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So I had taken a break from reading Jojolion about five years ago. Only just now realized it was finished when talking about the Stone Ocean anime opening with a friend. This afternoon I read five years worth of Jojolion and it was fantastic, but holy poo poo you guys must have suffered monthly. The final battle was nice as one bizarre episode, but that thing was published over three god drat years. I can't even imagine. I read a fair bit of this thread too, and it seems people are pretty down on the part, but I think it was fantastic. It had an incredibly strong thematic feel. Reading it all at once it's striking just how often fights and plots revolve around uncomfortable social situations, social obligations (being productive vs being happy), and money. The exact cost of things is brought up over and over again in a way that became pretty striking once you noticed it. Some folks have mentioned that this is a kind of unsuccessful mystery plot, but that's not Jojolion at its core- it's a very Jojo take on social fear and anxiety. The mystery plays into that, as do all the relations between the various characters, and especially all the fight gimmicks. I can't think of a single fight that's really about physical abilities rather than horror and anxiety. Even if some plot details fell apart, there was a very solid focus on evoking a certain feeling. Even the final fight- it was incredibly was frustrating and indirect. Trying to make any sort of progress consistently just blew up in your face, as a supernatural rule. It was a fight against depression. And in terms of plot, it wasn't to save the world from supernatural domination or anything, it was basically just a fight to preserve egalitarian healthcare. Compare this to Steel Ball Run, which is a fantastic adventure story set in the huge exotic expanse of historical America. The contrast between the linear race across a continent, and the directionless mystery in one Japanese town is great. It's also the exact same contrast that made part 4 my favorite out of the first 6. Going from part 3's journey across the world to stop a megalomaniacal vampire, to some kids chilling in a Japanese town, eventually fighting a guy who just wants to be left alone (to kill people and romance their severed hands). It's all Jojo, and the contrast is definitely the strength of the whole series. Araki may not have kept hold of the plot in the way some people wanted, but he absolutely nailed the themes. Even things like the constant sexual peril that Yasho keeps finding herself in, which would ordinarily feel kind of gross and excessive to me, felt like it was thematically appropriate. Everything was about violation and anxiety. It's a great contrast to the rest of the series, and I'm glad Araki can keep putting out thematically coherent stories that still have that fever-dream quality that defines all of Jojo. I'm really looking forward to checking out what comes next in another four or five years. Hopefully he doesn't run into the same issues that parts 5 and 6 had. I feel like he never recaptured the focus of part 4, and just more part 3 style adventures were kind of unsatisfying, until he buckled down and started over with a solid adventure for Steel Ball Run.
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Nov 29, 2021 05:53
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 16:45 |
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Johnny Joestar posted:speaking as a trans person i think dragona is cool as gently caress That said I think this might actually be a fair interpretation: No Dignity posted:This is my 'big bro' Dragona, he's takes this cosmetic injection called 'estrogen valerate' but I don't really know what that's all about In any case Dragona is indeed awesome. I kind of wish the whole manga didn't open on some incredibly gross sexual assault. But at least the cops got super hosed up right after. And I think it is at least helping to set the theme of the manga that appears to be about power and social standing.
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Feb 16, 2023 20:33
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Man, this is such a strong start to a Jojo part. I love these characters already. Jodio is fanboying out at meeting Rohan, but he ends it by saying, "still, he's a rich guy on vacation" with an implied 'so gently caress this guy'. Doesn't matter if he's Jodio's personal hero, gently caress the rich. I laughed out loud at the bit where Dragona explains why it's a bad idea to steal anything but the diamond and we turn the page to find Paco and Usagi with packs full of valuables and dismayed looks on their faces. Usagi just cutting open that painting like an idiot, and Paco pocketing a stack of cash anyway was a good followup. And of course Usagi helpfully defining all the terms without actually understanding anything was great. I love these dumb kids. The ensemble cast is very strong already. I hope the random stand using cat eventually joins them. Their team could use an animal companion.
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Apr 18, 2023 18:24
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Bisse posted:There really is just nothing to discuss, he looks female but he and everyone else refer to him as Him, so there is just literally zero room for ambiguity or discussion, even the usual antitrans trolls aren't even bothering with this non-battle.
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Feb 8, 2024 16:03
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CodfishCartographer posted:Eh I mean, there ARE times where gender can be specified in Japanese, and we've had a good number of chapters by now. I'd be curious to see if their gender has been mentioned elsewhere in the original Japanese aside from the first chapter's "brother" or not. Bisse posted:So the one time his gender was ever mentioned it was Male, wow that sounds really ambiguous, thanks for deepening the mystery. I didn't even say it was ambiguous in my post. I just called out the translator-added pronouns as not being evidence like you claimed.
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Feb 8, 2024 16:24
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 16:45 |
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It's bad and uncomfortable whether the vulnerable people being menaced are cis or trans or anything in between. It's not new and I wouldn't expect anything else, but it's still super uncomfortable, and it hits a lot worse the closer you are to the victimized character. I know I hated reading it in this last chapter. I will say, I think Dragona is awesome, and Jodio's use of violence is cathartic and it's an effective story being told. It's also more than I wanted to see, and I agree with others who are saying that.
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Mar 22, 2024 19:35
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