The two-part premiere episode of Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is available on Netflix now.
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure may not have the mainstream attention of shows like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, or even One Piece, but it’s one of the biggest anime and manga franchises. The original manga by Hirohiko Araki has been in publication since 1987, while the anime adaptation is now in its sixth season, airing since 2012. And yet, this isn’t like One Piece and its over 1000 episodes and chapters to catch up on, at least not with Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. That’s because the latest adventure is completely standalone, set in a different timeline than the previous seasons and following a completely new and unrelated cast of characters.
That makes the premiere of Steel Ball Run a great entrypoint into the bizarre world of JoJo’s. The two-part premiere episode (streaming as a single double-sized episode on Netflix) does a good job of introducing its 1890 United States setting: The spaghetti Western-inspired opening features wide shots of the vast deserts of the American West, all set to an Ennio Morricone-like fanfare. It teases a sense of grandeur and adventure for the season’s story of a cross-country horse race to win $50 million, as well as the harsh and vast terrains we’ll encounter throughout the show.
The episode also doesn’t waste any time getting to its social commentary, opening with a narration about the expansion into the West and how it is “consuming the lands of the native people.” Meanwhile, one of the main characters is a Native American who is criticized by his kin for running like a white man and participating in the race.
The premiere introduces the various main players in the titular Steel Ball Run. Even if we don’t get to spend much time with them, or learn much about their backstories, the cast is well defined, with memorable character designs and clear personalities and quirks that make each stand out as unique from the rest. In just a few minutes of screen time, their values, their way of thinking, and what they are willing to do to win is all communicated clearly. Though there are hundreds of participants in the race, the show focuses on two riders — Gyro Zeppeli, a man of mysterious abilities, and Johnny Joestar, a paraplegic former jockey. Of these, Zeppeli is the instant breakout character: suave, charismatic, and quite adept in a fight.
The one big flashback we get to gain insight into a character’s story is for Johnny, the titular JoJo. The flashback is serviceable, but it is awkwardly placed in the episode, coming across as a bit shoehorned-in. This is a shame, because otherwise the two-part premiere has terrific pacing. The episode offers enough of an introduction to the setting and characters to give us a sense of the stakes and the players involved, without it ever feeling like exposition, while also providing enough action once the race starts to get a sense of the kind of thrills we can expect from the season going forward.
This was always going to be a challenging season to animate, mostly because of the sheer number of horses in any given scene. After all, horses are notoriously hard to draw, let alone animate. And yet the team at David Production found a great way to bring the many horse participants in the race to life, using 2D and 3D animation and blending the two quite seamlessly in the premiere. The show is already a big improvement on the previous season and how it animated background characters. There is also a sense of momentum and speed to the animation during the racing that adds to the excitement of the story.
Though you can watch Steel Ball Run without any prior knowledge of the franchise, it does pay off to be familiar with it. Yes, this is a brand new continuity, but there are plenty of references to past seasons of JoJo’s, from character names to relationships and archetypes. Even the music pays homage to past seasons of the show while carving out its own identity.
The race has just begun, but Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has all the makings of an anime that can go the distance.
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