Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders Season 2 – Episodes 11 to 15

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 Odyssey 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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As Team Joestar makes its way up the Nile River, hoards of Dio’s Egyptian God Stand assassins inhibit their path.

From magnetism to age reduction, the group’s journey has only become more perilous the closer they have gotten to their goal.

We last left our heroes in a small bar in Cairo. Having found a lead to the location of Dio’s headquarters, the group questions as many people as they can. However, as always, things are never that simple.

They run into the Egyptian God Stand User, Daniel J. D’Arby, who tricked Polnareff and Joseph into losing their souls in rigged games of chance. Enraged by the underhanded tactics of their opponent, JoJo challenges D’Arby to a round of poker.

Should JoJo mess up here, the entire mission will come crashing down.

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Japanese Title: ダービー・ザ・ギャンブラー　その２
Romaji Title: Dābī Za Gyanburā Sono 2
English Title: D'Arby the Gambler, Part 2

Episode Summary

JoJo and D’Arby’s poker match begins.

To show he will not tolerate cheating, JoJo demonstrates that he can memorize the entire deck after any shuffle with the help of Star Platinum’s eyes. Although this unexpected opposition troubles D’Arby, he too can do similar card counting tricks.

D’Arby deals out the first hand. Almost immediately, Star Platinum rushes and breaks D’Arby’s finger. JoJo and Avdol might have missed D’Arby’s attempts at second dealing (i.e., he was cheating) if it had not been for the Stand’s superpowered vision.

No longer trusting D’Arby to deal fairly, JoJo enlists the help of a random local boy. Unbeknownst to JoJo, the boy, as well as everyone in the bar, works for D’Arby.

To shift the odds in his favor, D’Arby makes one condition before play resumes. D’Arby splits Polnareff and Joseph’s soul into six betting chips each, and JoJo will play with six blank chips to represent his own soul.

After a particularly devastating round for JoJo, D’Arby’s young associate deals out what is most likely to be the last hand of the game. When he draws, D’Arby picks up four Kings. However, to D’Arby’s amazement, not only does JoJo play his cards as is without even looking at them, but he also bets his, Avdol’s, and his mother, Holly’s, souls.

In the face of this overwhelming confidence, D’Arby does not know what to do. Despite having a mighty hand, D’Arby’s fear of failing Dio gets the better of him. Although he knows it is the correct thing to do, D’Arby cannot bring himself to call. The stress eventually becomes too much, and D’Arby passes out.

With D’Arby out of action, his Stand’s power releases. Joseph, Polnareff, and the rest of D’Arby’s soul collection return to their respective bodies.

With everything over, JoJo reveals his hand was an utter bluff.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: ホル・ホースとボインゴ　その１
Romaji Title: Horu Hōsu to Boingo Sono 1
English Title: Hol Horse and Boingo, Part 1

Episode Summary

Within the depths of Dio’s lair, Hol Horse wanders around. Creeped out by the macabre surroundings, Hol Horse’s skin crawls when he hears a voice behind him. Standing there is none other than Dio himself.

Hol Horse expresses his frustration about the other assassins’ inability to kill Team Joestar. Dio responds by simply saying if they can’t do it, then Hol Horse must. And should Hol Horse fail, he will suffer Dio’s wrath.

In a moment of self-preservation, Hol Horse considers killing Dio right there. However, Dio knows his underling doesn’t have the spine to actually do it. Hol Horse leaves Dio’s presence in fear and sets out to intercept Team Joestar.

In Cairo, Joseph tells the rest of the group that Holly only has three – at best, four – days left to live. Thus, they must hurry.

Arriving in the city, Hol Horse is carrying a small package. He opens the box to reveal a kidnapped Boingo. Earlier, Hol Horse saw an opportunity to take out JoJo and his friends by using the boy’s predictions.

Although Boingo knows his predictions are always 100% accurate, his last encounter with Team Joestar taught him it is possible to misinterpret what he sees. Nevertheless, he shows Hol Horse an upcoming conflict with Polnareff. Given the absurdity of the situation he is seeing, Hol Horse doubts the vision.

At that moment, though, Polnareff takes Hol Horse by surprise and holds his Silver Chariot’s sword to the assassin’s neck. With few other options, Hol Horse does what the prediction said and grabs Polnareff by the nostrils.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: ホル・ホースとボインゴ　その２
Romaji Title: Horu Hōsu to Boingo Sono 2
English Title: Hol Horse and Boingo, Part 2

Episode Summary

Despite the ridiculousness of Boingo’s predictions, they keep coming true.

With Hol Horse grabbing Polnareff in a compromising position, the rest of Team Joestar comes over to check on the commotion. Thinking fast, Hol Horse hides behind a corner and holds the Frenchman at gunpoint. Polnareff tries to indicate his predicament to the others, and eventually, he gets a good enough message through to them.

Hol Horse knows he is in trouble and attempts to silence Polnareff for good. But at the moment Hol Horse goes to pull his gun’s trigger, Polnareff sneezes. The sudden movement causes Hol Horse to reveal his position to the rest of the group.

However, before the team can act, another of Boingo’s predictions comes true.

A car barrels down the street and smashes into the group. All of Team Joestar get the full brunt of the crash, but Hol Horse and Boingo manage to slip away.

Desperately trying to salvage the situation, Hol Horse demands Boingo to make another prediction. According to Boingo’s book:

• Hol Horse will fire his Stand’s gun down a nearby pipe.
• The bullets will then ricochet through the tube and come out the other end where JoJo is standing.
• Then there is a picture of JoJo with three bullet holes coming out of it.

Hol Horse takes aim at the precise time the prediction indicated and fires. Sure enough, the bullets go through the pipe and out the other side. Unfortunately for Hol Horse, JoJo unknowingly dodges at the last minute.

Unsure how the prediction could have been wrong, Boingo realizes they had messed up the timing. Before he can warn Hol Horse, the true nature of the prophecy comes to fruition. As Hol Horse is examining Boingo’s book, his fired bullets return and shoot through the spots indicated on the picture of JoJo.

Hol Horse’s own attack ends up putting him in the hospital.

After everything that has happened, Boingo can’t help feel a sense of respect towards JoJo, the only person who has not fallen to his predictions.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: 地獄の門番ペット·ショップ　その１
Romaji Title: Jigoku no Monban Petto Shoppu Sono 1
English Title: The Guardian of Hell, Pet Shop, Part 1

Episode Summary

Under the oppressive Egyptian Sun, Polnareff sits in the shade. Little does he know; he accidentally sat in the spot of one of the town’s professional beggars. Fortunately, Avdol arrives and calms the situation. What’s even better, the beggar says he can find the building the team is looking for. Thinking their luck might be turning around, the group realizes Iggy is not with them.

Elsewhere, Iggy is wandering the city. By accident, he comes across Dio’s headquarters. The problem is, Iggy doesn’t know what he has found and is about to leave the area. Then a pair of much bigger dogs try accosting the little mutt. The thing is, Iggy, despite his small stature, is not a creature to mess around with.

The dogs leave Iggy alone and become distracted by something behind the gate of Dio’s building. Suddenly, there is a horrible yelp. Iggy turns and sees a falcon carrying away the severed heads of the two dogs.

Iggy recognizes the bird; it is Pet Shop who wields the Egyptian God Stand Horace.

Knowing this is not a fight he wants anything to do with, Iggy acts like an idiot so that Pet Shop does not see him as worth his time. The ruse works, and Iggy is about to go on his way when a local boy comes up the street.

The youth is looking for his two dogs when he sees one of their collars at the gate’s base. In a panic, the boy goes under the gate and sees his dogs’ mangled remains. Having invaded his territory, Pet Shop swoops down towards the boy. At the last moment, and against his better judgment, Iggy saves the child and faces down Pet Shop.

What follows is an intense chase through the streets. Iggy uses every bit of his cunning to outrun the falcon, eventually escaping to the sewers. However, Pet Shop follows and successfully corners Iggy by trapping one of the dog’s legs.

Principal Characters

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Japanese Title: 地獄の門番ペット·ショップ　その２
Romaji Title: Jigoku no Monban Petto Shoppu Sono 2
English Title: The Guardian of Hell, Pet Shop, Part 2

Episode Summary

With Iggy pinned, Pet Shop goes in for the kill. Once the dust settles, though, Pet Shop sees Iggy had ripped his own leg off to escape.

Now severely wounded, Iggy makes his way to the outside by following the sewers’ flow to the nearby river. Using his Stand to create an air pocket under the water, Iggy plans his next move. But before he can adequately think of what to do, Pet Shop continues his attack.

The falcon begins chipping away at Iggy’s shelter, and water starts to rush in. Iggy chases the bird away for the moment, but the damage done is far too significant. Knowing he can’t make it to the surface, Iggy digs down and miraculously comes across a cavern. However, Pet Shop had anticipated this and is lying in wait.

Now with no other choice, Iggy completely demolishes his shelter and lunges at Pet Shop. The resulting rush of water overtakes both animals. But, as fate would have it, Iggy makes it back to the surface with help from the boy he had saved earlier.

Meanwhile, the rest of Team Joestar wonders where their informant has gone. They don’t know it, but Pet Shop had already taken out this person when he came across Dio’s headquarters. Thinking they have run out of leads, the group sees Iggy limping towards them.

Wondering what on Earth had happened to the dog, the team gets one more surprise. Having fully recovered, Kakyoin returns to the mission.

Iggy leads his friends to where they have been trying to go. As they approach, the air becomes much colder and more menacing. After thousands of miles and many weeks, Team Joestar steps into the lair of their greatest foe – Dio.

Principal Characters

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Thoughts and Impressions

I’m not sure if my Japanese is getting better or I am just so used to this series’ style. Regardless, watching JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has become a lot less stressful. Now I can sit down with this series and enjoy it with confidence.

Not enough to do a proper review of it without subtitles, but still.

Needless to say, this batch of episodes was highly entertaining. More than anything, though, we are on the doorstep of the climax. And frankly, I can no longer wait.

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 16 to 20.

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