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WARNING : "Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way."

I admit, this drawing probably took more time than necessary to finish. I suppose it is my fault for overdoing it and working on 3 different big posters at the same time. There's also the details I needed to get just right and THAT cannot be rushed or I'll bitterly regret it later. After all, it is not every day I illustrate the ordeal of my favorite character in this franchise eh ?
So let us begin with the end. Well, first act of the end that is.
Granted I will sound more acidic and bitter but some things have been consistent within my experience... and that is me consistently saying that Stone Ocean ranks up there with the Hamon Duology. That's right, there are JoJo fans out there who do not give much of a fuck about stands and are more into the drama following the Joestars around. Funny how it took 3 damn parts before we get back on that track ! In fact, it's a rather fortuitous fluke for yours truly. Araki stopped giving a damn about the Joestars around the first third of Part 3 but HERE, because he wanted a Girl JoJo, he HAD to bring them back to the forefront ! Happy accidents DO occur !
And the most hilarious element here is that, UNWILLINGLY, UNKNOWINGLY the dude ended up more or less re-writing "Phantom Blood" BUT as a dark urban fantasy instead of a gothic horror ! That's right, the JoJo tale that he dislikes, belittles and wants swept under the rug is what he went back to for his finale ! XD And you know that ? I could not be happier that he did that ! I am ferociously ELATED and positively throbbing that Part 6 is THE spiritual sequel/final act of Part 1 ! The bleakness, the unfariness, the horror spreading around, the unlucky heroes that have fucked-up lives and have to pay for their victories with blood, sweat and tears, the overpowered villains that have the decks completely stacked in their favors ? YES, it's in there and THAT is what made JoJo compelling to me ! That's right, the Parts that prioritize the Joestars legacy over a pile of Pokemon battles!
The sunlight karate or punchy ghosts are fucking optional (and I 'd say I favor the former because of how lazy a battle system the latter can fucking get...that's not even taking into account the botch job that it the stand arrow...) and are only as compelling as whoever wields them. And speaking of stands, that's exactly what they are in Stone Ocean, mere tools not the focus ! And that is how it should've been from the start. In fact, if I told they were just the products of black magic, it would hardly be inaccurate considering how the better ones in this part feel like spells/magic from a Michael Moorcock story. Hell, if Pucci was a sorcerer rather than some priest, it would have still made sense for his character... perhaps even more than what he is in the actual story.

SADLY, and this is why I could never give Stone Ocean the gold medal wholesale, it carries some defects here and there (mainly coinciding with the introduction of stands in the stands) that could've been fixed had we had a competent animation studio handling it (or if Araki had a fucking editor forcing him to implement internal consistency but that ship's sailed...). And by it, I mean from Part 1 and on so that the pay-off strikes much more effectively once Part 6 is reached. We properly will never get that because people whether fans or staff think that copy/pasting the manga is good enough when there are elements that should, in fact, be omitted/adapted/portrayed in a specific way. For Example; the heavy-exposition dialogue ? fine in a manga/comic, clunky as fuck on-screen so one has to let motion and action tell what needs to be told. Then again, the budget might be the issue BUT it would be negotiated if the fluff was cut off. There is a lot to say on the subject, professionals could probably explain it better than me, a mere hobbyist, but when shortcuts are waaaay too often used when a simple turn of phrase or quick scene would suffice, anyone can see that there's an issue.
Look, if you think what I'm saying is "BLASPHEMY" or that I am a fake fan , then you forget where you are. This is not one of those fucking youtube channels where one is blindly worshipping Araki or telling you how he doesn't forget (actually he fucking does but more importantly, he does not care. THAT is his fucking handicap when writing a legacy story), this is the "give the Devil his due" town ! If there's a glaring fuck-up or wasted potential, I'll just point it out. Simple as that. There are plenty of instances where I do disagree with Araki, one being his throwing this compelling lore out the window cus he was more into drawing more VOGUE covers. Just so you know, being "unpredictable" was never a mark of quality contrary-wise to the idea he seems to operate on. And I HATE when people use the "it's a gag character" excuse to cover up for said wasted potential. You're not gonna earn any prize for it, fellows, just saying.
In fact, there are predictable stories out there that still surprise because of how compelling the characters and tale are. And surprising twists are only as good as how well-fitting they are within the established narrative. But we'll be back to that...

Let's elaborate in more details:

* Jolyne, the final OG JoJo, yours truly's favorite, Jonathan's heiress, the apotheosis of this heroic bloodline i.pinimg.com/originals/0f/4d/5… ... and she got the "minimal effort" deal in the anime. What do I mean ? Well, the good points first: her anime-design is much more consistent than the manga one (not the best one to me but you all know which are my favorites) and voice-wise choices were damn fine ! The colors ? Eh, not what I'd pick but that's preferences for you.
HOWEVER, they removed some of her funnier expressions (the spice that adds to her vividness) and her fucking flashback wholesale. Like, the JOJO of the story was not deserving of additional scenes ? Fuck you David Prod. Fucking Fugo gets some but not Jolyne ?! Go to hell.
When SHORT FAN-COMICS pull off what should've been in the anime (or the original work) in few pages, I am figuratively bashing my head ! THIS is the kind of material I think of when I say "Jolyne deserved more" danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14372… danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14372… Seriously, it's all that was needed ! I kept waiting for THAT ONE addition, one where we'd see her reading Jotaro's memory DISC, discovering the whole conflict's roots (the OVA smartly pulled that off by the by !) thus fleshing out her renewed resolve after losing FF.
danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14241…
But nope. No childhood scenes, no discovery of the past, just copy-paste the manga's exposition. Considering how short-changed Jonathan and Erina were by the anime, I guess that's where she got it from.
Consider this poster what it should've been (well, if you can read between the lines so to speak...).

* Ermes... first things first and this is very controversial an opinion, I believe that she is fucking awesome. She's stupidly compared to Polnareff all the time for the shallowest of reasons when her overall character resembles Caesar more than anyone. No joke here. They have similar chips on their shoulders (and how!), similar serious demeanors, similar ruthlessness, similar guilt due to what happened to a loved one (Caesar for his dad, Ermes for here sister) and were both driven by vengeance, barely caring if they'd make it out alive or not. Granted Ermes was much less embittered than Caesar was and her JoJo was nowhere near as callous as Joseph, not to mention kinder. Also, no, I am fucking joyful that Ermes accompanied Jolyne through the escape till the last act as it makes their friendship stand out even more. As for the anime version, THIS IS WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE FOR EACH CHARACTER ! Manga Ermes was cool but her anime section knocked it out of the park ! We see her as a kid, we see her dad who's Bob Hoskins apparantly, we see more of Gloria, NO annoying narrator to fuck up the moment, it's grim, it's unjust, it's horrifying, IT'S SPOT-ON !

* FF is the one I wanted to emphathize the creepier aspects of. It is a mix of Speedwagon and Bruford and one ingenious creature overall. Nothing to add but that I thought the anime would only get better and better. Sadly, eh, no. Though kudos on them to add it in the sky during the last shot... last shot that did not exist when Stone Ocean was first published by the by. That is sad frankly.

* Anasui is spot-on (though I would not have picked pink for his hair). I am also the one person out there who could not give less of a fuck about FemSui. Consistency is GOOD, people ! Have some ! Also, no one noticed how incredibly blasé Narciso is overall ? I mean, dude is too enamored with Jolyne to note that he is talking with a sapient plankton colony at some point ? I'd be weirded out. Though for a Bizarre world, it's strange how we only get Foo Fighters and the Pillar-men as strange supernatural creatures (vampires and undead do not count since they were alive pre-mask or pre-infection...). You'd think there would be more...

* As for Jotaro... his anime design is somewhat of an improvement since he looks muscular at least and thus like Jolyne's father rather than her younger cousin. I dig his drip but loathe his Part 6 design in the manga, especially when other depictions fit so much better.
BUT, I have a much deeper point of contention that has been gnawing at me. You know when people care about the icon but not the character ? THAT is the problem with JoJo03 in a nutshell. On paper, Jotaro is a damn good character with his evolution goes from grumpy jerk to well, a male version of his great great grandma. Sadly, in terms of practice, the poor guy is just used as a prop. In the actual manga, SDC Jotaro is not even the main character of his own part,, but the fucking battle system is and as such, the conflict that started back in the Victorian Era is a mere excuse so that he goes to blow up a video game villain. Because punchy ghosts matter more than him.
In DIU, he gets to be the mentor to his uncle.... except that frigging Josuke himself is sidelined in his own part because Araki had nostalgia for his hometown or a huge stiffie for the self-centered mangaka who takes precedence over far more deserving characters.
In Stone Ocean... same remark I did above when I talked about Jolyne, what's good for the hen is good for the rooster. Araki says he based Jotaro off Clint Eastwood, except that Eastwood's characters are not some convenient plot devices ! We see who they are as people ! Now, people say Araki finds Jotaro unrewarding to write for but seriously that is on him. It's up to the writer to make a character compelling and with Jotaro, the potential is HERE ! All he had to do is to use it but he fucking won't due to his aversion to lore. As it stands, OVA Jotaro is much better executed and actually feels like the protagonist of his story (the more consistent gloomy tone of the adventure does wonders for him. So does the more competent and helpful Polnareff...). Later years Jotaro though...honestly, fans pulled it off so much better than any official version I've seen ! But I suppose that popular though he is, the public cares not Jotaro the character but Jotaro the memetic punch machine so the joke's on me I suppose. As I value characterization over all else, his great great grandpappy turned out to be far better put together. The guy is a marine biologist right ? He should be going Statham's Jonas Taylor/Bob Morane out there not "oh and here's Jotaro existing, I guess...".
Of course there's also the matter of his ex-wife danbooru.donmai.us/posts/61607… . You really thought I forgot about her ? The woman who gets even less scenes than in the manga, not even a name because apparantly it's either over-budget or haram (yet the worthless runaway girl, the woman Melone parasites in the train and the doctor who dissects Diavolo in his 2nd death get named...life is stupid) and most importantly is colored due to laziness. God fucking forbid they give more scenes to Jolyne or humanize Jotaro. What is genuine character depth compared to the next jobber with his stand "La dance des canards" ? For me, it's a thousand times more important and compelling ! What woman could bag herself a Jotaro Kujo, get a kid from him and raise said kid pretty much by herself ! That's uninteresting ? Screw you then, I'm glad others are interested in this particular plotline and willing to do something with it archiveofourown.org/works/3713…

* ... let's speak DIO now. The greatest irony with him design-wise is that the shittiest designed DIO in the manga ended up looking the best in the anime. Yeah, they changed stuff about his looks and for the fucking best mind you ! Taking elements from his OVA version like the hair, the visible nack scar and more muscle (but not too much, we're too cowardly to be consistent with the past) vastly improved his aesthetic. Not Hayama levels mind you but considering how David Prod's designs for Dio were a big downgrade in previous parts compared to the manga and studio APPP depictions.
The characterization is where there's a lot of eye-rollings BUT that is mostly due to how under-written he was the last time Araki used him. And yes, going from a nightmarish Kurt Barlow figure to a Pokemon Gym Leader is a sad downgrade but much like Jotaro, Araki really did not care for him as a character but his value as a plot device. Part 6 DIO is kind of a fix applied to give the vampire a grander goal considering he went from Resident Evil on 2 legs and committed 2 separate mass murders to a lazy slacker that sends the lackeys he's hired from Craig's list while he's jacking it off to Baywatch reruns. So in Stone Ocean , his demagogy and pretty rethoric is actually a return to form. The problem again is that the Heaven plan is NOT explained as to how he discovered it and put the details together. I have 0 problems with DIO discovering dral magic or the occult... AS LONG AS IT IS SHOWN AND NOT RETCONNED WITH NARY AN EXPLANATION. And THIS is the non-adressed issue with Part 6 DIO.
The anime could have fixed that in an intelligent manner just by showing pages from scriptures and books with DIO writing around them even back in Part 3 but nope, why should we make the adaptation more coherent and consistent than the source material ?! Let's pick the coward's way.
And people have the balls to spit on Nisio Isin's novel ?! Hey, the guy really worked around with honestly shallow pools considering Araki never bothers giving important events from the past their dues proper, so quite frankly, Over Heaven gave me a Dio that's more coherent than the manga one (not as cool as the OVA version but it's OK) and that helps the Stone Ocean version's "plan" make some fucking sense as to its inception. So spare me the fucking "canon" argument. If Araki could not care less, why should I ? At least I fucking the story's lore and am excited to see what others would flesh out from it. But hey, Dio will get a proper unexpected redemption, hehehehehe...

* Enrico Pucci is actually somewhat improved in his anime version, but that's mostly due to Yong Yea's giving him Judge Frollo vibes. Rewatching this made me realize I was wrong 9 years ago: there's no reason to feel sorry for him. Pearla and Wes ? Sure, they are the victims here. And if you tell me to choose between an oath or a loved one, I'd say God can forgive and understand why the beans have to be spilt. And if he doesn't, well, to hell with him, Crom's a better deity anyway. Enrico however hired KKK detective, turned his brother into a Lovecraftian wraith after leading to his sister's death. All his pretty talk of Heaven and humanity's "happiness" ? A load of bullshit that many fans on tumblr eat up and spill up paragraphs and paragraphs to explain why he's not so bad. I mean, it's not his fault if he's ruined Jolyne's life, stole Jotaro's soul and stand and desecrated Jonathan's last bone (yeah, remember him ? Araki does not, nor do the fans, but I sure as fuck DO !) by using it for more gains.
MAYBE they read/watched a different Part 6 than the one I did OR they're talking about his Universe 37 counterpart who became an astronaut, because I vehemently puke on any and all essays trying to pass Enrico Pucci as some misunderstood anti-villain. The dude is an utterly reprehensible asshole. And he munches on cherries like a cow during confession time ! RUDE !
He is a cunt who did not want to take responsibility for the grief HE caused his loved ones due to his own shortsightedness and found it easier to not admit his fault by following the teachings of a vampire's head on a corpse (and you really think Dio'd be interested in him if he wasn't useful ? Hell, you think he'd survive once Dio has no more use for him ? Yeah, Jotaro implicitly saved Pucci's ass there, think about it !). He hates the Joestars for 0 reason other than to justify his shallow and ultimately moronic drive. And you don't understand his heaven plan ? Read "Brave New World", it will give you an idea what reality Pucci wished to inflict on humanity just because he's too much of a contemptible coward to face his own errors.
Another point is that his whole heaven is an unattainable delusion. Hell, Kars had a more sympathetic, realizable and understandable goal to strive for and he paid dearly for it (somewhat deservedly as the Dr Frankenstein figure he is). Pucci's interpretation of the heaven plan though is contrary to existence's nature itself ! You see, re-reading Jurassic Park at the same time made me realize that Enrico's whole scheme would amount to a delusion. Case in point, here's what the good Dr Malcolm had to say:
"Real life isn’t a series of interconnected events occurring one after another like beads strung on a necklace. Life is actually a series of encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable, even devastating way."
See what it means ? He never took into account that the earth much less the universe does not revolve around humanity, much less his fuck-ups. His scope is too short-sighted, his ego and vanity are too bloated and at the end of the day all he has to show for it is that he murdered a lot of good people. All at the altar of his cowardice. And that's not even taking into account the concept of eternal recurrence that the end of Stone Ocean hints at and the epilogue part will go deep into.
BTW, no one noticed how fucking haxxed both Pucci brothers are ?! Weather is more or less Ororo Munroe before becoming an Eldritch abomination once Heavy Weather is implemented and Enrico ? Well, Whitesnake is a swiss knife of abilities (or Araki's asspulling a lot of them...), C-Moon is fucking terrifying and Made In Heaven turns HIM into a mix of ZOOM and Reverse Flash and Legion (which makes sense since this whole story ends like Age Of Apocalypse, in tears and blood).

There's a lot to adress and if you want you may point it to me. I mean, the drawing tells you pretty much what I would've added or removed (there's even a Hokuto No Ken reference ! Ain't that awesome ?!). But in the meantime, place à la musique !

00) Stone Ocean - JJBA ASB OST
This is the most intense introduction track in the whole soundtrack and I'll be damned if it does not Oddworld vibes ! But it's pretty fitting of the dark story ahead...

01) Le Maton Me Guette - Passi
I kinda wish the Green Dolphin Street Prison was depicted in a more sinister fashion. Some cops work fine, others feel like caricatures. So, when they're gruesomely injured there's little of that delicious discomfort but they're mere bloodbags without impact.

02) Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches
Thus we're introduced to our heroine, Joylne Cujoh, who starts out as the dorkiest delinquent ! She has the same candor and temper as her thrice great grandfather, the smartassery of her great grandfather and the glutes of her great great grandgrandmother. I mean, dear God, she's so hot i.ytimg.com/vi/OKhiViv-kxs/max… even Stone Free inherited that last quality resize.cdn.otakumode.com/ex/12… ! She also gives Gwess a dentist appointment for free because she's a Joestar 64.media.tumblr.com/a50d738684…
(and in all seriousness, FUCK Gwess I'm glad Jolyne fed her her own jaw. Thank God we're not going the same bullshit route that Part 4 used and abused).

03) Mistral Gagnant - Renaud
Jotaro's visit and the whole Whitesnake trap. I gotta say about Jotaro's reaction at Jolyne falling off the stairs, the dude really can't read the room for shit ! Somehow, I tend to image Jonathan and George II rolling their eyes or facepalming at Joot not even helping his daughter stand up... or catching her as she falls... cus THEY would have done so ! But anyway, this is where shots are fired, the DISCS are stolen, the reveals are made and Jolyne chooses to remain to save her dad and the little boy she met inside...

04) Dear Sister - The Pretty Reckless
Ermes discovers her strange stand, a DISC that was around here (Whitesnake is a messy motherfucker) and defeats a McDonald's janitor who thought he was a Voodoo doll... all in all she did not lose her day. Not the motive as to why she wanted to be incarcerated !

05) Love The Subhuman Self - Guilty Gear Strive OST
Much like Jonathan spared an Ogre Street thug that will befriend him, Jolyne spares the life of a sapient plankton colony that loves to philosophize about the meaning of the self. The girls befriend the creepy crustacean cluster who turns out to be a pretty affable and even benevolent being. Granted, they should ask the SPW foundation to give FF another means of containment so that they can bury Atroe's corpse at one point, but hey, all in due time...

06) Ka-Ching - Shania Twain
So the dastardly Father Pucci puts a Stand DISC on Miraschon (fucking DISCS, who did this fucker steal them from ?!) to sabotage Jolyne's journey. Just saying, good Job anime guys, the resolution here is honestly much smarter than in the manga. Anyway, fun fight overall !

07) Formidable Sorcerer - Bastard!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy OST
Emporio, who shares Bane's background apparantly, has Jolyne meet the mysterious Weather Report ! And his stand is as busted as the Priest's so you can't tell me witchcraft ain't at work here ! Anyway, following a harrowing fight with the despicable Frog Cosplayer Long Rangler, the Star Platinum DISC is secured and saved by Savage Garden. Proving that even beyond the grave, Speedwagon still helps his best friend's family against Dio's evil like the CHAD he is.

08) Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
I have no idea why Kane Jungbluth-Murry decided to give Sports Maxx the voice of Foghorn Leghorn but someone give that madman a medal ! See, Physical Activities Maximus is easily one of the best villains of this part as he cumulates 2 things I adore about JoJo: unrepentant murderers and the undead ! Granted, Flacid pancake's brand of zombies is nowhere near as terrifying as the ones met in the Hamon Duology (those fuckers are INFECTIOUS, his are not) but the invisibility gives them an edge. Plus he gets to devour poor Sharon (yeah, the hooker gets a name but not... bah, you know the drill). This leads to Ermes' most personal fight and the best adapted section in the anime wholesale.

09) Judecca - Saint Seiya Hades PS2 OST
Jolyne gets thrown in the maximum security section which leads to both one of the best sections and the shittiest one. The Best ? Everything linked to Planet Waves and the criminals made rabid by Survivor is WIN OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL ! We hadn't have a brawler JoJo since Jonathan and Jolyne fucking delivers ! If only the animation did it justice, at least "Sabor VS Tarzan" style.
The Worst ? The Dragon's Dream section. It's bloated , it's overlong and it could've easily been truncated without the story losing anything. Have Anasui and FF help Jolyne once she's overcrowded and tired of fighting an ever-waking band of rabid criminals and it's all you'll need. OR, and I want you to really pay attention, make Kenzou a Hamon user. Keep Dragon's Dream but ditch the Feng Shui bullshit and piss-drinking (OK, on THAT note, someone needs to tell Araki to take proper bathroom breaks ! The insistence on piss is starting to be less a coincidence and more of a reveal , I mean come on !) and make the old man an evil Yoda-like figure that considers the involvement the Joestars had with the art of Sunlight Karate to be blasphemy or that they will lead to the end of the world and have him fight Jolyne.

10) Uptown Girl - Westlife
Anasui accompanies Jolyne in the swamps to find the strange critter that was formed out the desecrated bone of her thrice great grandfather. Kudos to David Prod for making it clear that this scene takes place at night ! Could not tell in the original OR colorized mangas. Also, getting rid of Yo Yo Ma is fine. Anasui's antics and the Green Baby's menace are all one needs.

11) For The Damaged Coda - Blonde Redhead
The first fight Jolyne has with the Priest proper since he reveals his hand. No wonder Pucci rigged the whole prison against because in a one VS one, mano a mano, the girl he constantly snubbed and mocked is thrashing his ass. Yeah, Whitesnake has haxxed abilities but on a good old-fashioned brawl, he's kind of a bitch since even a blinded Stone Free is handing him his ass on a platter. At least, Dio was actually careful against Jonathan after he was impaled/burnt to a crisp (and prior to becoming a senile parasite). OF COURSE, Enrico only saves his ass by nearly sacrificing Jotaro's soul DISC and absorbs the Green Baby/Jonathan's bone to gradually become a demi-god.

12) Tears In The Rain - Blade Runner 2049 OST
“I'm glad I was able to say my goodbyes to you, Jolyne.... It's all right, Jolyne... It's all right. I'm glad you got your disc back...”

13) Never Going Back - The Score
After gloriously caving Miu Miu's face in, Jolyne, Ermes and Emporio scram from prison. Things will sadly go bigger than any of them, but heroism was never about taking the easy road anyway.

14) Toon World Metal Cover - Maxime Solemn
Meeting the remaining sons of DIO/nephews of Jonathan that Araki ass-pulled into existence (OK, srsly though, couldn't the anime ANTICIPATE and build up to them ? Again, the manga was fucking improvised weekly so an adaptation coming a decade later could've IMPROVED the story-telling don't you think ?!), Pucci orders Dario's grandson to unleash Ramph Bakshi's Cool World upon humanity! Thankfully Anasui and Weather counter him through the power of OC Doughnut Steel... it was hilarious XD !

15) Chop Suey - System Of A Down
And thus, Pucci sends George's misguided half-brother to go kill Jolyne and Ermes with the power of Ghosts Dildos (srsly , ever heard of a more laughable cryptid ?). Sadly for Rykiel, he did not know that his Great Great Grandniece inherited Jonathan's will and penchant for arson and violence thus he got thrashed. While I feel sad for him, that's not the case of Ermes who punches his skull into strawberry jam pudding. Such a cruel world we live in.

16) Lestat's Recitative - Elliott Goldenthal
Ah yes ! The flashback in Florida where a young choir boy that has the common sense of a boiled oyster meets a bland-looking metrosexual sex offender (sigh, what I'd give to have Studio APPP animate this ! They'd make it genuinely unsettling) in a church. After believing the sun-allergy excuse (TBH, DIO did not lie but allergy is not quite the word), Pucci's offered a stand arrow (that looks like the requiem arrow except there's no requiem arrow because stands as a power system sady have the consistency of a boat help up by duct tape on a stormy sea...) that will change his fate forever.

17) Stormbringer - Deep Purple
So by bringing back Weather's memories, Donatello Versace unwittingly unleashed the Gasteropodian Armageddon ! Weather becomes a Dr Strange/Spawn villain, people turn into a pile of snails/or think they are (it's not that clear) and everyone is desperate because of this Diabolus Ex Machina. Sad how Wes made everything worse for everyone but the universe hates Jolyne so neither she nor her other friends can catch a break. Though why snails ? Snails aren't scary, they just go well together with some butter and garlic ! Should've gone with screwflies instead. Now THOSE are nightmarish !

18) The Last In Line - Dio
There should've been an added segment since there are only 3 days left. I'd have added scenes with Jolyne thinking back of her childhood, the carjacking and anything you saw in that comic I've linked you to above. I mean they have 3 fucking days, don't you think some things would occur in the meantime ?! I mean we are reaching the final round !

19) Arioch - Hawkwind
The end of the world starts ! The whole fight against C-Moon is pretty awesome overall. The thing I'd remove would be them talking with Pucci after he got smashed through that window. It'd be far more intense and better WITHOUT much dialogue.

20) To Die For - Hans Zimmer
So yeah, Made In Heaven is reached. Enrico Pucci's unfair Gladstone Gander-levels of luck worked out for him. Anasui, Ermes and Jotaro's deaths were a shock to me. Exposition-aside, everything that's happening with the group is excellent and justifies a more competent production and a vastly superior budget. Saying farewell to Jotaro is like seeing the Everest crumble, all the stops should be pulled for it.
The minus comes from well, the completely unnecessary asides that should've been shortened of thrown altogether in the trashbin. Seriously the fucking WORLD IS AFFECTED ! Shouldn't we see the folks worth investing in like Josuke and Giorno ?! Not the caricatural people I could not give a shit about and are interrupting the tensest moment in the series since Dio turning the ship into Resident Evil. Oh another Rohan reference ? Who gives a damn about that asshole in THIS SPECIFIC MOMENT ! HONESTLY ?! Seriously, Araki really has tonal issues with the stands section of the series and right here they come up at the most inadequate moment ! The anime staf should've had the balls to play it as straight and intense as possible.

21) Sacred Worlds - Blind Guardian
Jolyne Cujoh gives her last moments breathing to save Emporio from Pucci, giving the little boy the Weather Report DISC.
"Phantom Blood" started with Mary Joestar dying to save her baby son in a carriage crash. Said son will spend his last few moments doing what he can to save his wife and put all his faith in her.
And then, in "Stone Ocean", Mary's quadruple great granddaughter, Jolyne Cujoh, does the same for a little boy she became an older sister for.
It is actually perfect and took me by surprise. Pucci's luck eventually runs out and he dies due to retribution catching up with him and turning his brains into scrambled eggs on the floor. Though the oxygen invading the closed room would've killed both of them and it all ends with everyone dead, but that'd be too bleak.
ONe thing I'd remove the fuck out ? The whole people ending up naked in the Pucciverse.... that was fucking STUPID and did not add to anything. You'd think they would remove it to save on budget ?

22) Whispering Winds - James Horner
After giving Pucci a well-deserved crushing headache, Emporio finds himself in a newly re-written reality. No it's not a happy ending. Those who died, DIED so that this new reality got implemented. Humanity's free will is saved from becoming an Aldous Huxley nightmare but the price to pay was far too high.

23) The End Of Part VI - JJBA ASB OST

In conclusion, for all my gripes, the flaws, the missed opportunities that'd have been fixed with a little more respect to past lore... I still love Stone Ocean. It's full on Moorcock-tragedy time and when it is spot on, it has the intensity of the 1st two parts and focuses on the juicy character drama. Did Jolyne get everything she deserved story-wise ? Sadly no but even those mishaps did not prevent her from being my favorite JoJo and remaining in that spot for 9 years straight. Hope I did her justice even if I never felt I'd ever top THIS i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/5b/8…
And hey, would you look at that, not a single Queen song ! I'll save that for the finale, the epilogue, the ENCORE. At this point, you know me, you can guess what I am getting at...
After Stone Ocean, there's only ONE direction, ONE way to go. There is no retreat. Once a threshold has been crossed, all I can do is the one greater threshold.

Si par mégarde
La faute est mienne
Alors... renie-moi... là
Simplement sache bien Que saigne
Ce coeur qui bat pour... toi
Et quand l'absence désincarne...
Et hante l'univers
Je n'avais plus qu'à trouver l'âme
Et retrouver peut-être...

Description
WARNING : "Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously. But life finds a way."

I admit, this drawing probably took more time than necessary to finish. I suppose it is my fault for overdoing it and working on 3 different big posters at the same time. There's also the details I needed to get just right and THAT cannot be rushed or I'll bitterly regret it later. After all, it is not every day I illustrate the ordeal of my favorite character in this franchise eh ?
So let us begin with the end. Well, first act of the end that is.
Granted I will sound more acidic and bitter but some things have been consistent within my experience... and that is me consistently saying that Stone Ocean ranks up there with the Hamon Duology. That's right, there are JoJo fans out there who do not give much of a fuck about stands and are more into the drama following the Joestars around. Funny how it took 3 damn parts before we get back on that track ! In fact, it's a rather fortuitous fluke for yours truly. Araki stopped giving a damn about the Joestars around the first third of Part 3 but HERE, because he wanted a Girl JoJo, he HAD to bring them back to the forefront ! Happy accidents DO occur !
And the most hilarious element here is that, UNWILLINGLY, UNKNOWINGLY the dude ended up more or less re-writing "Phantom Blood" BUT as a dark urban fantasy instead of a gothic horror ! That's right, the JoJo tale that he dislikes, belittles and wants swept under the rug is what he went back to for his finale ! XD And you know that ? I could not be happier that he did that ! I am ferociously ELATED and positively throbbing that Part 6 is THE spiritual sequel/final act of Part 1 ! The bleakness, the unfariness, the horror spreading around, the unlucky heroes that have fucked-up lives and have to pay for their victories with blood, sweat and tears, the overpowered villains that have the decks completely stacked in their favors ? YES, it's in there and THAT is what made JoJo compelling to me ! That's right, the Parts that prioritize the Joestars legacy over a pile of Pokemon battles!
The sunlight karate or punchy ghosts are fucking optional (and I 'd say I favor the former because of how lazy a battle system the latter can fucking get...that's not even taking into account the botch job that it the stand arrow...) and are only as compelling as whoever wields them. And speaking of stands, that's exactly what they are in Stone Ocean, mere tools not the focus ! And that is how it should've been from the start. In fact, if I told they were just the products of black magic, it would hardly be inaccurate considering how the better ones in this part feel like spells/magic from a Michael Moorcock story. Hell, if Pucci was a sorcerer rather than some priest, it would have still made sense for his character... perhaps even more than what he is in the actual story.

SADLY, and this is why I could never give Stone Ocean the gold medal wholesale, it carries some defects here and there (mainly coinciding with the introduction of stands in the stands) that could've been fixed had we had a competent animation studio handling it (or if Araki had a fucking editor forcing him to implement internal consistency but that ship's sailed...). And by it, I mean from Part 1 and on so that the pay-off strikes much more effectively once Part 6 is reached. We properly will never get that because people whether fans or staff think that copy/pasting the manga is good enough when there are elements that should, in fact, be omitted/adapted/portrayed in a specific way. For Example; the heavy-exposition dialogue ? fine in a manga/comic, clunky as fuck on-screen so one has to let motion and action tell what needs to be told. Then again, the budget might be the issue BUT it would be negotiated if the fluff was cut off. There is a lot to say on the subject, professionals could probably explain it better than me, a mere hobbyist, but when shortcuts are waaaay too often used when a simple turn of phrase or quick scene would suffice, anyone can see that there's an issue.
Look, if you think what I'm saying is "BLASPHEMY" or that I am a fake fan , then you forget where you are. This is not one of those fucking youtube channels where one is blindly worshipping Araki or telling you how he doesn't forget (actually he fucking does but more importantly, he does not care. THAT is his fucking handicap when writing a legacy story), this is the "give the Devil his due" town ! If there's a glaring fuck-up or wasted potential, I'll just point it out. Simple as that. There are plenty of instances where I do disagree with Araki, one being his throwing this compelling lore out the window cus he was more into drawing more VOGUE covers. Just so you know, being "unpredictable" was never a mark of quality contrary-wise to the idea he seems to operate on. And I HATE when people use the "it's a gag character" excuse to cover up for said wasted potential. You're not gonna earn any prize for it, fellows, just saying.
In fact, there are predictable stories out there that still surprise because of how compelling the characters and tale are. And surprising twists are only as good as how well-fitting they are within the established narrative. But we'll be back to that...

Let's elaborate in more details:

* Jolyne, the final OG JoJo, yours truly's favorite, Jonathan's heiress, the apotheosis of this heroic bloodline i.pinimg.com/originals/0f/4d/5… ... and she got the "minimal effort" deal in the anime. What do I mean ? Well, the good points first: her anime-design is much more consistent than the manga one (not the best one to me but you all know which are my favorites) and voice-wise choices were damn fine ! The colors ? Eh, not what I'd pick but that's preferences for you.
HOWEVER, they removed some of her funnier expressions (the spice that adds to her vividness) and her fucking flashback wholesale. Like, the JOJO of the story was not deserving of additional scenes ? Fuck you David Prod. Fucking Fugo gets some but not Jolyne ?! Go to hell.
When SHORT FAN-COMICS pull off what should've been in the anime (or the original work) in few pages, I am figuratively bashing my head ! THIS is the kind of material I think of when I say "Jolyne deserved more" danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14372… danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14372… Seriously, it's all that was needed ! I kept waiting for THAT ONE addition, one where we'd see her reading Jotaro's memory DISC, discovering the whole conflict's roots (the OVA smartly pulled that off by the by !) thus fleshing out her renewed resolve after losing FF.
danbooru.donmai.us/posts/14241…
But nope. No childhood scenes, no discovery of the past, just copy-paste the manga's exposition. Considering how short-changed Jonathan and Erina were by the anime, I guess that's where she got it from.
Consider this poster what it should've been (well, if you can read between the lines so to speak...).

* Ermes... first things first and this is very controversial an opinion, I believe that she is fucking awesome. She's stupidly compared to Polnareff all the time for the shallowest of reasons when her overall character resembles Caesar more than anyone. No joke here. They have similar chips on their shoulders (and how!), similar serious demeanors, similar ruthlessness, similar guilt due to what happened to a loved one (Caesar for his dad, Ermes for here sister) and were both driven by vengeance, barely caring if they'd make it out alive or not. Granted Ermes was much less embittered than Caesar was and her JoJo was nowhere near as callous as Joseph, not to mention kinder. Also, no, I am fucking joyful that Ermes accompanied Jolyne through the escape till the last act as it makes their friendship stand out even more. As for the anime version, THIS IS WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE FOR EACH CHARACTER ! Manga Ermes was cool but her anime section knocked it out of the park ! We see her as a kid, we see her dad who's Bob Hoskins apparantly, we see more of Gloria, NO annoying narrator to fuck up the moment, it's grim, it's unjust, it's horrifying, IT'S SPOT-ON !

* FF is the one I wanted to emphathize the creepier aspects of. It is a mix of Speedwagon and Bruford and one ingenious creature overall. Nothing to add but that I thought the anime would only get better and better. Sadly, eh, no. Though kudos on them to add it in the sky during the last shot... last shot that did not exist when Stone Ocean was first published by the by. That is sad frankly.

* Anasui is spot-on (though I would not have picked pink for his hair). I am also the one person out there who could not give less of a fuck about FemSui. Consistency is GOOD, people ! Have some ! Also, no one noticed how incredibly blasé Narciso is overall ? I mean, dude is too enamored with Jolyne to note that he is talking with a sapient plankton colony at some point ? I'd be weirded out. Though for a Bizarre world, it's strange how we only get Foo Fighters and the Pillar-men as strange supernatural creatures (vampires and undead do not count since they were alive pre-mask or pre-infection...). You'd think there would be more...

* As for Jotaro... his anime design is somewhat of an improvement since he looks muscular at least and thus like Jolyne's father rather than her younger cousin. I dig his drip but loathe his Part 6 design in the manga, especially when other depictions fit so much better.
BUT, I have a much deeper point of contention that has been gnawing at me. You know when people care about the icon but not the character ? THAT is the problem with JoJo03 in a nutshell. On paper, Jotaro is a damn good character with his evolution goes from grumpy jerk to well, a male version of his great great grandma. Sadly, in terms of practice, the poor guy is just used as a prop. In the actual manga, SDC Jotaro is not even the main character of his own part,, but the fucking battle system is and as such, the conflict that started back in the Victorian Era is a mere excuse so that he goes to blow up a video game villain. Because punchy ghosts matter more than him.
In DIU, he gets to be the mentor to his uncle.... except that frigging Josuke himself is sidelined in his own part because Araki had nostalgia for his hometown or a huge stiffie for the self-centered mangaka who takes precedence over far more deserving characters.
In Stone Ocean... same remark I did above when I talked about Jolyne, what's good for the hen is good for the rooster. Araki says he based Jotaro off Clint Eastwood, except that Eastwood's characters are not some convenient plot devices ! We see who they are as people ! Now, people say Araki finds Jotaro unrewarding to write for but seriously that is on him. It's up to the writer to make a character compelling and with Jotaro, the potential is HERE ! All he had to do is to use it but he fucking won't due to his aversion to lore. As it stands, OVA Jotaro is much better executed and actually feels like the protagonist of his story (the more consistent gloomy tone of the adventure does wonders for him. So does the more competent and helpful Polnareff...). Later years Jotaro though...honestly, fans pulled it off so much better than any official version I've seen ! But I suppose that popular though he is, the public cares not Jotaro the character but Jotaro the memetic punch machine so the joke's on me I suppose. As I value characterization over all else, his great great grandpappy turned out to be far better put together. The guy is a marine biologist right ? He should be going Statham's Jonas Taylor/Bob Morane out there not "oh and here's Jotaro existing, I guess...".
Of course there's also the matter of his ex-wife danbooru.donmai.us/posts/61607… . You really thought I forgot about her ? The woman who gets even less scenes than in the manga, not even a name because apparantly it's either over-budget or haram (yet the worthless runaway girl, the woman Melone parasites in the train and the doctor who dissects Diavolo in his 2nd death get named...life is stupid) and most importantly is colored due to laziness. God fucking forbid they give more scenes to Jolyne or humanize Jotaro. What is genuine character depth compared to the next jobber with his stand "La dance des canards" ? For me, it's a thousand times more important and compelling ! What woman could bag herself a Jotaro Kujo, get a kid from him and raise said kid pretty much by herself ! That's uninteresting ? Screw you then, I'm glad others are interested in this particular plotline and willing to do something with it archiveofourown.org/works/3713…

* ... let's speak DIO now. The greatest irony with him design-wise is that the shittiest designed DIO in the manga ended up looking the best in the anime. Yeah, they changed stuff about his looks and for the fucking best mind you ! Taking elements from his OVA version like the hair, the visible nack scar and more muscle (but not too much, we're too cowardly to be consistent with the past) vastly improved his aesthetic. Not Hayama levels mind you but considering how David Prod's designs for Dio were a big downgrade in previous parts compared to the manga and studio APPP depictions.
The characterization is where there's a lot of eye-rollings BUT that is mostly due to how under-written he was the last time Araki used him. And yes, going from a nightmarish Kurt Barlow figure to a Pokemon Gym Leader is a sad downgrade but much like Jotaro, Araki really did not care for him as a character but his value as a plot device. Part 6 DIO is kind of a fix applied to give the vampire a grander goal considering he went from Resident Evil on 2 legs and committed 2 separate mass murders to a lazy slacker that sends the lackeys he's hired from Craig's list while he's jacking it off to Baywatch reruns. So in Stone Ocean , his demagogy and pretty rethoric is actually a return to form. The problem again is that the Heaven plan is NOT explained as to how he discovered it and put the details together. I have 0 problems with DIO discovering dral magic or the occult... AS LONG AS IT IS SHOWN AND NOT RETCONNED WITH NARY AN EXPLANATION. And THIS is the non-adressed issue with Part 6 DIO.
The anime could have fixed that in an intelligent manner just by showing pages from scriptures and books with DIO writing around them even back in Part 3 but nope, why should we make the adaptation more coherent and consistent than the source material ?! Let's pick the coward's way.
And people have the balls to spit on Nisio Isin's novel ?! Hey, the guy really worked around with honestly shallow pools considering Araki never bothers giving important events from the past their dues proper, so quite frankly, Over Heaven gave me a Dio that's more coherent than the manga one (not as cool as the OVA version but it's OK) and that helps the Stone Ocean version's "plan" make some fucking sense as to its inception. So spare me the fucking "canon" argument. If Araki could not care less, why should I ? At least I fucking the story's lore and am excited to see what others would flesh out from it. But hey, Dio will get a proper unexpected redemption, hehehehehe...

* Enrico Pucci is actually somewhat improved in his anime version, but that's mostly due to Yong Yea's giving him Judge Frollo vibes. Rewatching this made me realize I was wrong 9 years ago: there's no reason to feel sorry for him. Pearla and Wes ? Sure, they are the victims here. And if you tell me to choose between an oath or a loved one, I'd say God can forgive and understand why the beans have to be spilt. And if he doesn't, well, to hell with him, Crom's a better deity anyway. Enrico however hired KKK detective, turned his brother into a Lovecraftian wraith after leading to his sister's death. All his pretty talk of Heaven and humanity's "happiness" ? A load of bullshit that many fans on tumblr eat up and spill up paragraphs and paragraphs to explain why he's not so bad. I mean, it's not his fault if he's ruined Jolyne's life, stole Jotaro's soul and stand and desecrated Jonathan's last bone (yeah, remember him ? Araki does not, nor do the fans, but I sure as fuck DO !) by using it for more gains.
MAYBE they read/watched a different Part 6 than the one I did OR they're talking about his Universe 37 counterpart who became an astronaut, because I vehemently puke on any and all essays trying to pass Enrico Pucci as some misunderstood anti-villain. The dude is an utterly reprehensible asshole. And he munches on cherries like a cow during confession time ! RUDE !
He is a cunt who did not want to take responsibility for the grief HE caused his loved ones due to his own shortsightedness and found it easier to not admit his fault by following the teachings of a vampire's head on a corpse (and you really think Dio'd be interested in him if he wasn't useful ? Hell, you think he'd survive once Dio has no more use for him ? Yeah, Jotaro implicitly saved Pucci's ass there, think about it !). He hates the Joestars for 0 reason other than to justify his shallow and ultimately moronic drive. And you don't understand his heaven plan ? Read "Brave New World", it will give you an idea what reality Pucci wished to inflict on humanity just because he's too much of a contemptible coward to face his own errors.
Another point is that his whole heaven is an unattainable delusion. Hell, Kars had a more sympathetic, realizable and understandable goal to strive for and he paid dearly for it (somewhat deservedly as the Dr Frankenstein figure he is). Pucci's interpretation of the heaven plan though is contrary to existence's nature itself ! You see, re-reading Jurassic Park at the same time made me realize that Enrico's whole scheme would amount to a delusion. Case in point, here's what the good Dr Malcolm had to say:
"Real life isn’t a series of interconnected events occurring one after another like beads strung on a necklace. Life is actually a series of encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable, even devastating way."
See what it means ? He never took into account that the earth much less the universe does not revolve around humanity, much less his fuck-ups. His scope is too short-sighted, his ego and vanity are too bloated and at the end of the day all he has to show for it is that he murdered a lot of good people. All at the altar of his cowardice. And that's not even taking into account the concept of eternal recurrence that the end of Stone Ocean hints at and the epilogue part will go deep into.
BTW, no one noticed how fucking haxxed both Pucci brothers are ?! Weather is more or less Ororo Munroe before becoming an Eldritch abomination once Heavy Weather is implemented and Enrico ? Well, Whitesnake is a swiss knife of abilities (or Araki's asspulling a lot of them...), C-Moon is fucking terrifying and Made In Heaven turns HIM into a mix of ZOOM and Reverse Flash and Legion (which makes sense since this whole story ends like Age Of Apocalypse, in tears and blood).

There's a lot to adress and if you want you may point it to me. I mean, the drawing tells you pretty much what I would've added or removed (there's even a Hokuto No Ken reference ! Ain't that awesome ?!). But in the meantime, place à la musique !

00) Stone Ocean - JJBA ASB OST
This is the most intense introduction track in the whole soundtrack and I'll be damned if it does not Oddworld vibes ! But it's pretty fitting of the dark story ahead...

01) Le Maton Me Guette - Passi
I kinda wish the Green Dolphin Street Prison was depicted in a more sinister fashion. Some cops work fine, others feel like caricatures. So, when they're gruesomely injured there's little of that delicious discomfort but they're mere bloodbags without impact.

02) Boys Wanna Be Her - Peaches
Thus we're introduced to our heroine, Joylne Cujoh, who starts out as the dorkiest delinquent ! She has the same candor and temper as her thrice great grandfather, the smartassery of her great grandfather and the glutes of her great great grandgrandmother. I mean, dear God, she's so hot i.ytimg.com/vi/OKhiViv-kxs/max… even Stone Free inherited that last quality resize.cdn.otakumode.com/ex/12… ! She also gives Gwess a dentist appointment for free because she's a Joestar 64.media.tumblr.com/a50d738684…
(and in all seriousness, FUCK Gwess I'm glad Jolyne fed her her own jaw. Thank God we're not going the same bullshit route that Part 4 used and abused).

03) Mistral Gagnant - Renaud
Jotaro's visit and the whole Whitesnake trap. I gotta say about Jotaro's reaction at Jolyne falling off the stairs, the dude really can't read the room for shit ! Somehow, I tend to image Jonathan and George II rolling their eyes or facepalming at Joot not even helping his daughter stand up... or catching her as she falls... cus THEY would have done so ! But anyway, this is where shots are fired, the DISCS are stolen, the reveals are made and Jolyne chooses to remain to save her dad and the little boy she met inside...

04) Dear Sister - The Pretty Reckless
Ermes discovers her strange stand, a DISC that was around here (Whitesnake is a messy motherfucker) and defeats a McDonald's janitor who thought he was a Voodoo doll... all in all she did not lose her day. Not the motive as to why she wanted to be incarcerated !

05) Love The Subhuman Self - Guilty Gear Strive OST
Much like Jonathan spared an Ogre Street thug that will befriend him, Jolyne spares the life of a sapient plankton colony that loves to philosophize about the meaning of the self. The girls befriend the creepy crustacean cluster who turns out to be a pretty affable and even benevolent being. Granted, they should ask the SPW foundation to give FF another means of containment so that they can bury Atroe's corpse at one point, but hey, all in due time...

06) Ka-Ching - Shania Twain
So the dastardly Father Pucci puts a Stand DISC on Miraschon (fucking DISCS, who did this fucker steal them from ?!) to sabotage Jolyne's journey. Just saying, good Job anime guys, the resolution here is honestly much smarter than in the manga. Anyway, fun fight overall !

07) Formidable Sorcerer - Bastard!! Heavy Metal Dark Fantasy OST
Emporio, who shares Bane's background apparantly, has Jolyne meet the mysterious Weather Report ! And his stand is as busted as the Priest's so you can't tell me witchcraft ain't at work here ! Anyway, following a harrowing fight with the despicable Frog Cosplayer Long Rangler, the Star Platinum DISC is secured and saved by Savage Garden. Proving that even beyond the grave, Speedwagon still helps his best friend's family against Dio's evil like the CHAD he is.

08) Rollin' - Limp Bizkit
I have no idea why Kane Jungbluth-Murry decided to give Sports Maxx the voice of Foghorn Leghorn but someone give that madman a medal ! See, Physical Activities Maximus is easily one of the best villains of this part as he cumulates 2 things I adore about JoJo: unrepentant murderers and the undead ! Granted, Flacid pancake's brand of zombies is nowhere near as terrifying as the ones met in the Hamon Duology (those fuckers are INFECTIOUS, his are not) but the invisibility gives them an edge. Plus he gets to devour poor Sharon (yeah, the hooker gets a name but not... bah, you know the drill). This leads to Ermes' most personal fight and the best adapted section in the anime wholesale.

09) Judecca - Saint Seiya Hades PS2 OST
Jolyne gets thrown in the maximum security section which leads to both one of the best sections and the shittiest one. The Best ? Everything linked to Planet Waves and the criminals made rabid by Survivor is WIN OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL ! We hadn't have a brawler JoJo since Jonathan and Jolyne fucking delivers ! If only the animation did it justice, at least "Sabor VS Tarzan" style.
The Worst ? The Dragon's Dream section. It's bloated , it's overlong and it could've easily been truncated without the story losing anything. Have Anasui and FF help Jolyne once she's overcrowded and tired of fighting an ever-waking band of rabid criminals and it's all you'll need. OR, and I want you to really pay attention, make Kenzou a Hamon user. Keep Dragon's Dream but ditch the Feng Shui bullshit and piss-drinking (OK, on THAT note, someone needs to tell Araki to take proper bathroom breaks ! The insistence on piss is starting to be less a coincidence and more of a reveal , I mean come on !) and make the old man an evil Yoda-like figure that considers the involvement the Joestars had with the art of Sunlight Karate to be blasphemy or that they will lead to the end of the world and have him fight Jolyne.

10) Uptown Girl - Westlife
Anasui accompanies Jolyne in the swamps to find the strange critter that was formed out the desecrated bone of her thrice great grandfather. Kudos to David Prod for making it clear that this scene takes place at night ! Could not tell in the original OR colorized mangas. Also, getting rid of Yo Yo Ma is fine. Anasui's antics and the Green Baby's menace are all one needs.

11) For The Damaged Coda - Blonde Redhead
The first fight Jolyne has with the Priest proper since he reveals his hand. No wonder Pucci rigged the whole prison against because in a one VS one, mano a mano, the girl he constantly snubbed and mocked is thrashing his ass. Yeah, Whitesnake has haxxed abilities but on a good old-fashioned brawl, he's kind of a bitch since even a blinded Stone Free is handing him his ass on a platter. At least, Dio was actually careful against Jonathan after he was impaled/burnt to a crisp (and prior to becoming a senile parasite). OF COURSE, Enrico only saves his ass by nearly sacrificing Jotaro's soul DISC and absorbs the Green Baby/Jonathan's bone to gradually become a demi-god.

12) Tears In The Rain - Blade Runner 2049 OST
“I'm glad I was able to say my goodbyes to you, Jolyne.... It's all right, Jolyne... It's all right. I'm glad you got your disc back...”

13) Never Going Back - The Score
After gloriously caving Miu Miu's face in, Jolyne, Ermes and Emporio scram from prison. Things will sadly go bigger than any of them, but heroism was never about taking the easy road anyway.

14) Toon World Metal Cover - Maxime Solemn
Meeting the remaining sons of DIO/nephews of Jonathan that Araki ass-pulled into existence (OK, srsly though, couldn't the anime ANTICIPATE and build up to them ? Again, the manga was fucking improvised weekly so an adaptation coming a decade later could've IMPROVED the story-telling don't you think ?!), Pucci orders Dario's grandson to unleash Ramph Bakshi's Cool World upon humanity! Thankfully Anasui and Weather counter him through the power of OC Doughnut Steel... it was hilarious XD !

15) Chop Suey - System Of A Down
And thus, Pucci sends George's misguided half-brother to go kill Jolyne and Ermes with the power of Ghosts Dildos (srsly , ever heard of a more laughable cryptid ?). Sadly for Rykiel, he did not know that his Great Great Grandniece inherited Jonathan's will and penchant for arson and violence thus he got thrashed. While I feel sad for him, that's not the case of Ermes who punches his skull into strawberry jam pudding. Such a cruel world we live in.

16) Lestat's Recitative - Elliott Goldenthal
Ah yes ! The flashback in Florida where a young choir boy that has the common sense of a boiled oyster meets a bland-looking metrosexual sex offender (sigh, what I'd give to have Studio APPP animate this ! They'd make it genuinely unsettling) in a church. After believing the sun-allergy excuse (TBH, DIO did not lie but allergy is not quite the word), Pucci's offered a stand arrow (that looks like the requiem arrow except there's no requiem arrow because stands as a power system sady have the consistency of a boat help up by duct tape on a stormy sea...) that will change his fate forever.

17) Stormbringer - Deep Purple
So by bringing back Weather's memories, Donatello Versace unwittingly unleashed the Gasteropodian Armageddon ! Weather becomes a Dr Strange/Spawn villain, people turn into a pile of snails/or think they are (it's not that clear) and everyone is desperate because of this Diabolus Ex Machina. Sad how Wes made everything worse for everyone but the universe hates Jolyne so neither she nor her other friends can catch a break. Though why snails ? Snails aren't scary, they just go well together with some butter and garlic ! Should've gone with screwflies instead. Now THOSE are nightmarish !

18) The Last In Line - Dio
There should've been an added segment since there are only 3 days left. I'd have added scenes with Jolyne thinking back of her childhood, the carjacking and anything you saw in that comic I've linked you to above. I mean they have 3 fucking days, don't you think some things would occur in the meantime ?! I mean we are reaching the final round !

19) Arioch - Hawkwind
The end of the world starts ! The whole fight against C-Moon is pretty awesome overall. The thing I'd remove would be them talking with Pucci after he got smashed through that window. It'd be far more intense and better WITHOUT much dialogue.

20) To Die For - Hans Zimmer
So yeah, Made In Heaven is reached. Enrico Pucci's unfair Gladstone Gander-levels of luck worked out for him. Anasui, Ermes and Jotaro's deaths were a shock to me. Exposition-aside, everything that's happening with the group is excellent and justifies a more competent production and a vastly superior budget. Saying farewell to Jotaro is like seeing the Everest crumble, all the stops should be pulled for it.
The minus comes from well, the completely unnecessary asides that should've been shortened of thrown altogether in the trashbin. Seriously the fucking WORLD IS AFFECTED ! Shouldn't we see the folks worth investing in like Josuke and Giorno ?! Not the caricatural people I could not give a shit about and are interrupting the tensest moment in the series since Dio turning the ship into Resident Evil. Oh another Rohan reference ? Who gives a damn about that asshole in THIS SPECIFIC MOMENT ! HONESTLY ?! Seriously, Araki really has tonal issues with the stands section of the series and right here they come up at the most inadequate moment ! The anime staf should've had the balls to play it as straight and intense as possible.

21) Sacred Worlds - Blind Guardian
Jolyne Cujoh gives her last moments breathing to save Emporio from Pucci, giving the little boy the Weather Report DISC.
"Phantom Blood" started with Mary Joestar dying to save her baby son in a carriage crash. Said son will spend his last few moments doing what he can to save his wife and put all his faith in her.
And then, in "Stone Ocean", Mary's quadruple great granddaughter, Jolyne Cujoh, does the same for a little boy she became an older sister for.
It is actually perfect and took me by surprise. Pucci's luck eventually runs out and he dies due to retribution catching up with him and turning his brains into scrambled eggs on the floor. Though the oxygen invading the closed room would've killed both of them and it all ends with everyone dead, but that'd be too bleak.
ONe thing I'd remove the fuck out ? The whole people ending up naked in the Pucciverse.... that was fucking STUPID and did not add to anything. You'd think they would remove it to save on budget ?

22) Whispering Winds - James Horner
After giving Pucci a well-deserved crushing headache, Emporio finds himself in a newly re-written reality. No it's not a happy ending. Those who died, DIED so that this new reality got implemented. Humanity's free will is saved from becoming an Aldous Huxley nightmare but the price to pay was far too high.

23) The End Of Part VI - JJBA ASB OST

In conclusion, for all my gripes, the flaws, the missed opportunities that'd have been fixed with a little more respect to past lore... I still love Stone Ocean. It's full on Moorcock-tragedy time and when it is spot on, it has the intensity of the 1st two parts and focuses on the juicy character drama. Did Jolyne get everything she deserved story-wise ? Sadly no but even those mishaps did not prevent her from being my favorite JoJo and remaining in that spot for 9 years straight. Hope I did her justice even if I never felt I'd ever top THIS i.pinimg.com/originals/3f/5b/8…
And hey, would you look at that, not a single Queen song ! I'll save that for the finale, the epilogue, the ENCORE. At this point, you know me, you can guess what I am getting at...
After Stone Ocean, there's only ONE direction, ONE way to go. There is no retreat. Once a threshold has been crossed, all I can do is the one greater threshold.

Si par mégarde
La faute est mienne
Alors... renie-moi... là
Simplement sache bien Que saigne
Ce coeur qui bat pour... toi
Et quand l'absence désincarne...
Et hante l'univers
Je n'avais plus qu'à trouver l'âme
Et retrouver peut-être...