Rebooting a beloved series is a really big deal. Araki's decision to do this could've been a hit or miss to some extent considering we won't be able to meet all our beloved characters ever again. But this was the best decision Araki could've taken. Ngl, I went through a series fatigue by the time I finished Stone Ocean. I needed something new, something different and of course, something much better. And it's safe to say, I got what I wanted.

Steel Ball Run is one of a kind. It basically changes Jojo entirely. From a protagonist with questionable moral stance to an antagonist with somewhat justified moral stance, with a pinch of spices that came in the form of deep thematic characters and an insanely bizarre plot seasoned by an overarching thread that tied everything together, the Steel Ball Run Race.

The setting being a 19 CE America allowed Araki to have various kinds of enemies and a fun cross-country race. The cameo by Danny, Stroheim, someone from Higahikata family was heartwarming. Knowing that Part 8 follows Higashikata family, I've been keeping my eyes on that one guy.

This is the best usage of stands in Jojo so far and it's really insane how Araki keeps getting better with it. I like how the focus was on the usage of stands rather than the stand itself. The fights were all insane and intense. Also the fact that guns were actually treated as a threat was a surprise, a welcomed one at that. It's safe to say that stand battles are no longer the main focus of battles anymore.

Gyro & Johnny's friendship is one of my favorites in fiction. Both of them are very likeable and mature. Their motivations, their themes, their chemistry with one another, their backstory, everything is executed perfectly. I love the times when Gyro made a song and Johnny was pretty amused by it lol. The fact that Gyro feels equally as important as Johnny is a really amazing thing that Araki did. Gyro is someone what a normal Jojo protagonist would be. He's humorous, he's witty, he's courageous, he's noble. He's a really deep character. I like how two totally different characters became best friends and how much they cared for each other and I cared for them. It just works perfectly. The stakes for Johnny weren't high enough but Gyro's was pretty much something that could be the motivation of a protagonist. I like how Johnny's motivation wasn't some world saving or beating the villain kinda thing but it was something selfish, something morally questionable. Throughout the story, Johnny did things for himself. He participated in the race and followed Gyro for himself. He did everything for himself until at one point, he sacrificed the thing that could heal him to save his best friend. Him being a cripple and his stand, in theory, being the most useless shit ever was very interesting and something that makes this part even more special.

Funny Valentine is an amazing antagonist. The fact that he's more morally virtuous than Johnny for me is insane. He's very likable. He's up there with Kira in quality. His sense of patriotism was something very very cool to read. His stand D4C is one of the best stands ever. Shit is top 3 for me atm lol. His fights were mind-boggling and insanely entertaining. The fact that Araki makes such powerful antagonists and finds a way to defeat them is brilliant.

Diego Brando, another iconic Jojo character being in this with a new stand was very fun to read. It's a fact that Dio in Part 7 is better than any of his previous iterations. He just keeps getting better with each part. He's no longer just evil for the sake of being evil. He has a believable motivation and is actually likable here.

I love Lucy & Mr Steel. Their relationship might've felt a bit weird in the beginning considering that Lucy is just 14 but it's safe to say, her relationship with him is very heartwarming and there's nothing weird about it. I like how Araki manages to flawlessly make us like characters that would've gotten dispised in any other series. He made us like a Nazi and now this.

A special shout out to the side characters. They were neither just present for enjoyment nor did they overshadow the protagonist. Their thematic importance in the story was very well done and made them likable. Hot Pants, Pocoloco, Sandman, Ringo, etc. were all amazing. This is a theme heavy part and this just makes it so much more compelling. Considering how Parts 1 to 4 hardly had any thematic importance, with important theme integration starting from Part 5 and now it being escalated to this level, it's honestly pretty outstanding.

The art & character designs of this part are the best in Jojo so far. There were times when I was just glued to my screen in awe as the art was absolutely gorgeous.

This is truly the most bizarre part of Jojo so far. Enhancing every aspect of the series whilst doing something new, Araki manages to execute everything near-flawlessly. Steel Ball Run is a Masterpiece.