The Fall 2023 Manga Guide

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean

What's It About? 

Stone Ocean is here! The highly acclaimed sixth arc of Hirohiko Araki's JoJo's Bizarre Adventure shifts the action from Italy to America, as Jolyne Cujoh—daughter of Jōtarō Kujo—is sentenced to 15 years in prison for a murder she didn't commit! In a bizarre turn of events, the prison is filled with Stand users. Some become her allies, but many are sent to kill Jolyne and her friends in a scheme to resurrect the scourge of the Joestar family—DIO! It's a battle for survival in a prison where death lurks around every corner while Jolyne fights to save her father's life in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Part 6—Stone Ocean!

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 6: Stone Ocean has a story and art by Hirohiko Araki. English translation by Nathan A. Collins, with touch-up and lettering by Mark McMurray. Published by Viz Media (November 28, 2023).

Is It Worth Reading?

Christopher Farris

Rating:

There might have been a time back in the day when JoJo's was more niche in English-speaking spaces where a release would necessitate more explanation of precisely what you could expect to be getting into. But here we are, now six story arcs deep into prestigious hardcover releases with a part that just wrapped up its anime adaptation on Netflix last year. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has soundly broken into the anime mainstream in the West, and now you can happily add Stone Ocean to your physical collection.

If this release is your first interaction with Stone Ocean, you'll find this first volume to be a somewhat uneven introduction. The beginning is honestly incredible, as we get to know Jolyne and how she wound up in her imprisoned situation that she's rapidly adapting to. It's interesting to have a lead JoJo who lacks any allies or support network for most of these early chapters. No one can explain what Stands are or how they work, so she must figure it out independently. It helps quickly define Jolyne as a strong, self-sufficient lead, even though she's still compromised by being imprisoned. Even once she's been reunited with her father, Jōtarō, who can elaborate on things for her, Jolyne's independence is illustrated in having her not listening to or working with him all the way through.

However, getting to that back half of the volume with Jōtarō does reveal some weaknesses in the series. You get the sense that Araki was writing by the seat of his pants with JoJo's at this stage, with several twists and fake-outs that happen around the fight with Johngalli A that make you question what the point of it all really was. When the moment-to-moment bizarreness is stuff like Gwess telling a shrunken-down Jolyne to "Get in the rat!" it's more fun to roll with, but less so when you've got whole multi-chapter fight sequences undercut into dream-world excuses. Sometimes, the strangeness occurring can be so oblique it can be hard to tell exactly what has happened from the art. Though otherwise, Araki's art is at some of its strongest here. We were definitely at a point where JoJo's looked like nothing else out there, and beyond the wild and wonderful character designs, we also see Araki playing with different shapes in his paneling. With the benefit of hindsight, I can tell you that the story of Stone Ocean does end up evening out, and there's still plenty in this first volume to intrigue you into following it.