Week 4 - JoJo's Bizarre Camera Angles

Review of some Camera Angles

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (2017)

by director Takashi Miike

For this week's assignment, I decided to analyze some camera angles from the Japanese film JoJo's Bizarre Adventure by Takashi Miike. It is a live-action adaptation of the famous long-running anime and manga series of the same name by Hirohiko Araki. In this series, various protagonists gain spirit-like superpowers called Stands and usually must defeat a major villain. This film focuses on the fourth part of said series set in the fictional Japanese town of Morioh, in which a high school freshman named Josuke Higashikata develops a Stand called 'Crazy Diamond' that can fix anything to a previous state. When a series of bizarre disappearances occur around town, Josuke teams up with investigator Jotaro and fellow students Koichi and Okuyasu to solve the mystery and defeat the culprit - a murderer who collects left hands.

The movie opens with Josuke's daily routine, followed by this establishing shot of Morioh. This is not only a stable and clear shot, but it also does well in evoking feelings of immersion in the viewer(s). One can clearly see in this shot that the setting is elaborate yet small in scope - a sure sign of good worldbuilding on the creator's part.

This close-up/low-angle shot takes place after Josuke fixes Koichi's bicycle when they meet in an alleyway following a scuffle with a group of delinquents. This scene is poignant because it highlights the esoteric nature of Josuke's power and leaves the viewer(s) feeling just as confused and intrigued as Koichi is. Because of the way the preceding shots are filmed (i.e. the camera moves away from the broken bike, and when we see it again it is as good as new), it creates a sense of mystery that persists throughout the film as more bizarre things occur across town.

Another shot I chose to analyze is this eye level shot of Okuyasu and his Stand 'The Hand,' which has the power to erase space by swiping with its right hand. Okuyasu's expression in this scene illuminates the aggressive nature of this power and leaves feelings of tension within the viewer. Since this shot is followed by a brief combat scene, this feeling is validated and kept up throughout the scene. The second shot, in which The Hand swipes down in a low-angle head on shot, creates a sense that the camera itself will be erased by The Hand's power, leaving a feeling of immersion.

In this shot, Jotaro uses his Stand 'Star Platinum' to temporarily stop the flow of time and protect Josuke from the villainous 'Aqua Necklace' which takes the form of a mass of water with eyes. The grey filter on nearly everything in the room indicates that they are frozen in time, and this all-encompassing stasis creates a feeling of suspense in the viewer(s). Josuke's expression is also frozen, creating a sense of enduring terror.

The film closes with a slowly moving shot of a human left hand in a brown paper bag, indicating that the murderer is still afoot and that this isn't yet the end. This creates a sense of disbelief in the viewer(s), as he is defeated by Jotaro in the film's climax and is eventually run over by an ambulance on accident. It raises questions on how exactly he survived and whether or not he will show up if a sequel to this film is made.