JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1 is a new chapter in the saga that has become one of the most popular fan- favorite anime series around. Created by Hirohiko Araki, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1 includes episodes 1-18 of the saga. The series features animation production by david production (The Book of Bantorra, Monster Hunter Stories RIDE ON).

Produced by Fumihiro Ozawa (Ascendance of a Bookworm, My Senpai Is Annoying), Noriko Dohi (Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma: The Fifth Plate, Little Busters! Refrain), Takamitsu Sueyoshi (Burn The Witch, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind), and Toshiyasu Hayashi (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1 is going to appeal to the devoted die-hard fans. The over- the-top antics of the series continues. The voice-cast includes Fairouz Ai and Tomokazu Seki.

Jolyne Kūjō (Fairouz Ai) is no ordinary tough-as-nails woman. After Jolyne finds herself in an unexpected car accident while on the road with the love-of-her-life, she finds herself becoming tricked and she soon becomes a prisoner for 15 years as a fall-guy with no other options. Jolyne is sent away to a maximum-security prison – otherwise known as a “correctional facility” – the Green Dolphin Street Prison.

The notorious Green Dolphin Street Prison is also known as the Aquarium to some. With Jolyne’s entire life in shambles, she receives a special gift – her father bestows on to her a pendant with the ability to provide special powers. Jolyne will do whatever she can to escape prison – even if an even bigger confrontation awaits! The epic showdown between DIO and the Joestar’s.

The voice-work on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean is one of the highlights of the production. The voice-work for Fairouz Ai is also one of the things that is most impressive. The voice work certainly helps the series excel with the zany antics and style of the production. The voice cast understands the series is something that depends a lot on the voice-work.

The character designs by Masanori Shino (No Guns Life, All Out!!) are a highlight, too. It is a distinct style. The style might not appeal to everyone – it is vastly different from most other anime series – but it is certainly undeniably effective for the production. Those who enjoy the particular art style will find it pleasing to see the character designs well-executed.

The animation is one of the things people respond to the most with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. This is the same with Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1. The art style is vibrant and creative. It does not resemble most other anime series. It makes a mark all on its own. Creative and stylistic.

While the art style for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean might not be everyone’s cup of tea, it is undeniable that it makes a strong impression and impacts the ongoing success of the series. The art direction by Keito Watanabe (Digimon: Data Squad, Sword Art Online: Alicization - War of Underworld) is a big part of the reason why the production works. The cinematography by Kazuhiro Yamada (Attack on Titan, My Girlfriend is Shobitch) is a highlight, too. The cinematography provides crisp and colorful visuals with a strong emphasis on the bright colors – highlighting the animation.

The score composed by Yūgo Kanno (Gundam Reconguista in G, Psycho-Pass) is a solid part of the series and helps the series find a decent backdrop. Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean has a solid score. It might not be one of my favorites but it is decent and adds to the series style.

Written by Yasuko Kobayashi (Attack on Titan, Shakugan no Shana), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean, the storyline is interesting and has some decent twists and turns in the tale. The storyline is somewhat darker compared to some anime series but it also counterbalances it with some of the quirky comedy. This adds a lighter feel to it even within the context of the series darker tone.

Directed by Kenichi Suzuki (SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) and Toshiyuki Kato (Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable), Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1 is going to win over fans. At times, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean feels like a Cartoon Network Adult Swim anime program – inspired heavily by the types of series highlighted on the block. Director Suzuki brings the action and comedy – alongside the extravagant style fans have come to appreciate.  

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by VIZ Media, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 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 presentation looks impressive on the release. The animation presentation is vibrant and colorful. The colors stand out on the release.

The encoding is also impressive. Blu-ray and physical media continues to offer fans the best possible viewing experience, with higher bit-rates compared to streaming platforms. Streaming video services don't offer equally impressive bit-rates and for videophiles seeking the absolute best presentation quality possible the extra data allows for some more room to showcase the animation.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (with English subtitles). The lossless audio sounds crisp on the release. The sound direction by Yoshikazu Iwanami is well balanced on the release, too. The high-quality lossless encoding provides the best possible sound quality that audiophiles seek to find. The encoding is superior with more data and higher bit-rates.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The limited edition comes packaged in a collector's edition art-box. The limited chip-board art box has a nice and hefty feeling and it looks great in hand. The premium quality art-box is stunning looking and die-hard fans will consider it a treasure to cherish the set for the rest of their lives. The release also includes a 48-page booklet featuring a guide to the characters, a storyline section, and an animation archive. The animation archive sections include artwork for the Green Dolphin Street Maximum Security State Prison, the Prison Guards, and the Prisoners.

The release includes cast interviews with Fairouz Ai (voice of Jolyne Cujoh), Matsumi Tamura (voice of Ermes Costello), Mariya Ise (voice of EE), and Daisuke Namikawa (voice of Narciso). The booklet also includes an artist interview with Stone Ocean artist ichigo (who crafted the opening song). Staff interviews are also provided with Kenichi Suzuki (director), Masanori Shino (character designer), and Shunichi Ishimoto (stand designer). The booklet also concludes with more information on the cast and crew (listing those involved with making the production).

On disc supplements:

An Interview with Kira Buckland (English Voice of Jolyne Cujoh) (HD, 8:30)

An Interview with Kira Buckland (English Voice of Jolyne Cujoh) & Matthew Mercer (English Voice of Jotaro Kujo) (HD, 7:49)

Art Gallery includes 161 slides of artwork. The art gallery on the release is impressive with a wide range of character sketches (some in black and white and some in color). The selections also provide some background artwork in full-color showing the landscapes for the locations. These are great artwork selections and flipping through the slides is akin to flipping through a quality art-book. Fans will be enormously pleased with the wide and diverse selection of art highlighted.

Clean Opening (HD, 3:02)

Ending Songs (HD, 1:30)

More from VIZ (HD, 1:38)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Set 8 - Stone Ocean Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean Part 1 offers series fans the opening arc of the Stone Ocean saga. The anime series has a vibrant and creative art style. The Blu-ray release provides impressive video and audio encoding for enthusiasts who are seeking the best possible presentation quality. Likewise, VIZ Media offers fans a superior package with a collector's art-book and a premium chip-board art-box. Certainly, the included art-book is one of the main draws of the limited-edition version as it includes 48 pages of added material. Recommended.