mo’ money, mo’ problems
What They Say:
Shigechi’s Harvest, part 2
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
As transparent as Shigechi’s Harvest, part 1 was about it being a goofy, lighthearted episode covering a more low-stakes plot with Josuke and friends, it still turned out to be an enjoyable episode not only for what it was, but just in general. So to say I was disappointed come part 2 would be inaccurate—rather, the episode reverted to what I’ve come to expect from the more episodic stories.
The episode opens up well enough, with the trio having their newly acquired lottery ticket verified by a snooty banker, who goes out of his way to check every nook and cranny about the ticket to ensure that its original buyer is indeed in his presence. With flashy neon colors and excessive shading and filters as per the Jojo norm, the scene plays out incredibly well, reminding me of the final Darby scene during the Stardust Crusaders arc of the series. Long pans of the cast as the banker talks and a silent policeman watching from the background further bring home just how nervous the kids are in that particular moment. And the tension is brought up to comedic levels as the banker continues to find faults with the ticket and different ways to try and get the kids to fess up about it not really being theirs until said tension is released in the form of Josuke finally taking control of the situation with his Stand. It’s goofy in how serious it plays out at times and passes by much quicker than you’d think once you realize half the episode has already passed.
It’s the latter half of the episode that feels more dragged out than it should be.
With the five million yen soon in their possession, Shigechi once again changes his mind about splitting the money with Josuke and Okuyasu. Rather than defusing the situation with his words this time, though, greed and hot-headedness gets the better of the cast and a chase scene soon breaks out, with each of the kids using their Stands to make a break for it (Okuyasu inexplicably not using his Stand’s powers until the last minute, unlike his confrontation with Chili Pepper). While there are a handful of interesting turns the story takes—mainly from Josuke and Okuyasu testing the limits of their Stands by using them to help scale a building—the chase scene is just what you’d expect, with the two catching up to Shigechi to beat some sense into him.
The episode ending with the three splitting the money, and Shigechi trying one last time to weasel his way out of sharing the spoils feels incredibly Looney Tunes-y, and brings home just how low-stakes the episode really is. Not my favorite episode, but it did have its moments.
In Summary:
Oddly enough, Shigechi’s Harvest, part 2 starts to drag the most once the plot moves on from the more interesting bank scene to the chase scene between Josuke, Okuyasu, and Shigechi. And while the episode as a whole is still entertaining to watch, there does feel like a noticeable drop in quality both in terms of animation and story conclusion, feeling more episodic than the previous episode led on.
Grade: B-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
