JoJo is the kind of series that draws in more interest than readers. The premise of a bizarre, and heart pounding battle manga, that focuses more on tactics rather than plowing through grabs the attention of many, but at the same time, they're drawn away by the sheer length of it all. With eight parts, each long enough to be there own manga, is the tale of the Joestars one worth your time?
The big problem with JoJo is that it's all kind of a mess, at times. Araki's not afraid to experiment with his story, which is both its biggest strength, and largest failing; at times, the story presents many questions, and elements; half of which are neglected, as the series continues. A simple question, like, say, "How did Dio get inside the Coffin, when Erina was in the same one" seems a bit nitpicky at first, but it's hard to not let that small detail fester in your head. The fights, as amazingly fun as they are, can also get a bit hard to follow; the string of gambits that you come to expect from each fight sometimes gets tied up, in a hard-to-unravel knot, and you'll be re-reading whole mini-arcs, just to understand what the hell went on. With all this, what reason is there to follow JoJo?
The answer's simple, really; it's an absolute blast, all the way through. Araki's willingness to experiment is as much of a flaw, as it is a strength; it gives the series a unique feel that can't be found anywhere else, and it's just great read each part, to see how much things have changed. This also gives each part its own flavor; all of them being able to stand as great, unique stories in their own right. No matter how much the artstyle, the characters, or even the mainstay power changes, the core of the series manages to stay the same; pushing each character's will, wits, their abilities, and your suspension of disbelief to the damn limit.
Convoluted as they might get, a lot of the fights are nonetheless clever, fast paced and, well, bizarre. Even in the first parts, Jojo gets to show you everything a mystic martial arts based on breathing can do; ranging from leaf-gliders, to killer clackers, to killer bubbles. With the introduction of stands, however, things get even more crazy, as the only limit to the diversity of powers is the imagination of the author.
A review of the series as a whole: Part I
JoJo is the kind of series that draws in more interest than readers. The premise of a bizarre, and heart pounding battle manga, that focuses more on tactics rather than plowing through grabs the attention of many, but at the same time, they're drawn away by the sheer length of it all. With eight parts, each long enough to be there own manga, is the tale of the Joestars one worth your time?
The big problem with JoJo is that it's all kind of a mess, at times. Araki's not afraid to experiment with his story, which is both its biggest strength, and largest failing; at times, the story presents many questions, and elements; half of which are neglected, as the series continues. A simple question, like, say, "How did Dio get inside the Coffin, when Erina was in the same one" seems a bit nitpicky at first, but it's hard to not let that small detail fester in your head. The fights, as amazingly fun as they are, can also get a bit hard to follow; the string of gambits that you come to expect from each fight sometimes gets tied up, in a hard-to-unravel knot, and you'll be re-reading whole mini-arcs, just to understand what the hell went on. With all this, what reason is there to follow JoJo?
The answer's simple, really; it's an absolute blast, all the way through. Araki's willingness to experiment is as much of a flaw, as it is a strength; it gives the series a unique feel that can't be found anywhere else, and it's just great read each part, to see how much things have changed. This also gives each part its own flavor; all of them being able to stand as great, unique stories in their own right. No matter how much the artstyle, the characters, or even the mainstay power changes, the core of the series manages to stay the same; pushing each character's will, wits, their abilities, and your suspension of disbelief to the damn limit.
Convoluted as they might get, a lot of the fights are nonetheless clever, fast paced and, well, bizarre. Even in the first parts, Jojo gets to show you everything a mystic martial arts based on breathing can do; ranging from leaf-gliders, to killer clackers, to killer bubbles. With the introduction of stands, however, things get even more crazy, as the only limit to the diversity of powers is the imagination of the author.
To be continued in Part II