Lock of the Jail!
In JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean Part II, Jotaro Kujo recalls what he read in Dio’s Diary. Dio shares his plans for reaching “Heaven.” His plan involves his Stand “The World,” meeting a trustworthy comrade who has no earthly desires and requires the souls of 36 sinners. Dio engraves a specific passcode into his Stand, to prevent himself from forgetting.
He planned to destroy his Stand for a brief moment while absorbing the 36 sinners’ souls to give birth to something. This creature would recognize his trustworthy ally. This all had to take place at a specific location. The person would have to wait for the new moon, as it will bring Heaven alongside it.
In the present, Enrico Pucci leaves the Green Dolphine Street Prison. This takes place after the whole population at the Ultra Security House Unit disappears due to some unknown reason. Two rescue team members and some prisoners also fell at this time. All these shenanigans led to the prison upping its security protocols. Due to these circumstances, Pucci signs a log and must leave the island via a truck.
Pucci’s appearance has changed, as he now has lines running down his skin, a new haircut, and a Joestar Birthmark on his neck. Pucci no longer has any use for the prison now that he has the Green Baby in his grasp. Pucci leaves the area and prepares to execute the next phase of his plans. ..
Jolyne is being held captive by one of the prison guards. Emporio has managed to reach her cell and is calling out to her. It appears that she was captured by one of the guards, and they have locked her up again.
Jolyne is bored out of her mind and decides to pierce herself. She informs Emporio about her plan to escape the prison. Emporio says he wants to stall for time, promising to deliver her father’s Stand to the Speedwagon Foundation. He suggests Jolyne not do anything foolish, but Jolyne insists on breaking out of prison and stopping Pucci’s plans. Emporio informs Jolyne that no one can help her besides himself. Anastasia and Ermes are in the infirmary recovering and Weather Report refuses to leave his cell for some reason. ..
Jolyne tells Emporio that she inserted Jotaro’s memory disc in her head to learn about Dio’s plan. She tells him that she now knows what Pucci is after and is determined to foil his scheme. Emporio’s worried about the whole situation.
He explains that there may be no way of escape, as no one has ever been able to get past the visiting area besides Jotaro. He argues that the prison must have a Stand user that prevents other users from escaping. He suggests waiting for now because it’s the safest option. ..
Jolyne understands that her husband is worried about the new moon. She asks Emporio when the moon will show itself and if he knows where Pucci wants to go. Before Emporio could answer, he hears footsteps. He disappears into the darkness and hides.
A mysterious woman is walking down the hallway alongside her Stand. She relays a message from Whitesnake to Jolyne, warning her not to escape. If she complies, Whitesnake will allow Jolyne to send Jotaro’s disc to the Speedwagon Foundation without interfering.
Jolyne doesn’t buy it and asks the woman for her name. The woman reveals her name of herself and her Stand to Jolyne. The woman’s name is Mew Mew while her Stand identifies as Jail House Lock. Jolyne tries throwing a sneak attack at her but narrowly misses. Jail House Lock manages to shift into the bars themselves. Jolyne decides to continue her attack but finds herself mysteriously transported back into her usual cell. ..
Jolyne wakes up in the women’s ward with Gwess. She feels pain in her hand and looks at it. There are specific instructions written on the back of her hand. The instructions say to grab the pen on her bed and that she can only remember three things at a time. It also tells her to defeat a Stand user named Mew Mew. Jolyne comes to find out that there are labeled messages written all over her body.
Jolyne is interrogated by the police about her writing on her body. She remembers writing the instructions on her skin in a clear, concise handwriting. She’s not sure if it was herself who wrote them or if someone else did it on accident, but she knows they’re in her handwriting.
Jolyne turns to Gwess and asks her how she ended up in the women’s ward. Gwess doesn’t respond, so Jolyne continues to bombard her with questions. Eventually, Jolyne stops asking questions and asks Gwess for a pen. Gwess points out that Jolyne already has a pen in her hand. Jolyne is shocked to find out Gwess wasn’t joking. Jolyne asks her if Gwess believes that Jolyne wrote on herself, but she doesn’t respond. ..
Jolyne decides to read the second numbered message on her body. This message tells her that she can only learn three new things. Jolyne asks Gwess if she’s been asking the same question over and over again. Gwess pulls out a piece of paper from her pocket and shows it to Jolyne. ..
The paper features a message from Gwess informing Jolyne that the doctors have concluded that she has some type of amnesia. They state she has lost her ability to learn more than three things. The doctors conclude she’s fit to live in the women’s ward again. The guards had put her back in her cell two days ago.
Jolyne wishes Gwess the best as she contemplates whether or not a Stand user has placed her under a spell. Gwess reveals some descriptive information about Mew Mew and tells Jolyne she just walked by.
Jolyne leaves her cell and spots Mew Mew. She heads back inside and asks Gwess to repeat her main features. Unfortunately, Gwess responds with too much intel, causing Jolyne to forget everything and question why she’s in the women’s ward.
Meanwhile, Emporio visits Ermes in the infirmary and tells her about Whitesnake and F.F.’s death. Ermes doesn’t respond. In the morning, She pours a glass of water and spills it over the prison bars. She mutters to herself that she will avenge F.F.’s death. ..
Jolyne is seen taking a lunch box in the cafeteria. The caterer tells Jolyne to give her her meal ticket. She swipes the lunch box from Jolyne’s hands and shoes it away. Jolyne believes she left her ticket in her cell and makes a note of it on her arm. As she’s heading to her cell, she stops and wonders why she went to her cell in the first place.
Jolyne spots a random lunch box in her ward and chows down. Gwess returns to the room and tells Jolyne that the lunch she was eating was hers. Jolyne apologizes, saying she’ll use her meal ticket to get her another lunch box. Gwess prefers Jolyne to give her ticket so that she can get it herself. She tells Jolyne to write a note of their exchange on herself. Jolyne complies.
Jolyne is writing a note to herself as she walks through the security checkpoint. She notes that it would be difficult to sneak through the security in her condition, so she decides to head back to the cafeteria instead. Suddenly, Mew Mew appears at her table and Jolyne has no recollection of who this woman is, thanks to Mew Mew’s Stand.
When Mew Mew is in front of her, she somewhat recognizes her appearance. However, when Mew Mew slams her shoe into Jolyne’s lunch, causing her to lose focus and yell at Mew Mew, she shares multiple pieces of information on her way to throw Jolyne off track. ..
Jolyne splashes coffee on herself and apologizes. She proceeds to wipe Jolyne down, but is secretly removing messages she had written down earlier. Mew Mew manages to remove multiple messages, including Jolyne’s instructions about forgetting three things.
Jolyne looks to Mew Mew for comfort as she begins to feel overwhelmed by the events of the day. Mew Mew reassures her that her Stand’s amnesia effect will wear down Jolyne and crush her spirit. With only one written message remaining, Jolyne must face whatever comes next head on.
This message says that she can only learn three things at a time. Jolyne tries to remember the critical information she had acquired earlier. Jolyne manages to remember something and uses Stone Ocean’s thread to mark herself with her newfound knowledge. She remembers that she needs to meet Emporio.
Jolyne decides not to write down the information that she recalls from her past. She believes that it would be better to focus on her current objective, rather than bombard herself with others’ thoughts.
We transition to Emporio, who has somehow been affected by Jail House Lock. He’s stuck trying to pull a plug that’s electrocuting a puddle of water that’s blocking the exit. He’s also having trouble remembering what he needed to do before getting in that predicament. He recalls needing to tell Jolyne about something but ends up forgetting due to being electrocuted.
Mew Mew is patrolling the area. She recalls one of the memos on Jolyne’s arm, telling her to meet Emporio. However, Mew Mew doesn’t know who this Emporio figure could be. She decides to toss the information aside since she’s confident that Jolyne and everyone else will not be able to escape.
Miu Miu has forgotten about a memo on Jolyne’s arm that tells her to meet a certain Emporio. She prefers not to think about it, because she knows that nobody will escape her if she does.
The Episode Review
This was a strange follow-up episode. While the animation, artwork, and soundtrack remain excellent, some content presented here was confusing and repetitive. Mew Mew’s Stand “Jail House Lock” sounds intriguing in theory and looks marvellous in action. I appreciate the anime taking the time to explain her powers to us, but there are decisions and directions in this episode that left me scratching my head. ..
Although this franchise is known for being “bizarre,” this episode leans more in the direction of surrealism than anything else. I felt that there was an overuse of scenes depicting Jolyne forgetting and remembering things. For example, they could’ve cut out most of her exchanges with Gwess. Some of those scenes weren’t necessary to advance the story forward.
The director and animators of Jolyne’s Bizarre Adventure would’ve benefited from cutting out some of the episode’s slice-of-life moments. This would make it easier to assess Jolyne’s situation and empathize with her twisted behavior. Considering we just lost a memorable and lovable ally, it’d be best for the anime to steer JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Stone Ocean toward a serious and dramatic tone.
I’m not sure if the show is trying to tell a story with too many arcs or if it just doesn’t have the energy to keep up with the fast-paced action. I hope that the next episode brings some new development to the characters and their relationship.
It’s frustrating that Jolyne opted to be captured by the Green State Dolphin Prison’s guards again. It feels like a cop-out, as she could’ve easily stumbled upon the transceiver to form a plan with Weather Report. Emporio’s character also rubbed me the wrong way in this episode. I understand he’s a child, but he could’ve been more encouraging toward Jolyne’s wishes. I found his semi-optimism a bit annoying, too.
Jotaro Kujo has been given a important task by the anime: to safeguard Jolyne’s memory disc. His character feels more important to the overarching narrative, and could well serve a higher purpose than being just a delivery boy.
Some episodes in JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean looked strange and the handling of time intervals could’ve been better. Other than that, this episode is a decent transition. Hopefully, the second part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean can conclude with a powerful note.
