This review contains my thoughts up to chapter 66. There is an update at the bottom containing my thoughts up to chapter 95.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has been running almost constantly for 30 years now. It has been able to achieve because of the very nature of it's structure. JoJo is not one story but in fact 8 and counting stories. Regardless of this, you'd still think that mangaka Hirohiko Araki would inevitably have run out of ideas by this point, and telling someone the premise of this part would make them think that this is the case. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 8: JoJolion follows Josuke Higashikata as he solves a mystery in the town of Morioh. This is a virtually identical set-up to Part 4: Diamond is Unbreakable, yet somehow, this part manages to feel so fresh and new. This part had a very tough act to follow, Part 7: Steel Ball Run was phenomenal and many western fans consider it to be Araki's magnum opus, but I'm starting to think that JoJolion just might have it outclassed.


Story: 9
To be more specific than my previous synopsis, JoJolion follows an amnesiac who goes by the name of Josuke Higashikata, and the girl who found him, named Yasuho Hirose, as they work to uncover the mystery of Josuke's identity and along the way begin to uncover a much larger conspiracy. Every JoJo part could be described as being a different genre. Part 2 is an adventure, part 4 is slice-of-life, part 7 is a race, and Part 8 is a mystery. So far, JoJolion has been one of the best paced mysteries I've ever experienced. New information is revealed basically every arc, yet you always feel like there's so much that you don't know and every twist and turn is engaging without feeling like it's out of nowhere. The story is also very versatile. One moment you're watching the main characters participate in a stag beetle fight, and the next they're getting chased by a mini tornado. Each arc feels unique while still being a major part of the overall story.

Art: 8
The art in Part 8 is overall very good, but not outstanding. The issue of every character's faces looking the same up-close, which was rampant in Part 7 is mostly gone, but other than that, it's only as good as any other JoJo part.

Character: 10
The characters in Part 8, so far, are some of the best in all of JoJo. The main character, Josuke, manages to be even more entertaining than the protagonist of Part 4 with whom he shares his name. In fact, I'd venture as far as to say that he's as entertaining as Part 2's Joseph Joestar. Yet despite his sense of "fun" he still manages to be a somewhat deep and engaging character, something that Joseph and the other Josuke failed at. This is why'd I'd consider him to be tied with Part 7's Johnny as the best JoJo. The side cast is also very strong. Yasuho, unlike most JoJo love interests, actually has a stand of her own and participates in the action. Lastly, the Higashikata family are a strange bunch of characters. Daiya is absolutely adorable, if a bit underutilized, Joshu is one of my favorite examples of a "love to hate" type of character, Tsurugi absolutely hilarious to watch once you know more about her (which I won't spoil), Norisuke is very intriguing and morally grey, and saying anything about the eldest sibling, Joubin would be a spoiler, but just know that he's a very interesting character and I can't wait to see more of him.

Enjoyment: 10
If there's one word to describe this part of JoJo, it is "enjoyable". The main character's very fun, the side characters are all fun, the stands are all fun, and the situation that the characters get put in are all very fun. Several of my favorite non-main-villain-fight arcs of JoJo come from this part.

Overall: 10
After reading Steel Ball Run, I though there was no way anything afterwards could top it, but JoJolion has honestly made me reconsider that. I don't think I'm ready to call it my favorite part until it's finished, but it's absolutely one of the best and well-worth reading.


UPDATE (March 2020)
This part has really hit its stride in the past few years so I felt that I should update this review as I now consider this to easily be my favorite part. The arcs that have occurred since I initially wrote this review have been some of my all time favorites.

As the story approaches its climax, some major changes have been happening to the characters and without spoiling anything I think this part contains some of the best character arcs of the entire series. It is now clear that the main theme of this part is identity and the question of how one should choose to define oneself. The way that each of the main characters embodies a different angle to this question is simply brilliant. I love how so many of the characters (especially the antagonists) define themselves based on their profession (i.e. what they are) rather than who they are. The main two protagonists, Josuke and Yasuho, in contrast don't really have a strong sense of what they are and as a result struggle to answer the question of who they are. This becomes one of the biggest internal conflicts for these two and the way that it develops over the course of the story is brilliant.

Overall this part just feels a lot more measured and intentional than any previous part. This is the first part to be released entirely on a monthly schedule and I feel that Araki really took advantage of this to put a lot more thought into where he was going with this story than he ever has before. Characters and elements that were set up years and years ago are suddenly coming back and becoming integral to the plot in a way that feels very intentional and natural. It's satisfying to see these things that were introduced so long ago finally reveal their place in the larger narrative like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle finally coming together.

A lot of people seem to be bothered by the fact that there is not really a central "main villain" in this part, or at least not one that is clearly the final boss that the heroes must take down, but I really don't see this as an issue. It's not like there are no threats or antagonistic forces opposing the heroes. It's just that those antagonistic forces can't be attributed to a single, evil, bad guy and I think that's a lot more nuanced and interesting than having a tradition main villain.

This part would have to seriously drop the ball on the ending in order for it to not be my favorite part by the end. I truly think this is the greatest work Araki has ever put out. JoJolion is an absolutely masterful piece of storytelling and it's one that will stay with you for years to come.