“I, Rohan Kishibe, have never faced such humiliation…”
What They Say:
“July 15th (Thurs), Part 3” / “July 15th (Thurs), Part 4”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
The best part about episodes that juggle multiple storylines at once is seeing the eventual snowballing of either one or all said storylines until they converge into the same single point. Diamond is Unbreakable isn’t an exception to this.
Episode 33 continues the cast’s long July 15th day, focusing primarily on the showdown between Josuke and the Stand Misterioso. And while Josuke makes a valiant attempt at taking the enemy down, it isn’t until Yuya takes over the reigns that the fight becomes interesting. Not only was Yuya an enemy until just a few episodes ago, but seeing the amount of hesitation he has in picking up the fight where Josuke left off gives him a sense of immediate relatability, which is honestly pretty rare for a series like Jojo.
Furthermore, seeing Yuya’s Stand Highway Go Go is the perfect rival to Misterioso in that their abilities counter each other so well. Having Misterioso leave folded up pieces of paper for Highway Go Go and Yuya to literally sniff out before opening to confirm whether or not the paper holds a trap or their captured friends makes for a simple but immediately enjoyable game of cat and mouse that back-and-forths nicely, never wavering in terms of pacing.
Having bits of the episode shared with Rohan’s own problems as he realizes his repairman is unknowingly holding a Stand of his own only better fleshes out the episode.
Moving on to episode 34, we’re treated to even more Rohan hilarity as we find that the enemy Stand known as Cheap Trap has attached itself to Rohan’s back, taking him on as his new Stand User and leaving Rohan in a bind as to how he should defeat it. Being a rather chatty character, having Rohan face a Stand that’s equally chatty is the perfect complement to his character, Cheap Trap leaving Rohan nearly speechless at the apparent helplessness he’s gotten himself into. Add to this the fact that he’s eventually forced to go out in public for help only to further embarrass himself by having to not show his back to anybody out of fear of dying and you have an episode full of high, albeit ridiculous, stakes—classic Jojo.
Throwing Koichi into the episode to have another familiar character to bounce off of Rohan’s antics is also a treat to see. Not only has Koichi become the go-to character for Rohan to persecute (either knowingly or unknowingly) at this point, it’s interesting to note how Rohan immediately resorts to calling him in particular for help over any of the other ally Stand Users. It’s this strange sense of pride and a clear lack of shame that defines Rohan’s character so well, and is only better underlined throughout his encounter against Cheap Trick.
Bookending the episode with the start and end of Kira’s workday serves as the perfect means to bring the scope of the series further out, reminding viewers just who the true villain of the arc really is. Seeing Kira introduced as the innocent commuter to an obnoxious couple on the train is a standard but well-done setup that pays off in spades come later when Kira inevitably kills them both. Being reintroduced to Kira’s ruthlessness, which he’s been trying so hard to keep under wraps, also works as a transition point to focus back on the child Hayato who now has more than enough proof to out Kira. The back-and-forth between the two as they verbally prod each other to figure out how much the other knows is nerve-racking. Similar to how Cheap Trap gets under Rohan’s skin, seeing Hayato able to hold his own against an opponent as deadly as Kira makes for an entertaining watch, only further building up tensions as we anticipate just how Hayato will get such valuable information over to Josuke and co.
In Summary:
The July 15 episodes wrap up nicely, efficiently wrapping up each story it juggles while keeping in mind that each villain faced still isn’t anything compared to Kira, who’s still at large. The continuous bouncing between each story would have come off as narratively nauseating in the wrong hands, but for a four-episode-long story, it was handled incredibly well, making sure the story was enticing yet still light enough on its feet to jump between the various other stories covered.
Grade: A/A+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
