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Spotlight Manga: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run



MAL Manga Information Page: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run


MAL Score – 8.49 (by 694 users)
Ranked - #135
Popularity - #1236

For the next week I would like to have a discussion about the manga that focuses on the key elements that we here on MAL use to critically rate a manga: Art, Characters, Story, and Enjoyment.

I would like everyone to approach this thread as if you were going to write a review and structure your initial post like this:


Art - insert rating
Characters - insert rating
Story - insert rating
Enjoyment - insert rating

Art - discuss any pros and cons of the art styling used in the series, try to include some specifics.

Character - describe any of the things you liked or didn't care for in regards to specific characters in the series

etc...


If you are having trouble writing up a review or coming up with specific pros and cons, please don't worry. Just do the best you can with it and if you can only write two or three sentences about any of the 4 elements then that's OK. Not everyone here is currently at a level which will allow them to articulate their thoughts and opinions.

After your initial post is made you can feel free to civilly discuss issues of contention. I am sure there will be many opinions expressed here that some of us will disagree upon and criticise and it is for that reason that this entire club exists. So I hope everyone has fun and I am really looking forward to seeing how this discussion will develop.




RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run was NOT inducted into the club Manga list but is eligible for renewed nomination:
10 Yes - 100.0%
0 No - 0.0%

69 Don't know this manga - 87.3% of the total number polled
0 Abstained - 0.0% of the total number polled

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

RESULTS OF THE YOU DECIDE POLL

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run was NOT inducted into the club Manga list but is eligible for renewed nomination:
8 Yes - 100.0%
0 No - 0.0%

62 I don't know this manga - 88.5% of the total number polled
0 Abstained - 0.0% of the total number polled

As big of a JJBA fanboy as I am, I have to admit that by Stone Ocean, the whole "stand-of-the-week" formula was getting stale. Stands are, of course, absolutely fantastic, but in the earlier half of Stone Ocean they had gotten repetitive, or simply dull. Though they pulled through in the latter half with the craziest, most high-concept stands of any JJBA arc, a change obviously needed to happen.

And so it did.

Steel Ball Run is such a massive departure from JoJo as we know it that, were it not for the naming gimmicks (and some carried-over characters from the previous 6 arcs), you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a completely new series at first. Though every arc of JJBA has reinvented itself through the means of adding a different genre to it's formula, in the beginning of SBR it's the opposite way around in that the JJBA formula gradually works it's way into the Western setting.

The story of Steel Ball Run is by far the most ambitious of any JoJo arc to date... except maybe JoJolion, which looks plenty ambitious, but how far it will go remains to be seen. It isn't saying that much, since most of the stories prior to this were simply "here is your goal, here's a whole bunch of stand users between you and it, do stuff". But it really does give it the edge missing from the last few arcs. While it does keep an end in sight, with the titular Steel Ball Run being the main goal, but it also has the subplot of the corpse parts and the presidential conspiracy.

The only place where this really falls behind compared to other JoJo arcs is the fights. The stands aren't bad by any stretch of the imagination (well, most of them... Tusk's first couple of forms are easily the worst stand any JoJo has had), there aren't that many memorable ones outside the main cast. They make up for this several times over, however, by the story and/or backstory involved. In previous arcs, most stand battles presented a bump in the road, but here, each one presents a fork. Each battle has an opportunity to actually affect the story. This is a big chunk of why the story is so much better in this arc than in most others. Especially in fights when the characters backstories become involved. I'm just going to quote what whitew123 said on my forum on the subject, because I really don't think I can put it any better (he'll probably post said writeup soon):



And a good chunk of the reason why the backstories in this are so impressive is the characters behind them. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has had numerous great characters (and considering it's cast contains hundreds of characters, it had damn well better). But Steel Ball Run's cast is even stronger than most previous arcs. SBR is an alternate universe, and all the characters here are alternate-universe counterparts to characters from the first 3 arcs... some quite directly, as Johnny is to Jonathan, some are multiple characters grouped together, as Gyro is to both the Zeppelis in parts 1 and 2, and some are only in role, as Mountain Tim is to Speedwagon and Funny Valentine is to Cars (before anyone says anything, Magenta-Magenta was Anubis, not Cars). But impressively, they ALL outstrip their counterparts (OK, except maybe Mountain Tim).

Jonathan was always one of the least interesting JoJos, and early on, Johnny seems to follow suit. Thankfully, though, the dual protagonist thing unique to this arc fixes that problem, as Gyro is a great character from day one and only ever gets better. Even more than that, the character interactions between the hammy and goofy Gyro and the dry, sardonic Johnny make up for anything Johnny lacks at the beginning. As time goes on, though, we discover what makes Johnny tick, how he lost the use of his legs, and what he has against Diego... and in the process, Johny becomes a much more interesting character and one of the best JoJos. Dio was always a fun character and a fan-favourite, but also quite one-dimensionally evil, and more "entertaining" than "good". Diego has the same kind of personality in some ways, but is more likeable due to A: his backstory, which, albeit stolen from Dororo, is a better Freudian excuse than "my dad was an asshole", and B: his willingness to get his hands dirty rather than sending wave after wave of people at Jonathan/Jotaro. The biggest improvement here is probably Funny Valentine. Cars was always one of the least interesting JoJo villains. Funny Valentine, on the other hand, is a menacing, unreadable mask of smug charisma. He is utterly unsettling, simply because you can never tell how much he means of what he actually says. And unlike Cars, he has a sense of honour and pride, as best exemplified by his promise to Lucy Steel. One he keeps, of course, but not quite on the terms she would have liked. To make him even more imposing, he is one of the most overpowered Stand users ever, especially in the brilliant twist of how he turns a near foolproof defensive stand into an offensive one.

An interesting note about Funny Valentine, though, is that he has perhaps the purest motive of any JoJo villain.. it's only his methods that make him villainous. His ideal of patriotism is what drives him, in an attempt to serve the nation as his father did. In doing so, he is arguably more justifiable than Johnny, who originally just wanted the corpse parts for his own needs.

The only underwhelming main cast members are Hot Pants and Lucy Steel, but neither one is a problem either. Hot Pants' backstory makes her a decent character when it comes up, but she doesn't have much presence otherwise. Lucy Steel is likeable but not too memorable... this is compensated for whenever she takes action against forces much greater than herself, though. Several of the best scenes involve her, and she isn't even a stand user. She wins points for being that ballsy in of itself.

In terms of the art... even when it was a weekly series, JJBA's art was impressive. But after the step up to monthly it completely shot through the roof. The artwork in JJBA7 is gorgeous. And as always. Araki is extremely skilled at panel composition.

If you haven't already gotten the message, Steel Ball Run was exactly what JJBA needed, and it was pulled off excellently. I have but a few nitpicks with it... Sandman was kind of a wasted character, and while reading it on a chapter to chapter basis, the final battle with Valentine got a bit hard to follow. But that's really about it. JJBA7 is exemplary among JJBA, exemplary among shonen manga, and exemplary among manga in general. Easy yes.

Well said, Lindle.

To me, SBR isn't just the best JJBA part. Even on its own, I found it to be a genuinely fantastic manga. Araki once said in his interview that JJBA is about celebrating the "spirit of humanity" and that he wanted to create stories where both protagonists and antagonists persevere in their own ideals, giving their all in striving out to achieve them. Now, one may think that that's not really a big deal of a concept, since that's like the common themes of most shounen manga - hell, Shounen Jump even has "Friendship, Effort and Victory" as its signature phrase. SBR stuck to the theme, but just as how the series has become a seinen manga, so has the story too matured and developed. This is most prominent in the bonds formed between Gyro and Johnny, the way Araki gradually developed their relationship through seemingly trivial dialogues and actions really does well in establishing how close they by the end of the journey.

Another thing that struck me was of course none other than Johnny Joestar himself. Often, we're presented with a protagonist who is either special or just some normal dude who got into an extraordinary plight. Johnny is more than just that; I won't spoil too much, but all I can say is that SBR is in fact a journey of redemption for this broken pedestal.

Last of all, are the villains, which is another prominent aspect of the series. They aren't there just for the sake of the conflict. From a literary point of view, they exist to help the protagonists grow along their journey - for example, Ringo Roadagain often comes up as an example in shaping of Gyro's resolve and so on.

Kickass adventures in the wild wild west, epic horse races, memorable characters and of course bizarre fight scenes. SBR is definitely a favourtie of mine.