Many of the most popular anime in recent years, like Kill La Kill and Attack on Titan, were broadcast simultaneously in Japan and online—and the same became true of the most recent JoJo season, Diamond Is Unbreakable (DIU). A DIU teaser heavily featuring the To Be Continued arrow first appeared in October, 2015, with trailers following over the next few months. While the two images were not connected in the beginning, they come together to form a meme featuring former “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Taylor Armstrong yelling at a white cat sitting in front of a plate of vegetables. Armstrong’s facial expression denote anger and frustration, while the cat looks equally as bothered and unenthused. If it has a message or meaning behind it, anything can be a meme.
External References
The word now is defined as “the study of memes” but memetics describes how ideas reproduce, change and evolve. Dawkins used “meme” to represent any piece of cultural information or content which operates via replication, alteration and mutation, surviving through dissemination. One reason for JoJo’s popularity is that it references different cultures, making the anime feel familiar and approachable. In Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro and his gang go on a world tour, exploring the most remote places and presenting the local culture to everyone. Goblin Slayer was a controversial show for its disturbing and dark content.
In January, the videos started creeping onto YouTube, Vine, and Tumblr. In February, To Be Continued got a dedicated YouTube channel, which has since garnered nearly 5 million views in total, and by all accounts is primarily responsible for popularizing the meme. A thread on Reddit’s OutOfTheLoop indicates this was approximately when To Be Continued began to extend beyond fans of the anime series. “Roundabout” is a 1971 progressive rock song by the British rock band Yes. Many of the earliest JoJo memes poked fun at poor translations. Poor localization made the series easy fodder for early English-speaking internet boards, and it’s intentionally ridiculous nature made it meme bait from the very beginning.
A meme can include a video, image, text, GIF, among other mediums. A meme is an idea shortcut, triggering an understanding of something in multiple ways, said Ingram-Waters. For instance, an image of a dog making a side-eye glance can be utilized in a meme to call an idea or scenario into question or to denote suspicion.
The Roots of This Ridiculous Meme Predate the Internet
“You could rant. You can just put very random things in there. But that juxtaposition (of emotions) itself has become the memetic device.” In other words, memes are similar to viruses — they spread, replicate and make their way into facets of culture, leaving lasting impacts on history, similar to how https://forexanalytics.info/ viruses infect populations. However, some memes can be dark and can potentially spread disinformation.
Someone Made a Free ‘Rawdog Flight Simulator’ Video Game
It would be two more years before Crunchyroll—the anime streaming service—made Phantom Blood available to a global audience. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is, by some measures, the seventh largest manga series ever written and one of the best selling of all time. It’s creator, Hirohiko Araki, has worked on it more or less continuously since 1986.
If you have spent any time scrolling through the internet, you have probably encountered a meme. From Grumpy Cat to Spider-Man pointing at another version of himself, memes are constantly being shared and altered over time. Tiktok and meme songs are a source to discover good, under-recognized music. “Roundabout” by Yes was an old-time classic, even if many people mainly know this song from the memes or JoJo’s ending. Its upbeat tune and riveting lyrics are enjoyed by all kinds of music lovers.
Since the majority of JoJo has already been turned into a meme, this was also bound to go viral. Fans have outdone themselves this time to create some hilarious “to be continued” memes. I’m really curious why this is so popular and where did it come from. As a result, memes are a cultural equivalent to a gene in the sense they are passed from person-to-person and can be the basis for an evolutionary process.
In 2012, an anime adaptation of the first JoJo story arc, Phantom Blood, was broadcast in Japan. Despite taking place in 1880s England, the series borrows heavily from 70s rock. Characters Dio Brando, Robert E. O. Speedwagon, Will A. Zeppeli, Bruford, and Tonpetty, are laughably bald references. As in the meme, each episode ends with a “To Be Continued” arrow—a sepia freeze frame timed to coincide with the bass and drum hits in the first track on Yes’ 1971 double platinum album Fragile. The arrow and freeze frame would remain a staple of future seasons, while “Roundabout,” to the chagrin of progressive rock fans, would not.
- Just as there are gene pools of different iterations and characteristics due to replication over time, there are meme pools based on the same principles.
- However, JoJo gradually gained traction over the years as more people realized its brilliance.
- Characters Dio Brando, Robert E. O. Speedwagon, Will A. Zeppeli, Bruford, and Tonpetty, are laughably bald references.
Where did the “To be continued” video memes originate from?
Just as there are gene pools of different iterations and characteristics due to replication over time, there are meme pools based on the same principles. While Phantom Blood was still airing, the earliest precursor to the meme began circulating. More in the vein of a mashup than a codified internet joke, the video borrows the JoJo outro elements, overlaying them onto the ending of a Madoka Magika episode intended to draw a parallel between two similar moments in these shows.
Famous YouTubers engaging in combat is the gladiatorial form of a YouTube collaboration. It brings fanbases together as two popular internet celebrities engage in (usually good-natured) duels of words and art pieces. The first one is the dialogues written at the top and bottom. Second is the Pixar lamp walking towards “I.” Finally, the third is the “to be continued” meme.
Other anime may follow the cliffhanger technique slightly, but Demon Slayer took it to a whole another level. Viewers are left at the edge of their seats at the end of every episode and were forced to let their imagination run wild for a whole week. People can insert whatever statement, phrase or saying into the meme so long as it relates back to the emotions displayed, making it resonate with a demographic. After 30 years, Studio Ghibli’s oft-overlooked TV special unveils a brand-new art book that takes readers behind the scenes of the anime’s creation.
Episodes of Season 1 of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure would end by playing the song “Roundabout” by British band Yes. The frame would then freeze, and an arrow would slide across the screen containing the text “To Be Continued.” The show would then cut to credits. The inspiration for this meme was the laws that govern the securities industry the abrupt ending of an episode, with “To Be Continued,” during an infamous series cliffhanger.
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