WhoCanPeliCan7

What makes Jojo's Bizarre Adventure so special?

That's a question I always had in my mind. One I had before reading it, one I really thought about while I was reading it, and one I'm still thinking about now. After binging all parts in about three weeks, I felt compelled to write a review about one of them; I picked Steel Ball Run because it's my favorite. I feel an urge to try and explain exactly what about Steel Ball Run, and maybe even Jojo in general, is so compelling. What about it that made me whip out a score of nine out of ten in a manga that has so many technical flaws - glaring ones, even. Now my personal reasoning aside, let's get into it.

Starting off with the plot, SBR is about a cross country race set in the 1800s. Our protagonist Johnny, a former horse racing star that became wheelchair bound after an incident, ends up joining the race after he spots Gyro - a mysterious man carrying with him steel balls he can rotate at will - and thinks that his technique might be able to make him walk again. But throughout the race, they end up involved in something bigger than what they initially signed up for.

It's quite simple: each Jojo part, for whatever unique plotline it has, is primarly about the power of stands, mysterious powers that manifest in some people that are a projection of their aura and soul. In this aspect you could call the Jojo series a battle shounen in a generalized way, but Steel Ball Run diverges from this notion a little; it feels more like an american comic, and it's more story driven. The scale of the mystery behind the stands gradually builds itself up until it becomes something bigger that goes far beyond Johnny and Gyro's control and intentions. Also Steel Ball Run can technically be read as a standalone, but I wouldn't recommend it; there is just too much buildup from the previous parts that, had you missed out on, would make it feel extremely incoherent and strange. And you'd even miss out on things such as all the callbacks to the previous parts, most notably part 2.

That said, there are several things I could criticize about the plot, or the flow, or the pacing of SBR. The climax is a little lacking, and there are many things, including character arcs, left without resolution (things like a major character being killed off without a completion to their arc). That would be my biggest complaint about it. The plot takes a couple of leaps and entangles itself, but nothing absurd. There are also a lot of inconsistencies that are borderline hilarious, most notably the main antagonist suddenly being drawn as a buff, handsome man when he was previously a greasy runt with no explanation given at all - although that's more of an art blunder than a plot one. These are all things I actively noticed and disapproved of as I read it. But I'll get into why they turned out to be irrelevant in the big picture for me later.

The cast of characters in SBR is big, but in the end it boils down to a couple of central characters we see a lot. You have Hot Pants, a mysterious rider who never makes his own intentions clear. Diego, a cheeky and egocentrical antagonist (or is he?), Johnny's sworn rival. Lucy Steel, a young teenage girl without the power of a stand who finds herself going to lengths she could never imagine to protect her husband. And our main villain - Funny Valentine, a terrifying man with little empathy, the personification of rotten patriotism. They are all very dynamic; Diego and Johnny's relationship in special has some sort of heat to it, and as they meet and unmeet throughout the race they all slowly reveal their true colors and backstories.

The backbone of it all, though, is definitely the protagonists Johnny and Gyro and their own relationship. Both of them are fleshed out through the entire story, and we get to know their ambitions, their intentions and their goals in a very honest and straightfoward way. Johnny is a boy driven by selfish determination, on the edge between adolescence and adulthood, with a huge need for approval. Under his guise of almost edgy coolness, he's a brash risktaker. Gyro is a fun-loving, kind-hearted italian man that joined the race to save the life of a child - knowledgeable but still harboring almost naive loyalty and gentleness underneath his personality. When both of them meet there is an instant sense of understanding that comes across as very natural, and it flows along the chapters, guiding you through the story, making you experience it from the perspective of the pair. Johnny and Gyro come from very different backgrounds, yet they overlap enough to make it possible that they recognize each other's struggles and bond deeply. The intimacy and love between them is so sincere and so innate, there isn't a single moment that makes you doubt it, and it's what breathes the most life into SBR. In a setting where you can never be too sure about anyone's intentions, you can find a strong trunk to hold onto in them, and that made the emotional payoff here greater than in parts 1-6.

Once again, that doesn't come at cheap: some of the characters - or most of the side characters not mentioned before - have an unclear role or very shallow motivation before getting killed off. Some look like they'll be relevant, then they are not; and among the main characters, there's problems with character arc conclusions and development, sometimes at the cost of their own characterization.

And then, the golden question: If it's so flawled, what about it is so special?

That's hard to explain, but I guess it's also part of the magic. I'm mostly talking about Jojo in general and not just SBR when I say this - there is something about the absolute confidence in which Araki writes that fully draws you in. Every single Jojo part has very clear faults, and plentiful. From inconsistent writing to wobbly characterization to pointless moments, even threading into things like a character's gender, appearance or personality literally being backpedaled into something entirely different, and even downright harmful tropes. But the way it's all written with the utmost certitude that it's doing only the right thing almost makes you believe so. You're thrown in a maze of creativity with no guide: you can't get enough of it, and you can't help but look foward to what other unbelievable stunt it'll pull on your next. Between all the insanity, music references, high fashion, exaggerated power-ups, caricatures of shounen tropes, incredibly entertaining battles, psychedelic delights, pop culture nods and whatever else is thrown in the mix, there is room for laughing, crying and having incredible fun.

Maybe Araki isn't concerned with who he's writing to, and thus he writes only for himself, changing things at his own will. This gives Jojo a sturdy sense of authority. It is what it is, it isn't interested in what pleases you, you either take it or leave it. But does it manage to draw you in and keep you there, with all things bizarre. Steel Ball Run is just a branch of this entire experience - one that pays homage to westerns and american comics. If you'd like, you could find yourself a part that is all about american pop culture, or the italian mafia, or shounen parodies in Egypt.

All in all, SBR is the best Jojo part in my eyes, with a coherent story and an endearing cast of characters that take us into the most emotionally charged journey of the series, carrying the spirit of its predecessors into a different kind of style. It's a beautiful addition to the universe that was constructed all the way from part 1. And yes, it is heavily flawled - but it makes itself worthy with the beaming confidence in which it honestly bares its missteps to us.

hauntingly intricate and beautifully suspenseful.

i absolutely enjoyed the shit out of this manga. from the quirky characters, to the scary shinigami's - i loved every moment. the bit where (SPOILERS!) L died, was so shocking yet so melancholic, i had to stand up and take a break to breathe.

in my mind i was like, "maybe if the circumstances were different, L and light would have been good friends." that thought bugged me throughout the entire reading of the manga. the more i thought of it, the sadder i became. maybe light did consider being friends with L, for just a split second, maybe. but evidently that never happened.

the ending of death note was gut-wrenching. the moment ryuk wrote light's name, or should i say, kira's name, in the death note - was another shocking moment. it was a punch to the face, kira really was going to die. i say kira because there was no redemption for light, he became a victim to the death note and had to pay the price. light had his entire future ahead of him, but this one thing ruined it all.

no matter how smart you think you are, you can never escape your sins - the result of that, death.

Bible two Looking good. Very good original characters like Jesus. OutSTANDing artstyle
Amazing soundtrack my favorite is the Pizza mozzarella composed by Gyro Zeppeli.
I think this is one of if not the best romcoms that I have read. This might be a little spoiler but the show starts of with our protagonist Pocoloco getting the most OP STAND
which can beat even dio in a heartbeat and he beats everbody in the whole part. Our other main protagonst Sandman is so OP that he goes full barefoot and demolishes the whole lobby. By the way it's about a race in 'merica for money also Jesus stuff
-Gyro Zeppeli out

To be honest, I didn't read the whole thing, just the first book.
It's a generic gag manga that is very much a product of its time.
Shamefully making all the joke be "GAY IS GROSS, SO IT'S FUNNY"
I can't imagine how this thing got so long, maybe that's an error, maybe it was popular enough to deserve it.
I could see this working if the gay character wasn't akin to an animal sidekick in other gag mangas, but nope, he's the only chibi character, he's got shapeshifting/wardrobe abilities, and speaks in gags and puns.
I'll have to check in on this one, as it seems to be new to translation in English, but just often enough to be able to catch if it ever improves.
So far though, if you actually enjoy old-timey gag manga, and you think gay=gross=comedy, then have at it.

This manga needs a review, so here we go!

(Includes major spoilers)



After considering buying Shibuya Goldfish for a while I finally did it. I had pretty high expectations for it, the plot seemed perfectly crazy (like a Japanese version of Sharknado) I was certain it would be amazing and totally different from other mangas. But uh oh it fucking sucked and was a complete waste of time and my hard earned pocket money.

Why was this so bad? The plot is so crazy and weird and could have been enjoyable if done properly. A manga about an apocalypse with giant, flying goldfish sounds so unique, but everything about the plot is so generic, it's almost impressive. The main character is so boring and typical which doesn't work here at all (like those found in a harem anime, you know, those without personality with short, black hair) And the rest of the characters are generic too. Like, all of them. It's like the author copy-pasted the most used characters from other mangas and just threw them into his manga without having a single individual thought. It just becomes so awkward and painful reading it because it doesn't make any sense.

And then there's the plot. I liked the idea of goldfish being the villains. But somehow the goldfish doesn't become the main focus, the main focus is the boring, generic mc being around boring, generic girls, so having goldfish flying in the air while cute anime girls blush at the mc accidentally showing him their panties and some occasional gory scenes just feel strange. Who even is the demographic for this comic?

The art is fine. Not bad, not good. I'm not sure how to describe this, but it's missing something. It looks too clean, like it wasn't drawn by a human, which I dislike.


This is one of those mangas where it could be an amazing and totally unique experience, but the author fucked it up and it just becomes weird and mildly angering to read.

I actually can’t believe Buronson (aka Yoshiyuki Okamura who wrote Sanctuary) wrote this manga, it’s both hilarious and pathetic. The core concept is sound, but the actual execution is not only awful but insulting, hypocritical and misses the mark so badly.

The idea of commenting on Japan, its identity, its possible future is all well and good, but there's no commentary on Japan's own misdoings (its treatment of indigenous people or neighbouring countries, etc), not even sly winking, it’s all played very straight-faced which makes it look like fascistic propaganda.

The story itself is very simple, which is not a problem in itself as the most classic parables of humanity are simple in nature, but this manga’s simplicity is indicative of its bone-headedness. The art is reminiscent of Miura Kentarou’s Berserk but lacking vitality, skilled composition or anything resembling worthwhile imagery in general.

The last speech at the end of Japan is so bizarre it’s like the author not only forgot what he was writing about, but the name of the manga itself.

Very disappointing output from an author and artist who are capable of so much more and have indeed gone onto better things. Avoid this.

Only volume 1 is scanlated, 10 chapters. 15 volumes available. What a pity though. Though it's quite fantasy-like, it's actually enjoyable, with a housekeeper like Mirano.
Romance, housekeeping duties seem to be featured in volume 1.

Story:8
Original concept. Started off with impact as well, and up to chapter 10 we can see more of Furuda's likeable personality and skills. The story notes the trust and bonds that housekeepers and their clients share, and sometimes sparks are created as well.

However, the story seems to sometimes have problems solved too easily, or things unresolved. Plus, Furuda seems to experienced for her age so it's kind of eerie, and up till now the housekeepers featured are very young. Could be more interesting for an age variety.

Art:8
Facial expressions are superb, one of the better ones out there.
Background drawing is average.
Most panels are understandable.

Character:6
Doesn't seem to be much of character development of main character, other than dislikes of spiders and personality, and some past.
Most of the characters featured up till now seemed to be just used as extra characters, not really unique.

Enjoyment:8
I enjoyed dreaming... lol. Such an excellent housekeeper, are you sure it exisits?
But well, some jokes cracked were quite funny, and the romance scenes do not seem out of place. Story-telling method was smooth and natural.
However, soemtimes a bit dull.

Overall:8
This is one manga you can pick up for a light read, or to find out more about what housekeeper's duties are. In vol 1 there are some notes about housekeepers, likely to have more in future vols.

Basically it's Event Horizon 6,000 meters below the sea.

Pros:
Amazing artwork that plays with shadow to create truly eerie and horrifying images. Even the scenes where nothing is happening have an overwhelming sense of isolation and dread thanks to the art.

I don't know if the mangaka is a naval structure otaku or a undersea engineer but the depictions of the underwater facility where extremely detailed. The research center felt like a real place which added to the horror. You really get a feel for the sprawling complex that they're trapped in.

The plot uses interesting influences from Aztec religion which I've never seen in a horror story before.

The last three or so chapters are definitely a page-turner.

Con:
Weak characters who are never fleshed out. Bland at best and cliche at worst.

It takes too long for anything to actually happen. I have no idea why I stuck through the boring parts of this series for so long but I assume most other people won't.

Some people might consider the end a bit anti-climatic.


6,000 is a decent horror manga and not a very long read at 22 medium length chapters. It isn't a masterpiece of horror, but the concepts and art will be enough to entertain the fans of the morbid and gruesome. Give this one a try.

I'm writing this review, because upon looking at the manga initially on YouTube, it truly was something else, scary and interesting characters, but it all went down the shithole when they introduced this character which is literally just Trump, yep Donald J. Trump, it ruined my immersion, but I still fairly enjoyed the manga, but what really ruined it for me was how every translation had memes just forcibly written into the panels, no matter where I looked, everywhere was filled with these shitty translations with memes like there's no tomorrow, I had never seen such an interesting story ruined by the translations, and not because they're badly translated, it's because the translators apparently don't give a flying fuck about the manga and just decided to do that.

The thing that most stands out about this manga, is the quality of the artwork, detailed drawings and very gory scenes, especially in the initial chapters, I'll spare you the details to avoid spoilers, but it's hard to take the manga seriously with flaws like these. I might re-read it once it's done serializing, but for now I've dropped it and don't want to know much about it.

Warning : This is an unfinished Manhwa !

You will follow an High school character called Ryu Shiho who has an evil reputation an seems incredibly strong for a normal being. The story really begins when Muriel appears in his life and tells him about his true nature and the perpetual war he's involved in.

I rated the story 3 but don't be fooled, this is mainly because of the author dropped it ! But I would've rated it a 7 because of somethng (I can't tell without spoiling) witch is way to quick to happen as well as the power leveling of the characters.

Characters appears to be very basics at first, but by the end of the manhwa. There is some interesting backgroung potential stories about the main characters.

I guess this manhwa could have been very interesting with a better direction but this was definitly a good read. I recomend it !