Welp, today marks the beginning of week 3. This should be enthusiastic, however a concern:I worry that the 2-chapter-a-week system that I previously thought would suit this read’s difficulty and demographic is actually limiting participation. Multiple people have commented that work, school, parallel book clubs (Damn you, Sailor Moon!) is inflicting their ability to get caught up, and well…I did think 1 chapter a week would be too slow and would actually upset club members, it seems the opposite of my theory is happening. So now, a couple votes I encourage participation in:
People already reading along, will slowing the pace to 1 chapter a week help with participation?
Yes
No
0voters
Moreover, I think some onlookers that would find interest in the club are being turned off by the 2-week chapter system. People who are not reading along at the moment, will changing the pace to 1 weekly chapter encourage you to join?
Yes
No
0voters
No one has outright complained about it, but let me know this time. Until then, read this week’s portion as usual if you can. Thanks!
Just throwing this out by maybe try the 1 a week and revisit maybe after the first volume is done? Maybe we can all be a bit more acclimated to reading it by that point? Although Naphthalene is rocking it out!
On one hand, I think one chapter a week would be a bit easier for me to follow, but on the other hand, it would slow progression down to a grinding halt for those who are fast readers, which is a bit of a shame…
Vote is 50/50, someone has to break the tie! And then I’ll decide how the pacing goes beyond this point. Also I need to read again, been busy with various things the past few days.
Oh, and update on the pacing: I just read week 3’s two chapters within this morning, and I’ve decided that 2 chapters a week is a fine pace. I think we’re all more than capable of handling that.
Regarding week 3’s chapters (spoilers ahead):
侵略者ディオブランドその４
Wow, the first chapter of this week is insane compared to the anime. It’s been a while since I read JoJo volume 1, and I had forgotten that it actually shows Danny burning alive, as opposed to the anime, where Danny doesn’t jump out of the incinerator. I can see why David Productions wanted to make this scene less gnarly in the anime. This turns a LOT of people against Dio, and who can blame them? You gotta feel for Jonathan when everyone around him is mourning Danny’s death while he is the only one aware of how it happened.
過去からの手紙その１
This marks the adolescence of Dio and Jonathan (yes, amazing that they were tweens at the start) and clearly Araki wasn’t quick to adapt to drawing these guys. They’re damn massive with weird proportions! The art looks much cooler after these couple chapters, thankfully. That being said, the boys are finally on their way to graduation and Dio is making his final moves to inherit the Joestar wealth. I don’t have much to say about this particular chapter, other than that the stone mask on the book’s cover is finally starting to become relevant.
I’m holding to pace and just read 過去からの手紙その１ last night.
Thoughts:
-Damn why you gotta do the dog like that
-JoJo gaslighting himself over Danny and Erina seven years later is a huge bummer
-I saw Dio contributing to both his own and Jonathan’s father’s “illness” coming, but it makes for a good cliffhanger, and I’m eager to see both how this new round of the conflict with Dio (the letter feels like a smoking gun) and the return of the stone mask (what it will be used for I know to a basic extent because of cultural osmosis) play out. It feels like the story’s picking up.
-Also wondering if Jack the Ripper is going to be a relevant plot point or if it was just a pulpy way for the narration to set the scene post-timeskip
Also (non-spoiler), the rugby game’s presentation is surprisingly fun.
I’m still kind of in awe that this manga spent the first month+ of its real-world serialization not even really giving us the titular “adventure”! It feels like we’re just now, with the return of the mask and Jonathan’s newfound focus on archaeology, being promised that. I’m fine with that–just kind of surprised by the gumption given JUMP’s cutthroat approach to new series and the time they have to prove themselves in. Then again, Araki has peppered in consistent cliffhangers and succeeded in making Dio a villain you want to see get his comeuppance.
It’s pretty crazy how much time he takes to set it up. It goes by so much faster when watching the anime. But reading at the pace we are somewhat emulates reading a serialized comic as it’s coming out. Anyone have any idea at what point in the story Jojo really started to become popular during it’s original release?
The last chapter was quite hard for me but I am happy that the boring part is finished.
Also i like that in part 1 and 2 everyone looks like a powerlifter on steroids.
Perhaps a problem with this book club is that the first several chapters are not so interesting for a shonen fighting story fan. Obviously what we’re reading becomes that very soon and continues to be like that for years and years, but initially it’s a drama about a rich boy’s life. Very bizarre turn. I quite like the world-building in these first chapters, I appreciate the extra care with following Jonathan’s life, compared to the anime.
As someone who loves Jojo but is not generally a fan of shonen fighting stuff, I actually really love this part. Jojo is always better for me when it focuses on making the characters interesting so that the stakes actually mean something once they start fighting!
It’s definitely interesting how many genres Jojo flirts with over the years. These last few chapters have been straight up psychological horror and I love it!
Hey guys, couldn’t announce the beginning of week 4 yesterday, was busy AND sick like a dog. Welcome to week 4! Last 2 chapters of volume 1, this is getting interesting. Hope people are thrilled for what comes next.
Wait, in the image you posted, JoJo has a 10 pack, is that even biologically possible?
Regarding this week’s reading, I remember thinking that it was nice to see things finally start to move. I really didn’t expected Brando’s death to have been caused by Dio, and it showed how ruthless and resourceful our antagonist is. Scheming to kill your own father at ~12 (and succeeding on top of that) is really something. But JoJo finally caught up. While he looks like he is in a tight spot at the end of the volume, he definitely have the raw power to get through it.
There are more things I wanted to say, in particular guesses about what comes next, but since I have read ahead I know that those were wrong. So I don’t really know how to talk about it, since just saying they are wrong is a spoiler for what comes next, and just stating them (but not discussing) isn’t satisfying either. So I’ll just leave it at that I guess
I haven’t picked up the 4th volume yet, I’m going to wait for the group to catch up to at least the middle (ish?) of volume 2, so that I can ramble about where the plot goes after that (that part was completely unexpected to me). Volume 3 was also a complete surprise, but I’ll get to that in due time.
Then again, I’m probably talking to a majority of people who already know the plot, so I may be overthinking the impact of spoilers.
It was completely unexpected that JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure finally becomes an adventure!
I lost track of the individuals in this club that are just delving into this series for their first time. Pretty sure it’s still an overwhelming majority of people who already know what’s up. I’m curious about where you predicted the story would go, but as you said, it would be better to wait until we get to a good chunk of volume 2 for you to spill those. That being said, I’ll get to reading!
Aside from the portion we’re reading now, this is the author’s note in volume 25 (the first one I attempted to read in Japanese) and it’s amazing.
“I know you might think this is silly, but I once had a dream that I was a sumo wrestler standing in the ring. This might sound humorous, but it was the most terrifying dream I had ever had. The match was being broadcast live nationwide on NHK, so if I ran away I would be known as the biggest coward in Japan. I was nearly naked and wearing only a fundoshi…Geh! I still weighed 125 pounds! ‘I’m going to die,’ I thought…”
Araki’s authors notes are always pretty hilarious. I really love this one from Volume 50:
“I must be the only one who cares, but I often nearly drown myself. Not in the sea or in a river, no, I narrowly escape death drinking a glass of water. I only need a mouthful of water to suffocate, and I find myself unable to breathe. Generally, if I stay calm, I manage to get my breath back little by little, but recently, I almost passed out. That was a close one. That day, I miraculously escaped death, to everyone’s indifference.“
I guess I’ll just move on ahead then.
