Jojo Bizarre Adventure: where do I even begin when it comes to this series? Across nearly 40 years of writing, Hirikio Araki remains a prominent figure in manga history and is still working with impressive passion. And given the hellish working conditions of most manga, this is by far an achievement. Despite the series having so many inconsistencies and messy plotlines, Araki's ability to be different from your average series has always drawn me to the series. 

We've seen this series go from one vastly different protagonist to the next, kill off side characters in brutal ways and be the birth of practically every meme I can think of. And yet, despite the onset of the anime and the fandom being relatively accepting and well obnoxious, Part 6 of this long-running anthology has garnered immense division between the fandom for being conceptually different than the average ending to a story over 100 years old.

So with Stone Ocean still not having a confirmed anime release soon, I decided to read all 158 chapters of the controversial part and give it a fair shake in this review before moving on to part 7. So step back and relax as I explain why Stone Ocean is an underrated gem of a part in a spoiler-free review.

Story

In late 2011 we turned our attention to the "great" state of Florida, where we looked into Jolyne Kujo: daughter of the legendary Jotaro Kujo. Through a combination of outside events beyond her control, Jolyne gets wrongfully sentenced to 15 years in the hellish Floridian correctional facility called green dolphin street prison. While this all seems random, it is an elaborate plan staged by Dio's holy boyfriend, Enrico Pucci, who seeks to use the young girl to lure Jotaro to fulfill his lover's master plan. 

But this manipulation proved to be more trouble than anyone bargained for as Jotaro's connections Jolyne managed to awaken her stand stone free! And with this new power, Jolyne decides to escape this stone ocean of prison while at the same time accepting her lineage to stop Pucci's plans, whatever they may be! And trust me when I say this will be the most bizarre of adventures as history repeats itself in a universal scope.

Cast

Much like Part 5, Stone Ocean has a "diverse" cast. I never thought I would root for a nymphomaniac, exhibitionistic jailbird, her foul-mouthed friend, an 11-year-old prodigy who has been in prison for 11 years. Only to be followed up by a sentient plankton colony, an amnesiac inmate, and a murdering romantic fighting against a bunch of Floridian (or demonic, your choice) prisoners controlled by a black priest, but I did.

Jolyne is easily the best example of this since I find her to be the most underrated Jojo. It's a very refreshing change of pace to have a main female protagonist in a shonen and even more so to have one as badass as Jolyne with the best character arc so far. Because Jotaro never played an essential part in her life, Jolyne grew up to be a spiteful delinquent who was a side character in her own life in an attempt to gain love from others. 

However, upon accepting her destiny and engaging in numerous life-and-death battles, Jolyne evolves into a mature woman with inspiring determination. Through these fights, Jolyne becomes a violent underdog who takes crap from no one, much like her father, while retaining her outspoken and righteous nature. She's an underdog and has a strong empathy for her character. This best gets shown through her standability, Stone Free.

 It is a perfect reference to Jimi Hendrix's song of the same name, as both people wanted to be free from the backlash the world gave them. The ability also works with this message as Jolyne starts a string of people's destinies until they clump all of her potential into a strong stand that can take on many shapes through said strings.

This is also refreshing since combining all that with how she evolved her stand in a few months ( to other main Jojo stands) limited stand, and Jolyne's developments and fights become all the more pulse-pounding and consistent. Jolyne begins the narrative trapped in prison by someone else's control, but she manages to thrive on her terms.

My second favorite character is Foo Fighters: a former enemy turned friend of Jolyne. Despite their existence as a colony of supernatural plankton, she becomes one of the most human characters in the series. Due to their unique presence, F.F. is ridiculously curious about the world around them and cherishes every new memory with her new friends. She even becomes one of Jojo's most loyal and selfless companions.

 Everyone else in the main cast, though, is alright by comparison. Ermes is a fun foul-mouthed Job, Emporio is a smart but flighty kid who learns true bravery, and Anasazi is a cold-blooded killer who falls in with Jolyne's courage and gets constantly inspired by her. Finally, there is Weather Report, a mysterious character with a solid late-game connection to Pucci.

Speaking of the daddy, let's get to him. Pucci, to me, so far is my 2nd favorite villain (Kira is still 1st by a country mile). Pucci is strong enough to remain a constant threat but is human enough to make mistakes. Combined with Pucci's utter resourcefulness and it makes every battle he has with the main heroes pulse pounding. Also, like Kira, I do like how Pucci could be considered one of the more complex villains. 

His machinations are the only ones I can at least argue as being somewhat moral, and I do like how he shows mercy and tries to be a shining light to people with evil fates. However, he is the most tragic one out of all the villains. Outside of these guys, though, I will admit that there were no other notable characters in this part. Like Stardust, most of the minor villains were mind-controlled people with barely any real exciting personalities.

Presentation

This is the first time I've gotten used to Araki's art style, and I have to give the man praise for being able to change up his art style so much. Compared to Golden Wind Stone Ocean, I felt like Araki's art was going somewhere great. Jojo's is a series that could only get seen through color; this part shows that off so well. The colors do pop, and the characters have a much more curved and soft look than previous arcs. The various colors and framing make fights extra intense. Stand fights are just as over the top as ever but now feature more direct hand-to-hand combat and unique solutions to equally unique problems.

Overview

Like the previous parts, Stone Ocean flips the script into a prison break story. Green Dolphin Street Prison isn't a bad location. While some people think it's boring, the setting goes out of its way to fully explore its new location, with only Morioh beating how in-depth it is. One fight could have Jolyne walking on the hellish bogs of Florida. Another could be a race against time as she swings around the prison during lockdown. Which pretty much leads me to my next thing. A common complaint with Stone Ocean's villains is often the stance that the stands are well too weird. And I have to agree to disagree. 

As I said before, the state of the prison makes it so Stone Ocean is the strangest part of them all, adding a level of unpredictability not seen in other parts. Our righteous inmates have to deal with feng shui dragons, infinitely shrinking babies, and memory-manipulating BDSM stands throughout the part. Unlike previous parts, the inmates are not only mind-controlled but also are given stands in a unique way that gives them a level of disconnect.

Bearing all that, I will admit that this Stone Ocean mainly gets carried by its themes, characters, and battles. For better or worse, the series is very much its own story with barely any influence from previous Jojo's taking the stage, leaving Jolyne and, by extension, Pucci to shine on their own. And while Dio does play a huge role in Stone Ocean, I find these plans to be somewhat inconsistent compared to previous parts. Thus I choose to let all of Dio's leftovers be Pucci's strengths as he slowly gains more abilities.

Speaking of that, I will admit that Stone Ocean, despite its strengths, gets paced weirdly. It remains a prolonged build-up throughout the first half of Stone Ocean, but once that passes, it quickly ramps up to the point where we don't get to absorb a lot of info as we rush to the end. This can also slap the part with some of the worst fights in the franchise. I don't think these pace shifts are enough to ruin the part, but it's food for thought since I think that's the main reason we don't get as close-knit as previous parts, although Stone Ocean's many strengths overcome these weaknesses.

Epilogue

This leads us quickly to the most controversial part of Stone Ocean, the ending. I won't reveal much, but I will say that it's bittersweet. Many could see it as a disappointing ending to a century-long story. An ending that makes all prior enjoyment meaningless. However, I still think it was nice that Araki could even give the series his ending, given the various criticisms he got from the fans. But I think the ending shows off the best theme of the part. That through terrible adversity, we can become our best selves.