You can no longer escape it. Since the release of the Phantom Blood and Battle Tendency anime, JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has broken free from the black hole of niche series from the Land of the Rising Sun after decades and has shown no signs of slowing down in popularity.
Currently, Hirohiko Araki's manga has progressed much further, and we can now happily say that the ninth part has started in Shonen Jump! The JOJOLands are here!
We find ourselves in Hawai'i, where we follow the current JoJo of this series, Jodio Joestar, on his journey to amass great wealth. The Stands are still present and once again showcase Araki’s creativity with interesting and eccentric powers.
We also see how JoJo's Bizarre Adventure sets itself apart from other manga series, not only through Araki’s museum-worthy style but also through the setting and characters. As mentioned earlier, this series takes place in Hawaii, specifically the island of O'ahu, not a location you often see in popular media. And then there are the eccentric characters, like Jodio’s brother Dragona. For some, this name might seem quite on the nose since Dragona does not present as male. Currently, Dragona is also known as Jodio’s ‘older brother,’ so further information about their gender is not yet known, and whether Dragona identifies as male or is transitioning to female remains to be seen.
At the moment, the vibe of The JOJOLands feels more like Vento Aureo, which I think many will appreciate. Each part since the second continuity has had its overarching theme: the Fibonacci spiral and perfect rotations in Steel Ball Run, equivalent exchange in JoJolion, and now it seems to be about ‘mechanics’ and causality.
In any case, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing how this develops!
