DU Episode 8

Yukako Yamagishi Falls in Love, Part 1 (山岸由花子は恋をする その1) is the eighth episode of Diamond is Unbreakable and the eighty-second episode of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure anime. It covers Chapter 294 through most of Chapter 297 of the manga.

One day, the girl Yukako Yamagishi confesses her love to Koichi. However, it becomes apparent that Yukako is deranged and obsessed with Koichi, who must find a way to push her away from him.

Summary
Josuke and Okuyasu discuss what Hazamada revealed after Josuke and Jotaro interrogated him at the hospital. Hazamada doesn't know anything about Red Hot Chili Pepper's user but assures that Stand users are bound to meet each other and the user will eventually reveal himself. Suddenly they see Koichi and one of Okuyasu's classmates, Yukako Yamagishi, in a café, where she confesses her love to Koichi, shocking everyone. However, Koichi's joy at being proposed to and Okuyasu's jealousy at Koichi is cut short when Koichi doesn't answer clearly to how much he reciprocates Yukako's love, which makes Yukako enter a brief state of rage before calming herself and leaving in shame. Abashed by Yukako's temper, Koichi sips his cola and realizes that it is full of hair. The next day Yukako tries again to approach Koichi and goes overboard with her display of affection, thus Koichi uses his class representative as an excuse for fleeing. Later Yukako jealously plants some of her hair on the representative, which results in the girl gagged and blindfolded by hair as her own hair burns. Fortunately, Okuyasu uses The Hand to erase the fire and some of the representative's hair. Josuke and Okuyasu realize that Yukako is up to no good. Later Koichi, Josuke, and Okuyasu meet to discuss what to do with Yukako. Stressed by Yukako, Koichi's English grades are dropping, and he wants to stop Yukako. Unwilling to incur her wrath, the trio eventually settles for indirectly discouraging Yukako from seducing Koichi by ruining his reputation. Josuke and Okuyasu proceed to loudly slander Koichi near Yukako, aware that she is listening. However the same night, Yukako kidnaps Koichi, wanting to work for his "betterment." Later, Koichi finds himself in a villa and unable to contact the outside world. He's realized that Yukako is a Stand user, but has the advantage of surprise, so decides to play along. While Yukako prepared a, she forces Koichi to attend an English quiz where a false answer results in being force-fed things such as soap or asparagus rolled in dictionary pages. Koichi interrupts the quiz and tries to flee, but Yukako effortlessly restrains him as she planted some of her hair on Koichi, and can lift him up to the ceiling. Yukako leaves, assuring that no one will come to the villa until summer and that they will have time to "make progress". Koichi then desperately cries for help.

Commentary
"Mamiko Noto was responsible for Yukako Yamagishi's voice and her performance was truly wonderful! A yandere of this level is frightening (laughs). She’s so sweet at first… and then suddenly, she snaps and goes on the offensive! And when she looks through Koichi’s window... it’s a real nightmarish vision! I do not dare imagine how much trouble it would be to have a girl like this hitting on you… What do you think?

In terms of animation, this "hair" Stand was difficult to draw. When adding auras to Stands, there are often cases where the aura will extend to the user. In Yukako’s case, this aura will of course extend itself into her hair. For example, there is this one scene where she implants her own hair into Koichi’s scalp allowing herself to control him. We had to use separate cels to differentiate between Yukako and Koichi's hair, which required a little more time than it normally would.

Let’s take stock. Up until now, we saw someone get his teeth broken for having tried to hit on a woman, a high schooler was roasted, and here is a girl that kidnaps you when she falls in love… It's at this moment that I've realized Morioh is frankly a really frightening town (laughs)."

- Naokatsu Tsuda, Blu-Ray limited edition commentaries

Trivia

 * Oddly, neither this episode nor the next features a Stand Card for Love Deluxe.
 * The English Dub features a subtle Duwang scans reference in Okuyasu's dialogue as they discuss Yukako and Koichi's English test results.