Steel Ball Run: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Ep 4 Review
So, where do Stands come from? Thanks to the anime adaptation and countless memes, i think most anime fans have at least heard about Stands. But how do people actually get them? In the original universe, people were either born with and developed a Stand power naturally, or got one from these weird arrows. I’m pretty sure the arrows don’t exist in this new universe, so the only explanation is the place that Mountain Tim and the Boomboom family call the Devil’s Palm. Even if you hadn’t read the manga, last episode made it glaringly obvious that Johnny Joestar and Gyro Zeppeli were going to get their own Stands very soon. As it turns out, it happened sooner than I thought, as in their haste to escape the Boomboom’s, our protagonists ventured right into the Devil’s Palm!
THE DEVIL’S PALM
Johnny and Gyro are in a race for their lives. They’re galloping through the desert at full speed, trying to get as far away from the sadistic Boomboom family as possible. But the wily killers have thought ahead. Thanks to Mr. Boomboom’s frame-up of Johnny, Mountain Tim, cowboy extraordinaire and deputized lawman, is hot on their heels. In fact, he catches up to them faster than what should be possible!
The reason becomes frighteningly clear as the three make it to this plateau with rocks that, honestly, look a lot like giant bones. The Boombooms tagged all three of them with their magnetic Stand, and now they’re being drawn towards each other. If they collide, they will die a gruesome death in the desert!
This is the part of the story where JoJo demonstrates what sets it apart from other Shonen. Instead of raw power winning the day, it’s all about who can outwit their opponent first. Case in point, Gyro uses his steel balls to cause a rockslide that throws Mountain Tim off his horse, alerting him to the danger they’re all in. Thankfully, Tim’s own Stand buys them some time, and this where we learn about how Stands can manifest in this universe.
What is the Devil’s Palm anyway?
After the last episode, I got curious about the mention of the Devil’s Palm and what it has to do with Stands. So, I went on the JoJo wiki and looked up this place that seems give people Stands. Imagine my surprise when I learned that it’s less of a place and more like a supernatural phenomenon, always moving around. The Native Americans call these places cursed since no one gets out of it, but the few that do gain a Stand. Such was the case for Mountain Tim, the sole survivor of a unit of US cavalry. The Devil’s Palm gave him the power to stand against destiny or fate, and that’s why he called it his Stand. Which is a pretty metal origin for the term in this universe. Not that knowing this does the trio any good once the Boomboom’s decide to stop playing around. At least not until Johnny develops his own Stand power!
Using your fingernails as projectile bullets might not seem that cool when we’ve seen Stands that can stop time, atomize a target, or rewrite reality itself, but something tells me that Johnny’s power is only in its infancy. At least it was enough to get rid of the Boombooms. But they were only a few of the weirdo’s that are taking part in the Steel Ball Run. We should expect even more to show up as the race makes its way to New York. Well, I say bring them on. No matter what timeline or universe, the Joestar’s are resilient! Zeppeli, though…we may have to worry about him. Especially with this final message about him having a bounty.
Bring it on!
