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What They Say:
Rohan Kishibe’s Adventure
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With Stardust Crusaders introducing Stands—the primary “superpower” of all Jojo series following it—it’s easy to forget that the series as a whole started out with vampire lore. That said, while the latest Diamond is Unbreakable episode doesn’t count Stands out of the picture entirely, it does feel like an episode 1 of sorts as it brings in a new bizarre twist to the table in the form of ghosts and a new common enemy.
Rohan, wanting to investigate his old neighborhood, ends up dragging Koichi into his latest mess and the two get lost in a part of Morioh that shouldn’t exist. Slowly understanding that this is more than an inconsistency between their physical map and literal surroundings, the odd couple finally realize that they’re stuck in this neighborhood where even their Stands can’t help them. The re-introduction of Rohan from creepy child-abuser to goofy, over-dedicated manga artist is par for the Jojo course and works perfectly well in this scenario as the perfect setup for what’s to come.
Going around in literal circles, Rohan and Koichi figure a Stand User must have captured them. Now with his guard up, Rohan uses his Stand to attack the first and only other person besides Koichi—a young teen named Reimi Sugimoto. Not a Stand User herself, Reimi formally introduces herself as well as their surroundings through a campfire-style spooky story involving a local family being killed in their house with Reimi, of course, ending up being one of those killed in the story she just told. It makes for a slightly different brand of horror as it all relies on Reimi’s narrative over the episode itself using certain framing/colors/music, and while the latter is still present, it’s Reimi’s explanation itself that makes for a very childhood urban legend vibe.
To top off Reimi’s exposition, we find that her killer is still at large, wreaking havoc throughout the otherwise peaceful Morioh. Since Diamond is Unbreakable’s first episode, Morioh has served as its own character, slowly being fleshed out alongside the rest of the cast as a small yet quirky city that the characters enjoy spending time in, all things considered. And with every Stand showdown held within the city, the quirkier and more enjoyable the city becomes. So to have a sudden threat introduced endangering the city’s reputation, we now have plenty of reason to want to stop this new villain.
Later finding out that a baby Rohan was in Reimi’s house at the time of the massacre as well as cutting to a brief scene introducing the series’ new villain Kira was just icing on the cake this episode.
In Summary:
Rohan Kishibe’s Adventure is the perfect episode to kick off the second half of Diamond is Unbreakable. When the fantastical powers known as Stands began to feel run-of-the-mill, throwing a wrench in the plot in the form of ghosts as well as a murder-mystery story feels like the perfect move for the series to take.
Grade: A
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
