With JoJo Part 9 on the way, this is a perfect opportunity to talk a little more about JoJo this week. I mentioned Part 8 quite a bit in my recent article so I decided to go with this for this week’s manga recommendation. I have to warn you though, JoJolion is really weird. Like weird is probably an understatement. But, if you are into weird stuff and know how Araki does things, I am pretty sure you will like this manga.
So welcome back to another edition of our manga recommendation series! This week we are talking about JoJo Part 8: JoJolion. Don’t worry, you can read this part even if you haven’t checked out Part 7 or earlier parts. Yes, it won’t connect as much but you can read it that way. There is a lot to talk about so let’s get started.
Introduction
JoJolion is the eighth part of JoJo’s Bizzare Adventure manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was serialized monthly in Shueisha’s Ultra Jump from May 2011 to August 2021. It is 27 volumes or 110 chapters long, now awfully long for a monthly series. Of course, it is preceded by Part 7:Steel Ball Run, and will be soon followed by Part 9: The JoJoLands.
Plot
JoJolion follows Higashikata Josuke, the parallel universe version who was originally named something else (SPOILER territory, not saying it). The story basically follows Josuke as he tries to recover from his amnesia. You see, he was basically adapted into the Higashikata household by Higashikata Noriosuke and his son. After a series of Stand battles and some shady stuff, Josuke finally begins to uncover his past.
So the plot is pretty cool. I mean “cool” by JoJo standards. Aside from Part 6, JoJo plots aren’t really that complicated but this one is. There is a lot going on in JoJolion and a lot of the stuff isn’t really apparent on the first read. And of course, it has the signature JoJo weirdness in the mix. Part 8 8 is definitely the weirdest JoJo part so far.
Characters
Josuke is a pretty interesting character. His background is basically the groundwork of the entire story. I may not like him as much as say, Johny but he is a really well-written character regardless. Johny Does make an appearance in JoJolion by the way. Now, Kira Yoshikage… I like part 4 Kira more but once again, this one is a totally different character. So it’s an unfair comparison. He’s a pretty good character too and really important to the story.
Art
I mean, what do I even say? It’s JoJo, it’s Hirohiko Araki. You should know by now how he does things. His art is rather divisive. Definitely not for everyone. I feel like it really embraces the strange nature of JoJo well so I really do like his art. Not to mention, Araki has really gotten better at proportions and shading over time. So if you have a tolerance for JoJo’s art style, you’ll be good.
Why should you read JoJolion?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this manga:
- Awesome plot
- Really weird
- Good characters
- Good art
Check out the manga on Amazon!!
Conclusion
Well, that is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. While JoJolion may not be my personal favorite, I still think it’s up there. Well, that is all for now. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!
