JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA)

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙なå†'険, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken) is an original video animation adaptation of Hirohiko Araki's manga series of the same name, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Produced by A.P.P.P. (Another Push Pin Planning), it was adapted from the series' third part, Stardust Crusaders. Originally only six volumes were released that started in the middle of the arc, but six years later, seven more volumes adapting the beginning were produced and released by the same staff.

A six-volume series, released from 1993 to 1994, begins with Jotaro Kujo, Joseph Joestar, Jean Pierre Polnareff and Noriaki Kakyoin in the Egyptian desert on their quest to find Dio Brando (volume 20 of the manga). The series offered very little exposition, assuming the viewer already knew the back-story, and takes several liberties with the events of the original manga.

A prequel seven-volume series, titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Adventure (ジョジョの奇妙なå†'険 ADVENTURE, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Adobenchā), was released almost six years later, from 2000 to 2002, using almost the entire same staff. It offered an explanation for those unfamiliar with the story in the previous series, starting with Joseph coming to Japan to explain Jotaro's strange behavior (volume 12 of the manga). It would not be until May 25, 2007 that both series were released together in Japan in a DVD box set, which included a soundtrack CD and a set of 31 tarot cards illustrated by Hirohiko Araki.

Both series were released together as one in North America by Super Techno Arts. It was released on six DVD volumes 2003 to 2005, dubbed in English and put in its fictional chronological order (series 2 before series 1).

Episode list

Episodes listed by their English dub titles and in order of their fictional chronology (series 2 before series 1, as used in the English release).

Controversy

In May 2008, both studio A.P.P.P. and Shueisha halted OVA/manga shipments of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure after a complaint had been launched against them from Egyptian Islamic fundamentalists, after noticing a scene in the OVAs that has the villain, Dio Brando, reading a book depicting pages from the Qur'an. This recall affected the English-language release of the manga as well, causing Viz Media and Shueisha to cease publication for a year. Even though the manga did not feature that specific scene, Shueisha had Araki redraw scenes that depicted characters fighting on top of, and destroying, mosques. Viz resumed publication a year later, with the eleventh volume being published on April 7, 2009.

References

External links

• JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (OVA) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia