The JoJoLands

Ninth story arc of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

The JoJoLands (stylized as The JOJOLands) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki, and the ninth part of the larger JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, as part of the rebooted continuity depicted in Steel Ball Run (2004–2011) and JoJolion (2011–2021). Set in the U.S. state of Hawaii in the early 2020s, it follows Jodio Joestar, a teenage gangster intent on becoming wealthy in the tropics. It is serialized by Shueisha in the seinen manga magazine Ultra Jump since February 17, 2023.

Plot

Jodio Joestar is a high schooler living with his family on Oahu, Hawaii. His goal is to become incredibly rich via the "mechanisms" of daily life. Working alongside his older brother Dragona Joestar, Jodio is involved in the criminal world of his state to also ensure his mother's protection. One day, his school principal and boss Meryl Mei Qi instructs Jodio, Dragona, and their kleptomaniac classmate Paco Laburantes to perform a heist alongside suspicious client Usagi Alohaoe.^[1]

The four arrive to Big Island to steal an expensive blue diamond from Japanese manga artist Rohan Kishibe. The gang breaks into Rohan's villa to discover not only the blue diamond, but a lava rock that can attract anything of value that its holder touches. Jodio incapacitates Rohan and convinces him to let the team leave with both the diamond and the lava rock, though not before the manga artist warns him of other pursuers. Jodio's group is soon attacked by in the jungle by a trio of cats and eventually their owner a.k.a Big Island resident Charming Man, who hopes to use the rock to investigate his brother's disappearance at Hualālai. At Paco's suggestion, Charming Man is offered a spot on the team in exchange for knowledge regarding the rock.

The gang returns to Oahu without further incident. As the team of five explains the lava rock to Meryl Mei, Charming Man notes his inability to investigate his brother's disappearance on his own, due to the location of his brother's disappearance being private property. Meryl Mei notes that the property in question belongs to the multi-million-dollar company Howler, and suggests that the group use the lava rock to gain control of the company and their profits.

The five are ordered to visit the Hawaii State Land Registry Office to obtain the deeds of Howler. Usagi, Charming, and Dragona fall ill after leaving the building, and the employee tricked into give access of the documents to the three was also rushed to the hospital for exhibiting similar symptoms. Jodio discover the attack is caused by Bags Grooves, an automatic Stand owned by an agent of Howler, and the gang rush to the hospital to save Usagi. Finding themselves in the ICU, they see the same employee, revealed to be the daughter of a congressman currently investigating Howler's alleged illegal activities. Beckoned by the lava rock, Dragona manipulates the congressman's iPad to sign an order that forces Howler to give their land in Hualālai to the government.

Characters

• Jodio Joestar^[a] is a 15-year-old gangster living with his family on Oahu, Hawaii, where he acts as a gofer for the state's underground drug trade. Despite his popularity among his peers, Jodio finds it difficult to be truly happy and is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder by his school's psychotherapist. He doesn't intend to make friends, and his goal is to become incredibly rich by all means. Using his Stand, November Rain,^[b] he can generate raindrops and freely manipulate their weight.
• Dragona Joestar^[c] is Jodio's 18-year-old brother who works with him in the underground drug trade. Dragona is biologically male but presents feminine, having breast implants and wearing women's clothing. They work at Iko Iko, a fashion boutique run by their boss Meryl Mei Qi. Dragona wields the Stand Smooth Operators,^[d] a group of small robots that have the ability to displace anything, and slide things along the surfaces they are attached to. It can also apply to severe wounds.
• Paco Laburantes^[e] is a 19-year-old classmate of Jodio's and part of the gang. He comes from an abusive household, having one of his ears partially bitten off by his father, and engages in theft as if it were a sport. He is considered the de facto leader of the gang and is rather fond of Jodio and Dragona. Using his Stand, The Hustle,^[f] he has expert control over his own musculature, but also those of others; he can bulge and vibrate his muscles along with those of anyone he touches, aiding him in both sleights of hand and combat.
• Usagi Alohaoe^[g] is a 17-year-old classmate of Jodio's and takes part in the heist under Meryl Mei Qi's request. A frequent customer for drugs, the rest of the gang see him as a hinderance and an addict. Despite this, he attempts to be helpful and friendly towards each member at every opportunity. Usagi wields the Stand The Matte Kudasai,^[h] which can take the form of another object upon the request of anyone besides himself.
• Charming Man^[i] is a 21-year-old resident of Big Island and new ally of Jodio. Believing there is a connection between the lava rock and his missing brother Mauka,^[j] Charming Man initially pursues the gang to find answers about his brother's disappearance. He is the owner of Wild Cat Size,^[k] a trio of cats that can manifest wire strings from their fur that latch on to anything near them and constrict themselves until they crush the trapped thing, via their Stand Cat Size.^[l] His own Stand, Bigmouth Strikes Again,^[m] gives him the ability to transform his body into sand fragments that not only disguise himself but also manipulate people's perception of depth. He can also blend in the scenery and create false images using the sand fragments.
• Meryl Mei Qi^[n] is the principal of Jodio's school and owner of fashion boutique Iko Iko. Using the boutique as a front for her criminal business, she acts as the gang's boss and has networks in places such as the airport and police. She instructs the gang to perform a heist on Big Island and requests they take Usagi Alohaoe with them. Following the group's return, she decides to have them take control of the Howler company using the lava rock.
• Barbara Ann Joestar^[o] is the daughter of Joseph Joestar from JoJolion and the mother of Jodio and Dragona Joestar. Everyone in the neighborhood respects and assists her due to her sons' reputation in crime. After her husband abandons the family, Barbara Ann is forced to raise Jodio and Dragona alone, leading the brothers to become involved in criminal activities for her sake without her knowledge.
• Rohan Kishibe^[p] is a successful Japanese manga artist visiting Big Island. Under the pretense of a 15-day vacation, Rohan conducts experiments using the wealth-attracting properties of certain lava rocks. Jodio and his gang's first task in the story is to steal a diamond from his villa. Like in Diamond Is Unbreakable and Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan, Rohan wields the Stand Heaven's Door,^[q] which allows him to temporarily turn living beings into books that he can freely read or write commands into.

Production and release

The JoJoLands is written and illustrated by Hirohiko Araki. It was announced in August 2021 following the conclusion of JoJolion, the previous part of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure,^[2][3] and began serialization in Shueisha's monthly seinen manga magazine Ultra Jump on February 17, 2023.^[4]

Volumes

The first chapter title of each pair is the title used in the collected volumes. The second is the title used in the original serialization in Ultra Jump.

Chapters not in tankōbon format

The following chapters have not yet been released in collected tankōbon volumes:

• 13. "'The Absurd Event That Happened to Me That Year'" ("その年わたしに起こった不条理な出来事", "Sono Toshi Watashi ni Okotta Fujōri na Dekigoto")
• 14. "Hawaii State Land Registry Office" (ハワイ州土地登記所, Hawai-shū Tochi Tōkijo)
• 15. "Bigmouth Strikes Again" (ビッグマウス・ストライクス・アゲイン, Biggumausu Sutoraikusu Agein)
• 16–17. "That Girl's Bags Groove (1–2)" (あの娘のバグス・グルーヴ その①〜②, Ano Musume no Bagusu Gurūvu Sono 1–2)

Reception

Interest in the series' launch was enough to prompt a second printing of its debut issue of Ultra Jump – only the fourth time this had happened in Ultra Jump's history, and the first time in eleven years.^[9] The first tankōbon volume debuted at the top of Oricon's weekly Japanese sales charts for print comics,^[10] and was reported by Comic Natalie to have been the week's highest and fourth-highest selling comic at the bookstores Tsutaya and Comic Zin, respectively.^[11] The second volume was Shueisha's eleventh highest first print run manga volume of 2023–2024 (period from April 2023–March 2024), with 350,000 copies printed.^[12]

It ranked fifteenth, along with The Ramparts of Ice, on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2024 for male readers.^[13]

Notes

1. Jodio Joestar (ジョディオ・ジョースター, Jodio Jōsutā)
2. November Rain (11月の雨（ノーヴェンバー・レイン）, Nōvenbā Rein)
3. Dragona Joestar (ドラゴナ・ジョースター, Doragona Jōsutā)
4. Smooth Operators (スムース・オペレイターズ, Sumūsu Opereitāzu)
5. Paco Laburantes (パコ・ラブランテス, Pako Raburantesu)
6. The Hustle (THE（ザ）ハッスル, Za Hassuru)
7. Usagi Alohaoe (ウサギ・アロハオエ, Usagi Arohaoe)
8. The Mattekudasai (THE MATTEKUDASAI（ザ・マッテクダサイ）, Za Matte Kudasai)
9. Charming Man (チャーミング・マン, Chāmingu Man)
10. Mauka (マウカ, Mauka)
11. Wild Cat Size (ワイルド・キャット・サイズ, Wairudo Kyatto Saizu)
12. Cat Size (キャット・サイズ, Kyatto Saizu)
13. Bigmouth Strikes Again (ビッグマウス・ストライクス・アゲイン, Biggumausu Sutoraikusu Agein)
14. Meryl Mei Qi (メリル・メイ・チー, Meriru Mei Chī)
15. Barbara Ann Joestar (バーバラ・アン・ジョースター, Bābara An Jōsutā)
16. Rohan Kishibe (岸辺 露伴, Kishibe Rohan)
17. Heaven's Door (ヘブンズ・ドアー, Hebunzu Doā)

References

1. Harding, Daryl (February 16, 2023). "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Manga Names Part 9 Protagonist Jodio Joestar". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
2. Mateo, Alex (August 18, 2021). "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Series Teases JoJoLands Title, Announces 1st Spinoff Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
3. Valentine, Evan (August 18, 2021). "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Confirms Part 9, JoJo Lands". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2022. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
4. Valentine, Evan (February 16, 2023). "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The JoJoLands Launches Chapter 1". ComicBook.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
5. 「ジョジョ」第9部「The JOJOLands」1巻発売！歴史を一望できるカレンダーが999人に. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 18, 2023. Archived from the original on August 19, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
6. "The JOJOLands 2" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Archived from the original on November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2023.
7. "The JOJOLands 3" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
8. "The JOJOLands 4" (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 17, 2024.
9. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (February 27, 2023). "Ultra Jump Gets 1st Reprint in 11 Years Due to New The JoJoLands Manga". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
10. オリコン週間 コミックランキング 2023年08月14日～2023年08月20日 (in Japanese). Oricon. August 28, 2023. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
11. 【8月14日～8月20日】週間単行本売り上げランキング. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. August 22, 2023. Archived from the original on August 23, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
12. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 7, 2024). "Manga With Biggest 1st Printings from Kodansha, Shogakukan, Shueisha: 2023–2024". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
13. Pineda, Rafael; Cayanan, Joanna (December 13, 2023). "Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2024 Rankings (Updated)". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 11, 2023.

External links

• Official website at Ultra Jump (in Japanese)
• The JoJoLands at Anime News Network's encyclopedia