Yet another JoJo post
Jun. 1st, 2006 08:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
petroniaActually I'm coming to the end. XD I've run out of SBR to read, though I'll be getting volume 8 in a couple of weeks. Not a great deal advanced in part 6 due to lack of free computer time, but I'm about... seven volumes in? With another dozen to go.
Then I'll be up to current serialisation. Good grief, that is so wrong.
Guess to date is that Stone Ocean could stand to be shorter. As in 2-3 volumes shorter, spread out over the fights. Araki had to have been actively challenging himself with the setup - it's a JoJo series where half the characters are female, and no one is allowed to travel further than the cafeteria - but it frustrates because Jolyne & co. fight all these battles when half the time it doesn't get them anywhere. The point of the fight is at variance with the time and effort spent, to the reader at least. ^^; Of course F.F. is important, and you learn from the suicidal janitor dude that one disc suffices to keep a body alive, but the Milaschon episode seemingly owes its existence to ARAKI'S CONTINUED FASCINATION WITH CHERRY STEMS WTF, and even with antigrav dude you are just like arrrrrggghhh please just DIE asap kthx. It would be another matter if minor opponents could be taken down in 2-3 chapters like they were in part 3, but since part 5 this hasn't been happening.
Still whaddya know, Hermes is Hispanic. ^^; And I'm pretty sure there's a Pam Grier movie that goes like this. I like how you can always tell what section of the video store Araki has parked himself in for the duration of the arc.
Of course the plot becomes interesting when it finally begins to explain what the padre is up to (it was a complete saabisu chapter, like that one in Bleach with Asano's sister and the return of Gin XD). However the more I think about this backstory, the more baffling it becomes. If Dio was "from" Egypt, where the heck was Father Pucci at the time? Miami? Rome? What did Dio do, hop on a plane every time he felt like disputing theology?
Airport worker: Your large, coffin-like suitcase doesn't fit through the X-ray conveyor, can we open it to examine the contents?
Vanilla Ice: Um. No.
Thinking back on part 3, Dio really does enjoy making friends with people. ...I feel like that should be heavily bracketed. Dio enjoys "making friends" with people. But that's not the important point. The important point is, how many of these people responded sensibly by running away? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages--
Abdul!
...No, I mean that's it! Just Abdul!
They end up holding it against Jotaro at that. >_> BTW, I hesitate to speculate what else Mr. Jotatohead may be keeping in that brain/disc of his. I picture the good father paging through his memories like a reel of microfilm, sifting for the nugget of gold in between the coral reef ecology and stupid party tricks with cigarettes, and getting increasingly frustrated.
SBR: for some reason I find every conversation in the last couple of volumes to be hilarious, even when it's not supposed to be. It's like the dialogue turns into Monty Python in my head, all I retain is "Alas, eaten by cougars!" and "I assure you, we did NOT steal your beef!" ...Yeah, okay, I need sleep.
I read a couple of chapters into volume 5 and thought, "Is it just me or has this story suddenly gotten way more interesting?" Then I realised volume 5 was where the serialization switched to Ultra Jump. Don't... don't tell me Araki was holding back all this time out of deference to the sensibilities of the WJ readership (as filtered through the editorial staff). >_> But the more I consider it the more likely it seems. WJ plots can be wack but I'm pretty sure there's stuff that's banninated.
EARLY STORYBOARD MEETING WITH ULTRA JUMP EDITORS
UJ: Basically our policy is to let you do whatever the heck you want, since our readers, well let's not beat around the bush here, our readers are weirdos and we figure it could only sell. So, uh. Any idea where the plot is going in future chapters?
Araki: (Now I will be speedy and cunning.)
Araki: It is revealed that the President of the United States is a beer-guzzling cad, currently involved in a conspiratorial web to gain control of the mummified remains of Jesus Christ and thus ensure continued supremacy on the world political stage. Also, his name is Fanny.
UJ:
UJ:
UJ: What about the ban on American beef imports? How do you feel about that?
Araki: Oh, American beef? I am totally down with American beef. In fact I could eat a cow this very moment.
...In his bunko edition notes Araki describes censorious skirmishes over part 5, when he had very little trouble with parts 1-4 - apparently he would be told to redraw this frame or change that speech, then go home and ponder why it wasn't appropriate. While this is awful the complaint almost seems a bit disingenuous. ^^; I mean, raise your hand if you're shocked, shocked that part 5 sometimes went over what the editors considered acceptable characterisation/story bounds for a WJ shounen manga. The main point is that JoJo could do without bounds in general.
This I have to say, Gyro and Johnny are severely questionable. No one is going to believe me if I say the protagonists in this series are not usually this questionable, right? I guess this is what it means to have a proper Zeppeli back in the cast (no wait what, what sort of conclusion is this).
All the same they're competitors, and Johnny isn't going to cut Gyro any slack on the race front just because he happens to be the only only person Johnny can trust amidst the DEEPENING CONSPIRACY ZOMG. (I like how Johnny immediately knew it was a conspiracy as soon as he was attacked for the arm-thing. Joestar caught in feat of deductive genius shocka, but geez, paranoid much? XD) Actually his speech to Gyro at the end of stage 3 was the best shounen manga talk of the series - and utterly convincing in context, because if there's one thing to be said for Johnny, it's that he's lived both sides of the coin.
OTOH, some wag on AMJ was like, "Show of hands everyone who thinks Gyro would've won the last two stages if JOHNNY HAD ONLY SHUT UP FOR FIVE MINUTES," and... yeah. -_-
Not even done noting schtuff down, sheesh, but I'm off to the beer festival. XD
Then I'll be up to current serialisation. Good grief, that is so wrong.
Guess to date is that Stone Ocean could stand to be shorter. As in 2-3 volumes shorter, spread out over the fights. Araki had to have been actively challenging himself with the setup - it's a JoJo series where half the characters are female, and no one is allowed to travel further than the cafeteria - but it frustrates because Jolyne & co. fight all these battles when half the time it doesn't get them anywhere. The point of the fight is at variance with the time and effort spent, to the reader at least. ^^; Of course F.F. is important, and you learn from the suicidal janitor dude that one disc suffices to keep a body alive, but the Milaschon episode seemingly owes its existence to ARAKI'S CONTINUED FASCINATION WITH CHERRY STEMS WTF, and even with antigrav dude you are just like arrrrrggghhh please just DIE asap kthx. It would be another matter if minor opponents could be taken down in 2-3 chapters like they were in part 3, but since part 5 this hasn't been happening.
Still whaddya know, Hermes is Hispanic. ^^; And I'm pretty sure there's a Pam Grier movie that goes like this. I like how you can always tell what section of the video store Araki has parked himself in for the duration of the arc.
Of course the plot becomes interesting when it finally begins to explain what the padre is up to (it was a complete saabisu chapter, like that one in Bleach with Asano's sister and the return of Gin XD). However the more I think about this backstory, the more baffling it becomes. If Dio was "from" Egypt, where the heck was Father Pucci at the time? Miami? Rome? What did Dio do, hop on a plane every time he felt like disputing theology?
Airport worker: Your large, coffin-like suitcase doesn't fit through the X-ray conveyor, can we open it to examine the contents?
Vanilla Ice: Um. No.
Thinking back on part 3, Dio really does enjoy making friends with people. ...I feel like that should be heavily bracketed. Dio enjoys "making friends" with people. But that's not the important point. The important point is, how many of these people responded sensibly by running away? Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages--
Abdul!
...No, I mean that's it! Just Abdul!
They end up holding it against Jotaro at that. >_> BTW, I hesitate to speculate what else Mr. Jotatohead may be keeping in that brain/disc of his. I picture the good father paging through his memories like a reel of microfilm, sifting for the nugget of gold in between the coral reef ecology and stupid party tricks with cigarettes, and getting increasingly frustrated.
SBR: for some reason I find every conversation in the last couple of volumes to be hilarious, even when it's not supposed to be. It's like the dialogue turns into Monty Python in my head, all I retain is "Alas, eaten by cougars!" and "I assure you, we did NOT steal your beef!" ...Yeah, okay, I need sleep.
I read a couple of chapters into volume 5 and thought, "Is it just me or has this story suddenly gotten way more interesting?" Then I realised volume 5 was where the serialization switched to Ultra Jump. Don't... don't tell me Araki was holding back all this time out of deference to the sensibilities of the WJ readership (as filtered through the editorial staff). >_> But the more I consider it the more likely it seems. WJ plots can be wack but I'm pretty sure there's stuff that's banninated.
EARLY STORYBOARD MEETING WITH ULTRA JUMP EDITORS
UJ: Basically our policy is to let you do whatever the heck you want, since our readers, well let's not beat around the bush here, our readers are weirdos and we figure it could only sell. So, uh. Any idea where the plot is going in future chapters?
Araki: (Now I will be speedy and cunning.)
Araki: It is revealed that the President of the United States is a beer-guzzling cad, currently involved in a conspiratorial web to gain control of the mummified remains of Jesus Christ and thus ensure continued supremacy on the world political stage. Also, his name is Fanny.
UJ:
UJ:
UJ: What about the ban on American beef imports? How do you feel about that?
Araki: Oh, American beef? I am totally down with American beef. In fact I could eat a cow this very moment.
...In his bunko edition notes Araki describes censorious skirmishes over part 5, when he had very little trouble with parts 1-4 - apparently he would be told to redraw this frame or change that speech, then go home and ponder why it wasn't appropriate. While this is awful the complaint almost seems a bit disingenuous. ^^; I mean, raise your hand if you're shocked, shocked that part 5 sometimes went over what the editors considered acceptable characterisation/story bounds for a WJ shounen manga. The main point is that JoJo could do without bounds in general.
This I have to say, Gyro and Johnny are severely questionable. No one is going to believe me if I say the protagonists in this series are not usually this questionable, right? I guess this is what it means to have a proper Zeppeli back in the cast (no wait what, what sort of conclusion is this).
All the same they're competitors, and Johnny isn't going to cut Gyro any slack on the race front just because he happens to be the only only person Johnny can trust amidst the DEEPENING CONSPIRACY ZOMG. (I like how Johnny immediately knew it was a conspiracy as soon as he was attacked for the arm-thing. Joestar caught in feat of deductive genius shocka, but geez, paranoid much? XD) Actually his speech to Gyro at the end of stage 3 was the best shounen manga talk of the series - and utterly convincing in context, because if there's one thing to be said for Johnny, it's that he's lived both sides of the coin.
OTOH, some wag on AMJ was like, "Show of hands everyone who thinks Gyro would've won the last two stages if JOHNNY HAD ONLY SHUT UP FOR FIVE MINUTES," and... yeah. -_-
Not even done noting schtuff down, sheesh, but I'm off to the beer festival. XD
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 10:36 pm (UTC)ZOMG, they dared to oppress Araki-sensei, the bastards. :O
go home and ponder why it wasn't appropriate.
You make it sound like he was in grade school or something. XD
But yes, color me totally unsurprised that Part 5 did push the envelope, with all of the blood and gore and violence. What else runs in Ultra Jump? I only recall Tenjou Tenge. (And that is also a weird one, and not to mention all the pr0ny stuff that couldn't go in WJ, no way).
no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 03:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 04:01 am (UTC)Well, I read all the scanlated parts so far, just haven't blogged on em yet.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 11:01 pm (UTC)Also, Bastard!! runs in UJ, fwiw. >D (speaking of weird, old, ridiculous, and full of music references)
And why are you blaming Dio for giving one of his little friends his bone
r????Finally: you had NOTHING to say about Scary Monsters? That's when I started screaming and bouncing off the walls again (well, that and the mummy, but XD)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 03:37 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 03:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 03:26 am (UTC)Maybe the monthly deadline allows Araki more time to listen to more music and watch more tv?
I mean, plot more. Yes. Ahem. I've always assumed most long fights (ie, several chapters long when they don't have to be) are due to the artist needing time to figure out what to do next.
And wait, can we blame Gyro/Johnny on UJ too? XD
no subject
Date: 2006-06-02 09:33 pm (UTC)As for Gyro/Johnny, ehehehe. More like the two of them about make up one JoJo protagonist, what with Johnny being unable to walk and Gyro having the approximate maturity level of a 5 1/2 year old.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 08:48 am (UTC)(Yeah, why DID Gyro have that teddy be-- wait, watch it become a plot point. DX )
My other important question would be if both Gyro and Johnny are blonds. *sobs at colouring*
no subject
Date: 2006-06-05 04:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-06 04:17 am (UTC)Gyro = brownish ash blond
Johnny = ice blue
Dio = pale golden blond, i.e. same as always
End of stage 3 = "Noooo, Teddy-chan! Don't trample Teddy-chan--"