One of the more.. visually interesting (and meme filled) anime series that I can think of is none other than Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, which if I'm being completely honest I still don't actually know anything relevant about. I was first introduced to the series when the fighting game came out in the arcade and on the original Playstation. From what I can gather, the series revolves around the fight between the generations of the Joestar family who battle against their immortal supernatural foe, Dio Brando and his forces of darkness using various weapons, Stand abilities (symbiotically bonded magical beings) and of course, EPIC POSING. In fact, the only thing I'm 100 percent certain about in this blurb I just wrote is that there is EPIC POSING.

 

Well, just after my return to Ontario, I was able to purchase one of these for $20 CAD - presenting the Medicos Super Action Statue JoJo's Bizzare Adventures: Battle Tendency Joseph Joestar figure. Purchased for the purposes of epic posing.

 

The Jojo series is set in multiple time periods, with the prequel (Battle Tendancy) featuring a Joseph Joestar, the second Jojo and grandfather to the current Jojo (Jotaro), in his prime. Not that I would have minded a middle aged version with a beard and Hermit Purple effects, but this is what I happened upon. What's more interesting is that this my first Medicos product, who make the Super Action Statue series of figures. Unshockingly, the only time I've ever heard their name come up is when Jojo figures are being sold.. but what IS shocking is that apparently they make more than just Jojo figures. Joseph has a MSRP of 6,800 yen, and was popular enough to warrant three releases (2013, 2015, and 2019), along with a repaint with a different head in 2015.

 

The set comes with the figure, two headsculpts (neutral expression, angry expression with headband), crossbow with drawstring pulled/unpulled effects, a loose bolo, sledgehammer, a variety of posing/weapon holding hands, and a dynamic stand.

 

The Medicos body (or at least Joseph) seems to be more in line with a true 1/12 scale as compared to Figuarts.... or Joseph is like 7 ft. tall. Either or, I'm OK with it. I'm not sure if there is a base Medicos body, but if there is a one, the Jojo line doed a pretty damn good job at hiding it. Of course, the character designs in the series are so outlandish that there should be no surprise that finding common parts is difficult, though what is easy to see is that the characters all share the same workout regime. Sculptors definitely captured the distinct look of Joseph, down to the eyes and lips that are very much the signature look of the designs. Fabric detailing is pretty much all I could ask for, and the detailing on the muscles is great only to be surpassed by the excellent work done on the hair. Not a dull spot on either sculpt hair wise no matter where you look on that manly mullet of his.

 

Of course, articulation is the name of the game, and Joseph isn't a slouch either. He features toe, full ankle, double jointed knees, thigh swivel, hips, waist, mid torso, shoulder pivot and rotate with independent joint for shoulder collapse/chest expand, bicep swivel, double jointed elbows, wrist, neck, and head. After some fiddling around with the figure, the only real thing on my wish list was that the hips would allow for further range of motion in the hips, particularly movement of knee towards the body. Neck/head articulation is limited due to the luscious head of hair Joseph has. Otherwise, between the various hands he's got and the ability to move, well, Joseph has all your Voguing needs covered.

 

Paint is kind of where things fall somewhat apart here.. sort of. For the most part the paint is pretty good. Quality is solid throughout most of the base body, with in my opinion missing paint on the blue part where the knee connecs to the lower leg. Flesh tones are a bit muddy when it comes to texture, most likey the result of a high number of coats needed. Work on the face and hair is surprisingly sharp given the small size, especially the highlights of the eyes. The finer details, however, go a bit into poor quality, most evident with the masking and paint of the fingers and the smaller accents such as the gold on the knuckles, belt buckles, and so on. Bad as it is, however, it thankfully never reaches early 2000s Playarts level of bad, as you can still make out the well detailed fingers and other fine areas, whereas Play Arts would have just dumped a blob of paint on and hoped for the best. Decal work is also pretty good overall, with no real complaints from me.

 

The overall build is quite good. No issues with warped parts, misaligned joints or limb length, joint strength. Maybe it's just my eyes, but to me it seems like Joseph is made from the same stuff they make NECA, McFarlane, and other North American figures from, just with much, much better QC. I mention this because the plastic seems softer compared to the stuff on my Figuarts, and would be unable to support the finer details use as the meshwork on Endgame Widow's suit. I suspect that material choices might play into the overall price point as well, because sad as it is 6,900 yen is relatively cheap for something like this. Furthermore, while the crossbow and sledgehammer and functional and generally good to look at, upon closer inspection you'll notice some warping and general softness of details.

 

So overall, a pretty good figure that isn't as crisp looking as Figma or Figuarts, but is able to hold its own due to the very good articulation. The Jojo universe is filled with all sorts of very visually striking characters, and despite my general unfamiliarity of with the property, even I have my favourites. It'll be interesting to see if I run into any of these in the future at a price point that makes me warm and fuzzy, because I really don't see them available for sale that often.

 

But you can bet if it's on my way somewhere, I'll be there to buy it.