Story: 7
All in all, there's certainly more to it than I expected. All the finer points are built off of the race at its core, which gives most every character in the story a solid reason to be in it in the first place, as well as a consistent element to fall back on and contextualize the more bizarre events to. Of course, on the other hand, it is Jojo, and the frequency and intensity of injuries sustained by the main cast compared with the race commentary and the overarching rule structure could take the reader out of it a bit. But I feel that's what you come here expecting, its not Jojo without the Ringos and the Sandmans dicing our protagonists to pieces every few chapters. Thematically, the wider plot works, which surprised me a bit. Part 7 has a bit of a reputation for its primary villain having somewhat one note and memeable intentions, I feel, but experiencing it there is an interesting line of a sort of irrational idealism against universal utilitarianism at the root of the conflict. In any case its consistent, it pulls the action along nicely, and it sets up solid motivations for most any character when needed. But, I should note that I don't particularly like the final arc of the story. The last antagonist feels a tag tacked on, as he doesn't have the emotional weight or anywhere near the clout to produce a climax like the fight that came before it, and as far as I'm concerned feels like a bit of fan service to wrap up the series.
Art: 8
I have little to judge here. I can't really compare it to any other Jojo, but I can only really say that you should probably know what to expect. Beautiful, stylized, fully colored, and with plenty of wacky designs and ridiculous posing. Your enjoyment of the art will probably depend on how you like the Jojo aesthetic more than anything else.
Character: 8
The main cast is pretty strong. Each of Diego, Gyro, HP, Johnny, and Lucy have about a chapter's worth of extensive backstory, much more in the case of Gyro, that establish quite well their motives and their personalities, and most of them are just enjoyable to watch. I wouldn't say there is really a plethora of truly wacky and interesting villains, but the best examples of them are major standouts. Jojo fights are always some variety of puzzle, and in the best cases will have some ideological clash between the two sides inherent to resolving it. That being said, there are definitely forgettable stands and forgettable villains, but the ones that stick around definitely justify their reasons for doing so. And of course, you can't talk character in Jojo without the main villain. I'd say it took more time than I expected for Valentine to really get going, but once he did he's up there with the best of them. He's menacing, he's scheming, he's dangerous, he's eccentric, he's mildly flamboyant, he's American, he's everything you want in a Jojo villain.
Enjoyment: 9
There are some great fights in Steel Ball Run. Moments that make you forget how long the chapters are and just hunger for more. I finished the 96 chapters in about a day and a half, and it was pretty breezy, even with how meaty it can feel. I had always wanted to read SBR specifically because it had some of my favorite stands, and it was really great seeing them in action. Although without a doubt some characters could have used more time in the narrative, and some stands were certainly underutilized, the really great encounters leave an excellent impression, and the overall narrative structure just makes many of the engagements make sense on a basic level. The nature of the Steel Ball Run itself makes it an acceptable, and maybe even expected, stage for effeminate outcasts with pinstriped cowboy hats to desperately struggle for a chance to fulfill their wildest dreams. Even moving past that, when most of the assassins aren't in the race, the audaciously over the top magical side of the story grounds itself in.... some interesting places, bolstered by generally strong characters and interactions. And of course, there are some creative stand interactions, as per usual, with the main villain. There is a wonderfully confusing and interesting interaction in the back half of the story that's really cool, and serves as the jumping off point for introducing the ever infamous D4C. All in all, its tons of fun.
Overall, Steel Ball Run is pretty worth its hype. I wouldn't quite say its the 10/10 that many claim, as it falls into plenty Jojo tropes and problems. But at the same time, it does feel very fresh, from the lead often not being the titular Joestar, the western tone and aesthetic, and the very interesting source of the stands lying at the root of the story. And in the standard Jojo realm, there are some all timers, confrontations that leave deep effects on the characters and their motivations for the rest of the story. Stands like Civil War and Tattoo You were some of my favorites of the whole franchise coming into the story, and coming out of it as well. Steel Ball Run is a new and entertaining departure from much of the Jojo that came before it, and a western experiment certainly worth experiencing.
