Reviews of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987) and related work

• Adaptation: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987)

Araki Hirohiko (writer-artist).

This review refers to the first 28 volumes, up to the conclusion of the Stardust Crusaders arc. This is a small fraction of a still-ongoing series as of 2021.

References here: Candyman (1992), The Stand (1994), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019).

sequential art text Japanese production fiction series

‣ JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (2012)

Seen in 2015.

Review refers to the first three seasons, extending to the conclusion of Stardust Crusaders: Battle in Egypt. Some databases regard each season as a separate work, which is reasonable.

Straight-faced supernatural martial-arts comedy. As in the manga bases of each respective franchise, here we see the exaggerated grit and masculinity of Fist of the North Star (1986) successfully combined with the comedic strain of the following generation of shōnen epics like Dragon Ball (1986), further combined with sexily posing Gorgeous Georges, glam-rock allusions and historical riffs. The latter reach their peak when Al Yankovic is name-dropped in the final episode. I can’t take it seriously, nor am I expected to: It is the maturation of Blazing Transfer Student (1991) in fantasy form, a seamless blend of parody and imitation. The action somehow remains remarkably engaging until the comedy takes center stage in the Stardust Crusaders arc’s most irrelevant episodes. There’s an “explanation” for every crazy stunt, as in all good shōnen tournament nonsense shows. Quite faithful to the comic, which adds to the sense of almost surreal artifice.

References here: “Yamadeloid” (2015), Food Wars: The Fourth Plate (2019).

moving picture adaptation Japanese production animation fiction series