It’s overall a fun time if you don’t dwell on the potential pitfalls of racial representation and lack of gender parity, but in the big picture they could be very well minor contrivances to the story.
Tony, MoBlack, and Danny return, using the theories of Sadiya Hartman and Joy James to discuss Fujiko Mine, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean, Deca-Dence and Michiko & Hatchin!
As I took in each new part and new Jojo, I became increasingly invested in the story and characters, and when Stone Ocean was finally adapted, Jolyne was everything I’d hoped for and then some; however, because the source manga has been around since the late 1980’s, some parts, particularly early on, haven’t exactly aged well. It’s too big a franchise to cover in every detail here, but its biggest issues feel worth discussing alongside its strengths.
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure presents a very different attitude from the common story of patriarchal family lines. Not only does the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure conclude with Jolyne, the first female protagonist of the saga, but it’s clear that her very survival hinges on traits she inherited from her female predecessors.
We sat down with Ise at Otakon 2022 for a wide-ranging conversation. In the process, she touched on the increased pressure for voice actresses to be idols—an issue that also affects women in other public-facing professions—and how the slow change post-#MeToo (as well as #KuToo, a Japan-specific movement) has given more people space to come forward with their stories.
From romance to horror, seinen to shoujo, here are the stars that shone brightest from the past year.
We closed out 2022 with one of the strongest seasons in recent memory and plenty of great titles to choose from!
I’ve been looking forward to Stone Ocean getting adapted ever since I first dipped my toe into the sea we called Jojo’s fandom. Not only did it star a female protagonist, but the kind of heroine I crave: equally capable of anger and silliness, and prone to vulgarity. I hadn’t met her yet, but I loved her, and knew she was destined to become my favorite Jojo.
Suburban horror plays on the anxieties of people living in these quiet communities, and as such, they tend to focus on the victimization of women. By making Kira’s first victim, Reimi Sugimoto, an active player in the story through the final act, Jojo’s reverses that victimization and turns into something far more empowering.
