JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 7: Steel Ball Run Volume 1 – Viz Does SBR Justice

To say I was surprised when I heard they were doing a SBR translation would be an understatement. I jumped and wanted to scream, given, like many Jojo fans, I have waited nearly half a decade for it. But I held my joy behind resolve: I’ll wait and read it. And now I have read it and can’t wait to add it to my bookshelf once I buy a physical copy.

It’s the same Steel Ball Run I discussed last year, just without the beautiful coloring one of the Japanese editions offered. That’s by no means a problem with this work, as with most translated manga; they are left in black and white. But to every Jojo fan, I must urge you to try and read the colored editions. You may not understand Japanese, but that won’t exclude you from gasping at what was achieved there. But with the English edition, we get a nicer cover at the back of the volume. And I think Viz knows how much we care for this part, and I thank them for the effort. Plus, if you’re not aware, this volume includes the second one!

If you want a further analysis of the first volume, I mainly did that in my previous review. Here, I’ll pick apart some notable details of this volume and the series as a whole.

Sandman starts us off with a marvelous chase scene as it’s revealed his ambition is to join the race and buy his ancestors land. A respectable goal, but one, like the rest of the racers will learn, will have to be won through immoral methods. That’s a great theme SBR gets at: vicious methods to achieve publicly respected ends. Steven and Lucy Steel pick up the next portion with an understanding of their dynamic. Lucy is like a mother to him, supportive and carries his ambition. And a new contestant is revealed: Gyro Zeppeli. He’s amusing, but not one to be tested.

Pocoloco, the eventual winner of this race, is spending his time pondering the clouds. When you can count clouds, you know you are doing nothing productive. His relatable boredom takes an unexpected turn when he notices a newspaper signaling a certain race. Before long, a young man is flying out of his wheelchair by a certain Zeppeli’s steel balls. We have arrived at Johnny Joestar, a broken man ruined by absolute greed and foul people, leaving him aimless. A fascinating connection I noticed with the contestants is that it’s people who are lost in their sense of direction and duty. Some, like Johnny, were raised to do one thing, and now they are unsatisfied. In this, Araki shows us the unfulfilled human spirit. They were living on addiction, never truth, as with truth it is a guided aimlessness where you are satisfied, yet you are not locked into an eventual trap where you need to keep doing certain things to maintain it.

But back to the plot, Johnny is not one to give up easily and fights his way to prove to Gyro he is capable of getting on that horse, of dominating that race. Then when the race starts, Araki is able to give us something he doesn’t do often going forward: a lengthy dynamic of the contestants. As SBR goes on, the race becomes more of an afterthought for the fights and team-ups, so seeing this is quite refreshing. Diego easily captivates as the best on the field. Compare him to Gyro, who just uses his steel balls as a way to hurt what he probably recognizes as a superior opponent. The race has become less about how good you are and more about what you have.

Meanwhile, Pocoloco is dominating the field with his great luck, and Johnny has become nothing more than a mere spectator, which is good as he can use that time to analyze and try to snuff out the competition. I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnny secretly saw Gyro in these moments as bait, a good source to eliminate competition. Sandman is back in the story as he rushes his way in the race, and I mean that seriously. And if you haven’t found some candy to munch on yet, I recommend doing it now. These battles are only get more compelling. But hopefully you found that candy quick as the volume ends with Gyro finally meeting success to his competitors disillusionment, managing first place. We additionally get a bonus story, which was pleasing.