… and now something extremely Bizarre!
Fashion, poses, characters… since 1987 the legendary series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure brings a fresh Vento Aureo of change in the world of Japanese pop culture!
Started in the well-known magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump; it is the second-longest series in the story of Shueisha (the first one is still the unmissable Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen Mae Hashutsujo which has 1960 chapters collected into 201 volumes). The story of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure begins in the 19th century; when the evil boy Dio Brando joins the Joestar family becoming an extremely powerful vampire after the discovery of a mysterious Aztec stone mask.
Divided into eight narrative arcs; the adventures of the various JoJos mix a vast number of different genres including Action, Adventure, Supernatural, Horror, Historical, Tragedy, and many others that make it a very peculiar series. In fact, in 35 years it doesn’t go down in terms of popularity and charm!
Including a lot of references to Western popular culture; in particular from the 1800s through to the 1980s. The creator of the series Araki Hirohiko homaged music (Ronnie James Dio, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, KISS), fashion (Trussardi, Ferré, Vivienne Westwood, Dolce & Gabbana), and literature (Dracula, Pet Sematary, Ozymandias) compiled a sort of illustrated pop-encyclopedia that invite people to expand their horizons.
JoJo… everybody loves ya!
These (and many other) features elevate the whole manga industry to a new form of art; in which everyone can read a series at various levels of depth. Starring a family of great heroes with great problems; the members of the Joestar clan (and their Stands as well) break the society’s rules to build a brand new timeline in which the whole world could become a more happy place. As superheroes (and supervillains) without a mask; the personalities and the characteristics of the person and of the superhero are overlapped. In this way, we can say that contrary to the American superheroes, in manga series the person IS the superhero. Obviously, he/she needs legitimation… not anyone can wear a light blue suit, and hat with a light pink star and become Johnny Joestar; only through a certain process, a character can reach the “super” status!
Putting their own needs and safety aside to protect others; all the JoJos ensure their own survival, either literally (continuing their mission alive) or metaphorically (as legacies after their death). Following what the American philosopher Charles S. Peirce called the “pragmatic maxim”; the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure superstars are not identified by what type of beings they are (for example Iggy, Coco Jumbo, or Miss Charlotte) but by only observing what their actions, feelings, conduct, and thoughts lead, we fully understand them!
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