Believe in the heart of the janken…
What They Say:
“Janken Boy is Coming!”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With all the grade-A plot going down in recent Jojo episodes, it’s easy to forget that what makes the series fun in the first place is one thing and one thing alone: the poses.
For all the bizarre happenings that take place in the Jojo universe, said bizarre happenings are only further underlined by how each character reacts to them, which in most cases is in the form of poses so over-the-top and anatomically laughable that even professional contortionists shy away from trying them. With this in mind, Janken Boy is Coming serves as the perfect example of what the series as a whole is all about from a purely stylistic standpoint.
We begin with Kira’s father, floating around Morioh, mythical arrow in hand and on the lookout for any promising new Stand Users. By this point in Diamond is Unbreakable, we’re to assume that all other Stand Users in the quiet city have already been found, Kira’s father now taking the time to find new recruits to go up against Jojo and company. To have this kind of setup well into the arc feels like a big step backwards, introducing new villains when our major one has already made leaps and bounds of his own. Still, to have Kira himself starting again at step one under a new identity is enough of an excuse as any, and the new villain in question does not disappoint.
Before we’re even introduced to the new Stand User, we’re re-introduced to Rohan, who while he’s technically one of the show’s protagonists by this point, never lets you forget just how much of a scumbag he is in his daily life. As he runs into the rest of the cast by chance around the city, not only does it give the impression that our characters interact with each other even when we aren’t following them ourselves, but it also gives plenty of opportunities for Rohan to really let his personality do what it does best: loathe any and all people that aren’t him.
With this in mind, we’re finally introduced to the episode’s villain: Janken Boy. As his name implies, Janken Boy is a bratty kid that’s obsessed with playing rock-paper-scissors with anyone willing to even make eye contact with him. He’s whiny, a sore loser, and everything you’d expect from a brat city kid, which is what makes him the perfect foil for Rohan to go up against. The odd pairing is even more fitting when you stop to consider how Rohan is in his own way incredibly immature, not even hesitating to throw shade towards Jojo and his peers—mere high schoolers. And once the two finally clash, you’re reminded of just how bizarre the series gets. Rather than focusing on either of their Stands’ abilities, the fight between Rohan and Janken Boy is almost entirely centered on the simple game of rock-paper-scissors. Their showdown plays almost like something you’d expect out of Yu-Gi-Oh, with both characters comically obsessing over their opponent’s next move, the stakes raised significantly from the norm, yet neither faltering when it comes to obeying the rules (for the most part, anyway).
Sure it’s pure, unfiltered anime ridiculousness, but it’s what makes the episode fun.
In Summary:
While this episode takes a break from serial killers in small towns, Janken Boyis Coming is a welcome reminder of what makes the series enjoyable in the first place, ripe with comically unlikeable heroes and “villains” with equally comical fight sequences that only take a turn from strange to stranger.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll