JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 6: Stone Ocean
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean

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Jojo's Bizarre Adventure stands, in my opinion, as the greatest manga I've had the pleasure of experiencing. Stone Ocean is its conclusion in the original continuity as well as in the Shōnen Jump magazine and for the shōnen demographic. It might feel strange to consider, as the battle shōnen genre is so integral to Jojo's, but Stone Ocean presents a shift so profound that it arguably transcends the genre, growing far too complex for the audience of its original publication.

Whether this transition was well done or not is hard to say, but this is where Jojo's truly begins to surpass its initial form. However, it ... is undeniable that the constraints of being serialized in a shōnen magazine somewhat weaken it, limiting its potential in significant ways.

With that said, let’s delve into what Stone Ocean is about and the themes it explores. We'll also discuss whether the beginning is misleading, how effectively it tackles its thematic elements, and how it compares to other parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, as well as its anime adaptation.

So, what is this show about?

Each part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure revolves around a central theme: a love for humanity, often tied to the concept of karma—how actions shape fate, family, and community. While each part introduces its own thematic elements, they all fit within this overarching framework. Stardust Crusaders concludes the first trilogy by focusing on the idea of heroism.

The second trilogy, which concludes with Stone Ocean, takes the concept of heroism for granted and expands on a new aspect of the human experience: karma. Part 4, Diamond is Unbreakable, shows the rippling effects of our actions within a community, while Part 5, Golden Wind, explores how community influences the individual. Stone Ocean brings this exploration to a close, focusing on how fate shapes our lives and how we, as the heroes of our own stories, should confront it.

First things later, let’s talk art direction.

Araki’s artistic brilliance is on full display in Stone Ocean. The protagonist’s stand, Stone Free, opens up a world of creative possibilities. With 10 years of experience and three completed parts, Araki is more confident than ever in his use of stands, both thematically and visually. Stands allow each character to have both an external design and an inner, symbolic self, which adds layers to the art and the storytelling.

This results in some of the most stunning and imaginative compositions in the series so far. The complex, surreal battles are a testament to Araki’s creativity, and with the growth of his artistic skills, the visuals are nothing short of breathtaking.

So, how does it start?

The start is solid. Jolyne Cujoh, the new protagonist, is instantly compelling, managing to capture our attention without needing previous characters to pass the torch. The prison setting is unique and intriguing, and the introduction of stands feels fresh, despite the familiarity of the concept.

However, the prison setting is a bit misleading. While it’s crucial to the plot and themes, it doesn’t affect the characters' day-to-day battles as much as one might expect. In reality, the characters could likely escape at almost any time if they truly wanted to, so the limitations of being imprisoned aren’t deeply felt during most of the narrative.

Regarding the anime adaptation, I prefer the manga, and I think that’s all that needs to be said. The final opening is a beautifully crafted homage to the series and still gives me chills. However, as much as the anime excels at adapting the story, Jojo's truly feels made for the manga medium. Even though the adaptation is mostly well done, it simply can’t reach the heights of the original manga, in my opinion.

What about the characters?

The characters in Jojo's Bizarre Adventure are often hidden gems, bringing a sense of realism and depth that many might not initially notice. They come and go in the narrative, sometimes without fully completing their arcs, leaving the impression that they’re part of a larger, unseen world. This lends an authenticity to Araki’s storytelling, as though he’s recounting a real tale where people enter and exit at their own pace.

Stands enhance this, offering a glimpse into both the inner and outer selves of the characters. Stand battles, particularly in Stone Ocean, are more like puzzles that reveal the characters' deeper complexities rather than simple fights. This dynamic reaches its peak with Jolyne. Her growth in confidence and capability is masterfully woven into the story and battles. While we’ve seen stand evolution before, such as Jotaro’s Star Platinum or Koichi’s Echoes, Jolyne’s development feels seamless, and it stands as one of the best examples of how character progression can be integrated into the action.

What about the story itself?

Like previous parts, Stone Ocean follows an episodic structure, though it's tighter than Part 3 (Stardust Crusaders) and Part 5 (Golden Wind). Each villain serves a purpose, contributing to both the plot and the thematic exploration of fate and karma. However, the complexity ramps up, both in the stands that Jolyne and her allies face and in the overarching plot.

The main antagonist, is fascinating, and his philosophy is a highlight. But his plan is convoluted and can be alienating for some readers. The intricate nature of his scheme, while philosophically rich, makes the story harder to follow without careful attention or repeat readings.

Then, what did I think of it as a whole?

Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is very effective in blending its philosophical musings with complex battles in a way that sometimes obscures the core messages. While this depth is what makes Jojo's a masterpiece, it works against the series here, as much of the plot is so convoluted that it can be difficult to follow without multiple viewings or external research.

While this complexity is a strength for some, it weakens the experience for others, particularly those encountering Stone Ocean through weekly serialization. The earlier chapters don’t effectively hint at the layers of meaning required to understand the ending, making it a work that almost demands a second reading to fully grasp.

Despite these challenges, Stone Ocean is a phenomenal work for those willing to engage with its depth. Even for those who don’t catch every philosophical nuance, it remains a visually stunning, character-rich experience with some of the best moments in the series. It’s a great work, even if its complexity can alienate some readers.

(Clarification: My actual score is 9, but my critical evaluation is lower for factors previously mentioned)

THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!

Stone ocean is in my opinion by far the worst JJBA part. This is because I expected a well made story, but instead I got non-stop action. I literally mean non-stop action. During the entire part(except for some chapter focusing on DIO) characters do nothing but fight. I also consider fights in this part to be the worst fights in all of JoJo. They were boring and almost never advanced the story. Main cast was good with fun characters. I liked the protagonist Jolyne Cujoh the most, but other characters were also interesting. Unfortunately, they don't get much spotlight. Antagonist ... was also not very interesting, as he doesn't have his own goal and relies on luck way too much. Good thing about this part is that it felt most ,,JoJo'' of all JoJo parts because it is very bizarre. If you want to read this manga I recommend reading it in colours because without them it is very confusing.

SUMMARY:
+bizarreness
+Jolyne is a great protagonist

-too much fights which don't advance the story
-too much spotlight is put on Jolyne

There are more reasons on why this is my least favourite JoJo part, but I cannot say them because of spoilers.
My score:53%

This review will contain spoilers

If I were to describe Stone Ocean in one word, that would be confused. To be more precise than one word, Stone Ocean feels like it doesn't know where it is going and what it wants while being forced to move in a direction. Though I may have given it a 2, I still found it to be worth reading, as I have finished it. But what good will I have towards this part is showered in complaints and confusion that made the whole 3 days journey I took reading this a very rocky road. But I can't be this vague, ... so I'm gonna try and compile my thoughts into something digestible, and maybe people that disagree with my stance can at least come to an understanding of my viewpoint.

So to start, I feel a story is based in the strength of it's characters. That doesn't mean that a good story needs good characters, but that is the lens of which the narrative is told. The triumph of Giorno in part 5 was only special because we saw all the hardship Buccellati's gang had to go through, as well as the connection made between them along the way. So in my opinion, the cast of Stone Ocean is really bad. Jolyne and friends don't really get to know each other, as much as they are around each other. Hermes is just a girl, and she killed Sports Max so thats the end of that development. I can't name a single thing unique to Emporio as a character other than that he is a child with the ghost room stand. Weather Report is kind of neat with his connection to Pucci and all. Annasui is just a simp for Jolyne, which is more interesting than Emporio and Hermes. Jolyne is not a good MC, as her motivation is very poorly defined, and she just left very little impression on me. The best character in part 6 is probably F.F., a microorganism gaining life and expanding her understanding of the world past Pucci's role for her was really cool, and her death is something I wished happened a little bit later so we would get more time to flesh her out. Jotaro is gone for almost the entire part which sucks, but I guess he's too OP. And Pucci is uh... ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Pucci sucks ass, in both implementation and execution. First he relies on Dio for motivation, which make it the second time Dio is used in some form in the big bad of the series. Now I could be biased in the fact that I have Stardust Crusaders and Phantom Blood as my least favorite JoJo parts, but even if I were to ignore that, it just makes Pucci boring. Diavolo and Kira were both interesting antagonists that challenged the protagonists in an interesting thematic way, which is something I cannot say for Pucci. Secondly, his whole plan is never clear until literally the last fucking chapter. So it starts with Jotaro's stand disc to find what was in Dio diary, then it changes to the green baby, which then becomes going to this Nasa place where gravity gets all weird, and then he resets the universe. It's all handled so messily as plot point sorta just converge until all our main guys are near Pucci and then they fight and its not earned in the slightest. Third, Dio's children are dumb and stupid. I don't think I need to explain this one, but even if you could, I just don't like them. In general, I feel the encounters with Pucci don't have any weight to them like the villain encounters did in other parts. Kira was hidden amongst the crowd of Morioh, keeping everyone alert after his reveal. Diavolo was known to be in the colosseum during Chariot Requiem. Pucci is just in the prison wandering around, theres no weight to his encounters, they just sorta happen, except during the fight with F.F.'s death which was actually pretty decent.

Speaking of which, the prison setting is just way too restrictive. I feel bribing guards and whatever can only happen so many times that your suspension of disbelief is going to be broken at some point. Like in any of the fights, were they at least caught on camera doing shit like jumping around in antigravity, or executing someone by throwing a baseball at them 1000 times, or when survivor turned the whole ultra security section into a battle royale. And the tight corridors is just too controlling when it comes to spacing and really hampers the grasp on any particular enemy.

I feel most of the fights suck in part 6, because it sorta has the part 3 problem of sorta just ending when our heroes find one solution to the problem, instead of having momentum swing back and forth like parts 2 and 5. I liked the ending that was neat, and uh thats it.

I think though the the one reason i was able to stick it out to the end though was the fact that it is JoJos. And not that it's part of a pre-existing saga, more of that it looks and feels like the parts of old. The body horror is absolutely fantastic, the stands are neat, the character designs are gorgeous. It's Jojo, through and through, and thats why I can't give it a 1, because it's still worth reading if you're into Jojo. But yeah I hope this was helpful see yah.