Jojolion is a very very strange part, and this aspect brings good and bad things.
What I liked -
Philosophy:
JoJolion is really really good with themes and underlying philosophy. Josuke's character, for example. is made to be a contradiction to Yoshikage Kira's philosophy of being either "a man of the land or a man of the sea". Josuke wears sailor's clothes yet never enters a boat, he is born of the fusion of a man of the land and a man of the sea. Yet, he is not an indecisive pretender as Kira would have said. Ojiro sasame, is an indecisive pretender not because of his oscillation between land and sea, it is quite the opposite, he oscillates because he is indecisive, he stands in the line not only between land and sea, but also in the line of normal citizen and criminal, for he does criminal acts but wants to live a normal life. Josuke is not like that, he is decisive in nature and is up to face the consequences of his actions face front. He may not be a man of the land nor of the sea, but he is a man of the shore, and stands firmly and proudly on it. And it also ties with his stand's ability to use bubbles, since bubbles are what you find in the beach, at the water's edge. Also really liked the motherhood theme of this part, that is a direct continuation of Steel Ball Run's theme of fatherhood. There are many other examples, principally involving miracles, curses and calamities, but I wont extend myself here.
Characters:
There were a few characters I didn't like, and what I did like I REALLY liked. Jojolion is really good in creating these relatable and real yet bizarre characters, for the part is a bit more grounded and less fantastic than the others, characters have real motivations and you can see that (at least for the humans part) no one is as evil as the previous villains. The antagonists commit evil acts, and are assholes sometimes, but it's reasonable once you see their sides. And you can also say no one is really good in nature in JoJolion, no one makes good acts without waiting for something in return or having some objective in mind. My personal favorites were Jobin and Norisuke.
Stands and Battles:
Some of the most creative and fun stands in all of JoJo's, since the powerscale is tuned down a little, Araki had the chance to introduce a lot of bizarre ideas that result in a lot of unique battles. Speed King, for example, had this creepy aspect to its design, and has one of the simplest yet versatile abilities of the part, it is one of my favorites. My favorite battle was probably against Wonder of U, it is the most menacing, ominous and mysterious stand ever.
Rock Humans:
Are really strange yet exciting to read. They have unique motifs to their personalities that adds some flavor to them. Also, JoJolion has the best minor antagonists of the entire series. They all have not only personality, but interesting backstories and motivations and that creates more entertaining fights. Tamaki Damo and Yotsuyu are the ones I liked the most with a honorable mention to Doctor Wu. I will talk about tooru later.
Other antagonists:
Jobin is my favorite antagonist in all of JoJo's, a thing that made me really like him is how he can suddenly change his approachable and amicable personality to an absolutely despicable and determined villain. He doesn't stop for anything in his way and absolutely stomps over rules and morals to get to his goals. Yet, is really reluctant to abandon and hurt his family, the thing he values the most. His philosophy of "weakness and strength" and "everyone starts at zero and must climb up no matter what" feels real for a person like him for he was born in a position of power, and is not really empathetic with anyone outside his family, which gives another layer of reality to his character. I found him the most enjoyable and relatable antagonist yet. The higashikatas as antagonists in the start, principally daiya and tsurugi, are really cool for their mysterious nature, and it makes all really interesting to read. Ojiro Sasame is a really good character for reasons I already cited in the philosophy section, and not only him, but a lot of elements coming back way after their presentation in the part is one of my favorite things. I will talk about Kaato later.
Locacaca:
Really good Mc'Guffin and I think it's way better than the stand arrow, I think it fits nicely not only with the themes of the part but with the story in general, it doesn't feel like something that came out of nowhere, like the stand arrow kind of felt.
What I didn't like:
The flash forward: I hate how the flash forward is presented and how it mislead the readers for 2 years without a clear reason. We all thought the first part, with the happy family setting, was part of the flash forward, and it made sense, since tsurugi has a illusory stand and daiya has a memory controlling stand, PMK is even given a lot of focus in the Flash Forward, yet, the first part is a flashback and the focus on PMK and the countdown to the locacaca is only to mislead us. But this misdirect is not smart at all and does not change our perspective of the story, just makes things kind of boring. Also tsurugi's monologue in the FF doesn't make any sense once you realize he did nothing wrong. He could be talking about his father, but it really still doesn't make sense.
Inconsistencies:
Jojolion has a lot of inconsistencies, which I will list:
Unsolved mysteries:
There are a lot of things that went unexplained in JoJolion, which I will list:
There are probably others I forgot to point out but you get the point. It is not like the stand arrow or the stone mask that are introduced but explained in later parts, since the mysteries in JoJolion are introduced, never have any utility and are never explained, unlike the stone mask and stand arrow that have influence and importance in their respective parts. Some of the things I said have importance and play their part but most don't. And considering JoJolion is a mystery manga it having a lot of things that are introduced and never explained or used is kind of bullshit in my opinion.
Tooru and Caato:
Tooru is a boring character, the head doctor isn't, but tooru is just an asshole that declares himself main villain out of nowhere and dies. I don't think it is poorly written, I just don't like it. (Although I do like his monologue about memories and "the rock that sits on top")
Caato, on the other hand, was introduced right after the first major antagonist was defeated, had a stand and design similar to valentine's, said she didn't like josuke, and went against the higashikata tradition of sacrificing herself for her child, she was contrary to the ideals of the family josuke was trying to be a part of. All of the requirements are met. Yet... She appears for 2 chapters and dies immediately after. It is a misdirection, but it's not clever and it completely wastes her huge set up.
The end of Wonder of You and Endless calamity:
Despite being my favorite arcs, they have a shit ending. The entire arc is about Jobin waiting for the fucking locacaca to get ripe so he can save Tsurugi. Yet, Caato just shoves some tree sap up Tsurugi's ass and he's healed, the curse is broken. It makes it all feel pointless to me, it just feels really strange and rushed.
Unused Potential:
Considering all of the hanging mysteries, unused or unexplored characters (kaato, holly, karera, flashback man, etc.) and a second locacaca branch that didn't need to be EXCLUDED from the universe, I think JoJolion could be a longer part with more content, more depth to certain characters and a better ending.
Does it really hurt the part tho?
Not that much, I believe. I can understand JoJolion being shorter since there will be a ninth part that will use and solve all of its loose ends and hanging mysteries. And the end is really satisfying in my opinion (save for chapter 108 I hate that chapter). And despite appearing and immediately dying, Caato was a good character for what she did. The only thing that really stains JoJolion for me is the end of wonder of you and the flash forward. I think JoJolion's rights far outdo its wrongs and that makes it a great part.
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