The final chapter of the original Jojo saga is far from perfect, but still pretty good.

Part 6 of Jojo is the culmination of everything Araki learned. That's not to say he's perfect, because no one is, and this isn't even really the best part so far. However, you see Araki begin to enter his magnum opus. This is the most serious Jojo part so far, sans Phantom Blood. Araki understands that people care for this series, despite how bizarre it is.

Stone Ocean has some great characters. Jolyne is one of the best Jojos, and Foo Fighters is one if the best Jobros. Annusui and Emporio are well established and fun characters. Jotaro is even more interesting than before, and Pucci is a great villain with interesting motivation. Unfortunately, Weather Report and especially Hermes lack real character. They have motivations and interesting backstories, but I feel like Hermes has little going on after a certain arc, and Weather Report needed a more balanced development to be great.

In some ways, Stone Ocean is a second Stardust Crusaders. I personally don't like Stardust Crusaders, so the question was 'does Stone Ocean avoid the pitfalls of Stardust Crusaders?' Well, not entirely. As I said, some characters could've been better, and the pacing can sometimes be even worse than part 3. It doesn't help when even the superficial progress of a road trip is replaced with a static prison. It's a bit disappointing, considering how excellent Golden wind was in this regard. Don't worry though, there are some great fights and stands here. Jolyne in particular has such a simple stand that is used in great ways, and it has sunglasses, so it's definitely one of my favorite stands. There are some extremely confusing concepts though, and this part is infamous for having the most confusing stands in the series. Speaking of such, there are still some small plotholes and contrivances, but personally they never affected my enjoyment. Another thing is that I wish at least one of the other Jojos showed up here, preferrably Giorno, considering events that go on later. I'm not sure if he still has requiem, but regardless.

I don't like to go into spoilers usually, but these next two paragraphs will spoil the ending, so skip to the last paragraph. ...Ok, so the interesting thing about Stone Ocean is that for a moment, Pucci wins. He creates a universe where everyone knows their own destiny, which is a surprisingly terrifying idea. Not just because of the horror it could bring, but because, well, I understand why he'd want such a world. After everything that happened to him, I might want a world where I knew exactly what would happen too. But, if you're reading this paragraph after finishing part 6, you know why he's wrong in the end. You wanted to see Jonathan beat Dio, for Joseph to find honor, and for Jotaro to save his Mom. You loved seeing Josuke grow, or seeing Giorno bring Justice, and you hope that Jolyne will save the world. However, if you're like me, you didn't just skip to part 6 and read a summary of the previous 5 parts. Reading these stories, never knowing the future of these characters, and going on these Bizarre Adventures is half the fun. And as unhappy as life can be sometimes, that's true for me too.

Emporio defeats Pucci, and one of the best endings in manga happens. We see our favorite characters in a new universe, with new names and new lives. Pucci is erased from existence, and these familiar faces drive off. It might seem sad at first, but then you realize something. This is probably the happiest ending the Joestars could've had. I'm not sure exactly how things are for the Joestars in this universe, but they seem pretty content. Maybe they won't have to fight Dio for eternity. They can just be happy, and just like how they don't know their own future, we don't know theirs either. We'll never go on anymore Bizarre Adventures, in this world, but maybe things are better this way.

Um... The art's great btw.

Stone Ocean isn't as good as part 4 in my opinion, but I might like it more. It's a celebration of a series that I grew to love, despite the flaws. I'm not sure whether I should give it a 7 or 8, but I'll be generous for now. I absolutely recommend that you read Stone Ocean. It's okay if you don't like it, but you'll never know if you skip to Steel Ball Run. I can't wait for the anime adaptation.