JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.5

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Part 1 arrives.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 is the epic beginning of the new saga in the fan-favorite franchise. The series is based on the original work of creator Hirohiko Araki. Produced by Hiroyuki Oomori (Comic Party Revolution, Umineko – When They Cry), Jun Fukuda (Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Cat Planet Cuties), Toshiyasu Hayashi (School-Live!, Matoi the Sacred Slayer), and Ryosuke Mori (B Gata H Kei – Yamada's First Time, Black Clover), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 is an excellent beginning to the new installment in the anime saga.

Giorno Giovanna (Kensho Ono) begins his youthful quest to become a mafioso extraordinaire. On the epic journey, Giorno finds himself in the beautiful land of Napoli. Witnessing the decay of his city to the hands of basic thugs and the powerful syndicate run by the Southern Italian crime lords, Giorno Giovanna finds himself tasked with becoming the top-dog himself: taking down the enemies in the syndicate. Can Giorno Giovanna survive the journey?

The new chapter in the saga is a dark voyage. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind takes audiences on a wild new ride. The characters face new challenges and adventures. Audiences can expect some new terrain with the introductory collection of episodes in Golden Wind. The series is keen to explore the journey of Giorno Giovanna and all of the trials and tribulations he faces on the quest.

One of the best elements of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 is the animation. This is a lush looking anime production. The series manages to showcase a nice and colorful palette of colors. Featuring exceptional animation direction by Shun'ichi Ishimoto (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Battle in Egypt Arc, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable) and Haruka Tanakav (Attack on Titan, A Certain Scientific Railgun) manage to bring compelling animated visuals to the forefront of the production.

The team of animators who toiled away on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind brought forth an immersive sense of style to the production. The series showcases a unique visual aesthetic for the anime medium. The animators managed to showcase something compelling here. Under the art direction of Shunichiro Yoshihara (Aquarion Evol, After the Rain) and Megumi Kato (Negima!? Summer, ef: a tale of memories), JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind demonstrates clear passion and enthusiasm for animation.

The beginning.

A compelling element of the production is found on display in the character designs. The designs by Takahiro Kishida (Durarara!!, Welcome to the Ballroom) are creative and showcase a unique visual sensibility. There is something creative in these character designs that helps set JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind apart from other anime productions. Every character has a uniquely conceived sensibility and approach.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind benefits from a strong cinematographic style as well. The cinematography by Kazuhiro Yamada (Ergo Proxy, House of Five Leaves) shines bright. This is a stunning cinematographic achievement which showcases the fine details of the cinematographer. Everything shines with the unique scope of the production. The efforts are commendable. An interesting integration of both light and dark, Yamada finds the right note.

The score composed by Yugo Kanno (Gundam Reconguista in G, Psycho-Pass) makes a solid impression. The music fits the animation. The score manages to help the storytelling flow. A wonderfully complex element of the production, Kanno aids the anime storytelling with ease. Outstanding scale and scope for an anime series. A job well done.

The scripts are penned by Yasuko Kobayashi (Attack on Titan, Trigun: Badlands Rumble). The series sets forth on an epic mission. The quest of Giorno Giovanna. Giovanna is the focal character. There certainly is a lot to explore with regards to Giovanna and his unique quest. The scripts make sure to emphasis the perils of the journey and the inner explorations of the character. A compelling effort undertaken by Kobayashi.

Director Yasuhiro Kimura (Mushishi: The Next Chapter, Plastic Memories) and Hideya Takahashi (My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, Anonymous Noise) bring the action to the forefront of the series. A action-packed saga, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 contains a lot of intense scenes showcasing the scope of the project. Longtime series fans will be pleased with the new saga that is unfolding.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from VIZ Media, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The high-definition visuals are fantastic and help to make the experience all the more fun and rewarding for viewers. The animation is bright and bold.

The colorful art work is well encoded (demonstrating the sheer scope and ambition of the animators). The background artistry and character designs find compelling moments to shine. The line art is well detailed and showcased. The encode is efficient and impressive. The release looks pleasing and fans will be satisfied with the results. A strong effort from VIZ.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The set includes a selection of high-resolution audio options: Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles) and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo. The lossless audio encoding is impressive. Dialogue is crisp, clear, and easy to understand. The audio sounds nice and clean. The LFE is reasonably refined for an anime production. The music is well integrated in to the sound mix. The stereo audio has wonderful imaging. Despite no 5.1 sound mix, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 sounds remarkable.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

An Interview with Phillip Reich (HD, 8:19)
An Interview with Ray Chase (HD, 14:13)
An Interview with Sean Chiplock (HD, 9:53)

Art Gallery:
Gallery 1 includes 63 illustrations.
Gallery 2 includes 45 illustrations.
Gallery 3 includes 59 illustrations.

Clean Opening
Clean Ending

More from VIZ Media

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 6 - Golden Wind Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind – Set 1 is a new beginning for fans of the beloved franchise. The saga continues. The anime series has a big following for a reason: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind demonstrates creativity in spades. The animation is top-notch. The Blu-ray has a impressive video-audio presentation and a small but worthwhile selection of bonus features. Recommended.