Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Season 2 – Episodes 6 to 10

Original Run: April 5, 2014 - June 20, 2015
Number of Episodes: 48
Based on the Series Created By: Hirohiko Araki

As A Reminder:  Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou is not a review series. Anime Hajime’s LofZOdyssey attempts to watch an anime in Japanese with no English subtitles. Therefore, misinterpretations and misunderstandings are possible.

Feel free to leave comments, clarifications, and thoughts in the comments section below.

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Team Joestar begins its trek through Egypt. At the start of their journey, the group receives a new member, Iggy, a small and irritable dog. Like the rest, Iggy is also a powerful Stand User who, despite his reluctance, helps JoJo and his friends.

However, the team’s time in Egypt immediately goes south. As they get closer to Dio, the group faces the far more deadly Egyptian God Stand Users.

Kakyoin is severely injured in one such encounter and must rest up in the hospital for a few days. JoJo and the rest hope their friend will eventually join them in their quest. But if one thing has been evident so far, the team can ill afford to let their guard down.

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Japanese Title: 「バステト女神」のマライア　その１
Romaji Title: Basuteto-joshin' no Maraia Sono 1
English Title: Bastet's Mariah, Part 1

Episode Summary

A Kakyoin-less Team Joestar makes it to Luxor.

While off for a quick bathroom break, Joesph comes across the oddest sight, a power outlet in the middle of the desert. Being curious, Joseph reaches out his hand to investigate, but then, a violent electric shock zaps through his body. Surprised but otherwise unhurt, Joseph meets up with the rest of the group.

Unbeknownst to him, Joseph had just fallen into the trap set by Egyptian God Stand Bastet and its User Mariah.

The next day, Joseph finally realizes what the outlet had done to him. He has become a human magnet, and large, heavy metallic objects continue to fly onto his body. As he tries to make his way back to the group, Joseph inadvertently steps onto a downward steel escalator. Sure enough, his magnetism traps him to the metal stairs.

At the bottom, Joseph sees Mariah waiting in anticipation for his imminent demise. Fortunately, at the last moment, Avdol presses the escalator’s emergency stop button. Quickly explaining the situation, Joseph and Avdol begin to pursue Mariah. To the pair’s chagrin, the Egyptian God Stand User is exceedingly cunning and easily gives the two the slip.

While they continue their chase, metal objects continue to come flying like bullets at both Joseph AND Avdol. Realizing what must have happened, Joseph asks Avdol if he had come across a strange-looking outlet. Avdol says that he had accidentally touched one when pressing the emergency stop button for the escalator.

Mariah’s Stand grows more effective as time passes. Soon, Joseph and Avdol need to navigate the town while stuck together.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: 「バステト女神」のマライア　その２
Romaji Title: Basuteto-joshin' no Maraia Sono 2
English Title: Bastet's Mariah, Part 2

Episode Summary

Joseph and Avdol get even more stuck. Eventually, the magnetism of Mariah’s Stand is too much, and the two men try desperately to separate. Unfortunately, this leads to some rather awkward positions.

But after some effort, the pair manage to break apart. However, the troubles only get worse.

When they think they finally have caught up with Mariah, Joseph and Avdol notice they had accidentally stepped on some railroad tracks. To their horror, they hear the unmistakable sounds of an oncoming train.

As the train is about to crush them, Joseph and Avdol use their Stands to avoid the hit. Their continued survival greatly infuriates Mariah, who has grown tired of the chase.

Meanwhile, it should be said, JoJo and Polnareff have no idea what is going on. They only think Joseph and Avdol are running late.

Returning to the pursuit, Joseph and Avdol succeed in surrounding Mariah. Trapped, Mariah uses her Stand to cut down live electrical wires and send them towards the two men. Joseph and Avdol’s Stands barely keep the wires at bay, but Mariah thinks her victory is imminent.

Except, Joseph and Avdol use their magnetism to their advantage. The two suddenly lunge towards Mariah, and she does not have time to react. Having accumulated several hundred pounds of added metal density, the two men use their bulk to crush Mariah between them.

Finally defeated, Mariah’s hold vanishes, freeing Joseph and Avdol.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: 「セト神」のアレッシー　その１
Romaji Title: Seto-shin' no Aresshī Sono 1
English Title: Set's Alessi, Part 1

Episode Summary

Thinking Joseph and Avdol have been gone for an unnaturally long time, JoJo and Polnareff decide to go looking for them.

Little do the two realize they are moments away from their own troubles.

While Mariah deals with Joseph and Avdol, another of Dio’s assassins, Alessi, the wielder of the Egyptian God Stand Sethan, stalks JoJo and Polnareff.

As they continue their search, Polnareff realizes someone is following them. He turns around and confronts Alessi. Having not expected to face Polnareff so soon, Alessi panics and bumbles out an excuse for what he is doing. To Polnareff, something is not right.

Realizing he’s been had, Alessi attacks with his Shadow. Using his lightning reflects, Polnareff jumps out of the way in the nick of time. Or so he thinks.

Alessi runs off, and Polnareff gives chase. As he is running, though, Polnareff can’t understand why Alessi is so much faster than him. Also, Polnareff finds it strange that the world seems to be getting bigger. Then it clicks.

Alessi’s Shadow had connected, and it reverted Polnareff to a child.

Panicking, Polnareff is happy to run into JoJo. The problem is, Polnareff cannot remember his friend’s name. Not realizing the young kid talking to him is Polnareff, JoJo goes his own way. Once alone, Alessi attacks the now much more vulnerable Frenchman.

Alessi explains that the transformation to a child took away Polnareff’s adult memories. Fortunately for Polnareff, he can still wield his Stand, Silver Chariot, granted a severely reduced version of it. This allows Polnareff to escape Alessi’s clutches.

Without many options, Polnareff runs into a young woman. The pretty lady takes pity on who she thinks is a child and offers to treat Polnareff’s wounds.

At the woman’s house, Polnareff, distracted by his savior’s good looks, fails to notice Alessi had followed and now has him cornered.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: 「セト神」のアレッシー　その２
Romaji Title: Seto-shin' no Aresshī Sono 2
English Title: Set's Alessi, Part 2

Episode Summary

Only by sheer luck does Polnareff manage to slip through Alessi’s fingers. Unsure of what he can do, Polnareff then has a horrible thought – where had the woman gone. While running through the house, Polnareff finds his answer.

Alessi had transformed the woman into a fetus and is on the verge of death.

Polnareff scoops up the woman and finds a place to hid. A cocky Alessi searches the house but can’t find his prey. Growing more and more frustrated, Alessi begins destroying everything in sight. This preoccupation gives Polnareff the chance he was waiting for.

Polnareff fools Alessi and makes it outside, where the latter runs into JoJo. Thinking he has the opportunity to get rid of both Stand Users, Alessi hits JoJo with his Shadow. Like Polnareff, JoJo transforms back into a child. Thinking he has won, Alessi goes in for the kill. Unfortunately for him, he failed to take one thing in mind.

JoJo was just as violent and brutal as a kid.

The smaller JoJo beats Alessi to a pulp, and the Stand’s effect lifts. Polnareff, JoJo, and the woman return to their usual size.

With her memories of the past few hours a blur, Polnareff decides to not tell the woman who he was.

Following this, JoJo and Polnareff reunite with Joseph and Avdol. Using his Stand, Joseph determines Dio’s headquarters to be in Cairo.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: ダービー・ザ・ギャンブラー　その１
Romaji Title: Dābī Za Gyanburā Sono 1
English Title: D'Arby the Gambler, Part 1

Episode Summary

Having made it to Cairo, Team Joestar tries locating Dio’s exact location.

The group makes it to a small bar, but none of the patrons can offer up any information. Defeated, the team is about to head on to the next location when someone calls them back. JoJo and his friends turn around and find a man sitting at a card table.

The man introduces himself as Daniel J. D‘Arby and says he knows the place the group is looking for. However, in exchange for the information, the team must win a bet. Annoyed by D’Arby’s audacity, Polnareff agrees to the challenge.

D’Arby throws two pieces of meat out to a stray cat. If Polnareff guesses which piece the cat will go for first, he wins. At first, it looks as though Polnareff will win. Then the cat makes a last-second beeline towards D’Arby’s piece.

The instant Polnareff loses, D’Arby reveals himself to be the wilder of the Egyptian God Stand Osiris. The cat was also his all along. Claiming victory, D’Arby sucks out Polnareff’s soul, leaving the Frenchman as good as dead.

Realizing they had been tricked, Joseph is the next to take on D’Arby’s challenge. Joseph pours a glass of whiskey to the brim and says that they will take turns dropping coins into it. The first to cause the liquid to overflow loses. Although Joseph does his own bit of cheating, D’Arby manages to turn the tables. Joseph loses the game, and like Polnareff, loses his soul.

Enraged, JoJo steps up and challenges D’Arby to a game of poker.

Principal Characters

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Thoughts and Impressions

In terms of understanding this series Japanese, this batch of episodes was incredibly easy to follow. And knowing what is going on made watching the segment that much more entertaining.

Anyway, with Dio so close at hand, that means we will soon be reaching the climax of Stardust Crusaders. The prospect of hitting the end of this series is both exciting and sad; I wouldn’t mind it if we continued to follow these characters for a while.

In the meantime, I wonder how JoJo will get out of this mess with D’Arby.

Thanks for following along with me. If you’ve seen this series and feel I am wrong in my descriptions, please let me know in the comments below. I wouldn’t want to put this show in an inaccurate light.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m Odyssey, and I’ll see you next week for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Season 2 Episodes 11 to 15.

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