Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 6: Stone Ocean vol. 5

The Feng-Shui duel between F.F. and Drake’s Dream wraps up in the opening chapters of this volume, and not a moment too soon.  This allows the narrative to move on to weirder fights that actually promise to drive the story forward.  Such as an infection that starts sweeping through the Disciplinary Wing and turning everyone it comes into contact with – including Joleyne – into plant-like beings.  Then there’s the advent of the stand known as Ya-Ya-Ma who is unfailingly polite and obedient to Joleyne and Anastasia, even as he plots to dissolve them bit by bit before they realize what’s going on.  Meanwhile, as F.F. plots to take out Ya-Ya-Ma’s owner, Pale Snake makes his move!

Vol. 4 felt like it was stumbling over itself as it tried to top the excellent buildup of stakes and tension over the previous volumes.  Vol. 5 is a step back in the right direction as the cat-and-mouse shenanigans between our protagonists and the various Stand Users feel more focused and sensible (by “Jojo’s” standards, I mean).  Which is how mangaka Hirohiko Araki is able to generate some genuine excitement as Joleyne and Anastasia have to figure out how to get their hands on a newly-born plant baby even as it unknowingly shrinks them the closer they get to it.  Though this is good, what keeps this volume from feeling like a real return to form is a real lack of forward momentum on the main struggle against Pale Snake’s ambitions.  Maybe we’ll get back to that in vol. 6, along with a reveal that maybe a certain someone isn’t as dead as they appear to be here.