Jojolands Chapter 1 Review- The Mechanism

Jojolands Chapter 1 Review- The Mechanism

If someone had told me a few months ago that part 9 would be GTA with stands, I'm not sure if I would laugh or just dance with joy. Probably both. Jojolands  is already off to a strong start with probably the best first chapter out of any part. Readers quickly get introduced to Jodio and their sibling Dragona getting accosted by police that then delves into sexual assault. Jodio doesn't tolerate this at all and he breaks out his stand to wreck some havoc. November Rain is the name of the stand and it appears that he can manipulate water to create crushing raindrops. That's a cool ability but seems way too cut and dry for a protagonist stand. It's probably just an application of its true ability. 

Jodio is without a doubt the most amoral Joestar thus far. He has no issue with severely beating cops(potentially killing them), stealing cars, and selling drugs to teens. All of this establishes him as a weird alternate universe counterpart to Giorno. Jodio's ruthlessness will take some getting used to so I'm hoping he eventually gets character development that makes him more noble. He's a cool guy but very punchable at the same time. Kinda like how Johnny was at the beginning of part 7. He also seems to be very hedonistic since he wants to get rich simply for the sake of it. He's a true gangster at heart. I also want to talk about Dragona who's easily the biggest highlight of the chapter. Despite their feminine appearance, Jodio calls them his brother. Jodio monologues how Dragona has always been into women's fashion and even got injections to expand their breaststroke. This implies Dragona could possibly be trans or nonbinary. The original Japanese version doesn't even use gendered pronouns to address them but all three translations( you know a manga is hyper when three different people translate it) uses male pronouns. I feel that using gender neutral pronouns for now is the wisest decision. I'm curious to see where Dragona's gender identity will lead but then again, Araki is infamous for never elaborating on important plot points. Here's to hoping he doesn't screw them over.

Near the middle to end of the chapter we are introduced to the primary objective: stealing a 24 carat blue diamond from a Japanese tourist. To assist in this mission they are joined by Paco, a kleptomaniac with some seriously sticky fingers and an unnamed character in a wetsuit who buys drugs from Jodio. Yeah, this part has a lot going on for it. It fills me with excitement just imagining how this heist will play out. The narration implies things will go horribly wrong and piques my interest even more. It's important to not that all the stands seen thus far are non-humanoid and only Jodio was one suited for combat. This makes me believe there'll be an even lesser focus on battles than in Jojolion and will focus more on tactical espionage. It's a fun change of pace but I'm seriously missing  the powerhouse stand battles we used to get. Overall, Jojolands is destined to be a captivating new installment of JoJo.

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Kiznaiver Fanfic- Empty Heart

Katsuhira often stayed up on the fringes of midnight while questioning what it was like to be normal:

To feel pain and emotion just like anyone else.

The ability to empathize with others was robbed from him several years prior by the very girl who often stirred his heart. Though his soul has grown cold, the flames that girl ignited in him never fully dwindled.

He wondered if this was the same feeling that Chidori clung to so desperately. Katsuhira was often confused by her antics, but he even noticed she treated him differently than she did anyone else. Perhaps he held the same place in her heart as "that girl" held in his.

Katsuhira endeavored to understand what semblance of emotion Chidori sparked in him. He yearned to know her pain and experience it as vividly as she did. Pain is what draws people together. Pain is what unites them into an inseparable bond. He would bleed for her just as she bled for him.

Juni Taisen Novel Mini Review

Like many Nisioisin series that aren't Monogatari, Juni Taisen is often overlooked by the public. There was a little fanfare when the anime came out a few years back before it was quickly forgotten. Is it even a story that deserves to stand the test of time?

JT's biggest pro is also its biggest con: the inner monologues. Readers only have a short time to get attached to the characters before they're abruptly killed by their opponent. This means that the writing is curt instead of the extensive roundabout dialogue Nisioisin is known for. I greatly prefer this writing style and it made for a brisk read. There wasn't any filler and everything was straight to the point. Though some characters were definitely less interesting than others, I felt that each one made a strong impact with the limited time they had.

My favorites are Inounoshishi due to her haughty attitude and Uuma for being a socially awkward beefcake. I just really love muscular guys, especially when they're shy.

The incredibly short battles was the only major flaw besides from the minimal characterization. It's a battle royale story so the fights should be the highlight but in here they're more of an afterthought. They don't even last a page. I'd be more disappointed if I wasn't already familiar with the author's penchant for anti climax. With Medaka Box as proof, Nisio can write inpreessuve battles when he wants to. C'est la vie.

Give this book a read if you enjoy character introspection and don't mind a battle royale without all the cool battles.

We are Water Protectors picture book

Review

I stumbled upon this book in the best way possible. I was strolling through the park basking in the nature when I saw that my library was doing a story walk. It was my first exposure to a story walk and its such a brilliant idea. Each page of this book was displayed around the park walking trail.

This picture book is less of a story and more of a call to action. It informs readers we are all born from water and we must protect it from the black snake known as oil. It's important to note that this was written in response to the Dakoto access pipeline protests. The native American population of Dakoto rebelled against the construction of this pipeline due to the damage it would cause to the water supply and cultural sites.

Author Carole Lindstrom urges readers to cherish water while educating us on its cultural significance to the Ojibwe people. Water is characterized as a nurturing force that gives us all life. It is our duty to keep water safe and protect the defenseless inhabitants of this world. Michaela Goade does a phenomenal job captivating the eyes with her breathtaking drawings.

This is an important lesson for everyone to learn because environmentalism isn't taken seriously enough. There's so much harm being done to the planet every day and we need to take a stand. We are water protectors feels like a folktale that should be passed down for generations upon generations. Do your part and save this planet.

Shojo Tsubaki and Anime Exploitation

The stage is set in the 1920s of Japan. Midori is without parents and selling flowers is her only source of income. Poor and destitute, Midori readily accepts Mr. Arashi's offer to join his circus; completely unaware of the horror to come.

Shojo Tsubaki is a story thoroughly drenched in controversy. You'll hardly find a conversation that doesn't revolve around how disturbing and grotesque it is. It's not unwarranted seeing as how the bulk of the story is about Midori suffering. The girl seriously has it rough: Dead parents, dirt poor, deprived peers, added alliteration. Seriously messed up stuff. Any moment of happiness she finds is quickly eclipsed by another traumatic experience.

This is essentially an exploitation film in anime format. Some will argue that " Shojo Tsubaki is actually super deep and it's a reflection of the darkness of humanity!" And that's where I call bs. You could make that argument about literally every piece of torture porn under the sun. If the purpose was to expose humanity's darkness, the manga shoots itself in the foot by being so voyeuristic about everything. Suehiro Maruo's involvement with the eroguro movement provides the clearest perspective on what this manga was about. He's simply the type of man who loves to combine the macabre with heavy sexual themes.

Midori truly is one of the most pitiable manga heroines out there. She suffers abuse throughout almost every moment of her narrative and the tale ends with her completely alone in the world. It was as if the universe itself conspired to torment her. One positive to come out of this tragedy is Tokuriji Muchisate. He's a despicable rapist like the other circus freaks but his character design is just so striking. It's a simple yet effective take on mummies and the traditional Japanese military uniform.

In essence, Shojo Tsubaki is not a fun read or watch. I usually enjoy the surreal works of Suehiro Maruo but he really dialed the nihilism up to 11 with this one.