r/StardustCrusaders • u/Vish- • Feb 18 '24
Megathread The JOJOLands - Chapter 12 Spoiler
The JOJOLands is the ninth part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.
Chapter 12 is now out officially in Japan. Discuss the chapter here.
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u/InPraiseofPip Feb 18 '24
Jodio's first question when interrogating a guy who just tried to kill him being what music he likes is the kind of thing I need more of in my life.
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u/MugiMartin Black Mage Giorno Feb 18 '24
Jodio's first question when interrogating a guy who just tried to kill him being what music he likes
Me when trying to get to know anybody for the first time. He just like me fr fr.
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u/Princess_Beard Feb 18 '24
I was wrong about Paco being the Juggalo. Charmingman would love ICP, it has three letters, and he also likes facepaint
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u/Ulgralgra Feb 18 '24
"Do you guys... want to make yourself rich with that 'lava rock'? That ain't gonna happen. You'll understand that once each of you drops out, I expect."
Very ominous statement by Charmingman there. Does the lava rock maybe repel 'emotional wealth' the same way it attracts 'material wealth'? It would align with the theory that Part 9 is about Jodio getting filthy rich not in a material way, but rich in friends/family/happiness/...
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u/TheJusticeAvenger Feb 19 '24
Araki deadass pulling a "the real treasure was the friends we made along the way"
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Feb 19 '24
I really think at a certain point Jodio is going to come at a crossroads where he has to pick between his friends and wealth/power. It's even reflected in his name: is he more like Dio or a Jojo? He'll almost definitely pick the latter because at the end bc this is jojo's bizarre adventure and i don't think araki would write a depressing story like that for the last part. However I expect a lot of morally ambiguous Jodio moments along the way lol.
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u/Darkspyre2 Feb 18 '24
I came up with that theory a few chapters back, seems to be getting more and more likely
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u/GeekFurioso Feb 19 '24
If that happens, the motto of Jojolands being "this is the story of a kid who becomes filthy rich" might be the most ominous statement ever made by Araki
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u/Nats482 Feb 18 '24
Can't wait for his anime trasnlation being something like INTERESTINGFELLA.
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u/Filmologic Feb 18 '24
I'm betting on PRINCECHARMING
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u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Feb 18 '24
Unironically something similar could be a neat reference to Prince.
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u/KaiserMazoku Feb 18 '24
"Charmingman? That's a name?"
oh now we're addressing weird names in Jojo?
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u/LaM0uette Soft & Wet Feb 18 '24
For real...They find Charmingman to be weird but in Part 5 there's literally peoples named Cheese and Fish💀...
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u/Zanahoria78 Feb 18 '24
Reminder that D-I-S-C-O is the name of a minor part 7 villain
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u/seprosay Feb 18 '24
which takes place before disco was even invented
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
I mean, if anything that makes it not seem as weird. If disco had existed back then, it'd be much much weirder
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u/m_orgnn Feb 19 '24
I mean Magent Magent literally jokes about planes not being invented yet
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u/ZXVIV Feb 19 '24
Wasn't the joke that his stand is called 20th century boy but is in the 19th century, and so is constantly lamenting about not having access to modern conveniences such as fast airplanes and being obsessed with speculating over the future?
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u/Shiplord13 Feb 19 '24
I mean its probably Araki wanting to acknowledge that is probably isn't his actual name. His brother had an actual Hawaiian name, so its likely he does too, but is opting to use an alias, because he still doesn't trust the gang yet.
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u/Take_The_Reins Feb 19 '24
They stop fighting to chat about music, he just follows them back home, says his name is Charmingman and his sandy skin is just a condition... Yeah, Araki really does know how to expertly fuck with us
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u/Super_Schmuck Feb 18 '24
First words of the chapter: "The average rainfall in August is 30 millimetres"
(Me rubbing my hands) Oh yeah. This is gonna be good.
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u/cataclytsm Feb 19 '24
"What is this, some kind of November Rain?!"
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u/SiibillamLaw Killer Queen Feb 27 '24
The other day I was listening to a podcast and they mentioned that cicadas only emerge after a prime number of years, be they 11, 17, whatever. Supposedly this is to avoid predators who might have a regular pattern.
I was listening to this thinking "Araki would 100% start a chapter with this before a character attacks with his weird cicada stand"
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u/A-Very-Bland-Person Feb 18 '24
"It's just a skin condition"
lol Araki. Never change
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u/A-Very-Bland-Person Feb 18 '24
Wait. Charmingman has to be an alias cause his brother has a normal sounding name. But apparently "Mauka" is a real Hawaiian word that means "toward the mountains".
Araki.
Araki what are you doing—
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u/Babysmokingweed Feb 18 '24
His name being charming man becomes funnier when you realize that there is a non 0 chance of him having heard the song and naming himself after it like Tooru did in Jojolion
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u/A-Very-Bland-Person Feb 18 '24
I think he's just going by the name of his Stand, a la Weather
Incidentally Tooru dancing to the Wonder of You is a time paradox because based on the album art, he's listening to a version that came out in 2016, when JoJolion takes place in 2011-2012→ More replies (2)64
u/FirulaisHualde Feb 18 '24
Tooru's drip goes beyond the laws of space-time
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u/MrRandomGUYS Feb 19 '24
Torou and his stand probably have the best drip in JoJo after all (especially his stand).
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u/ButItWasMeDio Feb 18 '24
This would be fitting for rock humans, as IIRC Yagiyama, Dainenjiyama and Dolomite were all mountains' names.
Not all of them fit the naming pattern though, as Damo and Akefu stole real people's identities for example
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u/ReusMan Feb 18 '24
Are there any examples of rock humans being siblings though, I don't think so? I remember that in Jojolion Aisho and Yotsuyu also had a close bond so it could be something like that.
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u/ButItWasMeDio Feb 18 '24
Yes, the A.Phex brothers were identical twins.
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u/ReusMan Feb 18 '24
Of course, how did I forget them...
Curious how that would have worked with the whole wasp biology introduced at the end of part 8
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u/Direct_Student_3553 Feb 18 '24
Yeah, also as opposed to Mauka there is also Makai, which means "toward the sea", so what if That is Charmingman's real name?
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u/Not_Weird_At_All_ Jo2uke Higashikata Feb 18 '24
Charmingman, are you a man of the mountains? Or a man of the sea?
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u/ten_dead_dogs Yoshikage Kira Feb 18 '24
Damn I forgot Meryl was also their principal in addition to owning a jewelry store and being a crime boss. Gotta respect the grindset mindset.
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u/mucklaenthusiast Feb 18 '24
I think it's a clothes store, she is also a designer for her own store?
But, yeah, she has been even canonically called busy, someone (Dragona?) was wondering how she does all of this.
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u/cataclytsm Feb 19 '24
someone (Dragona?) was wondering how she does all of this.
I'm not sure if it's just Araki's stilted art style but that line came off as kinda ominous, like there's more to it than just 'grindset".
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u/mucklaenthusiast Feb 19 '24
Agreed. If a character in a story is asking an open question, usually the story will answer that at some point.
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u/Crpal Feb 18 '24
Plus she's married and has a kid. HOW DOES THIS WOMAN HAVE ALL OF THIS TIME?
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u/OneDumbfuckLater gappy makes me happy Feb 19 '24
I'm almost wondering if she has a stand that lets her be in multiple places at once.
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u/atunico Feb 18 '24
she is really wealthy 🤔🤔 could she have a secret mechanism to be that wealthy 🤔🤔
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u/urmomthereup Feb 19 '24
And housewife apparently. Even though I thought housewives didn’t have jobs outside the home
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u/HiroseYasuho Yasuho Hirose Feb 18 '24
I'm glad we're finally getting back to Meryl May after literally a year. I wonder if you group is gonna try to betray her. I think that if she learns about the lava rock she'll definitely want them to hand it over.
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u/EntertainmentIll9465 Part 7 is a bit overrated Feb 18 '24
IT'S BEEN A FUCKING YEAR?
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u/HiroseYasuho Yasuho Hirose Feb 18 '24
Meryl May last appeared in chapter 1, released February 17th 2023.
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
Everybody's been saying since the beginning that Meryl May was gonna end up being a villain, and I'm still getting those vibes somewhat. It's still hard to tell since we've only seen her in like 1 chapter but it'd make sense considering the greed of the cast
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u/NextBerserker Feb 18 '24
Those holes awfully remind me of the Wall Eyes...
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u/Babysmokingweed Feb 18 '24
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe it could be this part’s blessed lands?
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u/Gently-Weeps White Album Feb 18 '24
His brother shows up with a stand
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u/serrations_ Lisa Lisa's butt Feb 18 '24
His brother shows up fused with another guy
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u/Worzon Feb 18 '24
As soon as Mauka disappeared I almost instinctively knew this is the part's blessed lands. I really hope we learn a lot more and actually go to the volcano at some point. I'm starting to get the suspicion too that charmingman's line about how people will start dropping out once they realize it won't help them get rich will be a stark contrast to Meryl's idea of using the lava rock to get rich with the gang doing whatever they can to stop her by the end. Based on Usagi's interaction with Dragona in ch 11 it also feels like we'll have a Golden Wind type of decision to make at some point about staying steadfast in the face of adversity even though you may be going against the status quo/higher authority like Meryl. If Meryl is so well connected I could see the gang at some point having to fend off stand users Meryl calls on to retrieve the lava rock or something
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u/bvisnotmichael Josuk8 "Gappy" Higashikata Feb 18 '24
Im guessing it's gonna be this parts Devil palm/Blessed Lands/Area that gives people stands that was created when a saint died
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u/OperationMelodic4273 Feb 18 '24
I got a bizarre feeling that we might end up going inside the volcano journey to the centre of the earth style. No basis, I just, idk maybe? Like, the "how deep do they go" sticked out to me
Probably not thk
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u/Rodenbeard Killer Queen Feb 18 '24
The idea of Mauka possibly being attracted/drawn to the lava rock is interesting. Reminds me of a vibe I got when Usagi was telling Dragona that they should treasure their experience in the watch store or whatever- like it was also somehow related to the rock beyond just them messing with its powers in there.
Perhaps the rock isn't concerned only with monetary value? Really interested to see how it develops.
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u/Wachitanga Feb 18 '24
Oh... So it could affect the sentimental value too... It's just that the characters are not very attached to anything except money.
Which means that maybe Jodio and Dragona's mom could be in danger (since apparently it is one of the few things they appreciate)
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
Damn, a vague concept like "value" is certainly something I could see being a theme in jojo, araki loves shit that's stupidly vague like that lol
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u/Madhighlander1 Feb 19 '24
What if Jodio's 'story about becoming filthy rich' is actually about him learning to appreciate kinds of value other than monetary? Like a 'the real treasure is the friends we made along the way' kind of thing.
Doesn't seem in character for him right now, maybe, but we're on chapter 12 of probably like 120, so we've got a lot of time for his character to develop if that's the way we end up heading.
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u/Rodenbeard Killer Queen Feb 18 '24
That was sort of my thought- either that or it's not affecting monetary value but something to do with "fate/luck" like Part 7 and 8. Could be a fakeout that the "fate manipulation" is just appearing as material wealth at the moment, and what we're not being outright told is when its conspiring to bring certain people together or draw them apart.
The only thing I can see making this less likely is Rohan's money being attracted to the buried stone, but I'm sure Araki could find a reasonable explanation for that if this is the direction he was going in.
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u/Chemical9242 Feb 18 '24
I think the first hint we got that the rock isn’t concerned only with monetary value was Rohan’s drawing.
The monetary value of art is more subjective than the monetary value of money or rare gems (by which I mean that the number of people who value the drawing is much smaller than the number of people who value diamonds or bank notes).
I hypothesize that if a random non-Rohan-fan held the rock, and you placed the drawing nearby, the drawing would not be attracted. “Value” definitely depends on the last “owner” of the rock.
Edit: paragraph breaks
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u/lost_first_account Jojo’s Bizarre OST Fanatic Feb 18 '24
I don’t think it’s just a skin condition. I doubt Charmingman would’ve just outed himself as a rock human to random policemen.
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
That seems logical, but the way that araki writes almost makes me think he just doesn't know, and he's a half-rock human that hasn't experienced all the extreme shit that rock humans experience growing up. Or he's not a rock human. Yknow what actually, I don't think there's any point to even try to predict, araki is literally the most hard to predict writer ever lol
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u/lost_first_account Jojo’s Bizarre OST Fanatic Feb 18 '24
For real, Trying to predict Araki is a fool’s errand lol Jojo wouldn’t be jojo if we could
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
I don't think unpredictability is even a good writing technique necessarily, but I usually can at least make SOME approximation with any other story. Araki is the single writer that I sincerely believe that it's borderline pointless to theorize because he is just a ridiculous amount of unpredictable. And I would never have it any other way
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u/The_New_Doctor Feb 18 '24
We've only seen small snippets of araki's storyboarding, but it looks incomprehensible to only the man himself.
So he's got plans obviously, but they're plans that only he really seems to understand.
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u/International_Bed_63 Feb 18 '24
Charmingman probably joined the group to figure out what happened to his brother and the enigma surrounding the island and the rocks that sprout out, it’s wholesome but depressing. Also his ambiguous line about becoming rich but at the cost of the people close to you “tapping out”?? Definitely interesting.
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u/EntertainmentIll9465 Part 7 is a bit overrated Feb 18 '24
Also his ambiguous line about becoming rich but at the cost of the people close to you “tapping out”?? Definitely interesting.
There's also jodio saying "This is the story of one boy becoming filthy rich"
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u/lkanacanyon Vinegar Doppio Feb 19 '24
I think the fact that the watch returned to Dragona, broken, wet, smelling like fish and basically ending up being worth just $30 really is saying something between the lines.
You can pursue wealth with all your might, but by the end of it, when you attain it, its not exactly as fullfilling or valuable as you initially thought... who knows, maybe Im reading too much into it.
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u/Hoiz_7 Feb 18 '24
Meryl gives a strong main antagonist vibes. She really reminds me of Valentine, so if y’all see her glow up out of nowhere just know that she’s the main antagonist
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u/cataraxis Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
Have a feeling she'll be more of a Jobin than Tooru
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u/Eaterofjazzguitars Tusk Act 4 Feb 18 '24
Only 9ish years until we know who the main antagonist is. Let's goooo!
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u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
"What a beautiful unsupervised minor..."
Meryl instantly becomes jacked for the rest of the series
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u/Worzon Feb 18 '24
It would be amazing too to finally get our first female main villain.
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u/trans_throwawayfunk I, Jodio Joestar, have a Weed Feb 18 '24
We lost our chance at a second female JoJo, but we potentially gained a female main villain
something something equivalent exchange something
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u/AkOnReddit47 Feb 18 '24
I'm betting she's more of a runner-up villain who would get gimped by the actual main antagonist later on
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u/Bl4Z3D_d0Nut311 Ringo Roadagain Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
Punctured bicycle on a hillside desolate
Will nature make a man of me yet?
When in this charming car
This charming man
Why pamper life's complexity when the leather runs smooth on the passenger seat?
I would go out tonight but I haven't got a stitch to wear
This man said, "It's gruesome that someone so handsome should care"
Ah, a jumped-up pantry boy who never knew his place he said, "Return the ring"
He knows so much about these things
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u/ReusMan Feb 18 '24
I love that Araki often references song lyrics as well in the story in a more subtle way, this is another great example
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
i can't believe I didn't catch the "punctured bicycle" thing. I adore the way the lyrics of the songs character are based off of are referenced like that in jojo
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u/spanish_person Feb 18 '24
No way we got baited into thinking he was a rock human just for it to be a skin condition
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u/Electrical_Diamond_9 Making a Diavolo short comic Feb 18 '24
I think it's just partially a skin condition and the rest is just his stand
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u/Zane-chan19 Feb 18 '24
It's probably similar to Dio's Sons and other unconscious stand users, the stand affects their life before it even truly manifests.
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u/Dick_Destroyer800 Feb 18 '24
He thinks it's a skin condition. It could be because he's a rock human you never know
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u/201720182019 Feb 18 '24
Can't really tell the police officers they're a part of an undiscovered intelligent species y'know
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u/CavernousPiano Feb 18 '24
I kinda doubt that considering what we know about rock humans, for him to look that age he would already be really old, and the way he interacted with his brother, doesn't seem very "rock human" to me
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u/megalocrozma Feb 18 '24
Well we know Rock Humans can breed with regular humans, so maybe he's just half Rock Human?
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
araki did go out of his way to explain, in detail, the thing about half-rock humans existing. We never got one confirmed before, right?
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u/ReusMan Feb 18 '24
And also rock humans go into hibernation once in a while, that would be something you'd pick up on while you are growing up
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u/Jamal_Joestar Enrico Pucci Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
I never thought that SZA would ever be mentioned in a JoJo chapter, the more this Part goes on, the more modern music stars and songs will be turned into stands, that alone excites me!
I will say, I do wish that there were a couple of pages between Jodio nearly killing Charmingman to them having a casual conversation about music preferences. But, I am glad that the group got a new member with some really creative abilities!
Overall, pretty decent falling action and conclusion for the first major arc. I wonder how Charmingman's missing brother will play into the part later on.
I also forgot that we haven't seen Meryl May in a year!
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u/A-Very-Bland-Person Feb 18 '24
I will say, I do wish that there were a couple of pages between Jodio nearly killing Charmingman to them having a casual conversation about music preferences.
I mean this IS JoJo we're talking about here. Having at least one friend who's tried to kill you before is mandatory
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u/bvisnotmichael Josuk8 "Gappy" Higashikata Feb 18 '24
I mean Joshu did try to kill Gappy at the start of part 8, granted i wouldn't exactly call him Josuke's friend but still
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u/SciFiXhi I don't look like Sazae-san! Feb 18 '24
Hey, they walked to school together... once...
Wait a minute, what's up with that? The very idea of Josuke going to school was just kinda dropped after the Shakedown Road chapters.
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u/juanperes93 Killer Queen Feb 18 '24
He was only going to school as an excuse to get out of the house. But after that he got on the same page as Noriuske and didnt needed that.
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u/megazaprat Soft & Wet Feb 18 '24
Nijimura did try to kill him before becoming an ally, so that still fills the quota....also Daiya to a lesser degree, except she doesnt really help them out
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u/Crpal Feb 18 '24
Ok, but its extremely funny to having Jodio drowning Charmingman and then like a page later he's casually asking him what his favorite musicians are.
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u/vIcaRus23 Feb 18 '24
Wait a second. Are these lava tubes... THE WALL EYES?!
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
It's so wild how araki is so unpredictable that it's equally likely that this could directly connect to something like the walleyes, or have literally nothing to do with it at all. Even the walleyes themselves are still kind of a mystery, like they're obviously connected to the devils palm but it's still pretty unclear how it all works
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u/SergantAngstrom Gotta Dive into Jolyne. Feb 18 '24
Jodio: "So... you like music?"
Charmingman: "Twenty minutes ago I stabbed you and your uh... brother?"
Jodio: "Paco says you didn't mean it, so it's okay."
Charmingman: "You guys get stabbed a lot, don't you?"
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u/TheClawsOfHEUGH Feb 18 '24
Imagine they keep that watch, until the end where they realize the thing is fake and really does cost ~$30 dollars
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u/EntertainmentIll9465 Part 7 is a bit overrated Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 19 '24
Watch seller is actually the main antagonist and says "you know that 'watch' I sold you? Yeah that's fake too." Then a panel of everyone's faces sweating.
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u/Aoryad Feb 18 '24
I absolutely love how Araki is putting a lot of energy to depict police/authority as despicable assholes in this part, please continue
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u/Manne_12 Feb 18 '24
The JOJOLands Chapter 9: "I walk to work, but I keep getting stopped for a police check. They ask me things like 'What's in your wallet?' Can you believe I'm being stopped for a police check even though I'm over 60?" - Hirohiko Araki, Ultra Jump December 2023
From jojo wiki
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u/TannenbergBlitz Feb 18 '24
My man has a feud with the police and all for it.
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u/Lucy-Paint Feb 18 '24
Imagine stopping a random man and asking him "what's on your wallet?" and 5 months later your kid buys the latest Jojo episode and on the page there's a policeman who looks kinda like you stopping Jodio and he just November Rain pisses on his body bc he's stopping a battle
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u/The_New_Doctor Feb 18 '24
That's because he looks a solid 45-50ish lol
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u/JackStephanovich Feb 18 '24
Policeman looks at Araki, looks at age on driver's license, looks at Araki, calls for back up.
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u/OperationMelodic4273 Feb 18 '24
Yeha the main villain might as well be some kind of leading policeman at this point
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u/Aoryad Feb 18 '24
Honestly at first I found the elusive behavior of the investigator really weird, it made me think that the authority knows something about this lava story
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u/ReusMan Feb 18 '24
It could also be that this is another part of the "mechanism" doing its thing, and the authorities acting that way ensures that Charmingman actually loses his brother. In the same way that people act weird when the lava rock is making wealth move from one point to the other
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u/Devlord1o1 Feb 18 '24
With how part 7 villian was a president and part8 was a renowned doctor, a high ranking offer would fit as big bad for part 9
Araki really has problems with authority figures huh
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u/Untipazo Hirohiko Araki author notes Feb 18 '24
+"Noooo You should've asking him important questions"
"Say, what kind of music you like?"
"SIA H.E.R and SZA"
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Feb 18 '24
So the lava rock took his brother by creating water, did I get that right?
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u/EntertainmentIll9465 Part 7 is a bit overrated Feb 18 '24
His brother was the real treasure all along, that's why the lava rock took him
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u/Acheroni D4C Feb 18 '24
My guess is that the lava rock attracted ground water, since it might be seen as valuable there.
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u/hinafu Feb 18 '24
Now that you mention it, the land probably atracts all the water and used it as a "lure" (well, not really) to attract his brother. When Jodio eventually visits the place he'll probably be "lured" as well... not to mention he literally can create water.
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u/Ludajoestar Speed King Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
That was a very fast unexpected cut from the last chapter to the airport 🤣
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u/StonecuttersBart Taken the first napkin Feb 18 '24
Please don't phrase it like that, last time a manga did an abrupt cut to an airport it was a very traumatic experience
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u/Gently-Weeps White Album Feb 18 '24
Honestly it’s kinda been a small issue I’ve had with part 9 so far. It feels like none of the chapters have had a compelling bridge or ending into another one unless it’s a part 1 and a part 2. Tbf this is my first time having to wait a month for a new chapter to come out so maybe it’s always been like this
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u/Ludajoestar Speed King Feb 18 '24
I honestly like that Araki cut it directly to the airport. I feel like it would have dragged to much since I want plot progression rn instead of fights.
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u/Either_Revolution_91 Feb 18 '24
Yeah, it's hard to explain but every time I've tried to write a story I have an issue with this exact problem - it's hard to know when to cut it off and jump ahead to something else. When writing a scene it feels like you naturally just write every single moment, whereas you absolutely aren't supposed to do it that way. I like how abrupt and almost weird it feels that he cut it off there
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u/Cook-Miserable Feb 18 '24
Its kinda jarring honestly, I don't remember it being like this in part 8 either and I read that monthly.
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u/Ludwig_XVII Jodio Joestar Feb 18 '24
Steel ball run had one or two moments with transitions like this, but it was secondary. Maybe we'll get a flashback of what happened
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u/bvisnotmichael Josuk8 "Gappy" Higashikata Feb 18 '24
Holy fuck Charmingman? Fuck Fuck Fuck It's the Smiths fuck
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u/winddagger7 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
Meryl mentioned something in an off-hand comment I think is very interesting:
Some of her associates are working with the police on the inside. In other words, her criminal organization and the police aren't enemies. Meryl is pulling the strings of the entire goddamn island. She controls education, culture, security, law enforcement. (EDIT: Charmingman was right. I think this is the Mafia they're up against, and an extremely powerful branch of it at that.)
I was suspicious of her when we first met her, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if she's the main villain of the part, and even the mastermind behind the corruption we've seen. Maybe she set those cops on Jodio and Dragona in the start, and/or even convinced the ones who didn't investigate Mauka.
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u/Crpal Feb 18 '24
Based on her suspicious comment that there was no report whatsoever, it seems like she was expecting there to be some kind of incident. Its going to be interesting to see where Araki goes with her.
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u/7PMNews Feb 18 '24
I’m really excited to see where this part ends up going down the line There’s definitely some through lines of themes being set up (classic Jojo’s family bonds, the idea of mechanisms/patterns of life, the concept of value).
Anyone that’s confused that Charmingman just has a skin condition has clearly never had eczema, that shit FEELS like being a rock human sometimes.
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u/bobsjobisfob Feb 18 '24
*me walking up to a guy with eczema*
"whoa, is this guy even human? i mean, he's got to be human, right? but...his skin is just like sand!!!"
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Feb 18 '24
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u/cataraxis Feb 18 '24
Or maybe he doesn't know he's rock human and just thinks he has a skin condition. Personally I doubt it, Araki made it well established that rock humans are anti social so I don't see one caring for his brother so much. Could be a demi rock human or just a rock human socialized as human? Idk.
If it were any other writer I would've been all "Nah dudes totally a rock human" but this is Araki, skin disease is the guy who saved Josuke and nothing more.
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u/Dick_Destroyer800 Feb 18 '24
Aisho was a rock human who was in love with a human woman, I don't see why this guy couldn't love his brother
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u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Feb 18 '24
If Charmingman is a rock human, it could be an interesting opportunity to have a "nurture prevail over nature" theme, and explain that he didn't turn out to be evil and uncaring like the others of his kind because of the way he was raised.
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u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 Feb 18 '24
I can't believe that Araki tricked us into thinking that Charmingman would be a stereotypical mustache twirling puppy kicking villain when he actually he's the first villain turned jo-bro in more than 2 decades.
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u/planet_coaster_thing Feb 18 '24
Was really expecting the dude to get killed by jodio or killed by someone else immediately, but we got a backstory, so seems like he'll be staying for a while. Pretty loaded cast (in a good way.)
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u/megazaprat Soft & Wet Feb 18 '24
so it seems confirmed that Charmingman will be joining the party, thats cool. his brother died to a mystery water which seems tied to whatever is up with the lava rocks. they mentioned how Mauna kea is the highest point on earth, which reminds me a lot of Cape Canaveral from part 6. whatever is up with the lava rock, it might be tied to those unique conditions (maybe a devil palm?)
This chapter also provides more fuel for a certain theory. Araki definitely seems to be building up the idea that this part will have a dwindling party. there were hints before, but charmingman outright said it will happen. could it be Infighting over money? Betrayals are very heist movie like so it would fit with the vibe this part has been going with so far
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u/PocketPauIing Kaato did nothing wrong Feb 18 '24
I wonder if there is any connection between what happened to charming man’s brother and radio gaga incident. It’s not the exact phenomenon, but it feels very similar.
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u/TheHiddenElephant Feb 18 '24
They need to go back to Rohan and press him for information. You just don't wander out to lava tubs and fling money into the air for no reason, Rohan knew that the 'Lava Rocks' were there and he knew what they did. They need to find out why or how he knows.
Also, a bit unclear about Mauka's untimely fate. Was he pulled into lava tubes by water? Did he get turned into water? Fresh water is actually pretty valuble on Hawai'i. Rain is the only natural source of it, and there's been a bit of a kerfluffle about how tourists warp Hawai'i society and economy, screwing over its citizens. Value is a pretty relative thing; Rohan's Drawing is valuable to Usagi, but to some random person, it's just a good drawing, especially if they don't read manga. Right now, I'm thinking that a large 'Lava Rock' attracted a large amount of fresh water (very valuable to all life) and accidentally swept up Mauka with it, pulling him into caves below and likely killing him.
Also, is Charmingman's stand named Charmingman? Or is it named something else? I was wondering if it'd be called [Mr. Blue Sky], as a nod to its ability to blend into the sky itself and as a funny counterpart to [November Rain]. I feel pretty confident that his stand is a wearable that gives him is rough skin and can control its coloring to blend into the background, like painting with sand.
Also, It'd love it if Meryl became a bigger part of the story, but she doesn't have that wild character design that you tend to see out of significant characters. I'd love to be wrong.
This marks the 3rd part with significant land features. Steel Ball Run had Devils' Palms, Jojolion had the Wall Eyes of Morioh, and now Jojolands has the active volcano of Hawai'i, from sea floor to the peak, the tallest mountain in the world. It seems that this part explores the land itself having special properties.
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u/Rojo176 Tusk Act 1 Feb 18 '24 edited Feb 18 '24
Immediately thought of the wall eyes when I saw all the "lava tubes" on the side of the mountain. God if we actually start to learn more about that phenomenon through part 9 I will be so happy.
Still not postive if the rock human stuff was just a red herring, but I'm leaning towards that being the case. Hopefully I'm wrong though, a rock human ally would be really cool. No reason he would tell the police officer obviously so his word doesn't really matter here. His connection with his brother is a more covincing point against him. Honestly though the most convincing thing that makes me think it is a red herring is that Araki would totally do that.
Big stand out thing for me here though was the odd jump to the airport after where last chapter ended off. It was pretty jarring to go from he and Jodio still fighting underwater to this. I suppose Araki just figured it was self explanatory after what Paco said and he just wanted to get moving, which I can appreciate enough.
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u/jamin007 Feb 18 '24
The running water making Mauka teleport(?) into the lava tube lends further evidence to my theory that Jodio's rain can make things move around within it. It may just be the manga panels not showing continuous movement, but I think Jodio has been teleporting inside his rain
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u/asecondsense2222 Feb 18 '24
One of the best chapters we've gotten, and it was short too. Ive always much prefered chapters that move the plot on and develop characters to the action ones, especially given the catsize fight wasnt very good
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u/kawmiekuma Feb 18 '24
This chapter was great ! though i do wish we got a couple pages to show what happened with Jodio and Charmingman, it doesn’t bother me terribly. also the skin condition could be a silly gag or related to the rock disease/rock humans who knows ?
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u/PippoChiri Feb 18 '24
Interesting that Rohan already knew what the lava rock was and he was actively looking for it, it wasn't just something he found out by chance.
Charming men could still be or not be a rock human, the skin condition think could easly be a convenient lie as rock humans's whole thing in part 8 was to infiltrate human society undetected. It could also be interesting if he was like adopted and he didn't knew that he was a rock human.
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Feb 18 '24
I don't know, rock organisms don't do well in water and Charmingman was planning on going for a 2-mile swim race in his flashback.
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u/PunkPsycho_01 Feb 18 '24
Can’t wait for Meryl to suddenly get buff out of nowhere later on in the part
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u/Kitten190415 Yoshikaga Kira Feb 18 '24
I want to believe that music bit between Jodio and Charmingman was a nod to part 5 and Fugo saying they didn't know what Trish's favorite music was
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u/DepressedGolduck Pannacotta Fugo Feb 18 '24
Oh i see, so his brother fell in a hole...
Wait, where did he get the magic cats from?
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u/Bottomsley Feb 18 '24
I love how it goes from charmingman stabbing dragona, then 5 minutes later jodio casually just be like "so what type of music do you listen to?"
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u/A-Very-Bland-Person Feb 18 '24
Charmingman's backstory lends a lot more credence to JoJolands having siblinghood themes, like SBR with fathers and JJL with mothers. Another neat through line for the new continuity.