A JoJolion Retrospective: Unearthing The Mystery (Part 1)

[@sakanamichan3714]

It’s wild that, in some early scans of Jojolion I saw, they’re advertising the “brand new Jojo’s anime coming soon”! Nearly the entire modern anime has been produced in the same time it took took to write Part 8.

[@mcmactonight8061]

Araki just giving the anime some time to catch up lol

[@biblemansings]

Based off of Part 6’s quality, I would say they need to stop pushing the anime out so fast and go with a slower pace

[@denro3983]

@@biblemansings I don't think it's a problem of pace they just need to take it much more seriously with a masterpiece that is jojo

[@biblemansings]

​@@denro3983 I felt the animation needed more time, as it came out a bit janky. I mean that the pace that they produced the part was faster than it deserved.

[@groveri2]

@@denro3983 batch 1's animation was goofy but batch 2 an 3 do a decent job imo, still not as good animation as part 5 tho.

[@Goose_BooseYT]

Ah, I remember when Part 8 was announced, I was still a janitor working at an office building - in fact I literally got the news of its announcement while taking out trash for the night lol. Jojolion started strong for me, really working my way to being my favorite part, but somewhere along the lines it got a bit muddied, cumbersome, and I hoped it would wrap up nicely towards the end. Ultimately, it did not last as my "favorite" part, but the ending arcs were strong and incredible, and it was my first time keeping up with a Jojo story from beginning to end, and for that experience alone, I was happy.

[@Vhie05]

You've followed JoJolion all the way from the start? That must've been such a journey. Will you also follow the upcoming Part 9 slowly too all the way from beginning to end?

[@potatofarmergyro1720]

The beginning of jojolion is easily peak fiction if you ignore some of the loose ends but yeah

[@Goose_BooseYT]

@@Vhie05 Yeah! I actually started Jojo (in general) halfway through Part 7's serialization. And yeah, of course I'ma be reading Part 9 monthly! Dunno for how long, it can be a real pain waiting a month (especially during Araki's breaks) but definitely for the first few arcs.

[@Vhie05]

@@Goose_BooseYT cool that you got to even witness the run of the parallel jojo universe from 7 8 and eventually 9. I'm a new fan from around 2020-2021 and I managed to catch up to witness waiting monthly for Jojolion's nearing end. For all its problems, JoJolion was still enjoyable and I'll also be waiting monthly for part 9, kinda makes me curious how Araki would write Part 9 knowing it's been a decade since JoJolion and the part 1-6 anime, makes me think Araki probably got some new perspectives over the course of the anime's run since its basically a way for him to look at his past work and reflect upon it. Really looking forward to Part 9! Hope it's worth the wait

[@minecraftsteve2504]

Ayo! It's the guy! The man! Whatsup Goose Nice seeing you here

[@potatofarmergyro1720]

I hope araki lives long enough to fulfill his desires for the series, live on you crazy vampire!

[@frankoceanlover211]

i think you mean crazy diamond

[@Zal0vid]

@haytam moussaoui the joke is Araki is a vampire

[@alexandergordon648]

@@Zal0vid fr??? 😱😱

[@guppyclinic6630]

Shine on you fucking immortal being

[@frankoceanlover211]

@@Zal0vid i kinda knew that already so

[@derfuchs3296]

As a European I never thought about Jojolion as a whole being so closely connected the the great earthquake. But in retrospect it really makes a lot of sense. Very interesting!

[@gregdearmond3309]

I can't help but respect the absolute insane production value in this video, the intro made my day

[@MagentaPills]

3:25 I’m sorry bro but you can’t just cut to the funky morioh cho radio tagline after that depressing segment 😭😭😭

[@nikkifish]

Literally came into my mind when I watched this for the first time 0.0

[@huxleyleigh4856]

Lmfaooo

[@thedirewolfking2274]

Didn’t they do that in part 4 like twice or did I forget?

[@PUNKISTCHUY]

this part 1:25:15 the editing, the Acappella of i am a rock, the little explanations of each lyric, u absolutely went OFF on the editing and little details?? this is probably my favorite jjba video in a LONG time

[@xForts]

thank you so much!

[@napalm5647]

Somethign I noticed regarding the theory of Johnny being connected to the wall eyes and their mysterious properties, is that in Stardust Crusaders, its mentioned that the reason the Joestar's stands began to awaken was because Dio was granted a stand using while Johnathans body as his own and since Johnathans body was tied to the other Joestars it awakend their stands. Since Jojolion is basically a retelling of parts 3 and 4, and since Johnny is the alternate universe version of Johnathan, this could support the theory that since Johnny's body is burried under the wall eyes, due to the alternate universe connection and the connection to the devil's palm, that its a Johnathan situation where Johnny is awakening the dormant stands of the Joestar relatives. It's still just a theory but I thougth I might as well point it out.

[@LumpyTouch]

2 hours? Oho, this is gonna be a nice comfy time.

[@TheWorldBelowDnD]

Fancy seeing you here!

[@saulg00dman_]

Waltuh

[@ziphy_6471]

you here?? nice

[@butterman59]

Nice to see you Mr. Touch

[@ziphy_6471]

@@butterman59 thanks

[@solidskullz5736]

Even now it feels strange to know that Jojolion is over, it was going on for so long. It was a pretty cool part though, I really liked the mystery of it and the rock humans we’re pretty cool

[@peyejon6541]

To me it just felt like a more enjoyable DIU

[@JodaroKujo]

@@peyejon6541 for me it wasn’t that enjoyable I might like it more once it gets animated in line 10 years

[@scott--1629]

personally i gave up on it coz it was fkn boring

[@AlessandroAltosoleChannel]

@@scott--1629 thats probably because you arent used reading jojo chapter after chapter. Imagine part 3 weekly, where its stand after stand until they reach dio

[@scott--1629]

@@AlessandroAltosoleChannel no its because i felt like it wasnt going anywhere and the chapters seemed to drag on and just in general i thought it was boring

[@JOKAKAKA]

Fantastic intro. It is so vital to always remember the human perspective when discussing tragedies, and it really helps set the tone for the perspective the story was told in. Can't wait to watch the rest.

[@thomascomman4191]

Since Jojolion has ended I've found myself thinking "Man, I really should re-read Jojolion" so this retrospective has come in handy, it'll help me sort out my thoughts without having to painstakingly comb through the longest part on my own to figure it out my final thoughts on it. I'm already looking forward to part 2 of this video

[@pootispaghetti]

as a huge jojolion fiend, i'm so glad you made this, i love hearing new perspectives on it. the sheer depth of this part is inspiring. i feel like a lot of the criticism this part gets is pretty weak since most of it revolves around a lack of answers to mysteries, but jojolion isn't a murder mystery, I don't think most of its mysteries *should* have concrete answers since the part has more of an impact when it engages the reader. it definitely isn't for everyone, but honestly that's what makes jojo shine.

[@eldaxeruskalocraw4213]

I think it's weird to say "it's fine if we don't get answers because it's not a murder mystery". What happens in a reader's mind when an author brings up a mystery in a story? It makes the reader ask two questions : "who" and "why", sometimes also "when", "how", etc., depending on how much we know from the start. It's a natural (and mostly subconcious) response to a mystery being set. If those questions are not given proper answers, the reader will basically feel unfulfilled. Blaming this disappointment on those who felt let down by the lack of answers to those questions, that Jojolion brought up in the first place (like myself, I'll plainly admit that), is a stance I do not really understand.

[@blobofmeatwhoexist8460]

​@@eldaxeruskalocraw4213but like what mystery left unanswered tho? Sure not everything has a clear explanation but what mystery that Araki left unanswered (beside the memory man ofc)

[@maccamachine]

It’s still my favorite part man

[@slobertooth1358]

Tbf to the whole Jobin car situation, it's best for Joskue to win the car fairly then cast immense suspicion by Jobins car or car keys magically going away. For Yashuo, she wasn't aware of what her stand would do or was. Her stand helped accelerate the process after the door opened, but Yasuho had no idea what her stand was. But when she figured out what it was used for, she hacked into the security camera to see the road Jobin was driving on. She didn't hack into the cameras through the event data record

[@chewiedog1]

Ok, now that im finished, I'm glad I watched this, because I completely have never thought of any of that Johnny lore, that was really good, well done. Made me appreciate JoJolion's usage of Johnny, because to me, I thought it was kinda lame how he had one scene just to get cursed and then crushed by a rock. I missed all that other stuff ig

[@eeelorde9962]

Is that,you My Man?

[@KipKipytiny]

I remember when this happend, everyone was shocked. And imagine if I was terrified back then just to see everything in the news, I can't imagine how people who was there in 2011 felt. I love JoJolion but always when I remember everything and the origin is just a lot. Thanks for your video I'm a really big fan and I loved this format.

[@regularcitrus318]

makes me wonder what kind of story we would have gotten if the earthquake never happened

[@HomeWingGamer]

Honestly i've been waiting for someone to really run down this story and analyze it for a while now. I've read through it a couple of times since it ended, but i always felt like i was missing some key connections to really get what Araki was trying to say with this story. I feel like with this i'm starting to understand what the hell was up with Soft and Wet, and the greater context of how Araki places Gappy as a miracle in the story.

[@kallvr9243]

The first time I listened to S&G's "I Am A Rock" was such an experience, I loved the relations between the lyrics and rock humans. Your bit analyzing each lyric was great, as well as the entirety of the video.

[@NotJolyneCujoh2011]

Jojolion and the jojolands is my favorite parts because of the art style. The background, the people, the cars, ect. I don't know how he improved this much, but he did. And it's the best manga ever made. Am I right or am I right?

[@TheWorldBelowDnD]

36:49 I've always kinda hated this, tbh. Daiya is pretty much a female Joshu, but she winds up being totally forgiven, and her only "redemption" is that we pretty much never see her again... Joshu failed to change and lost an arm, Daiya failed to change and got a little hug from Josuke.

[@ricardomiles2957]

eh. it depends on how you see things, like, it is pretty obvious the Higashikata family as a whole is full of degenerates. Joshu is easy to hate bc he's the butt of the joke

[@garrettcarter5622]

And then she never did anything of significance for the rest of the entire series.

[@cubehipster7160]

That's just the difference of how society treats men and women. It's pretty realistic.

[@Jo-Wilbe-Dina]

blame araki then.

[@TheWorldBelowDnD]

@@Jo-Wilbe-Dina ...Did it sound like I was blaming anything OTHER than the writing choices, in my comment?

[@ringkunmori]

That I am a Rock segment without the backing audio is spine chilling and menecing.

[@Iwatoda_Dorm]

Honestly, *y e s.* I never really understood what happened throughout the series looking back on it. A retrospective on one of the weirdest parts to date is greatly appreciated, to see the culmination of Araki's work and to foresee what is yet to come.

[@rainingcomplete3018]

As someone who is adopted and knew nothing of my own past and having to go off nothing for most of my life, I feel a deep connection to Josuke 8 unlike the other 7 Jojos. I love them all, but Josuke is my man and my main in every game because of it.

[@hgoggs]

Finally some Jojolion love, honestly think its the best jojo part so far

[@maccamachine]

My favorite part too

[@Autumnfurry2099]

The section with Karera and the twins actually saved my life when I was reading it, it's so good

[@derfuchs3296]

No funky Stand magic, just Chadsuke beating the shit out of some bad guys lol

[@Autumnfurry2099]

@@derfuchs3296 I hope part 9 has more of that

[@umserhumano557]

​@@Autumnfurry2099Paco beating charming man's ass was linda that

[@yepimbatman]

This is incredible. As soon as i finished that last chapter of Jojolion I have been wanting a deep dive video like this to go over the whole part. The whole part was mysterious, tension-building and filled with deep lore and intriguing characters but it DID admittedly feel a bit rambling and confused itself with the narrative at times. I'd love to see each portion of the story examined and watch as you piece it together. This part really has a special place in my heart with how well they build up the town of Morioh and those who live in it and it is certainly the most thematically powerful Part of Jojo. So excited to see more!!

[@thegoochinator2246]

Honestly I felt the same way until I reread it. The major criticisms of the pacing and it feeling confused just wasn't there. Pacing was actually quite good (finished the whole series in like a few days without dedicating a lot of my time to it). The parts that people feel dragged out didn't really drag out for that long and overall the core themes of this part have been outlined and constantly referenced since the whole thing started. Like after rereading it's become my 3rd fav part

[@comedyking343]

God I can not wait for part 2. I haven’t actually taken the time to reread part 8 since it concluded yet, but this retrospective really confirms that this part is way better the second time through

[@dingus_maximus]

What a massive undertaking this video must have been, lol. I've been rereading Part 8 in preparation for Part 9 and you still helped me realize some interesting details I didn't even notice on my second read-through. It really puts into perspective how much Araki cares about his story and the level of consideration he has for its themes and the presentation of those themes. Part 8 might not be perfect, but it's damn good, and I'm glad I could experience it as it was coming out. Hoping the second video gives me the same level of appreciation for the second half of the story!

[@shumanbeans]

2:09:30 Something I haven't seen anyone discuss is how Joshu's small monologue at the end of MM arc is connected to one of the themes of the second half, that is, giving meaning to your identity. Of course it's related to Josuke's motivation through the rest of the part, since while he is looking to save Holy, his reasoning is that saving her would be a sort of proof of his existence. However, Joshu's monologue also gives some insight on no other than the MV himself, Tooru. When Tooru told Yasuho the story of how he was rejected from the phone company, as well as some of his dialogue during the last moments of his fight, he expresses a similar melancholy to Joshu. Besides acquiring, money or power, deep down what Tooru really wanted was to give meaning to his solitary existence. Joshu talks about something similar at the end of the arc. Yeah, he lives a confortable life with his family but he feels the lack of his own value. He hasn't done anything relevant on his own and starts feeling the need of justifying, giving meaning to his identity, just like Josuke, Yasuho and Tooru.

[@SanjiTyloxion]

In a way you could see Johnny's actions as resulting in a curse regardless. The curse relating to how the Higashikatas get rid of the rock disease, particularly Kato, by transferring it to other children, themselves, etc.

[@OneColdRepublican]

I honestly thought the bite marks was because of that Guarding Rail rock animal trying to bite at anyone who came close to the Rokakaka. It sort of fell off after facing off against Lucy and Josefu(Joseph Joestar), but wasn't killed off. Just retreated into the grass and presumably continued to roam about there? So I assumed the animal seeing another guy with a star birthmark wanted revenge and bit Josuke(and his friends because of association )

[@gonzalodiez6336]

im so excited for this video. and PART 1??? this crazy

[@somelucifrostguy9208]

The last point about the Milagro Man makes me wonder about JoJolands. A young man in a subtropical island gains great wealth. I wonder how Araki'll tie that in

[@Renogade]

As an avid Jojolion fan, I gotta say I love what you've created here. The depth you go into is masterful and inspiring. Can't wait to see the next part! Keep up the great work

[@realaaronyoghurt]

I'm literally dying to watch part 2 for months now. So excited that it's coming soon !!

[@tiky321]

"its now been about a year and a half since jojolion ended" that hit like a rock bro it still feels like it was 2 months ago

[@lazyliongames6660]

Bruh I never knew it ended

[@justanotherfoolish]

This makes me think that the thing that Araki wants to truly explore is flow. it’s something mentioned in so much of the new universe

[@ricardomiles2957]

At least for me, The Sin of Johnny Joestar was meddling with the flow of calamity. For what we know, despite the disease being in the Higashikata family for long before, they didn't seem to face the hardships the family faces post Rina's recovery. He used THE bringer of good fortune to deal with the problem and disrupted the balance with no precedent. Like using a nuke to end a rat infestation.

[@Verivik]

Can't wait for part two of this video with the other half of jojolion and then the secret part three which is a 6 hour long anaylsis of the Wonder of U arc

[@superfriendlyalpaca]

This video is AMAZING!!! I just finished jojolion and I really appreciated the deep digging into connected themes and the context of the Tohoku earthquake. The "I am a rock" lyric analysis is WOW

[@jamesturner6979]

Jojolion reminded me a lot of a mystery box. A lot of stuff was set up but as the story evolved those early questions fell to the wayside and were either given disappointing answers or simply weren't addressed at all. It felt very anathema to Araki's writing style and I think the Part suffered greatly as a result of it. Hopefully for Part 9 Araki sticks to a more traditional adventure story that he is better suited to IMO. 🤔

[@MrJans3n]

Completely agree. For me, Jojolion had a bit of a slow start, and progressively got better and better culminating in the backstory of Yoshikage and Josefumi being a really high point. From there, it fell off more and more before ending on a very mediocre note.

[@eliilu]

Been watching for a long time but this is hands down my favorite video you’ve produced. Jojolion has some serious depth to it and this is probably the analysis that gets closest to breaking it down successfully. Hoping your next part examines the Infinite Spin, Soft & Wet (and Go Beyond), the shape of hands, pointing fingers, the connection between “teeth” biting and wall “eyes” and why Rohan is such an important character to Araki’s worldbuilding. Keep up the good work.

[@worstwizardever7447]

Love how there is so much Persona 4 music throughout this video , I see what you did there.

[@TuMadre8000]

12:52 that's actually a really deep point i picked up mid-way through reading jojolion. superficially, sbr comes off as the darker and edgier part, while jjl seems a lot more colorful, clean and happy. just compare the colored covers of each. however the themes, al least under this pov, are reversed. and these juxtapositions, intentional or not (although knowing araki, they're 100% intentional) play so well with the themes of each. in short, sbr plays along with the idea of finding the good of humanity, even if it's buried under everything awful about the world. while jjl is about the lurking calamities of the world, always present, always waiting for their time to strike, like an earthquake waiting to happen. i think they're some pretty darn cool themes.

[@FattyMcFloyd]

This is the channel I've been looking for! By far the best jojo creator out there - great work! I am excited for p2

[@lodestar27]

Took me until near the end to realize this is ONLY PART 1??? SHEESH I’m aready ready for part 2

[@Balibali418]

Finally managed to finish this video as I didn't have time to watch it all in one sit Really loved it, you always do awesome work on JoJo topics, so I'm extremely glad to see you covering the entire part just as The JOJOLands begins, really hope this helps people (that aren't as obsessed with the series as I am lmao) understand the plot more as I have seen so damn much confusion around it all the time. Thank you for entertaining us and I can't wait for part 2!

[@gilshtrahman8696]

3:27 xForts really posted one of the coldest transitions of all time and thought we wouldn't notice🥶🥶🥶🥶

[@conormcgough3966]

Literally finished part 8 yesterday. This timing is amazing

[@Grey_Skies]

I finished rereading Jojolion 2 days ago. The universe perfectly set this up for me.

[@DAN-fl5hq]

wow this video was really good! There was so many things I didn't remember, it makes me appreciate the first half of jojolion even more than before.

[@samc8068]

great video! love the way you handled explaining a lot of the background and themes, not overstaying its welcome, but also done in a way that makes it interesting and makes you go "huh, that explains a lot" lol. I do have to say, while you mentioned josuke and yasuho's relationship was "unsatisfying" in the end as they weren't explicitly shown kissing/hugging/etc., i feel that their relationship was depicted in a more mature and kind way. there's a sense of "knowing" between their glances and stares with each other and while i feel that while araki didn't do a great job with handling their ending in a way that would make everyone cheer, it also felt a bit more realistic. yasuho taking one last look at josuke going to his family with tears in her eyes, while at the same time having a faint smile on her face was beautiful i think. in that moment, she was happy that he was happy and i feel that araki conveyed that kind of love well.

[@Fizzy01010]

When you opened on the 2011 earthquake I knew you were going to be right on the money with this, awesome work man

[@MrKurtKocain]

1:46:26 I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a chapter like that. Steel Ball Run had a five page chapter just dedicated to Johnny and Gyro being friends before the final fight and it was a really good moment.

[@squishgod9094]

My journey with Jojo practically started with Jojolion. A friend brought over an imported All Star Battle in 2013, and I fell in love with the series' vibes. Then I saw the chocolate sailor and my friend said "yeah he has 4 balls" I needed to learn more. So I've been caught up with Jojolion since about 2013 and it was a, dare I say, bizarre fucking adventure

[@nineteenseventyfive6709]

This is probably the best video about Jojolion out there right now! You pointed out so many things I didn’t quite pick up on during my read as well as a really good rundown of the plot so far. Really excited for part 2 whenever that’s out!

[@aidlord23]

Even though it didn't quite stick the landing with certain mysteries like the skip forward with Tsurugi, it was definitely one of my favourite parts because of how well-realised it's themes of family and discovering one's identity were.

[@UnCreativeDeconstructionism]

Thank you for this. I love retrospectives my boy

[@Yxazel]

Can we talk about the fact that this man made an OPENING for a RETROSPECTIVE? My man you just keep going up and up

[@Yxazel]

@Kekyoin he did not?

[@Yxazel]

@Kekyoin i tought he asked it to be made, but oh well, my bad

[@IvansukeHigashikata]

This is a very cool video! I think I will rewatch it regularly sometimes... Really want to see part 2 of the retrospective for knowing a lot more new facts about Jojolion!

[@abhishekmajumder742]

Bro thank you for giving justice to Jojolion

[@OK2BeFat]

I haven't watched all of it yet but I just had to stop and say that the opening song is SICK. I -love it-

[@catswithlasers]

I like to think the dropped flashback man was a reference to Part 4's Josuke's own flashback man, who looked exactly like him, and then was never addressed again.

[@EXFrost]

part 4s flashback man was explained and makes sense tho

[@Dogflamingo]

At first I wasn't even gonna watch this video because I didn't really care for part 8 that much but after watching it all you gave me a new found appreciation for part 8. It was interesting seeing all those dropped plot threads, can't wait for the next part!

[@theknightofroses]

I bonded with a now-great friend of mine because of this part coming out while we were both in college and it gave me a very special bond with this part as a whole, I'm super happy to see it all re-contextualized in video form. Your insights are great and its a nice conclusion to being able to watch your chapter reviews as it came out.

[@mayamayamaya2]

jojolion took me the longest to read as i was stuck on volume 11 for nearly 3 years. but it ended up being one of my favorites, i read like 16 volumes in a single day..

[@johnmendoza6730]

Kei also points out a tree where Shotaro Ishinomori (creator of Kamen Rider, Cyborg 009, and other manga and tokusatsu series (also the Stan Lee of Japan and king of manga)) meditated next to. Fun fact: Araki is a Shotaro Ishinomori fan and his inspiration.

[@DaftSheep]

I always took Norisuke saying he's gonna kill Josuke in the beginning as a response of a father seeing a guy taking advantage of his daughter. Plus, him saying his memories won't come back may allude to the idea that he knows about Daimo's powers of taking memories. Kinda like one of those, "Read it with a different lens" experiences. Also, what if that baby was a rock human, as it almost looks like the Hurricane user?

[@cherie..cherry]

Yeah even when I still suspected Norisuke, I took that line as his anger towards some random guy you helped immediately making a move on your teen daughter. Not anything actually malicious

[@MyNamesCollin]

Jojolion, a story of a multitude of unfollowed up establishments, characters that seemingly disappear after introductory chapters (and the ones that do return are ended immediately) even the higashikata family minus Jobin and Tsurugi fade into mostly obscurity / mediocrity (Joshu) tons of cool stand fights, tons of lack luster stand designs (Aphex Twins, Doobie Wah, OZONE Baby, California King) but some of the best at the same time (Speed King, Nut King, WoU, S&W, King Nothing) Jojolion has great moments, but between there being separate rock human groups that are labeled 'the primary threat' at different points in the story, Jobin being absolutely shafted, the Rokkakaka being one of the most anime McGuffins to exist as its a cure all and allows main cast to avoid true danger on a multitude of occasion so the tension is often lost in the sauce. First half of Jojolion is very enjoyable, really good, but following the conclusion of Vitamin C and the revelations of how Josuke came to be the story plummets with the sole saving grace being the entire WoU fight (and with Rai being a gem of a character.) Far from a magnum opus, I think this teeters in the mid way point for Jojo.

[@maccamachine]

Still best part

[@donniedoom6130]

Absolutely amazing video, it’s kinda weird how much of your views I share on JoJolion, and when talking with friends I couldn’t figure out how to explain why I felt dissatisfied with Josuke’s and Yasuho’s relationship… it’s like u read my mind

[@boisvert45]

Part 8 is my favorite part by far. Soft and wet is my favorite stand, Tooru is my favorite main antagonist and just my favorite collection of stands just in general. I love everything about it

[@B51Thousandhours]

the i am a rock part is a masterpiece.

[@clownsingularity]

It’s amazing to go back through all the parts of Jojolion that I don’t remember that well, especially because of how many god damn inconsitencies there are in both its character writing and mystery elements. This part really was undercooked for it’s entire run, surprising to say the least considering its length and the time taken to produce it.

[@hypenoir6982]

I absolutely love the little connections between part 8 and the previous parts. Josefumi is like the mysterious hair guy from part 4, who inspired Josuke in the OG universe…

[@ringkunmori]

I had a theory during the first half of Jojolion that Kira isn't actually related to Holy, considering we never actually see Kira with the birthmark, only a visual in Josuke's imagination, and the truth is that Kira and Josefumi were switched during birth or something. I always thought that was the direction of the story for a while.

[@shumanbeans]

That actually sounds like a fun theory! This is what I love about serialized reading, it sparks people's imagination.

[@Jaxks]

Really hit your stride with this one, can't wait for part 2

[@noravanguard]

Wow this was an absolute amazing retrospective. Can't wait for part 2

[@SYM01397]

Awesome video. Really enjoyed the fanmade Jojolion intro at the start.

[@seyvetch7863]

I loved the video but I think the moment where Norusuke says Josuke wont regain the memmories he is refering to the memmory taking stand in that chapter while being a fakeout of him knowing whats going on with Josuke

[@JoelGarcia-lu3tw]

Your breakdown of I Am A Rock might be your greatest work ever.

[@shlabbiedoo22]

>2 hours >Part 1 OOOOooooooooooooooo, we in for a ride! Great work, by the way. Looking forward to part 2

[@mrikegeeksout4345]

I’m loving these Long form videos recently. All stands in sbr and this are the perfect thing to get ready for part 9

[@kyle-packard]

jojolion is my favorite part but the random plot points not being expanded on is very frustrating and makes it hard for my to argue it being the best part

[@EXFrost]

agreed

[@_Overestimated]

Read all of JoJolion just to watch this monster of a video. Great work, xForts! You make great content.

[@AmoriaShop]

godlike video, i read jojlion 3 times and still missed a lot of what you covered

[@ErivMaiden13]

Absolutely fantastic video. Looking forward to pt. 2. Also love that you have Persona 4 music playing in the background since it's basically the DIU of Persona

[@kudos8398]

The best video I've ever seen on JoJo, without doubts.

[@xForts]

Thank you!

[@AlessandroAltosoleChannel]

I don't think the flashback man being dropped changes a lot in terms of Josuke's story. Araki is not a planner, he goes where the wind takes him. At the beginning of Josuke's story we are shown that he has lost his memories, we are given a possible identity. That's Josuke initial goal, to take back those memories. So, of course, it makes sense for Josuke to have flashes of a life he doesn't remember living. but the way Jojolion's story progresses it becomes clear that Josuke can't really do that. When we are told about Josefumi, it already becomes clear that Josuke doesn't suffer from a simple amnesia. He isn't a man, he is two men, each with a different set of memories. And while he is busy trying to find out the truth, he builds a new life as Josuke. He meets new people, finds a new place where he belongs. At the end, things like the flashback man become a symbol of something that was, could have been again, but that will never mean anything for our Jojo. Because he is Josuke, not Kira or Josefumi

[@loro5275]

honestly, I see the way norisuke wanted to kill josuke and all of that simply as a big rage moment. He didn't truly feel that, he was just kind of pissed about seeing his daughter that and thought some bad things inside his head.

[@HeavyWeapons52]

This is like REALLY good, it's amazing how much xForts has grown as a creator

[@dumanblu625]

Everything about part 8 is well... Bizarre, even for jojo standards. There's a certain beauty to it that I can't describe.

[@simpleguy86]

thank you for this retrospective. i wish i had more time to read but you know how life is. i plan on going back to read the manga but for now am grateful for this in depth look into. keep up the good work and content.

[@Diox990]

Great video. Also that part 8 anime OP was amazing!

[@seanvaughan3896]

Great video, can't wait for the second half. Just a couple of things I wanted to comment on. 1. I always assumed that Kyo and Norisuke's initial contempt for Josuke were due to the fact that they thought he was an imposter taking Kira's place. However, this was dissuaded by, in Kyo's perspective by seeing the result of the equivalent exchange and in Norisuke's perspective he saw that Josuke was genuine with what he said about his memory loss. Granted this still doesn't fully explain his sudden change of heart but its the best explanation I can give. 2.CKB is an interesting stand that I was dissapointed we didn't see more of. One thing to correct you on though, CKB does not activate as a result of stepping on shadows but rather by showing concern for Daiya. Its also interesting to see how similar it is to Black Sabbath (losing a body part when it is introduced and the relationship with shadows - Black Sabbath gains strength from shadows whereas CKB is defeated by stepping on shadows). It wouldv'e also been interesting to see how CBK vs WoU would go down as CBK also activates it's ability through pursuing her (by showing concern). 3. Speaking of underutilised stands BTW and Kyo should have had more screen time. I mean why the hell did Josuke not include her in his plan to save Holly. She is not only a powerful ally and someone who Josuke could fully trust, but is technically Josuke's sister.

[@higginswalsan]

When I first finished Jojolion, I was honestly kind of confused by the ending, and felt it had been a little anti-climatic. But not long after I read the whole series again (more in preparation for Part 9 which I thought would be coming out far sooner than it did) and all of the part made more sense with the context of the ending, while the ending made more sense with the context of the series’ evolving themes and a more recent reread of Part 4. In the end I believe it’s Araki’s most ambitious part, with the best story and thematic ideas so far and a more experimental execution (which, I concede, can feel a bit poorly done at times but is easy for me to overlook because that’s what comes with experimentation) especially with the indirectly answered mysteries you reference. This video has introduced many new points that I haven’t noticed within the story that build so much on the themes I already noticed and just make me love the part more. I’m interested to see how you feel about the second half since I personally have a different take on it than most and it seems you find the first half far superior but you also have a great grasp on themes. Excited for the second part of this great video series!

[@creeperkinght1144]

I've FINALLY decided to sit down and read through the AU parts, oohhhhhhhhhh man I love it so far. I have recently finished Part 7 and I love the characters and worldbuilding and concepts Araki inserted into this, and as I am going through Part 8, I can definitely tell this is where he really wanted to take some unique ideas and add them to his amazingly built world, fleshing it out even more. The concepts of the Holy Corpse and the Rock Humans is fascinating and I am so curious how all of this is going to click in part 9 with the Lava Rocks and the consistent theme of supernatural locations with either Blessings or Curses. Even the Spin is super cool, being a more grounded version of Hamon that feels so believable in this wonderfully insane franchise.

[@felks1337]

outstanding video, really excited for part 2 hopefully it'll release before the jojolands ^^

[@Key_Carson]

" As well as- for some reason, he has taken Kira's balls " incredible, just incredible. Exactly what i wanted in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 8: Jojolion

[@Dime_Guy98]

I respect you so much for making this video, because it really helps clear up so much about Jojolion. But also, I absolutely love the persona 4 music in the background😂🤚

[@TheBlueArmageddon]

I think my main issue with Jojolion is all the villain fake-outs. Araki tried to make us wonder who the villain could be, but did so in a way that felt cheap and forced (Like the dad saying he would kill Josuke, then later we pretend like that never happened) But once the Rock Human gang is revealed, things get better. I also expect you will discuss the fakout flash-forward scene at the end of the story, where we think a tragic accident has happened but then its not brought up again ... they even counted down to it and made us who waited feel cheapened by the fakeout

[@danijackie]

Yeah, I think that's what really turned me off about how this part ended :T