Reviews

Is it the consensus that Jojo Part 7 is the magnum opus of the Jojo series; while to me Part 4 is better, I cannot disagree with the popular opinion. Part 7 is a fantastic ride in every chapter. Araki's artwork has truly evolved over his 20 years of JoJo. Steel Ball Run provides amazing visuals, especially in the colored scans of it. The JoJo, Johnny Joestar, is one of the more interesting and complex JoJos. Almost all the JoJos, minus Giorno, are not keen on killing. Johnny, however, is not afraid to kill if he must; his eyes are even repeatedly commented as one of a killer. This makes him one of the more morally gray JoJos. He still possess that JoJo sense of heroism; Johnny still does not want those who he deems as evil to prevail. Johnny being crippled plays a major factor in the story, being the reason he joins the race: in the hopes that he can find a way to recover his ability to walk. He is not the focus of the story for the majority of the part, that being occupied by the lovable Gyro Zeppeli. Despite that, he comes on his own and becomes one of my favorites JoJos, barely being below Joseph. Now Gyro is amazing too; he joins the race for non-selfish reasons and introduces the new form of Hamon: the Spin that is represented through his Steel Balls. Now I can't fully explain how they work, but it is a cool way to fight. Stands are here as well, though less common and only achievable through interacting with the Corpse. It would not be a review without mentioning the antagonist, Funny Valentine. I would not call him a villain, for his plan for the Corpse is not of selfish gain, but to make America a better place. He does, however, have his desires blind him, and will not hesitate to kill anyone in his way. His stand is one of more complex stands that makes it difficult to get rid of. Dio in this part, I would say, is far superior to his Part 3 counterpart. Dio possesses a complexity to him and is not downright evil; he is a bit of an ass, but it is no way like DIO. Dio in this part is more sympathetic due to his backstory, and his reason to race in general is compelling. It makes him a much more interesting rival for Johnny to overcome, as he is not a two-dimensional villain who only desires to be the best (except when Part 6 retcons this). Dio also wants to be the best, but it's more to flaunt his ego. 10/10 but don't skip to this part.