is, what makes JBA so unique? I'll try to be spoiler-free.

The characters

JBA protagonists have a unique aura of personality around them. Questionable hair styles and radical styling add to the mix of persona. The entire goal is to make these characters unpredictable in a way that viewers can only learn more about them as episodes pass by. Most characters possess a "stand". A stand is basically a manifestation of an individual's innate psyche.

JBA's pool of amazing villains consists of overpowered Aztec superhumans, mythical creatures, vampires, and so on. JBA is probably one of few anime where one might feel inclined to side with a villain. Weird posturing accompanied with katakana for "menacing" means an antagonist is serious business. These villains are not your regular ones. With quirks such as poisoning their own father to adoring the amputated hand of a female victim.

Ok cool. But why do you like JBA?

JBA does a perfect job in getting the viewer hooked to the screen with anticipation on what happens next. Behind it, is a concept similar to "villain of the week" where the protagonists face sub-villains and mercenaries as they get closer to the prime antagonist.

Remember me mentioning stands? These sub-villains each have their own stands aligning with their personality, and can only be seen by others who possess such powers. The plot does a great job and doesn't make protagonists immune to death. The story often changes with a whim as protagonists face challenges, barely overcoming those with their intellect. The story is fast paced, yet doesn't feel rushed and has one of the best anime musical scores.

Is this a JoJo reference?

Yes, this article and many things are! JBA's creator, Hirohiko Araki makes stands and characters named after tarot cards, rock stars such as Terence Trent D'Arby and even iconic musical pieces such as Queen's "Killer Queen" and "Another One Bites the Dust".

Despite the quirks and questionable styles and personality of the anime and its characters, JoJo fans don't seem to care. The anime is different and doesn't try hard to shove a particular styling or ideology into its viewers. Suspense, plot, characters are its tour de force that make JBA one of the best anime to binge watch and has given birth to cult following in Reddit or fan groups scattered all over the interweb.

Osaman is a curious mind always wondering about AI, simulations, theoretical physics and philosophy. To discuss nerd stuff DM him on www.fb.com/osaman.binahmed