When JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure arrived on Netflix with the Stone Ocean, many thought that a golden age had arrived for the Joestars. The female protagonist-led story coming to one of the biggest streaming services as an exclusive had anime fans thinking that Netflix could truly see how popular the franchise was. Unfortunately, Stone Ocean’s release was one that was mired with problems, according to fans, and there are quite a few lessons for the platform to learn. Should Netflix be looking to continue to follow the Joestars with a potential new season, we have some tips and tricks for the platform to keep in mind.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to check out the Stone Ocean, the entirety of the season is available now to stream on Netflix so now is the perfect time to explore Jolyne Cujoh’s world. Jolyne had some strong ties to the previous seasons, not just thanks to her blood as a Joestar but also thanks to being the daughter of Jotaro Kujo. Kujo was the star of Stardust Crusaders, eliminated the villainous Dio Brando, and was a supporting character in Diamond is Unbreakable. While his Stand, Star Platinum, is one of the strongest in the universe, Jotaro found himself in dire straits and needs to be saved by his daughter.
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JoJo’s Bizarre Mistakes
So what went wrong when it came to JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure becoming a Netflix exclusive? First and foremost, it came down to the anime adaptation’s release schedule. When the television season first began, Jolyne’s story was one that arrived first in the form of a thirteen-episode block. Unfortunately, while this might have been fine to star, the delays between the three blocks on the streaming service had fans wondering what had taken place in the anime months prior.
Throughout JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’s anime history, there was a trend that fans came to love. The anime’s episodes were released weekly, dropping installments on Fridays that affectionately were dubbed “JoJo Fridays.” Thanks to Netflix taking on a more “block” approach to episode releases, these community events were lost. Luckily, the streaming service has gotten much better on the idea of releasing anime episodes weekly, so should JoJo return, “JoJo Fridays” might return with it.
Steel Ball Run Cannot Fail
Since Stone Ocean ended its run, it has been the longest period between JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure seasons. This has left many anime fans wondering if David Production has been secretly working on Steel Ball Run, the potential next season of the anime adaptation. For many Joestar fans, the story of Johnny Joestar and Diego Brando is one that is considered one of the best of the franchise to date. To help nail its release, the Steel Ball Run needs as much time in the oven as possible to truly have an impact.
Another aspect of making JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure receive a glorious return is simply marketing. One major issue that Stone Ocean had, which will need to be avoided by Steel Ball Run, is making sure that anime fans know when episodes are arriving. While this issue wasn’t as big of a problem for the season’s debut, the follow-up blocks almost came as a surprise to many. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has earned its place as one of the biggest anime franchises around and it needs to be treated as such.
Want to see what the future holds for the Joestars in both their anime and manga formats? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook.com for the latest updates on JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime.
