JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I (Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない 第一章, Hepburn: JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Daiyamondo wa Kudakenai Dai-Isshō) is a Japanese film directed by Takashi Miike and based on the Diamond Is Unbreakable story arc of the manga series JoJo's Bizarre Adventure written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. Covering the first seventeen chapters, the film stars Kento Yamazaki, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nana Komatsu, Masaki Okada, Mackenyu, Takayuki Yamada and Yusuke Iseya. It was released in Japan by Toho and Warner Bros. on August 4, 2017.[3][4] It was licensed for North American release by Viz Media.[5]
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster, featuring Kento Yamazaki as Josuke Higashikata | |
Japanese | ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない 第一章 |
Directed by | Takashi Miike |
Produced by | Misako Saka Yoshishige Shimatani |
Screenplay by | Itaru Era |
Story by | Itaru Era |
Based on | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Diamond Is Unbreakable) by Hirohiko Araki |
Starring | |
Music by | Kouji Endo |
Production company |
|
Distributed by | Toho Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 minutes |
Country | Japan |
Language | Japanese |
Box office | $2.1 million[1][2] |
Plot
Josuke Higashikata is a 2nd year high school student in M-Prefecture's town of Morioh, which has been plagued by a series of mysterious murders, who befriends the new kid Koichi Hirose while displaying strange powers in fixing Koichi's bicycle and later stopping a convenience store robbery by a delinquent acting under the influence of a water-like creature. Josuke later encounters a man in white named Jotaro Kujo, introducing himself as the youth's nephew while explaining that Josuke is the illegitimate son of his grandfather Joseph Joestar. Despite a brief fight from a misunderstanding, explaining their Stand psychic embodiments while displaying the time manipulative ability of his Stand Star Platinum, Jotaro warns Josuke that the murders are being caused by another Stand user. Josuke realizes the creature he saw the other day was a Stand, unaware that its Stand user is a serial killer named Anjuro "Angelo" Katagiri who intends to kill the student for his interference. Angelo makes his move the next day during a rainy day by having his Stand Aqua Necklace sneak into the Higashikata residence and, despite failing to kill his mother Tomoko, murders Josuke's grandfather Ryohei as Jotaro arrives to the youth's aid. The two are overwhelmed by Aqua Necklace until Josuke tricks it into entering a rubber glove he secretly swallowed. Upon finding Angelo, Josuke avenges his grandfather by using the power of his Stand Crazy Diamond to fuse him into a rock while the serial killer reveals that he acquired his power from a mysterious arrow-using high school student.
During Ryohei's funeral, Josuke and Koichi follow a youth named Keicho Nijimura, Angelo's benefactor, to a derelict house where that are jumped by both him and his younger brother Okuyasu. As Okuyasu and his Stand The Hand hold off Josuke, Keicho drags Koichi into the house after shooting an arrow through the boy's neck with Josuke chasing after them once defeating his opponent who took a hit from his brother's Stand Bad Company. Josuke's act of healing Okuyasu is rewarded when the latter helps him rescue Koichi while not intending to stand in their way of searching for the bow and arrow. Keicho goes on the offense in forcing Koichi to manifest his Stand, disappointed that it is a large egg, before being defeated with Josuke and Koichi finding an immortal abomination soon after. Keicho reveals the creature to be his father whose condition is the result of being a follower of Dio Brando, explaining that he has been creating Stand Users in the hopes that one of them might be able to end his father's suffering. Josuke, deducing that Mr. Nijimura has not completely lost his sense of self by repairing a family photograph that he was looking for, offers to help the Nijimura brothers restore their father's humanity despite Keicho being hesitant to hand the bow and arrow to him. But the group are suddenly attacked by another Stand, with Keicho sacrificing himself to protect Okuyasu. Josuke later meets again with Jotaro, swearing to continue his grandfather's work of protecting Morioh as Koichi and Okuyasu proceed to support him.
In a mid-credits scene, a house is shown with a paper bag on a table, containing a severed hand inside. In the clutch of the severed hand is an arrow. This is a reference to the antagonist of the manga adaptation, Yoshikage Kira.
Cast
- Kento Yamazaki as Josuke Higashikata[3]
- Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi Hirose[3]
- Nana Komatsu as Yukako Yamagishi[3]
- Masaki Okada as Keicho Nijimura[3]
- Mackenyu as Okuyasu Nijimura[3]
- Takayuki Yamada as Anjuro Katagiri[3]
- Yusuke Iseya as Jōtarō Kūjō[3]
- Alisa Mizuki as Tomoko Higashikata[3]
- Jun Kunimura as Ryohei Higashikata[3]
Production
In 2016, it was announced that Toho and Warner Bros. were partnering to produce a live-action film based on the fourth arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure for release sometime in summer 2017. Both studios are planning for worldwide distribution and, with the "Chapter I" in the title, are hoping to create sequels.[6][7]
Principal photography took place in Japan and in Sitges, Spain.[3]
Reception
Following its world premiere at the Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I won the Audience Award.[8]
The film opened at number five at the Japanese box office, before dropping to number 11 its second week. As a result, an insider told Oricon that this put the studios' plans for sequels in doubt.[9]
Matt Schley of Otaku USA gave the film a negative review for its pacing and "gross color palette." Acknowledging that it is Part I, he stated that its slow pace causes "virtually none" of the plot threads to reach any conclusions.[10]
References
- "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter I". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "JoJo no kimyô na bôken: Daiyamondo wa kudakenai (2017) - International". The Numbers. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
- "Live-Action Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Film's Trailer, New Visual Posted". Anime News Network. 26 April 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- "ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ダイヤモンドは砕けない 第一章". eiga.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 27 April 2017.
- "Viz Media Licenses More JoJo's Bizarre Adventure". Otaku USA. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
- Blair, Gavin J. (September 28, 2016). "Takashi Miike to Direct Warner Bros. Japan, Toho Co-Production Based on Manga". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 12, 2016.
- "Live-Action JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Film's 1st Teaser Shows Cast at Press Conference". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2016-12-12. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
- "Live-Action Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Wins Audience Award at Neuchâtel Int'l Fantasic Film Festival". Anime News Network. 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
- "Low Box-Office Returns Put Live-Action JoJo's Sequels in Doubt". Otaku USA. 2018-08-17. Retrieved 2018-12-11.
- "Live-Action JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Bizarre for All the Wrong Reasons [Review]". Otaku USA. 2018-08-10. Retrieved 2018-12-11.