JOJO'S BIZARRE ADVENTURE: PURPLE SMOKE DISTORTION

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MANGA ActionJoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Golden Wind

REVIEWS

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  sugarheartz

  80/100
  The only Jojo light novel worth reading

  In 2020, when I originally read this light novel, I was a Jojo superfan. To an annoying degree. Naturally, I read every JJBA light novel I could get my hands on. Unless you're so desperately brainrotted by Jojo that you'll take any scraps you can get, this is the only one worth reading.

  My original review gave Purple Haze Feedback some high praise. I'll summarize what all I had to say while toning it back on the glaze, just because it's been six years and I dunno if I'd say it was that good now that I'm out of the depths of my Jojo obsession. Note, at the time all that was available to read in English was a fan translation, so that is what this review is referencing, not the recent official English edition.

  Fan translations tend to get muddied along the way, but not this one! Kudos to the translator/s, because PHF has a very distinct narrative voice that still shines through in the English translation. It is skillfully written — it's clear the author is an experienced one who took on the challenge of writing for a pre-established character from another medium. If you don't know, PHF focuses on Fugo, a character from Vento Aureo. It follows what he gets up to after the events of part 5, and it really gets in there. This novel is very concerned with its protagonist's mental state, and it wants you to care, too. And it succeeded at that! Many light novels skim on the surface of pre-established characters and relationships for the sake of making a quick buck and do nothing to expand the world. Not PHF — this novel expands on each of the characters of Buccelatti's team, not just Fugo. The new characters are cool and interesting, not just thrown in haphazardly to create conflict. This novel really immerses you in its setting — at least that's what it felt like to someone who has never been to Italy. Part 5 being set there feels almost shallow in the anime, where, aside from the occasional Italian swear word, the setting bears little relevance to the narrative. The author clearly did their research on Italy and the different regions the characters visit.

  At the time of reading this, I was a high schooler obsessed with Jojo who knew nothing about drugs. I'd be really curious to revisit this story as an adult and reevaluate how it handles its theme of drugs, distribution, and trafficking. For now, I'll leave that to a different reviewer.

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