They have finally done it! We have a translation of "Steel Ball Run."
While I'm no expert in Japanese, I found this translation astounding. Never was there a page I had to reread or got stuck on. But let's dive into the content (this volume is made up of two).
As everyone else will tell you, "Steel Ball Run" is a fabulous part of Jojo, since it resets the universe and refreshes it. "Stone Ocean" wasn't terrible by any metric, but it was too convoluted and chaotic. Jojo overall became repetitive, and it was clear Araki was stuck creatively. So why not restart things and give us two lovable goofballs? I like the sound of that. So let's hone in on one of them, Johnny.
Johnny is largely a part six character in SBR's initial volume. He has the tragic backstory and motivation, but the subtlety he will gain appears later. In my opinion, Johnny is Jojo's greatest protagonist, as he largely operates selfishly, like the villains of previous parts. In doing this, Araki made his first relatable Jojo. Someone who is forced to grapple with being pathetic, self-determined, and a great example of the human spirit: unyielding. But that is what makes Araki's magnum opus so magical. This story is not just Johnny's, but everyone's.
SBR is driven by the publicly disavowed, seeking either a second chance or ready to make it big. No one in this race is like Jolyne, nobly fighting to save the world. The one exception I hear some make is Gyro, but this feels like a misinterpretation. As I view it, Gyro fights to save that kid since he doesn't understand why he's intended to die. He's not doing this from the bottom of his heart; he's just curious. His taking Johnny under his wing adds truth to that. If he wanted to save that child's life, he would've put friendship behind him. Instead, he chose selfishly, not badly, like many of us do. He's not a free-spirit like Zorba, he's another part of the human spirit, attached the world that binds and blinds him. To rephrase, Gyro is a part seven character, meaning he has some of Johnny's dark determination within him. Araki, seven parts in, decided to make real people, not fantasies. No one in this race can tell someone what's right and wrong, since nobody truly knows.
The people in this race are those who acted on their logic and paid the price. But that is the thinking society instilled in them. Johnny got cocky from success and ended up at the barrel of a gun, but shouldn't those who built him up also face the wrath of the hand that feeds them? What SBR shows is that everyone has a story, but when that story ends, where do you go? These are the outcasts trying to earn the world's respect, and more importantly, their lives again. But it's also a redemption story that curses redemption. Even if Johnny wins, that doesn't save him morally; the detour does. Gaining back your will, your soul that pushes you to adventure, is the redemption, not being clouded by your shadow. To recognize this is essential to understanding SBR, which is why I am pursuing it now.
Back to the volume, motivation is the theme of earlier chapters, as we are shown the inklings of Sandman, Pocoloco, and Johnny's backstory to join the race. Another theme Araki shows is 'drive,' as saying and doing are two different things. While not a lot happens in this volume, as Araki had to get the race started and set things up, it still really puts you in the world you're about to become enamored with. While you may prefer part four or five, try and tell me their plot was more ingenious or compelling. Most Jojo stories can meander, but part seven made that practically impossible since it's a race. And credit deserves to be given to the first volume for establishing that. If you're reading this part for the art, while I urge you to start here, I also recommend trying the later chapters when SBR switched to Ultra Jump. When you reach volume eleven with Tusk Act Two, you can thank me later.

JoJo Part 7, Vol 1 is a lot to take in. These chapters are part of the story before it moved from a boys (shonen) to mens (seinen) magazine, and Araki used this to reboot the JoJo series into a new alternative timeline. This part is set in the American west on a race across the North American continent in 1890 (and the name is a reference to the Canonball Run film series). New versions of classic characters show up with hammon-like powers and early appearances of Stands (avatars of each character's supernatural powers). The last half of this volume is particularly thrilling as the racers use their supernatural abilities to vie for a bonus at the end of the first 10 mile clip.

Araki clearly has some things to say about the American West and race, making one of his protagonists Black (PocoLoco) and another a member of an un-named Indigenous American tribe (named Sand Man, who runs on-foot), as well as the return of Avdul (Avdol in the prior series) an Egyptian who joins the race on the back of a Camel. However, even as Araki is giving a lot of space on the page or these characters, they do tend to fall back on stereotypes, which can be cringey to read at times. It is worth noting this ran originally in 2004, and the series has continued to change and grow over time, but it can feel pretty clunky.

As a view of how people from other cultures view the American West, it does paint a pretty interesting picture. Araki has clearly done some research, sprinkling in some historical facts about the American industrial revolution and mechanical progress here and there, but his American West is a collage of cowboy tropes and those researched oddities (a motor car enters the race and immediately has to bow out due to running out of fuel immediately) that he uses to create a really uncanny setting. Considering that the prior entry took place in an absolutely bonkers contemporary American women's prison, this is pretty par for the course. It's hard not to imagine this is what it probably feels like for Japanese people to watch popular American movies (like The Last Samurai, 47 Ronin, etc) set in historical Japan

While our Jo this time around (Johnny "Joe Kid" Jostar) is a former jockey who lost the use of his legs after being shot, the bulk of the volume is about, and from the perspective of Gyro Zeppeli, a cowboy-figure who clears obstacles with the aid of his vibrating, spinning steel balls he holds in special gun-style holsters on his hip. A chance encounter with these and their spinning/vibrating energy allow Johnny to figure out how to regain some use of his legs, enabling him to enter the race. However, this world's version of (traditional JoJo evil vampire mega-villain) Diego (Dio) Brando is another contender, and it's only a matter of time before the Stands come out and the crazy power battles begin (and we do briefly see PocoLoco's Stand, which is a sort of luck-creating gremlin who tells him what to do to always get a perfect outcome).

Would be four stars but hard to recommend unreservedly without mentioning the cringey stereotypes.