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Chapter 141. Our Joestar Family Has Been Gentlemen for Generations
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Should we really not worry about Jotaro?
Hmm, Akiyuki Shinbo decided to ignore Pucci's comment about needing to worry about DIO and mentally tossed it into the back of his mind. After all, from every angle, Jotaro was the one to be concerned about!
It's a simple issue.
There's no need to elaborate on DIO's appeal as a charismatic villain from the past. And the return of Joseph, the previous protagonist, will inevitably draw the audience's attention to him, rather than the new protagonist, Jotaro.
Especially since the viewers had just finished watching the finale of "Battle Tendency", and the terror and despair brought by the Ultimate Life Form were still fresh in their minds. Most importantly, they hadn't forgotten Joseph's incredible feat that, like sunlight dispelling the darkness, wiped away that fear and despair with his final blow against the Ultimate Life Form, banishing him from the planet!
You could say that the terror and despair Kars brought to the audience were equally matched by the courage and hope Joseph inspired by defeating him.
This was great for "Battle Tendency", but not so ideal for "Stardust Crusaders". While it could initially ride the wave of "Battle Tendency"'s popularity and gain higher viewership, were the viewers more interested in seeing Joseph's performance as the former JoJo or Jotaro's as the new one?
Moreover, with DIO as the final boss, wouldn't viewers inevitably compare Jotaro to Jonathan?
And that leads us back to the core question: Can viewers really accept that DIO, who Jonathan had to sacrifice himself to defeat, will be beaten by Jotaro more easily?
Akiyuki Shinbo, who already knew the answer, couldn't help but feel even more anxious after hearing Pucci's reassurances. Sure, with DIO and Joseph joining the story, the early viewership of "Stardust Crusaders" was safe. But what about the later episodes?
If the protagonist isn't well-developed, can "Stardust Crusaders" even be considered a complete work?
It's like "Kamen Rider Zi-O", mockingly referred to as "Kamen Rider Decade" Part 2. Or "Gundam SEED DESTINY", where the change in protagonist halfway through turned the original hero into a villain to highlight the previous protagonist, causing the plot to collapse.
These precedents are still fresh in everyone's minds.
After all, Jotaro's performance in this first episode wasn't that impressive...
"Can you do that again?"
"Do what again?"
"That! Hurry up!"
"Our Joestar family has been gentlemen for generations!"
"Hahaha! Are you trying to kill me with laughter so you can inherit my account?!"
"When Jonathan said this, it was so powerful. Both he and his father, George, lived by this creed, but… why… why did their descendants turn out this way?"
"Joseph starts by punching a cop, Jotaro begins in jail… I can already imagine what future JoJos will be like."
"I'd love to see Jonathan's reaction if he knew his descendants turned out this way. That expression would be priceless!"
"..."
Looking at the comments and reactions.
On the surface, it seemed like the viewers were quite interested in Jotaro as the new JoJo. But if you think about it for a bit, you'll realize that their interest wasn't in Jotaro's personality, but rather the contrast between the deep impressions left by Jonathan and the current plot.
In other words, they were drawn by the "gap moe".
Of course, as creators, they could take advantage of this "gap moe" and use it to shape the audience's first impression of Jotaro.
But...
"There's DIO and Joseph."
Flipping through more comments, most of them were dominated by anticipation for DIO and Joseph's showdown. Akiyuki Shinbo sighed deeply.
Clearly, the already established DIO and Joseph were far more captivating to viewers than the yet-to-be-developed Jotaro.
And as the Stand power system continued to unfold with the progressing plot, the audience's attention was drawn entirely to this new concept. They excitedly debated, trying to understand what Stands really were.
But while the audience pondered the connections between Stands and the Ripple, Akiyuki Shinbo was more focused on Jotaro's battle with Avdol.
Since Jotaro was the one to introduce Stands to the audience, his role in explaining and demonstrating the new power system was crucial. This was another chance to reestablish Jotaro as the main character.
But…
"Stop! Why are you turning your back on me? Face me!"
Jotaro, suddenly halting his Stand's movements, angrily shouted at Avdol, who had decided to stop fighting and return to his seat without engaging further.
Ignoring Jotaro's confusion, Avdol calmly sat down and reported to Joseph, "Mr. Joestar, as you can see, I've managed to get him out of the cell."
"!?"
Looking down at his body, now outside the cell, Jotaro, who hadn't forgotten Joseph's request to Avdol to get him out, remained silent for a moment. Finally, he grudgingly walked over to them and said, "Did you plan all of this?"
Watching this battle, in which Jotaro had shown some promising traits but was mostly led by Joseph and Avdol, Akiyuki Shinbo couldn't help but feel uneasy.
If even he, who was trying to find something positive about Jotaro, felt this way, what about the other viewers who were just here to see Joseph shine?
It really looked like Jotaro was struggling to carry the weight of the protagonist role.
Could it be...
"This is doomed?"
"Yeah, this feels like it's heading towards failure!"
Meanwhile, Cujoh Jolyne, who had been dozing off, suddenly perked up with excitement as she saw the scene unfold. She exclaimed, "With Pucci by my side, it's like a fish in water!"