Jorge Joestar

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TL;DR, if you are into modern and bizarre (no pun intended) Japanese detective fiction, READ THIS BOOK. Well, that and if you’ve read parts 1-7 of Jojo. Not everything will make sense because this book isn’t exactly solely a Jojo spinoff, but it’s still a great time. If you are not into weird detective fiction and just into Jojo, read chapter 5 of this book. It’s a really good read that can mostly stand alone, and is sorta like PHF in that accepting it into your personal canon makes the main series better.

Allow me to tell you the story of the no good, very bad ... JoJo novel. And by that I mean the story of a perfectly good novel that leads down a rabbit hole that has consumed almost a year of my life.

It all started when I wanted to read the funny Jojo meme novel. I downloaded it and was shocked at it being nearly 1000 pages. Well, I may as well read it. Everyone says it sucks, I‘ll probably drop it 4 chapters in. Haha... well that clearly didn’t happen. No one told me it was good! Probably because roughly 5 other people have actually read it. Guess I should go over the 5 main points.

Story: 8

Yeah, it’s completely insane. But also technically has no plot holes. Technically. So, here’s the thing about Jorge. You can understand a good chunk of this book off of just Jojo alone...

But it’s actually the final book of a trilogy of sorts. Why aren’t the first 2 books translated? Oh, that’s simple. They aren’t even Jojo related. The books are Tsukumojuku and Disco Wednesdayyy, which do have detailed summaries available at the very least. But wait, it gets more complicated. So Tsukumojuku is actually a spin-off of another universe created by renowned Japanese mystery author Ryusui Seiryoin. I read the summary with no knowledge of his work, which you can do, but it would be better to read some of his work first. But you kinda can’t. Though once again, there are summaries of a good chunk of his books. And also you should skim the Book of Revelations first. Yes, I do mean the one you’re thinking of.

BUT WAIT. THERE’S MORE. You see, the second book of this trilogy, Disco Wednesdayyy, not only expects you to have read Tsukumojuku, but also a ton of author Otaro Maijo’s other works. Mainly his debut novel titled Smoke, Soil, or Sacrifices, another novel titled The World is Made Out of Closed Rooms, and also a novel titled Asura Girl. There are summaries of the first 2, and Asura Girl actually got an English release. I would’ve personally chosen Smoke, Soil, or Sacrifices to bring over, but I digress.

Now that sounds like a lotta work. So perhaps just screw it and start with Jorge. The summaries are written by someone who started with Jorge anyway, so you might as well. And as I said, it’s still pretty coherent if you only have Jojo knowledge.

Anyway, on to the story itself, a lot of people have said it makes no sense and is impossible to follow. I strongly disagree. A lot happens and it will be confusing at times, but Otaro Maijo has a talent for making insanity digestible. While you’ll have a ton of questions about the wider narrative for most of the book, there is always a simple goal to follow. Things like “find out who murdered this man”, “escape from this situation”, or “get to this location”. Considering I was going in missing absolutely everything other than Jojo knowledge, this story made a shocking amount of sense.

Now I have given it an 8 for a few reasons. Firstly, while there’s technically no plot holes, the universe reason there are no plot holes is unsatisfying now and again. Secondly, I just feel like the story starts to fall apart towards the ending. It just feels oddly sudden and rushed. It’s as if Araki broke into Maijo’s office and begged him to stop writing. You know what, I’m just gonna imagine that is what happened.

One last side note before we move on, there are a lotta fake spoilers out there for this book. For example, apparently some people think there’s a part where Pucci gets pregnant? Yeah, that didn’t happen. Maybe the fan translator just cut every sentence referencing that little tidbit, but somehow I doubt it.

Art: 6

The cover art and back cover art are both done by Araki, and look exactly as you would expect from him. Great as always. But when you read the book you’ll notice something odd. There are diagrams now and then, but none of those images of artwork you see people post from time to time. Why is that? Well, you see, Maijo didn’t get Araki to do any more art than the cover for one of 2 reasons, not sure which. Either he wanted to do it himself since he does really seem to like drawing, or he wanted too much. What do I mean by too much? I mean that amount of art he drew for this book was so great that it all had to uploaded on Shueisha’s website instead of included with the book. How many pictures was it?

Around 500.

Yeah, Maijo is legitimately insane. The art itself looks mostly decent, though renditions of Jojo characters like Shigechi... look it up for yourself. It’s positively horrific. Though I do have to give points just for the absolutely ridiculous amount of art he drew. And while his artwork of people and stands isn’t the best, his backgrounds and other objects honestly look pretty good. It does suck that you’ve gotta go out of your way to see it, but I guess I can see why.

Character: 8

Characters in this book are pretty alright. Let’s start with the characters that are either mostly or entirely original. Jorge is a coward who slowly grows into the man we know him to be from his brief appearance in Part 2, and it’s a legitimately great arc to see through. You wanna root for the guy as he overcomes all the insanity and tribulations of his adolescence. Our other protagonist, Joji, is a bit lesser. He’s a perfectly fine character, but he doesn’t get as much development or focus as Jorge. He’s very reactionary. As for other original characters such as Penelope, Steven, and Tsukumojuku, they’re all pretty good. Especially Tsukumojuku, which I guess is what happens when you’ve already had a book of development before this. And when you have a really fun name to say.

Returning characters are also pretty good. Narancia is pretty fun, Pucci is better than ever, Lisa Lisa is great, Ultimate Kars is honestly better than he was in Part 2, etc. There are 2 major standouts to me though. Dio and Erina are amazing in this book, which is mainly showcased in my favorite chapter, chapter 5. You start to see more of Erina’s personality that she had in Part 2. You see her be a legitimate badass a few times, and I really grew a new appreciation for her. The book’s interpretation of Part 1 Dio is also incredible. It really made me see him in a new light. He’s still a complete bastard, but his actions make so much more sense. He’s almost pitiable really.

I’m leaving it at an 8 because there’s no one I would really say is “S tier” though. Maybe Dio, depends on the day you ask me.

Enjoyability: 10

Oh my god this book was so damn fun to read. It really kept me hooked from start to finish. There wasn’t a moment of this book where I didn’t have a blast. Mysteries were fun and compelling, fights were insane and cool, the plot was a total rollercoaster, my god I loved it. It is absolutely the strongest part of this book in my opinion. There’s not much else to say about it other than it was a really good time. The rabbit hole it has led me down has been equally interesting and enjoyable.

Overall: 8

Yeah I really liked this book. Is it perfect? God no. But there really is nothing else like it, and I feel it’s something every Jojo fan should at least try. And for everyone into bizarre modern detective fiction AND Jojo, it’s a must read. Just be prepared for a deep and rather explicit rabbit hole if you wanna go further into Maijo’s works.

If you actually read all of this, wow, I’m impressed. Not really sure how to end this...

Jorge gud.

A good way to describe this book is JoJo's Completely Insane Nightmare Fuel Drug Trip.

It's JJBA if it was written by Araki's mad genius twin brother on crack. 666 pages of complete chaos, Jorge Joestar is an adventure you will never, ever forget.
Evolving from a small town detective story about young boys solving paranormal crimes to an interdimensional, interspacial, intertemporal, interuniversal showdown between two immortal all-powerful beings, this book is *utterly bonkers.*

Story: 6
I could probably spend a month trying to understand the story and not get past chapter 5. The story shifts back and forth between two alternate universes every other chapter, which is ... one of the reasons why it's bound to throw you off. Even though the story is really confusing, it's done on purpose by the author. The bizarreness, and fun factor, of Jorge Joestar comes in large part from its mind-warping and nearly impossible to follow storyline.

As far as pacing goes, it's all over the place. Jorge Joestar is less like a continuous story than a bunch of smaller stories that come together at the end. Don't get me wrong, there is a flow between the chapters and it stays solidly connected to its two protagonists for most of the story. It's just that the story changes so drastically over the course of the novel, crossing genres and switching between characters and perspectives, that it feels like a jigsaw puzzle that the author put together, sometimes gradually and sometimes suddenly, until it reached the climax. There's also tons of minor subplots I could care less about. Overall I feel like the story could've been streamlined and edited to feel more continuous and well-paced, which would've made it a lot easier to understand.

In regards to the content of the novel itself, as I'm sure you can tell at this point, it is pretty bizarre. The series juggles three different power systems: Stands/Wounds, Hamon, and Beyonds, but it does a decent job of it.
Oh, and there's a kid who turns into a hive mind of 90,000 gremlins that can control corpses and ends up transforming into a giant room encompassing the entire island of England and gets teleported into another universe. There are cities that break off from the continents and turn into islands with legs that crawl around in the ocean and are surrounded by invisible barriers. There is a giant regenerating eyeball with a mouth hiding on the opposite side of Mars from Earth that has survived for the lifetimes of over 36 universes. And did I mention that the main alternate universe in Jorge Joestar is a demented fusion of JJBA Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7? Ever wondered what would happen if Pocoloco, Soundman, and Narancia met Kars? Well, that question can be answered by Jorge Joestar.

Art: --
Jorge Joestar is a novel. So I got nothing to say here.

Character: 8
The characters are good. Most of them are well fleshed out and unique individuals. Since most of the story takes place in an alternate universe, there are a lot of interesting alternate versions of JoJo characters. I like AU Narancia and Ultimate Ultimate Kars in particular. Not only that, but we get an in-depth look at existing JoJo characters as well. I really, really like what the author did with Erina and Dio. The flashback chapter with the two of them floating in the middle of the ocean after the events of Part 1 was probably my favorite bit of the novel. Through their interactions as they survived the desolate ocean landscape together the author really dug deep into these two characters to show what makes them tick.

The main characters, both named Jorge Joestar, are stand-out MCs as well. Especially, I liked AU Jorge's detective skills. The way he figures stuff out is very complicated but the way he describes it to the reader makes it make sense. I also like when he summarizes the events of the plot as the narrator at some moments in the story to point out just how ridiculous the story is and also just to help the reader understand what's going on.

Enjoyment: 7
The sheer ridiculousness of the story is also its biggest negative. After reading the ending I couldn't tell if Jorge Joestar was meant to be a parody of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure or a surreal fever dream. But for the most part the interesting characters, the wacky plot, and refreshing bits of humor kept this novel afloat. I definitely wasn't bored reading Jorge Joestar. Okay, there were some slow chapters I really didn't care for, but for the most part it was entertaining.

Overall: 7
The book's bizarre sense of humor and its well-developed characters keep it from being a total mess. You probably won't understand half of what happens in Jorge Joestar, but don't worry too much about it and I think you'll find it a fun read.

I was reading this book when going back after watching Parts 1-5 of the recent Jojo anime, completely up to date as of the time writing this review. I was set out to go back and read all of the manga, light novels, and other spin-off stories associated with the franchise to truly dive into all that Jojo has to offer. And I thought to do so in by order of what Part each product was associated with - prolonging my journey into the current manga-exclusive Parts, but something I found very sane and orderly.

But here arises my first issue: going by the synopsis given, ... you would assume that this novel was simply an expansion of the lore we already knew, diving into the life of Jorge Joestar, husband of Lisa Lisa and father of Joseph. A story that took place between Parts 1 and 2 and what would no doubt be a relatively charming side-story of a WWI fighter pilot, plus the eventual doom we knew he would meet.

Well, THAT IS A LIE. A FILTHY STINKIN' LIE. THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO THE GALAXY-BRAIN AU SET-UPS TO THIS THAT IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY. I UNIRONICALLY DESCRIBE THIS AS INJECTING THE WEIRDEST JOJO CRACK FICTION STRAIGHT INTO MY VEINS.

And yes, a fair warning for spoiler content into this book going in, as it actually discusses characters and scenarios from Parts 1-7. I actually had to put my reading on this book on hold as I saw mention of Funny Valentine, someone I knew to be the main antagonist of Part 7, and I had not even read Part 6 yet. And so, the novel got put off for some time until I had adequately caught up - and I would very much advise the same of anyone attempting to read this.

You begin pre-Part 2, as you would expect, but with an odd murder case involving a child whose skin could peel off whole. If that didn't set the tone for the weird you're in for, this will:

There are also TWO Jorge Joestars, of different universes and a different lineage, one in a pre-Part 2 setting and another in an AU Morioh/Part 4 setting. The chapters alternate between their perspectives.

AU Morioh crew teaming up with AU Passione

Spontaneous trip to Mars

The most elaborate Dio scheme yet, and way too many Kars. And Funny/Funnier/Funniest Valentines.

You almost forget that the writer also introduced a Sherlock-esque-but-way-more-messed-up character by the name of Tsukumojuku. The character had apparently gained some renown in Japan, though the story can get very incestuous and grotesque. I do not believe there is an English fan translation out there, but I did find the next best thing on Tumblr, a complete play-by-play someone did in providing an extensive summary. So for more context about the character of Tsukumojuku, I would advise reading this huge info dump before tackling Jorge Joestar as well.

https://sparklyjojos.tumblr.com/post/175167968918/first-1-2-3-4-5-second

And while I'm at it, since there aren't any official English translations for the novel itself either, here is a link to a fan translation I had been using as well, if anyone is so inclined
https://archive.org/details/manga_JoJos_Bizarre_Adventure_Jorge_Joestar

Tsukumojuku brings some elements from his book into the Jojo universe, such as the concept of living within a narrative, but the concept of God in this thought experiment is given the name Beyond. He also acts as significant plot advancement. But most of my WTF-ery is with all of the AU Jojo Part colliding happening.

I struggle to call the novel outright BAD, because I'm just left dumbfounded at what I had just finished reading, at a staggering 666 pages no less. I feel like I will take a lot of these concepts with me for some time to come. But like... I was not ready. I don't feel like a lot of people are. I would rather read Purple Haze Feedback or Dio Over Heaven any day over this, but at the same time I needed to read this and am glad I have? A weird journey, overall. Be prepared going in.