Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 5: Golden Wind vol. 1
After “Part 4” took us on a long and winding road through the quiet streets of Morioh to eventually catch a serial killer, one has to wonder what mangaka Hirohiko Araki has in store for us in this next part of “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.” The answer, after this first volume appears to be something very Italian. Is that a good thing? I’m not sure yet; though, I can say that even if the setting is half a world away, the storytelling remains essentially “Jojo.”
The volume starts out with Koichi Hirose arriving in Naples, Italy. He’s been sent there to get a skin sample from one Haruno Shiobana and send it back to Jotaro Joestar for examination. Why? Let’s just say that Jotaro had some business with Haruno’s dad and is looking to settle accounts. No sooner does Koichi arrive in country then he winds up getting his luggage stolen by a local ruffian. Said ruffian is Giorno Giovana and he has one main ambition in life: To become a mafioso.
While stealing a suitcase from Koichi doesn’t sound like something that will really move the needle in that regard, Giorno’s efforts to escape the young boy wind up revealing something about himself: That he’s a Stand user. Giorno wields the stand known as Golden Wind, which has the power to infuse anything it touches with life energy. It’s a handy ability to have for an aspiring mafioso who wants to take over the town so he can run the mob his way. Of course, Stand users are always drawn to each other, and Koichi is just the first one he’ll be encountering here.
Were I to take a guess, mangaka Hirohika Araki is either a closet Italianophile or he took a trip to the country between arcs, fell in love with it, and this is the result. Naples certainly offers a different look for the series compared to Morioh, and that in itself is appealing. Each arc should have its own visual identity. The catch is that it feels like he’s taking the most familiar or (dare I say) stereotypical parts of the country when it comes to the actual story. Which is why we’re starting off with “I wanna be a mafioso!” as the driving force behind the story so far.
Starting off with a generic premise would be a real problem if this were any other shonen series. In Araki’s case, he showed plenty of times in the previous series (more than he should have had to, really) that he’s capable of holding your attention by his storytelling abilities alone even as he’s floundering around for direction. There’s no floundering to be found in this first volume, which means that his storytelling abilities are channeled into the bizarreness that is the series’ trademark while we wait for the plot to get up to speed.
This is to say that vol. 1 of “Golden Wind” is the kind of kickoff to an arc where the least bizarre thing you’ll see in it is Giorno’s ability to stuff his right ear inside of itself. Expect to see suitcases turned into frogs, zippers used as escape routes, fingers winding up in unexpected places, and a man ruling Naples’ underworld from a police station… where he is also a bed. These things are a good representation of the kind of strangeness the series has thrived on from the start, and it continues to deliver the goods here in that regard.
As for the new cast of characters, the jury’s still out on them. Giorno initially feels pretty standard issue as far as shonen protagonists go. Yes, he’s something of a delinquent, but that’s nothing new. Neither is his heart of gold as he recognizes people who hold back when fighting for decent reasons to be good people. This is how he befriends local mafioso Bruno Bucciarati, because two guys just can’t become friends right after meeting in shonen manga. They have to fight it out first.
Luckily Bruno’s Stand is one of the more imaginative ones the series has seen so far. Moreso than the character himself, if I’m being honest. Giorno’s is also interesting in that what it allows him to do is very broad and will come off feeling like a narrative Get Out of Jail Free card if Araki isn’t careful about how this power is used. More interesting is the reason why Jotaro has sent Koichi to track down Giorno in the first place. I was already spoiled for the reason going into this volume, but I think that everyone else is in for a nice surprise.
Ultimately, vol. 1 of “Golden Wind” isn’t a smashing start for this next arc of “Jojo.” The new cast members have yet to endear themselves to me while the thrust of the main story isn’t anything new. What’s keeping me interested is the expected bizarreness of the way the story is being told, which also extends to the multiple quality fight scenes in this volume as well. This is an inauspicious start to the new arc, but its solid grasp on the fundamentals of “Jojo” have me feeling that it will likely get better from here.