Getting off the Hitman bandwagon, we return to the final third of Narancia’s fight with Formaggio, the first member we meet of La Squadra. As promised, this review will cover my thoughts on the fight as a whole. This is a good thing, considering we get another backstory!
Yeah!…Not really. Anyway, let’s talk about this episode.
Following the events of the previous episode, Narancia continues to shrink. Realizing his Stand will prove worthless in the fight, he resorts to hiding. However, he’s quickly stopped by Formaggio as things seem to turn. We then cut to Narancia’s backstory.
Narancia’s story begins at a tragic point in his life with the death of his mother. Following this, a rift grows between him and his father, causing him to turn to the streets and live as a delinquent. Things turn bleak when he’s accused of a crime he didn’t commit and ends up serving a year in prison. Upon his release, he suffers from a nasty eye infection resulting from an injury sustained during his interrogation. To kick him further into the dirt, the gang he saw as his family abandons him after the leader spreads a rumor that his eye infection is contagious and deadly. Abandoned and alone, Narancia lives in fear of his state.
Then, one fateful day, he runs into a younger Fugo, who takes him to Bucciarati. Taking pity on him, he not only gives Narancia a hot meal but even goes as far as to give him medical treatment for his eye. This action moves Narancia, and he wants to join Bucciarati. But he discourages it, instead insisting he go back home and to school. Narancia tries to follow through but ultimately joins Passione without Bucciarati knowing it.
We then cut back to the fight as Formaggio traps Narancia in a glass bottle with a spider he caught in the sewer. In addition, he also finds the map Narancia used to backtrack to the vineyard where Trish is being held. The situation seems dire until Narancia reveals 「Aerosmith」 made some pretty intentional hits on a nearby car. Having punctured the gas tank, the car later explodes, severely burning Formaggio. But Formaggio escapes near death by using 「Little Feat」 and some of his blood to put out the flames. It’s during this moment Formaggio plans his escape. But frustrated in trying to find him, Narancia uses 「Aerosmith」 to fire other cars in the area to lure him out. This works for one last showdown between the two, with Narancia being the quicker and victorious. Having failed the mission, Narancia returns empty-handed.
With the team fully aware of La Squadra’s pursuit, everyone debates how to proceed. However, an email from the boss instructs the group to head to Pompei to find a key that will help provide safe transportation for the mission. Bucciarati sends Giorno, Fugo, and Abbacchio to Pompei as the episode ends.
Excluding the other details within this little segment of the La Squadra arc, the fight between 「Aerosmith」 and 「Little Feat」 is an intense one. It beautifully swings from one side to the other, which keeps you on edge throughout the episode. Fromaggio’s presence also increases the level of Stand battles by this point. From here on out, the subsequent Stand battles will be a matter of life and death. However, looking specifically at this episode, I have some issues with it.
Once again, the backstory bogs down the pace and tone of the story here. And Narancia’s backstory, in particular, is my least favorite. Why? It’s so sad! Dude loses his mom, becomes a delinquent, goes to jail, and then winds up homeless and sick. Yeah, this is not for pleasant watching. And once again, this contributes very little, if anything, to the plot. The only real moment that seemed to matter to the plot was, like with Abbacchio’s backstory, his connection to Bucciarati. But again, we already see that to some degree throughout the show. We also see a special connection with Fugo, but like with Bucciarati, we already see that.
And finally, this sounds odd, but my one last issue with this episode was Formaggio. The English dub performance by Jonah Scott is good for the most part, except for this episode. Formaggio comes off as a tough punk, but here, he comes off as unhinged. The scene in particular when he’s torturing Narancia sounds like he’s gone crazy. A lot of that is because of Scott’s performance.
In my opinion, Scott is a talented actor, but he doesn’t do Jojo characters well. He does well with dramatic roles like Willy Tybur from Attack on Titan, Legoshi from Beastars, and even other villain roles like Kokushibo from Demon Slayer. Even with tough guy roles like Tatsu from Way of the Househusband, he portrays an intimidating character well. But Formaggio is not his best role.
This case is similar to Johnny Young Bosch as Jonathan Joestar in Phantom Blood. Bosch is a fantastic actor who’s done some excellent voice work over a decades-spanning career, but Jonathan was not his finest role. The same thing can be said of Jonah Scott here as Formaggio. But to give the man credit where it’s due, 85% of his performance is convincing enough.
Overall, even with a pretty tense battle, some writing and performances lessen this episode and what it could have been. It’s not the best one, but certainly not the worst either.
But things get more intense as the gang moves to the dead city of Pompei, where the next Stand battle will start with a 「Man in the Mirror」.
Until next time, enjoy the rest of your duwang!
-Hanime on Anime
Hanime on Anime 