Interview:Ultra Jump (December 2021)

Interviews with Kenichi Suzuki and Fairouz Ai about the Stone Ocean anime. They were published in the January 2022 issue of Ultra Jump, which released on December 18, 2021. Ai also discusses her thoughts about JoJolion and the whole series in general. A continuation to Ai's interview was published in the February 2022 issue of Ultra Jump on January 19, 2022.

Kenichi Suzuki
[Translated by Vish (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]

Fairouz Ai
If you've read JoJolion, which finished earlier this year, please let us know your impressions.

Of course I've read JoJolion! It's the longest serialization in the series thus far, so I was on the edge of my seat every single volume as the mysteries unfolded. In the beginning, I didn't really understand Josuke's purpose, but his growth left an impression on me after he made up his mind to protect Holly. I also love the relationship between him and Yasuho, and the atmosphere of their conversations. I feel like the conversations between JoJolion characters in general have more of a "blood in the water (human-like)" feel to them than in previous parts. Each character's personality has a reality that seems to really exist. For example, Joshu is not a nice guy, but he is so full of humanity that I feel relieved just to have him around. I think the "charm" of JoJolion comes from the fact that there are so many characters with their own "charms".

On another note, as a fan of the series, I was also happy to see characters and locations from the previous parts appear in this world that's essentially become full circle, with their essence still intact even though their appearances or names have changed. Joseph Joestar, Yoshikage Kira, and so on. I was shocked at Johnny's last moments...but I also see it as a tribute to humanity.

I'll be looking forward to the next installment JOJOLANDS (tentative)!

[Translated by MetallicKaiser (JoJo's Bizarre Encyclopedia)]