This week, the Jojo Gang tried three times to record this episode. It was pretty rough. Everyone's a little on edge as a result, and subsequently channels that energy into pure Pillar Man thirst afterward. The logistics of Joseph Joestar and his infatuation with street magic are also discussed at length, along with the potential of his college degree in Magic… doing.
The introduction of Stroheim also comes with the important discussion of how peculiar it is for N*zi Sympathy to have any part in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, why Araki may have chosen to take such an avenue, and the atmosphere of writing interesting Manga in the 80s.
Elaborate discussion of Favorite Jojo’s, “Joseph’s Not That Great” takes, and thick men on the general make its usual appearance.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo Gang gets hard. Remember youtube AMVs? Michael sure does. Michael has a strong recommendation for Total Drama Island AMVs. Cats, the Musical is also mentioned. We’re sorry, and we appreciate your viewership. Joseph defeats a new foe in a record 2 minutes, and then the gang develops a strong appreciation for soft and tender scenes with men. Then we’re introduced to the terrible nasty Third Reich guys. The elements of horror in design and application are commended for the episode, as discussion circles to the body horror of Santana (Get in my belly!) Ray Chase’s voice acting work as Donobang is deep-dived as post-episode content.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo Gang spread misinformation about Okuyasu’s stand “The Hand”. Brian had told Michael at one point or another that it was based on Nine Inch Nail’s “The Hand that Feeds”, which is not true. Undisclosed apologies go out to a fan of the podcast named Paul who trusted us. We also enlighten the audience to the fact that Araki cries to the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.
Joseph Joestar is potentially JJBA’s first meninist character, and he’s back once again to fight Vampires in a new era. Joseph fights in a way that evokes a new art style for the audience, the pacing of battle and its color palettes are beloved by fans and new watchers alike.
The classic trope of “By the way, the Saiyans are coming and they’re stronger than me” is evoked in Battle Tendency. The threat of the Pillar Men is warranted immediately through the death of a Vampire, previously one of the strongest threats in the series. The setting is amidst World War II, and the existence of Nazis as a threat adds a new spin to how the world-threatening Pillar Men will be handled!
The gang goes on to discuss the morality of Nazi characters and their poor use in Battle Tendency. There is also the topic of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure themed alcoholic beverages to try! Jotaro’s favorite is the Applebee’s Gummy Shark Martini.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo Gang invites a fellow community member Torie (@toriewink on Twitter) to watch the Premiere of Battle Tendency! We are joined together in the glory of our new protagonist -- Joseph Joestar. Joseph Joestar is known to be the canonical sex god of the Jojo Universe; a very important factor in many fan’s viewings of the series. We start the new season in New York, where we’re walkin’ ‘ere!
The Gang (and Torie) experience the “new age Jojo”, who gets into fights with authority figures (picks a lot of fights in general) but still manages to keep the gentlemanly ways of the Joestar family! The show's legacy, and the narrative journey of the stone masks, continue as we find ourselves years into the future. The Speedwagon Foundation continues to look into the mysterious origins of the Stone Masks, Hamon Users, and new enemies are found in old friends.
The gang discusses in detail the himbo status of Joseph, an idiot with a heart bigger than his brain. The group also discusses the experience of seeing Part 2 for the first time, and how it feels compared to the rest of the series.
McKenna brings up the “Space Ripper Stingy Eyes” technique, aka the “Space Splitting Eye-Spiked Surprise”. These have been revealed to be pressurized liquid secreted from vampires, rather than any kind of energy beams.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo gang discusses the recent confirmation of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean’s anime adaptation. We give you the initial sales pitch of Part 6, and what the initial implications of a “Part 6 anime” meant for the fandom. For a while, people were worried Part 5 and 6 wouldn’t have even gotten animated! We dispel some rumors related to parts not getting animated, and “skipping to Part 7’s anime”. We also discuss the reasoning behind the confirmation taking so long in the first place.
Part 6 introducing the first female protagonist had come with some pushback. Araki created a part involving a nearly full female protagonist group, which is speculated to have been altered due to troubles with Shounen Jump while it was released. Brian discusses some of the ramifications of these influences on the turns of Part 6, and character decisions that follow down the line as a result of them.
For the latter half of the program, the Jojo gang discusses their favorite stands, fights, and thematic moments within Part 6. They talk about Jolene, and her emotional arc involving her estranged father-- Jotaro Kujo. Tears are shed for the powerful journey Jolene follows while entering the world of Stand Users. Discussion ranges from reasons the group likes Part 6, to why the gang also does not like Part 6! The ending proves to be a dealbreaker for multiple members of the group, and the secrets and meaning behind its unusual circumstance are elaborated on.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo gang activates the secret abilities of their Requiem Stands! Mckenna invokes the powers of a cursed stand, which will not be named in tangible form for safety reasons, but it does involve Kanye West and Fingers.
The gang begins with Dio’s beautiful head being recovered from the cliffside of his own castle, and we discover “Everybody Have Fun Tonight” is a song by hit 80’s band Wang Chung! Soon after, another hit song reference “Come Sail Away”, by Styx. Jonathan is decided to be aptly dressed for his honeymoon, and the gang fauns over our last episode with such a good boy! The end of Part 1 marks the point where we split into new protagonists in the Joestar Bloodline.
The previous episode had tension high in a “Final Confrontation” between Dio and Jonathan, but in this episode, the gang decides that we get the true showdown between Jonathan and “Dio in the Jar” (If this doesn’t make sense to you, don’t look into it). We end Part 1 with a prospective look at the future of Dio, Jonathan’s legacy, and what the implications are of a New Jojo at the end of a season.
The gang doubles down on Araki’s writing of women, the foils in his protagonists moving forwards, and his silly writing quirks that will transfer over between parts. The legacy of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure as a whole is up for conversation during a Season Finale. Moving forward, the gang shows lots of excitement for a mysterious new protagonist all the way from New York City!
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo gang forgot who wrote Born to Be Wild. It’s Steppenwolf by the way. Poco’s sister is still conveniently trapped with Dio in his tower, and Poco’s father is conveniently still alive despite the monster masquerading as him. We discuss how confusing this all can be. Dio’s abilities are related to the machine from The Fly, a hit classic movie from the ’80s. The logistics of Dio’s chimeras are also extrapolated to be the modern-day equivalent of catboy/catgirl desires.
The gang also is introduced to hit character Doobie, a reference to The Doobie Brothers, a rock band from the ’70s. Jonathan Joestar, the gang’s favorite Disney Princess, is also explained to have the ability to Hamon-control animals. This is further discussed by speaking about Jonathan’s origins (potentially for the twentieth time), as a character inspired by Kenshiro from the series Fist of the North Star.
In the journey to Dio’s castle, the Thunder Cross Split Attack is shown to the audience. It’s the titular move of Dire from the pair Dire and Straits (Based on the band Dire Straits!) and has never been blocked before. Woah. It’s done twice-- and spoilers, it didn’t work twice. The gang is incredulous that this is being attempted multiple times.
The history of the “Hinjaku, Hinjaku!” as a popular Jojo meme is also discussed-- Part 1 being the origin of many beloved memes. Special credits go to “Wrrrry!”, and “Muda, Muda, Muda!” Hinjaku, meaning “How Feeble”, and “Muda” meaning “Useless”. Wry doesn’t mean anything in particular, it’s Dio’s battle cry.
A classic “Pocket Sand!” is pulled when Dire feels the need to throw flowers at Dio. This doesn’t amount to much, and the futility of the move in the context of the show is elaborated on. B-T-Dubs (By the way for those uninformed), Dio has Eye Lasers. More spoilers are given, despite messing up last week.
Discussion leads post-episode to the lack of satisfaction in Part 1 fights, particularly the disappointment of the episode. Compared to Part 3, the gang agrees that there’s more interest in the fights, and things that take place, but the gang is completely in agreement that they will need to start drinking for the sheer amount of episodes that are contained in Part 3. The gang also talks about hit cultural icon Megan Thee Stallion, and how she actually has done her nails in the fashion of Part 3 characters. A general discussion and love for Jojo is discussed in this episode-- where the Jojo love is born, and why it’s not Part 1.
The gang worships the Anvil used in this episode, and fans are expected to worship the Jojo Magical Anvil all the same. Space Ripper Stingy Eyes-- Dio’s Magic Laser Eyes-- is the official first bit of Mckenna’s Horrible Corner, a returning bit for future episodes.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo gang definitely didn’t mess up their opening bit. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is discussed as we meet Tonpetty (Har, har), the mentor to our favorite Zeppeli. Zeppeli learns of his upcoming fate in this backstory, and the fate of his battle is known to the audience.
The gang also considers just how accurate this prediction is in the first place. Does Jonathan Joestar really signify a Lion? Or maybe a Labrador? One way or another, our son Jonathan is a good boy. Mckenna, going into a historian trance, relates his tale to the Lion and the Unicorn. A folklore story about fighting, maybe supposed to be Britain and Scotland.
Cidnya is caught in the act of singing along to choice Anime Intro Music, before we find ourselves re-considering just how unicorn-like Jonathan is. The Final Fantasy Battle Music makes another appearance in the Jojo OST. The questionable ability requirements of Hamon is brought into question, again.
The gang grieves, but they also grow to appreciate how soft big strong burly men are allowed to be in the face of grief. Thanks Araki, even big boys cry! In a WILDLY different train of thought, J.O. Crystals were discussed personally, and in detail.
(J.O. Crystals: https://i.imgur.com/TMwxBsb.jpg )
Mckenna enlightens the gang about how common it was for men in the olden days to dip on their wives and ten kids, going on a boat to sail away and do whatever they would like elsewhere. A baby is eaten in the following scene, but we try pretty hard to avoid making you watch that as a viewer, but it ends up being not that bad all things considered. The episode closes on the strongest move in Jojo’s being executed, and (to an overwhelming surprise from us), it doesn’t work.
We inform the audience of Dire Straits’ naming reference in this episode just as well. The gang makes a dated joke about Clone High that only existed at time of recording.
Discussion leads to The Legend of Zelda comparisons, color theory, things-we-can’t-talk-about, and more after the episode.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week, the Jojo gang watches episode 6 of Part 1, “Phantom Blood”. The content of the episode contains imagery relating to pee, so if this is something that you’re uncomfortable with, we advise you to skip the episode as we do talk about just how weird it is that this was included in the work.
The episode picks up with the Blueford/Brueford/Bloofurd/Blue Ford Ferrari fight. We take a very wholesome turn in reminding you, it’s not cool to bully your friends! We also discuss the movie that Frozen was based off of, The Snow Queen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Snow_Queen_(1995_film) ), in reference to Jonathan’s sweet new sword “Pluck”. Tarkus, much like Pyramid Head from the hit game series Silent Hill, has a big old sword, and is a big old dude.
The gang also experiences what Brian understands to be one of the most bullshit moments in Jojo history, a monumental feat for Part 1. This establishes a new precedent for bullshittery in Jojo, acutely titled “Brian’s Bullshit Meter”. The Leaf earns a 7/10. We are briefly introduced to Tonpetty, named after hit artist Tom Petty.
Jojo finds himself in a Saw-like contraption as he battles the Pyramid Head-esque juggernaut. We engage the white noise-esque nonsense that is the Tarkus fight, an assault on traditional evaluations of Physics.
And then, Poco pees his pants. Aptly said by Cidnya, 100 Gecs’ line “Hey lil piss baby” encompasses most of our feelings about this scene in general. We are forced to see his wetted pants many times, and the gang can’t seem to understand why it’s worth including in the series altogether. We also, on another tangent, hear some vaguely Final Fantasy BGM.
The gang successfully, for the first time, listens to the ending credits on our watch party.
Brian also ranks Bruford’s Hair Magic () at an 8/10.
Turgor Pressure (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turgor_pressure#:~:text=Turgor%20pressure%20is%20the%20force,membrane%20against%20the%20cell%20wall.&text=The%20pressure%20exerted%20by%20the,through%20a%20selectively%20permeable%20membrane) is mentioned.
We couldn’t do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
This week the JoJo gang watches episode 5, "The Dark Knight", of Phantom Blood. In our usual shenanigans, we deep dive into the fandom trying to convince people that live-action Dio Brando should be Ezra Miller. (Btw we are not down for Ezra Miller Dio). We had a pretty unanimous fan-cast of the karate kid guy that looks like Dio.
In this episode, the gang encounters a Hamon user, Blueford, whose special ability is called Dans Macabre (original song). Naturally, this leads us to start talking about that 70’s show and fan-casting who would be who in the JJBA adventure. We decided that Luke Wilson as Kelso’s Brother would be ... and Eric’s Sister would be
We mention the Davinky meme, Spider Man 3, a Clone High / Total Drama Island / Jojo mashup, Herballife, Fred Durst , Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Betelgeuse Minute.
We couldn't do this without our audio editor @LeahDrawsTweets. Be sure to follow her on Twitter!
Hello and welcome to Is That a JoJo Podcast? This week, we had a special guest, Victoria (@cevicci) join us to watch episode 4 called Overdrive. However, the gang forgets to hit the record button and we watched episode 4 without commentary over the show. Instead, we decided to chit chat with Victoria after our viewing of Overdrive. Be sure to watch the full episode before you listen to this week's episode!
We talk about Mr. Zepelli and what his profession is. Victoria expresses that shooting Hamon through frogs is not cool. The big, beefiness of the JoJo men is talked about, and here is a picture for reference.
This naturally leads the podcast into explaining to Victoria Fist of the North Star. Fist of the North Star set the precedent for Araki's character designs. The conversation turns into talking about Final Fantasy VII. Tifa is coined a 'Bruh' girl and that Aeris is a 'Hiiii' girl.
The gang appreciates Zeppeli the most they ever had. During the episode, Zeppeli states that it is his right to be brave and it's a great testament to the strength of his character.
Funny memes from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure are called JoJokes and we explain that because in the next episode, The Dark Knights, there will be lots of JoJo memes from it. In the name of jokes, they talk about the absurdity of who would live on Orge Street and they all collectively agreed that Robert Pattinson in his tracksuit from that kitchen meme is the energy of Orge street. Also, if there would be a live-action JJBA adaption, Cidnya suggests that Pedro Pascal or Oscar Issac should be Dio Brando.
So sorry for the mistake on our end but be sure to tune in next time for some hilarious JoJo commentary! Thank you again so much to Victoria for guest starring. Be sure to follow them on Twitter here!
In episode 3 "Youth With Dio", join Is That a JoJo Podcast in helping raise funds for the ButWhyTho? A Geek Community podcast network for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital during the month of October! Please join us this month as we raise money to help cure childhood cancer. For every 25 dollars donated, members of our podcast will do a JoJo pose photoshoot. Be sure to go to stjude.org/butwhytho to donate!
We first establish that the Is That A JoJo Podcast? is pro-Weezer. While discussing this Cidnya comes to the realization that within this episode we will see the relationship between Dio and Jonathan evolve in a way similar to Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. In "Youth with Dio," Dio begins to exhibit his intense selfishness and greed towards Jonathan. We reference the Dio "Oh! No" Marina and the Diamonds AMV that you can view here.
Mullets are back in style because Jonathan Joestar said so. We decide that Dio was just born evil. David Productions animated Dio with a lot of angelic symbolism at the beginning of the episode before he transformers into an evil vampire, his true sexy form according to Mckenna and Cidnya. Michael's good word of advice from "Youth with Dio" is, "Hey, don't become a vampire!"
Mckenna asserts that Dio Brando and Emmet Steele from Final Fantasy XIV are the same characters. Dio translates to God in Italian and David Productions costume design for him has wings in reference to his set up to his fall from grace. He even says, "I am all but God in name" as if his name doesn't mean God. Jonathan tries so hard to maybe see if he can stop Dio from descending into evil because according to Cookie he is, "pure of heart and dumb of ass." Fun Jojo fact, Dio is canonically pansexual because he is too selfish and indulgent and would be willing to sleep with anyone who wants to.
Some symbolism that revolves around Dio in "Youth with Dio" is religious themes to transcendence, death, birth, decay, and renewal. Essentially, the conflict that revolves externally for Jonathan and Dio is Man vs God now. Dio has three small dotted birthmarks on his ear that refers to his devil's luck. However, Cidnya points out that the number three also has religious symbolism to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within this episode, Jonathan's dad dies (the father), Jonathan must avenge his death and take up the mantle of the Joestart lineage (the son), and Dio rejects humanity to transcend into a God (holy spirit).
The main takeaways from this episode are that Dio Brando is evil and some people like that and it's okay to not! We also talk about how you approach JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is entirely valid! You can decide to deep dive into themes and symbolism because Araki does lay the groundwork to do so. However, if you want to sit back and relax and indulge completely in the absurdity, strangeness, and speediness of JoJo, that works too!
Be sure to head on over to stjude.org/butwhytho and donate 25 dollars to see one of our podcast members JoJo Pose to help raise money to cure childhood cancer!
@isthatajojopod ep.2 follows Dio Brando and Jonathan Joestar as they start their intense rivalry. Join them as they talk R.E.O Speedwagon, Vampires, and Himbos!
In this episode of Is That A JoJo Podcast?, the crew discusses if they love or hate Dio Brando, the lasting impact of Part One, and Araki's storytelling.
