A Golden Experience
- Episodes : 39
- Genre : Action, Adventure, Supernatural
- Airing Date : October 2018 – July 2019
- Producers : David Production
Contains Spoilers
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 5: Ougon no Kaze (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) Introduction and Story
Picking up from where we left off, the second cours of Vento Aureo sees aspiring “Gang-Star” Giorno Giovanna and the rest of Bruno Bucciarati’s squad continue their missions for the mysterious boss of the criminal syndicate Passione, with Giorno and Bucciarati’s true intention of killing the boss and restoring virtue to the corrupt mafia.
Having just narrowly escaped Illuso and his Man in the Mirror Stand, Giorno and the gang are tasked with escorting the boss’s daughter Trish to him. Following strange orders to use the key the recovered at Pompeii at “the water fountain with the turtle on the 6th platform” in Naples Station, they eventually figure out the mystery of the key and turtle and board the express train to Florence to continue their mission. They are unknowingly followed by Prosciutto and Pesci, two Stand-user assassins from the same hitman team as Illuso.
After a long series of adventures encountering the rest of the hitman team and Bucciarati’s squad suffering major losses, cryptic clues begin to emerge about the identity of the boss. This all leads up to an exciting final encounter at the colosseum in Rome that reveals not only the true nature of the boss but a tremendous new revelation about Stands themselves from an unexpected returning character.
1. Thoroughly Surprising and Bizarre
True to the series’ title, Part 5 continues the legacy of incredibly strange occurrences pouring huge amounts of creativity into its character abilities and plot developments. For example, there’s a laptop computer-shaped Stand that creates disturbing human-stand hybrid children by impregnating women and even more conventional abilities like ice powers are used in interesting ways. More so than the previous parts, Vento Aureo frequently leans into a particularly dark and twisted territory, sometimes giving it a bit of a horror feel, but still feels very much part of the larger series.
2. Impressive Visuals and Sound
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has been one of the most visually distinct series out there and Ougon no Kaze is no exception with masterfully unique character designs and trademark visual flair in its colors that shift to heighten the most intense moments. Some scenes showcase amazing animation work, particularly in fight scenes like the spectacular final battle between Diavolo and Giorno.
3. Solid Gold OP
We also got a new OP with the second cours, Uragirimono no Requiem, which does an absolutely excellent job at generating hype with a strong musical buildup by Great Days singer and guitarist Daisuke Hasegawa and stellar visual storytelling that encompasses the entire main story arc and changes as the story progresses in distinctive JoJo fashion. One detail we especially loved was the shot of Giorno posing very similarly to Dio, referencing his lineage.
1. Disturbing Elements
As we mentioned before, Vento Aureo cranks up the violence and other disturbing elements quite a bit, even compared to the previous parts, with people coughing up razor blades, having organs surgically removed while conscious, etc. We think most JoJo watchers won’t have an issue but if gore, serial killer-type characters, etc. from previous parts or other media bother you, Part 5 might not be something you’ll enjoy.
2. Too Much “Rule of Cool”
While it’s almost a given considering the blatant weirdness of many of the character’s Stand abilities and the series as a whole, there are some inconsistencies in the story that might put off some folks such as how Giorno apparently loses the ability to reflect attacks back at his enemies. The “Requiem” concept at the end might also elicit mixed reactions, although it doesn’t completely come out of nowhere.
3. Underutilization of Trish
While it was undoubtedly cool seeing Trish awaken her own stand Spice Girl in the battle with Notorious B.I.G. having Trish mostly go back to a background role afterward was a little disappointing. We think this is just a bit of missed opportunity more so than a true negative, though, and were overall happy with how she was handled, particularly in the aforementioned fight and her bonding with Mista after switching bodies.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the second and final cours of Vento Aureo proved to be an amazing journey full of surprises along the way with a satisfying conclusion, feeling in some ways like a fusion of parts 3 and 4 in terms of style with a somewhat darker tone. We think this anime did a fantastic job of adapting this somewhat divisive part of the story, making small changes in the storytelling that ultimately led to a superior, golden experience!
Now that Part 5 is complete, we’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section below! How does it compare to the previous parts? In any case, we’re excited to hopefully see Stone Ocean brought to life in the near future. Until then, be sure to stick around Honey’s for more of all things awesome, anime and otherwise! Until next time, arrivederci~!
Author: Oskar O.K. Strom
