Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Diamond Is Unbreakable Music References

How's it going lurkers? Above is an illustration of the defeated Vampire Supervillain, Dio Brando with his Stand, The World. 

 

Similar to characters from a Greek Tragedy, Dio's God Complex and his own hubris led to his demise. Over the last 2 decades, this antagonist had quite a few voice actors. 

Dio Brando's Multiple Voice Actors In Japanese & English (2017):

Dio Brando was the type of supervillain you loved to hate. Because he was such a deplorable vampire, I already miss his wickedness. In order for a character to be a supervillain in entertainment, I believe Dio raised the bar high.

Last April, I published a Cartoon Sunday blog regarding Watch Mojo's Countdowns of Top Anime Villains. Dio Brando made it at least TWICE on those countdowns.   

 

Cartoon Sunday: Watch Mojo's Anime Villains Countdown

    

As a Vampire Supervillain, Dio was extremely psychopathic and sinister. I am surprised, that NONE of the late Ronnie James Dio's songs were used as opening or ending theme songs for Parts 1-3 of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. After all, Dio Brando was named after him. 

Call me biased but "Egypt" really should've been used as the ending theme song for Stardust Crusaders' "Battle In Egypt" Arc as opposed to "The Last Train Home". Ugh! It's like listening to depressing-sounding '80s Muzak.

Now that Dio is dead, it will be disappointing not seeing him in Diamond Is Unbreakable and the future seasons to come. 

Earlier this year, it was announced that Golden Wind (Part 5) was in the works of being animated.

According to Anime News Network in June, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind is scheduled to premiere in Japan in 2 more months. 

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind Manga Gets TV Anime in October

Considering that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is a Seinen Supernatural Action Anime, it's only fitting to have Golden Wind premiere this October. 

Meanwhile, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable will premiere next Saturday night at 11:30 pm Central on Adult Swim's Toonami block. 

{Toonami Promo}: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable (2018)

 

Diamond Is Unbreakable takes place in 1999. 

 

Ahh, 1999. Before American Entertainment was corrupted by self-righteous, political "activist," celebutards, and political divisiveness in general like it has been, since the turn of the century. 

Nearly 2 decades ago, a plethora of monumental incidents happened like Woodstock '99, for example. 

In 1999, I was a notorious, 17-year-old girl full of "angst" and living a so-called "double life." No, I was not partying like it was 1999. It's amazing how much time flies. Well, I digress.

In Diamond Is Unbreakable, Jotaro Kujo will meet Josuke Higashikata. Josuke is the bastard son of Jotaro's grandfather, Joseph Joestar. What a twist! Honestly, I did not see that coming!

Because this is another blog about the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, here are 4 previously published Cartoon Sunday blogs. 

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Phantom Blood Review (2016)

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood + Battle Tendency Music References (2017)

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Recap With Stardust Crusaders Music References (2017)

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders & Stands (2017)

Also, as promised in yesterday's Song Saturday blog, here are the following music references for JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable for today's Cartoon Sunday!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Music References (2021)

Cartoon Sunday: Horror References In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure And The Roots Of Dio's Wickedness

How's it going lurkers? So, did you enjoy the ominous tones of Hayato Matsuo's compositions for Song Saturday? I enjoyed "Giwaku," which is "Suspicion" in Japanese. When it comes to horror, it definitely gave me creepy vibes.

After listening to "Suspicion," I imagined JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's super villain, DIO, Phantom Of The Opera, and ABC's 1966 Gothic Horror Soap Opera, Dark Shadows. 

I don't know much about reading or playing musical instruments. Therefore, I won't pretend to know what exact notes were played in the preceding music scores. 

You see, I got the short end of the stick; Everyone in my immediate family can play at least 1 musical instrument, whereas I only sang in choir for graduation requirements, during my youth. 

Anyway, those low piano notes for Hayato Matsuo's "Suspicion" were as bone-chilling as watching Classic Horror Movie trailers from 3-4 decades ago. During Matsuo's score, I could actually feel my blood running cold. This is coming from someone, who is a mostly desensitized Horror fan.

Speaking of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise and the Horror genre, I recently questioned some fans about the continuation of Stardust Crusaders. 

Those, who have read my blogs and have been subscribed to me over the last 5 years, should recall the 3 Cartoon Sunday blogs I published, last year. 

In the following blogs, I explained about the music references featured in Phantom Blood, Battle Tendency, and Stardust Crusaders. 

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood + Battle Tendency Music References

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Recap With Stardust Crusaders Music References 

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Stardust Crusaders + Stands 

According to some JoJo's Bizarre Adventure fans from AnimeNation, Hirohiko Araki was influenced by Bram Stoker's Dracula, while creating Phantom Blood. There is horror throughout this franchise. However, there is supposed to be more horror in the "Battle In Egypt" Arc for Stardust Crusaders.

Last year, Stardust Crusaders premiered on Adult Swim's Toonami block. Even though there is horror throughout the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise, catching all the horror references can be difficult. 

There are so many music references, that they eclipse the horror references. Over the last several months or so, I managed to notice a few Stephen King references. 

For example, Stardust Crusaders places a major emphasis on stands and stand users. Horror novelist, Stephen King published a Post-Apocalyptic Horror Fantasy novel titled, The Stand in 1978. 

By 1994, ABC broadcasted the miniseries of the same name for viewers. 

Jotaro's last name is most likely another King reference. Have you noticed, that Jotaro's last name is "Kujo"? 

Because the character is Japanese, his last name is bound to be spelled differently in Japanese than the rabid dog's name in Stephen King's Psychological Horror novel, Cujo. 

Also, did you happen to notice the red Plymouth Fury? You know that red, possessed car? In Stardust Crusaders, it is known as The Wheel Of Fortune Stand. That same stand somewhat resembles the red car in Stephen King's Christine.
 
Meanwhile, the stand, Yellow Temperance resembles The Blob from the 1958 Sci-Fi Horror film.

A few episodes before the "Battle In Egypt" Arc, a baby with fangs known as Mannish Boy, uses his stand, Death 13. Death 13 appears in Kakyoin and Polnareff's dreams. 

Much like Freddy Krueger from Wes Craven's 1984 Slasher Horror film, A Nightmare On Elm Street, Mannish Boy tries killing them in the dreamworld. 

With all this talk about horror, let's NOT  forget about the super villain Dio Brando, who is now known as simply "DIO." 

If you look back at JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood, it was already shown from the very beginning how incredibly evil and cunning Dio Brando was as a character.

Some may justify, that it was all because his father, Dario Brando, was an abusive drunk, who forced Dio into becoming a lying, power hungry, con artist. 

It took for Dio to commit patricide (basically kill his own father), Dario to be free of him by poisoning Dario to death. Dio used that same poison to kill Jonathan Joestar's father, George. 

Since the time Dio Brando poisoned his own father, he was overtaken by that ancient, South American stone mask. 

Once blood flew on it, during Dio's soap opera brawl with Jonathan, the stone mask was activated. The ancient South American stone mask transforms the person, who wears it into a vampire. 

After Dio Brando obtained the stone mask, he became not only a lying, power hungry serial killer, but also a man-whoring vampire. 

With the resurgence of Dio in Stardust Crusaders, it is only fitting to return to the roots of his wickedness. 

For today's Cartoon Sunday, lets take a look back at the root's of Dio Brando's wickedness in Phantom Blood.

The Roots Of Dio Brando's Wickedness In JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood (2012)

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Recap With Stardust Crusaders Music References

{As of 2020, videos with the following music references have recently been updated. This blog was previously published in 2017.}

How's it going lurkers? If you read yesterday's Song Saturday blog, it was mostly about The Bangles' "Walk Like An Egyptian." 

In that same blog, I mentioned that the Pop-Rock band's song was used as the ending theme song for its 2nd season, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders.

Toonami premiered the 1 hour season finale of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, 2 weeks ago. The finale did NOT  disappoint. There were so many twists. 

Watching JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's season finale felt like I was watching a Supernatural Soap Opera with namesake characters of legendary musicians.

This can especially be said about Lisa Lisa secretly being Joseph Joestar's biological mother. Cue the dramatic music!

Dramatic Music

As campy and uproarious as this Supernatural Action Anime can be, the last scenes of Battle Tendency were violent as well as intense. 

Sometimes there were times, when I was close to falling off my bed from laughter, after watching certain scenes.

For example, there was a scene of Kars strumming Lisa-Lisa's legs like he was playing a guitar right before stabbing her in front of her long lost son, Joseph!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency "Kars Simulates A Guitar Solo With Lisa Lisa's Legs" (2013)

 

That scene was definitely a WTF?! Moment. Because Kars was close to killing Lisa Lisa, Joseph had to rescue mummy. 

 

While continuing his battle with Kars, Joseph theorized how he could possibly destroy Kars with the planet.

Eventually, Joseph defeated Kars by using Super Aja, which caused an eruption. That same eruption knocked Kars off the planet Earth, sending him into space.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency "Kars Is Launched Into Space" (2013)

 

After Kars was sent into space, everyone automatically assumed Joseph was dead and held a funeral for him. I believe the funeral was the BEST scene of Battle Tendency's finale.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency "The Funeral Scene" (2013)

The funeral scene had me in STITCHES! 

 

Without Hirohiko Araki (the Mangaka of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure) saying so, we the fans can tell that he favored his replacement protagonist, Joseph Joestar over Jonathan.

Joseph has a lot more personality than the original protagonist, Jonathan Joestar. Jonathan was too obsessed with becoming a "gentleman" and defeating his adopted brother, Dio Brando. Dio is supposed to be in the 2nd season, Stardust Crusaders.

Every time I watch MTV Classic and a classic music video from the late Ronnie James Dio plays on the network, I start snickering; Whenever I hear the late vocalist and his name, I NOW think about the supervillain of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Dio Brando.

Dio Brando's depravity is off the charts. In the next season, there are more villains, who are this supervillain's flunkies. 

In fact, the next season and list of characters for Stardust Crusaders are much longer than both Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency combined, from what I can see.

During the last 2 minutes or so of Battle Tendency, there was a time skip to the 1980's. By that time, Joseph became an old man complaining about how much he hates Japanese people, while listening to a tape on a Sony Walkman.

For all those who didn't already know, Sony Walkmans were portable audiotape players made in Japan.

As I was saying, the end of Battle Tendency showed a 67-year-old Joseph Joestar. 

Then, it segues into a scene with his grandson, Jotaro Kujo, which shortly segues into the beginning of the next season, Stardust Crusaders.

We COULD have a few more months, until Adult Swim's Toonami block premieres Stardust Crusaders. 

Let's all hope that Stardust Crusaders premieres on Toonami with "Walk Like An Egyptian" playing as the ending theme song, after Attack On Titan ends.

Before I forget, here is the following link to the previous blog about characters' names from Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency, in case you missed it, 2 months ago.

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood & Battle Tendency Music References (2017)

Since I already mentioned 3 Stardust Crusaders namesakes, here is the list of the next set of namesake characters of talented musicians and music references for today's Cartoon Sunday.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders Music References (2020)

Cartoon Sunday: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood & Battle Tendency Music References

{This Cartoon Sunday blog was previously published in 2017. As of 2021, videos containing the following music references have recently been updated.}

How's it going lurkers? It appears that more musicians from the 1980's were name dropped in last night's episode of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency. 

Lately, more musicians from the '80s are being referenced to in Part 2 of this series. Hirohiko Araki's characters are named after many groups (mostly Rock bands) and singers in general.

It has been about several months, since I last mentioned the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise. 

Recently, I learned that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is considered to be a "multi-generational" franchise and the first 2 parts of the franchise are combined into Season 1.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood was only Part 1 of the franchise. It had a Dark Shadows, Gothic Horror Soap Opera tone and was set during the 19th Century in England, when the ORIGINAL protagonist (Jonathan Joestar) was learning how to use Hamon.

Hamon is supposedly a form of Martial Arts, which uses the sun's energy.

Will A. Zeppeli taught Jonathan how to use Hamon to fight his sinister, adopted brother, Dio Brando and Dio's minions of vampires. Part 2 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is Battle Tendency.

Now that JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency premieres on Adult Swim's Toonami block, the franchise takes place, during the 1930's with Jonathan Joestar's grandson, Joseph Joestar (in the picture above) in America. Lately, there have been a lot of 1980's singers being named dropped.

Last week, the character "Lisa Lisa" was introduced. There was also a song sample of Yes' "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" being used, when Joseph was doing Hamon training.

In Battle Tendency, Joseph Joestar trains to defeat The Pillar Men. The Pillar Men are members of an ancient vampiric race. Last night, he managed to defeat Esidisi. Esidisi is named after the Hard Rock band, AC/DC.

Even though the illustrations of these characters look like dated characters from the 1980's, watching JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is quite an entertaining franchise for a Seinen Supernatural Thriller Action Anime. 

Then again, Hirohiko Araki created his Manga during the 1980's, which explains why some of his characters are named after Lisa Lisa, Wham!, REO Speedwagon, Dire Straits, The Cars, etc.

The characters being namesakes of celebrities, songs, albums, etc. add to the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise's campiness. Whenever watching this particular series, I usually laugh because they are namesakes.     

Rather than sharing the usual animation, I thought it would be better to learn more about the names of the characters from the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure franchise for Cartoon Sunday.

1) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Phantom Blood Music References (2021)

2) JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Battle Tendency Music References (2021)

Suddenly, I have Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" stuck in my head.