by Katherine Simon
After multiple episodes of hinting at it and the second opening just straight up spoiling it– among many other things– Trish’s Stand finally makes its anime debut. This is when Trish really starts to prove herself as a member of the gang and where she starts to come into her own as a character.
Image from Crunchyroll
After noticing Giorno’s brooch that he used to create a new hand, Trish decides that she has to retrieve it without moving too fast and attracting Notorious B.I.G. She notices that the recliners on the seats move fast enough to distract the Stand, so she reclines one of the seats as she slowly approaches the hand. However, when she reclined one of the seats, a drink spilled on her foot and the movement of the liquid automatically attracted Notorious B.I.G to her. Luckily, since the drink only spilled on her boot, the enemy just took that instead of going after Trish.
Suddenly, Trish hears a voice telling her to carefully grab Giorno’s brooch without wasting any time, and this is when Trish’s Stand is finally introduced. Trish takes her Stand’s advice and grabs it, but not without alerting Notorious B.I.G and having it target her. Hiding behind a seat, Trish uses her Stand’s ability to turn the seat behind her into a rubber-like material and fling the enemy onto the other side of the plane. This is when it’s revealed that Trish’s Stand has the ability to soften any material it touches, causing it to be virtually indestructible. The Stand later reveals its name to be Spice Girl (one singular Spice Girl, not to be confused with the popular '90s band Spice Girls) and as the episode progresses, Trish begins to gain control over her Stand. She utilizes it to get Notorious B.I.G off the plane permanently and return Giorno’s arm so he can heal Mista and Narancia.
Image from Crunchyroll
One of the best things about this episode is Spice Girl itself. With the exception of Moody Blues, all of the Stands in Team Bucciarati are all combat-oriented and are used to deal direct damage to their enemies. Even then, Abbacchio is rarely put into any combat scenarios without Bucciarati or Giorno by his side, so we never really get to see how Moody Blues would be utilized in an Abbacchio-only fight. While Spice Girl not being a particularly powerful Stand might be a bit of a bummer for some people, it allows it to get creative with utilizing its abilities to the fullest and take down opponents through unconventional means. Its utility especially comes through in the Notorious B.I.G fight, where its not only able to use her ability to protect itself from the stand, but distract it by softening objects to a point where they’re constantly moving. One cool detail about Spice Girl is that its battlecry is actually a reference to the Spice Girls’ debut single, “Wannabe." I always like it when Stands have little extra nods to the songs or artists they’re referencing, and this is no exception.
Earlier in the review series, I stated that Trish was my personal favorite Jojo girl, and this episode solidifies that opinion. While she might not be as popular in the fandom as her male contemporaries, or even other female characters in the series, she goes through one of the most compelling character arcs in the entire series and is easily the most fleshed out female character up to this point. When she first tagged along with Team Bucciarati, she felt so divorced from everyone else because she didn’t think anyone actually cared about her aside from using her to reach the objective that is her father. Sure, they protected her life, but mainly out of obligation since she was considered an important asset to the boss.
It’s not until the confrontation with King Crimson that Trish starts to open up about how she’s feeling to the rest of the gang, and even then she remains distant from everyone except for maybe Narancia when he reached out to her. It was all building up to this episode, where Trish not only proves herself as a useful member of Team Bucciarati by controlling her Stand, but also by beginning to open up to her teammates and becoming more confident in herself.
Image from Crunchyroll
This is perfectly exemplified when Trish copies Bruno’s “Arrivederci” after beating Notorious B.I.G. This symbolizes how she looks up to him as a father figure, since children inheriting their parents’ catch phrases is a common trend in Jojo (Giorno inheriting Dio’s “Muda” battlecry is an example of this). Trish’s relationship with Spice Girl in this episode is also representative of her growth as a character. When the Stand first appears, it’s the one giving orders to Trish and telling her what to do, but by the end of the episode she’s become one with her stand and has full control over it just like any other Stand user, symbolizing how she’s become a more confident person throughout the series.
Developments with Trish aside, “Spice Girl” is a really good episode. The fight with Notorious B.I.G was really fun and was a great introduction fight for Spice Girl. The end of the fight was especially hilarious, since it’s not only another instance of a villain facing endless punishment like Kars or Angelo, but the idea that Team Bucciarati inadvertently causing the Tyrrhenian Sea to become inhospitable due to Notorious B.I.G constantly going after boats in the water is so messed up but hilarious at the same time. There’s also the unfortunate implications of how the area’s ecosystem might’ve been affected by Notorious B.I.G constantly going after the fastest things in the water, but let’s not dwell too much on how Team Bucciarati may or may not have accidentally committed an act of eco-terrorism.
Another highlight of this episode is the soundtrack. Trish’s theme is really unique compared to every other theme in the show in the best possible way, and I really can’t wait for the full OST to drop so I can listen to it. Also, the use of Giorno’s theme during the fight’s climax is absolutely perfect and got me super pumped up. Now that the gang is about to reach Sardinia safe and sound, it’s time to finally find out about the boss’s origins and be introduced to the mysterious Doppio, who may or may not be related to the boss in any way, in the next episode.
