Credit: Unsplash

It’s a Stone Ocean out there.

Out of all of the anime to reach some semblance of mainstream status, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is either one of the most famous or most infamous, depending on who you ask. The original manga has been running since 1987 with little-to-no sign of stopping, and its weirdly specific situations cause people to shout “JoJo reference!” at the strangest times, aided by all of the refence to classic rock and rap musicians. While this can be annoying for the uninitiated, for those on the bandwagon (like me), it’s just another part of what makes this wild series of superpowered mind games so engrossing. Another good reason to be on the bandwagon is that the sixth part of the story just came out.

Today, Netflix released the first 12 episodes of the anime adaptation of the sixth part of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, titled Stone Ocean. The protagonist of this part is Jolyne Cujoh, estranged daughter of the third part’s protagonist, Jotaro Kujo. After being framed for a crime, Jolyne is dumped in the Green Dolphin Street Prison in Florida with a 15-year sentence. This was no coincidence, but rather an elaborate scheme organized by longtime series antagonist Dio Brando. To stay alive, Jolyne will need to make a few buddies in prison, all while mastering her newly-discovered supernatural abilities.

Netflix began streaming JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean today, featuring Duffy's "Distant Dreamer" as the ending song! https://t.co/VtoPAeH4AV

— Anime News Network (@Anime) December 1, 2021

Interestingly, in addition to the base Japanese voice track with English subtitles, Netflix has also simultaneously released the English dub track, which normally wouldn’t come out until months after the initial premier. Of particular note in the English cast is the voice of Jolyne, Kira Buckland, who previously played supporting roles in previous parts of the show and is well known as a video game voice actor.

For the past 8 years, I have hoped that this moment would one day come,” Buckland wrote on her personal Twitter. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but… It is the biggest honor of my life to be the English voice of JOLYNE CUJOH in JOJO’S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: STONE OCEAN. My dream has finally come true.”