Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
	Fabulous.
Manga Author	Hirohiko Araki
Format	Manga, Anime (OVA), Anime (TV)
Published in	Weekly Shonen Jump
# of Manga Volumes	100+
# of OVA Episodes	13
# of TV Episodes	26 (with another season planned)

Genre

Action, Shounen

Sum it up in a Sentence

The bizarre adventures of a person nicknamed JoJo.

Main Description

The story of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure centers around the misadventures of the Joestars, a powerful family with English roots; most of its members attract the most particular trials and tribulations when confronting their enemies. Each member of the bloodline has a star shaped birthmark above their left shoulder blade – Dio and his descendants have this distinguishable mark also, as a result from the 'theft' of Jonathan's body and inheriting the Joestar genes as well. The series spans several generations, with each part featuring a descendent of the Joestars as the main protagonist along with a large cast of characters.

Part 1: Phantom Blood

Story	The story begins in Victorian England with young Jonathan Joestar living at his father George's wealthy estate. One day George adopts a young boy named Dio Brando, whose father he believes saved his life. Dio torments Jonathan during his youth, going so far as to burn his dog alive, until Jonathan finally fights back and puts him in his place. After Dio uses the stone mask to become a vampire, Jonathan must set out on an adventure to learn the ancient Ripple technique to channel the power of the sun and destroy his adopted brother.
JoJo	Jonathan Joestar
Villian	Dio Brando

Part 2: Battle Tendency

Story	Joseph Joestar, grandson of Jonathan, travels to Mexico to save an old family friend, Robert E.O. Speedwagon, from Nazis. There he learns of the origins of the stone masks and does battle with a new set of enemies, the Pillar Men. In order to do so he travels to Italy to master the same technique used by his grandfather, The Ripple. However, he ends up relying more on his wits in his battles with the powerful Pillar Men.
JoJo	Joseph Joestar
Villians	Cars, Wham, AC/DC, Santana

Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

Story	One day Kujo Jotaro, half-Japanese grandson of Joseph, locks himself in a prison cell claiming he's possessed by an evil spirit. His grandfather arrives and reveals that Jotaro's "evil spirit" is actually a Stand, a manifestation of his psychic power. This stand was awoken by the revival of Dio Brando, the ancient enemy of the Joestar family who has stolen Jonathan's body. After Jotaro's mother develops a stand that will kill her in two months time, the group must travel to Egypt to defeat Dio once and for all.
JoJo	Kujo Jotaro
Villian	Dio Brando

Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable

Part 5: Vento Aureo

Part 6: Stone Ocean

Part 7: Steel Ball Run

If You Liked This, You Might Like...

Fist of the North Star

Personal Opinions

Cappy

The first two parts of this series are very much a typical example of shounen manga: big muscley men powering through their foe by sheer strength of will. The first part isn't that bizarre. The second part is more interesting than the first and the JoJo relies on his wit more than brute strength. If you like this sort of thing, then check these parts out; they aren't very long either if you just want to read them for the story.

Part 3 and beyond are where the stands that the series is known for are introduced. Part 3 still keeps with the monster of the week style of storytelling. However, the introduction of stands allowed the author to create a ton of different types of enemies to face, which made it more interesting than the previous parts. I've only read most of part 4 so far, and unfortunately the only scanlations available are very poorly done.

Overall, this manga is well drawn, although the "unique" poses chosen by the author take some getting used to. It contains a wide array of interesting characters and combat styles which help keep it interesting even though it follows a typical monster of the week style. If you like creative fights and bad ass boasts, then I highly recommend this series.

Planetarial

I'll be discussing the TV anime for this, but I have read the relevant parts of the manga for this. David Production nailed down the signature Araki style perfectly in the show and it is magnificent to see. This is something that both newcomers and old fans can enjoy alike. Newcomers can start here because the anime starts at the very beginning and the story is adapted faithfully. Veteran fans can enjoy the finer details and cool references, as well as seeing everything animated. The written sound effects, crazy color combinations, and filters just work well and highlight what an insane series it is. fights consistently good and Araki is a genius for coming up with all these unique crazy powers and uses for them. The first season adapts the first two parts and while the first part is a bit rough thanks to a lower budget and that the first part isn't that great compared to latter arcs, the second part should not be missed. The OST (mostly for the second part) and the OP/ED is fitting and fantastic, but the OST isn't used as well as it should have been, which kind of a shame.

It may not be a series for everyone, but for shonen this is one of the best out there.

Also to amend what the other person said above me, Part 4 scanlations (since there is no legal way to own the manga outside of an expensive out of print release for the third part) have been redone by a different group and should be fine now.

Zorak

The TV anime is pretty great; budget is low but it makes up for it by perfectly capturing the JoJo style and feel.

Fiend Computer

If you have never read the first two parts of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, I would say you should probably just watch the latest anime instead. Studio David was able to catch the tone and style of the series right from the start, and even though the show is littered with still frames and cut corners, the entire anime oozes love for the source material. With another season coming out soon, things look good for the future of Jojo animation.

Also the soundtrack is great, especially both OPs.

Willsun

I don't know all this business about a low budget for the anime but I went in blind without ever reading the manga and I LOVED IT. The intensity had me captivated the whole time, so I never even noticed any lapse in quality. I am an immensely huge fan of Fist of the North Star and I will go as far as to say Jojo is equally good, and I haven't even seen the (supposedly best) third part yet.

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