I've finished watching the first 12 episodes of Season 5 of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (Stone Ocean). Now is, then, an opportune time to make a post summing up my thoughts... even though I'm still catching up on the copious backlog of the other seasons.
A lot of the time, while watching this, I found myself laughing. I was laughing, I suppose, in disbelief at the absurdity of the events that were being presented to me (perhaps even, obligatory half-joke, their bizarreness ahahahahahaha). But this laughter wasn't derisive. While the events are absurd, they are also perfectly logical. Every single ridiculous thing that happens is something that makes sense within the setting. So this laughter, too, is tinged with respect - a laughter of shock at how, for lack of a better word, clever it all works out to be. Like, of course Jolyne will encase herself in a living blanket of frogs. It's JoJo.
The music is very good, and I (once I wrested control of the remote) never skipped the ED as Netflix really wants you do to. (Tangent: It's amazing that this functionality works even on my 10ish year old 2nd generation Apple TV, and for that matter amazing that anything actually still supports it!) However, if I had to compare it to Season 1's opening and ending music (which I do, since it's the only other season I've even partially watched), I'd have to give the award for both to Season 1. In particular, I've loved Roundabout since before it was a meme, so I'm very happy it's used.
The plot was relatively self-contained, but it seems like character motivations are based on the previous parts. (In particular, Jotaro Kujo reappears.) Though I hadn't watched them, I knew enough about them through osmosis that I was able to get the gist. I was gripped by the plot anyway, but I might have been more gripped had I known the full backstory. Probably I'll rewatch Stone Ocean after I've watched the previous 5 parts/4 seasons and see what I missed. (Rewatch when/just before the next 12 episodes come out?)
Character designs/palettes are great, and a lot of shots are great as well. I am given to understand this is something of a trademark of JoJo.
It does suffer from the common anime disease of overexplaining - do we really need to be explained what prime numbers are? - but this was largely endearing rather than frustrating, and it probably even helped a new viewer like me "get up to speed".