Warning: For the purpose of this thread, I'd say it's best if we say, say, anything up through the end of Steel Ball Run is fair game, but spoiler JoJolion stuff. And then for my personal safety, if you're posting something really up to date, mark it. As in I've read up through the end of vol. #8 of JoJolion, which is
, so I'd appreciate it if anyone could mark anything after that point so I don't accidentally spoil myself.
Anyway, I recently finished catching up (more or less) on the series, having started like last fall. Also, apologies if I slip up on any names/terms, as I read the entire thing in Japanese and don't necessarily know how all the names are supposed to be romanized (which mostly isn't an issue, but I know at least a few names from part 5 caught me off guard when I looked it up, to give an example).
So yeah, some random thoughts/questions/comments. The big one first: It's obviously still super enjoyable (which goes for most anything I "complain" about here), but does the final Pucci fight at the end of Stone Ocean make any sense? Like, just trying to logic out what's sped up and what isn't is kind of weird in and of itself. But even then, how is it that Emporio is the only person other than Pucci who makes it into the next universe (ignoring that yeah, the other actual characters died), just because he ran away at that last moment? Also, if Pucci is acting in real time which is what causes him to go super fast in comparison... shouldn't he not make it to the next universe thanks to aging? It still works to read through, but it feels like it really falls apart if you try to make sense of it.
I also do want to say it's kind of interesting the way plot threads can just kind of amount to nothing of significance. It could be seen as bad, but it also kind of allows things to be less predictable as well. Like, the guy who inspired Josuke's hair didn't have any real significance, the girl who's traveling with the group for a while in Stardust Crusaders goes away and never comes back, and Fugo leaves the group and the story and never reappears. The only one that kind of bugs me is that we never get anything explanation or details on Joseph apparently just straight up having an affair, which caught me off guard and struck me as more a way to shove Josuke into the line while not jumping too far in the timeline.
It also does speak a lot for the series that I have a hard time deciding which part is my favorite, as they all seem to excel in one area or another. Like, even though part 5 is the one I can most easily rule out (noting that 8 is still in progress and 1+2 are a bit of a different thing), I'd say it probably still had my favorite secondary cast in addition to a ton of great fights. I will say that it's a bit of a shame that, for me, the final fights for parts 4 and 5 felt like they each dropped the ball in their own way. Like Yoshikage was a really neat villain... except when he was actively getting fought. Sheer Heart Attack was okay but didn't really use his cunning or personality at all (though it had an amazing aftermath). And then Bites the Dust was just an ability that set him up to fail. I kept expecting him to have some kind of clever traps or something that really tied together his ability and personality into an awesome final showdown, but instead... he just kind of turned Killer Queen into Krang by jamming in Stray Cat, and the result honestly felt weaker than either of those Stands separately. And then part 5 had some awesome setup, only to kind of just deus ex machina it at the end.
In the end I think it's a toss up between Stone Ocean and SBR for my favorite, with SBR probably winning out just because I feel like a few of the fights in Stone Ocean were not the greatest (wasn't feeling the whole feng shui assassination thing too much, for one). Though I feel part 4 could've totally taken it for me if it stuck the ending better, and Josuke's definitely my favorite Jojo.
So yeah, there's a lot more to say, but honestly the series is a ton of fun and I look forward to picking more and more up as it continues to come out. There really is something special about it. Like, even with Stand powers that are virtually identical in ability, Araki manages to make the fights feel completely different. And each part really manages to grab its own unique feel, which is something it feels like he's only been getting better at over the years.
One last random question for now though: are any of the spin-off materials worth looking into? Like, I know there's at least some Rohan stuff, amongst other things? I'd definitely be willing to pick up some supplementary Jojo's stuff if any of it is worth bothering with.
the very start of the thing with the beetles
Anyway, I recently finished catching up (more or less) on the series, having started like last fall. Also, apologies if I slip up on any names/terms, as I read the entire thing in Japanese and don't necessarily know how all the names are supposed to be romanized (which mostly isn't an issue, but I know at least a few names from part 5 caught me off guard when I looked it up, to give an example).
So yeah, some random thoughts/questions/comments. The big one first: It's obviously still super enjoyable (which goes for most anything I "complain" about here), but does the final Pucci fight at the end of Stone Ocean make any sense? Like, just trying to logic out what's sped up and what isn't is kind of weird in and of itself. But even then, how is it that Emporio is the only person other than Pucci who makes it into the next universe (ignoring that yeah, the other actual characters died), just because he ran away at that last moment? Also, if Pucci is acting in real time which is what causes him to go super fast in comparison... shouldn't he not make it to the next universe thanks to aging? It still works to read through, but it feels like it really falls apart if you try to make sense of it.
I also do want to say it's kind of interesting the way plot threads can just kind of amount to nothing of significance. It could be seen as bad, but it also kind of allows things to be less predictable as well. Like, the guy who inspired Josuke's hair didn't have any real significance, the girl who's traveling with the group for a while in Stardust Crusaders goes away and never comes back, and Fugo leaves the group and the story and never reappears. The only one that kind of bugs me is that we never get anything explanation or details on Joseph apparently just straight up having an affair, which caught me off guard and struck me as more a way to shove Josuke into the line while not jumping too far in the timeline.
It also does speak a lot for the series that I have a hard time deciding which part is my favorite, as they all seem to excel in one area or another. Like, even though part 5 is the one I can most easily rule out (noting that 8 is still in progress and 1+2 are a bit of a different thing), I'd say it probably still had my favorite secondary cast in addition to a ton of great fights. I will say that it's a bit of a shame that, for me, the final fights for parts 4 and 5 felt like they each dropped the ball in their own way. Like Yoshikage was a really neat villain... except when he was actively getting fought. Sheer Heart Attack was okay but didn't really use his cunning or personality at all (though it had an amazing aftermath). And then Bites the Dust was just an ability that set him up to fail. I kept expecting him to have some kind of clever traps or something that really tied together his ability and personality into an awesome final showdown, but instead... he just kind of turned Killer Queen into Krang by jamming in Stray Cat, and the result honestly felt weaker than either of those Stands separately. And then part 5 had some awesome setup, only to kind of just deus ex machina it at the end.
In the end I think it's a toss up between Stone Ocean and SBR for my favorite, with SBR probably winning out just because I feel like a few of the fights in Stone Ocean were not the greatest (wasn't feeling the whole feng shui assassination thing too much, for one). Though I feel part 4 could've totally taken it for me if it stuck the ending better, and Josuke's definitely my favorite Jojo.
So yeah, there's a lot more to say, but honestly the series is a ton of fun and I look forward to picking more and more up as it continues to come out. There really is something special about it. Like, even with Stand powers that are virtually identical in ability, Araki manages to make the fights feel completely different. And each part really manages to grab its own unique feel, which is something it feels like he's only been getting better at over the years.
One last random question for now though: are any of the spin-off materials worth looking into? Like, I know there's at least some Rohan stuff, amongst other things? I'd definitely be willing to pick up some supplementary Jojo's stuff if any of it is worth bothering with.
