Things with Golden Wind start red hot with the boss’s first order. We then get into one of my favorite episodes of the season, which delves into one of my favorite villain groups in anime, La Squadra.
Full disclosure: this is going to be all about them. The episode itself, though, picks up right where we left off yesterday. So let’s dive headfirst into this one because I can’t wait to talk about it.
As the episode opens, 「Little Feat 」’s shrinking ability starts to affect Narancia. Now having withdrawn 「Aerosmith」 (called 「Little Bomber」 in the dub), Narancia is more focused on finding Formaggio. Little does he know Formaggio is hiding in his back pocket. With Narancia shrinking, though, he’s not aware of this yet. After failing to contact Bucciarati, even with 「Aerosmith 」’s help, things seem to be going in Formaggio’s direction. That’s when Narancia discovers his back pocket hiding location. Formaggio manages to escape but is still relentlessly hunted down by 「Aerosmith」. The chase pushes him into the sewers, and we cut to another backstory.
Except this one focuses on La Squadra.
Set two years before the events of Golden Wind, things open after the successful assassination of a local politician. During these first few minutes, we meet the members of La Squadra: Formaggio, Illuso, Pesci, Prosciutto, Melone, Ghiaccio, and their leader, Risotto Nero. After a debriefing, Risotto points out that two of their other members, Sorbet and Gelato, are missing. But over time, their disappearance draws suspicion amongst the group, and that’s not because they are rumored to be an item. Word was that the two had information regarding the boss. The group’s fears are confirmed after a search finds Gelato’s body (which, fun fact, Gelato’s was based on an actual death mentioned in The Godfather). Even more horrific, a strange series of packages at the team’s hideout reveals to be a collection of Sorbet’s chopped remains preserved in formaldehyde cases. Following this incident, the group must remain quiet about the incident and no longer investigate the boss’s past. That is until the present day.
Cutting back to the current fight between Formaggio and Narancia, Formaggio pieces together how 「Aerosmith」 is tracking him down. 「Aerosmith」 uses a target’s respiration to pinpoint them. Realizing this, Formaggio tries to use a swarm of rats to cover his tracks, but Narancia finds him from an exhausted rat carrying him. But when 「Aerosmith」 attacks, Formaggio returns to his average size, lessening the blows. However, this wouldn’t have any effect regardless since Narancia’s continued shrinkage affects 「Aerosmith 」’s ability.
If you’ve followed this blog long enough (at least since I’ve been on WordPress), I love La Squadra. I’ve also talked about this group multiple times on this blog. So, of course, this episode would be one of my all-time favorites.
The backstory on La Squadra is the best part of this episode–not that the fight between Narancia and Formaggio is worth the time, but I’ll cover that more tomorrow. And as I’ve discussed before, this is an essential moment for two reasons.
The first is that we get to meet La Squadra in person. In a move entirely original for the anime, we get to see the faces of each member and watch their personalities on screen. This lets us know each member better, even before their debut battles. What I also love about this is that it adds to the story in a way that other backstories in Golden Wind don’t. This doesn’t feel like random information that might come into play later. This is vital information that we’re going to get later.
The other reason that, once again, I’ve discussed before is that this backstory gives us an understanding of the group’s motives. Even if we didn’t get this little preview of the group and it was done exactly like the manga, anyone watching would at least know why this group is doing what it’s doing. And you could view that motivation in two ways: money and revenge. We know that there’s a sense of vengeance as the group still feels the scars from Sorbet and Gelato’s deaths, but considering there’s often a lot of talk about lack of funds, their wanting to take over the drug-trafficking routes is a money-making opportunity too good to pass up. However you look at it, there’s a reason for their actions, and it’s clearly shown here.
I know this is a group and a moment that I’ve discussed dozens of times, but I love talking about it. If nothing else, this is a prime example of showing and not telling in Jojo. And it’s what other backstories in this Part should have done.
Still, what are your thoughts? Do you love La Squadra as much as I do? Maybe there’s something else I didn’t talk about that’s worth mentioning. Either way, I love this episode, and it’s always a treat to watch.
And for those more interested in the 「Aerosmith」 「Little Feat」 fight, don’t worry. That battle of the littles will get more attention tomorrow.
Until then, enjoy the rest of your duwang!
-Hanime on Anime
Hanime on Anime 