Much to my regret, the ‘Stone Ocean’ anime left me very cold. And not necessarily because Jolyne Cujoh’s story was not interesting, but because between the premiere on Netflix being very irregular and David Production not doing much with the animation either… Well, it seemed that ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ had reached its definitive end.

It seems that they have learned from their mistakes, because now the adaptation of ‘Steel Ball Run’, for many the best saga of all ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’. And, in case there were any doubts, it has been a real joy.

In their brands…

‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ is a legendary saga that Hirohiko Araki has been expanding over several decades, following different members of the Joestar family and their legacy. After the end of ‘Stone Ocean’, now the universe has undergone a reboot and ‘Steel Ball Run’ is proposed as a new beginning for the story.

We start in 1890 in San Diego, where the Steel Ball Run is about to begin. This is a race that will test thousands of competitors to demonstrate their pioneering spirit, traveling across the United States from one end to the other on horseback, with a prize of $50 million for the winner.

Johnny Joestara former jockey who left racing after becoming wheelchair-bound, is eager to participate in this adventure. And the final push comes to him when he meets a mysterious man called Gyro Zeppeliwho has a strange ability related to steel balls and momentarily restores his ability to walk. So Johnny sets out to race with an obsession to discover the truth behind Gyro’s power.

‘Steel Ball Run‘starts with fear to introduce us to its main protagonists, with a shocking introduction that hooks you into its stories from the first moment. At David Production they have known how to take advantage of their setting’s fear westernand they make it very clear to us that we are in a genre story, from the soundtrack, the treatment of the settings, and even the shooting of some shots.

This first episode is a 47-minute special covering the first stage of the race. And it is already a very good statement of intentions regarding rhythm and tone, because it keeps you tense and glued to the screen at all times with the intrigue of which rider will manage to take the lead.

The truth is that ‘Steel Ball Run’ had me worried, especially after the limitations of ‘Stone Ocean’, but your good visual level He has taken almost all of them from me. It is true that it still uses a lot of static shots with speed lines, but there is much greater care in the treatment of settings and character designs, with a much more attractive finish despite how intricate they are. It still errs on the side of static on too many occasions; David Production knows how to balance these moments very well with those that are more moving, especially in the last part of the episode.

Excellent work has also been done with the horses, which at the end of the day are a key part of the race and much more than a simple “vehicle”. Combining traditional animation and very well-integrated CGI, ‘Steel Ball Run’ has left us with truly impressive sequences in the most intense moments of the race, and if they maintain this good level it can emerge as the best season of all of ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’.

I said above that this new season is a kind of reboot, and if we were still hesitant about getting into the universe of ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ it may be the perfect opportunity without having to watch the six previous animes. At the end of the day we are entering a different timeline with new protagonists, although there are several very nice cameitos and Easter eggs for the loyal fans who have been here since ‘Phantom Blood’.

Of course, although ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’ is one of the best anime of the last decade, it may not be for everyone. Especially with its characteristic effects and its own visual style, with a diverse and quirky cast of characters that borders on the parodic.

Now, if we were still thinking about whether to get on, the first episode is now available on Netflix and it is the ideal time to do so. ‘Steel Ball Run’ is released both in the original version in Japanese and with a very careful dubbing in Spanish, with plenty of options to choose how we want to follow the race.

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