JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 8: JoJolion

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Jojolion is probably going to go down as the most controversial part of Jojo. It has the most complex part of Jojo by far and therefore has the most missteps of any part by far. There are quite a few plot points that are "dropped" throughout the story of the part and while some people won't mind that, some will.

There are also some other story decisions, espcially in the later half, that are GOING to be a deal breaker for some people.

Not only that, but it was also the first jojo part that was released monthly with the western audience so there was a ... HEAVY level of scrutiny and theorizing throughout the parts run which warped people's view of the part when things went the way they did.

AND THEN it also came after the inarguable most loved and praised part of Jojo in the west, part 7. So going into it expectations were super high.

I personally think the good outweighs the bad but that is only if you have a certain mindset going into Jojolion.

Jojolion is a story about identity and purpose through the eyes of the main character, Josuke. It's his story. If you buy into his story and journey, and look at the entire part in this way, I think you will like Jojolion.

Jojolion has some of THE HIGHEST highs in the entire series while also having some of the biggest, inarguable, flops, and I say this as a 100% jojolion and Jojo apologist. That's why it feels so much worse for some people when the things that have been problems throughout the series rear their head in the worst possible way in this part of Jojo, even though nothing about araki's writing style has changed.

It's a 10/10 at what it tries to do but if you were expecting something else it will feel much worse.

(this is a quick review, I didn't really feel like going into huge detail about every point I make)

Honestly, the part isn't that bad, it's just the fandom that really gets to me. I hate how everyone who has read this part seems to think that this is the best part ever. This part is very bland, it takes out all of the life that Morioh had in part 4. It tried to do what part 5 did with its main villain, except instead of it being some big important figure it was just some guy. All of the side characters were extremely unlikable ... besides the dad of the family. The main Jojo is leagues worse than OG part 4s Josuke. The main villain's stand is overhyped to shit. The ending is as cheesy as "It was friendship all along." A good amount of the stands are lame. There are no big "hype" moments that Jojo is well known for, and the one time there is about to be one you are practically cock blocked. The story does not know what it wants to be with a constant change in the mood every chapter. The whole main point of this part was to figure out Josukes main identity which is a decent concept that was executed so unbelievably poorly. You find out about 98% of Josuke's identity in the first 30 chapters or so, and afterward, it's clearly evident that Araki does not know where to go with the story.

Part 8 is the worst part, and even more than that, an awful part, just awful. All the reviews here are extremely positive, of course it's their opinion, but the love for this part is something that i don't get and probably never will. I'm giving this a 1 because that's how i truly feel about this part. I went to this with high expectations because of how amazing part 7 was, and i can't believe that this is the next part, i just can't. The drop in quality is big on this one. I'm really disappointed.

At the start, this part was kinda enjoyable (although ... the story begins with the main character waking up with amnesia which is an annoying plot convenience, it makes the story more intriguing because it's jojo at the end of the day). It started out really weird and kind of unique even for something like jojo. the main protagonist was mysterious and i was really hyped to see where it would go from there. well, it did go, all the the way to trash can. Right after Jousuke was taken in by the Higashikata family, it just got worse and worse. The plot itself felt so forced to start as a "mystery" because when you eventually find out who Jousuke really is, the whole thing about the start being a "mystery" feels so stupid and unnecessary, This is just a trick to make the plot itself look better or smarter, when it's really not. And it is getting worse form there, because now, the element of "mystery" is gone, and the whole plot is so slow and not engaging that i stopped paying attention at certain dialogues. What does it matter, they're about those boring fruits anyway. It doesn't need to be that slow. If you look at the plot as a whole it's really not something that inspired or game changing, it's just another generic plot, and that's crucial here because the plot in this part is more relevant than any other part's plot. One of the two things that can save jojo at this point are the fights of course, that's what jojo is all about after all (except for this part i guess). are they good? no, not really, they're kinda bad, like, really bad. It's just fight after fight, stand after stand, that makes me question my love for jojo. EVERY STAND IN THIS PART IS BAD. HOW?? Every time a new stand is introduced, it's less of a real fight and more of a fight about which stand is trying his hardest to be more boring than the other. And i swear, if there are people who give a pass to that beetle fight...

That's it for the plot. Now, the characters? Like the stands, worst ones in the series so far... forever... we'll see. The protagonist, Jousuke, is the worst jojo ever. I don't get the love for him. His design is kinda boring (except for the hat), he has a boring personality with an awful stand. Like, how do people like his stand? It's literally the most unspecific stand ever which makes it boring as hell. Such an uninspired character. Even after he understands who he is, he's just the same unfunny and empty character as he had always been. Now, the girl that's with him, well, she's just trying her best to be the most irrelevant character in this part. Can't say she failed, good for her.
The Higashikata family are as boring as Jousuke. Every introduction is more pathetic than the other. and the youngest member, don't even know what's the point of her, she's just there. same goes for the other chick. Now, Joubin has a nice design, I like his outfit and those spikes, but then the fight with the beetles came and i was getting kinda scared that he will became another boring character. well, he did. boring personality, boring stand, boring objective (he makes the plot even worse). Every part, even if it was a mediocre one, had at least a couple of good characters. Here? None.

In one word? Boring. This is what this whole part is, and it's a shame because it's coming from someone who considers part 4 and 7 masterpieces. This is a great example of something going in a different direction and failing miserably at that. Araki is more uninspired here than he had ever been. He had always been inconsistent for me, but this is just something else. I love jojo, but this part is probably one of the worst mangas/animes that i have ever read/watched. It's frustrating. I hope the next one will be better, that's all i can say.


and remember guys, this is just my opinion :)