Even by JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (JJBA) standards—which, to be clear, is an absurdly high bar to clear—Steel Ball Run (SBR) is absolutely, positively, aggressively, relentlessly, and lovably capital-W Weird. As vast as it is, the world of manga simply doesn't get wilder than this. Dare I say, SBR is easily Jojo's most bizarre adventure yet. By the end of the first half of the series (these first five volumes), what began as a transcontinental race across the US quickly spirals into the ultimate scavenger hunt for a holy corpse, which involves (among other things) political assassins, carrier pigeons, and dinosaurs. Oh yeah, and also the 23rd President of the United States (...who's Benjamin Harrison? I'm obviously talking about Funny Valentine) is lurking in the shadows for some reason.

Let's back up a bit: This manga opens up by telling readers about the Steel Ball Run race—a transcontinental race across the United States with a US$50,000,000 prize for its winner. Amongst the many starry-eyed racers is a mysterious man with the world's greatest grills: Gyro Zeppeli. Whether or not he's our main character is debatable, as we also soon encounter our titular Jojo: Johnny Joestar. Once a talented jockey, his ascendant career was prematurely halted when he was shot, resulting in him being paralyzed from the waist down. But when he encounters Gyro, it's brief, but he's able to stand for a moment. Baffled and amazed, Johnny follows Gyro into the Steel Ball Run to learn what happened. But it quickly becomes obvious to the pair that there's more to this massive race than what meets the eye.

While it's not to say JJBA has never gotten dark or adult (it has, plenty of times), SBR marks the first time since part 1 that the series has revolved around adults—and even that comes with an asterisk. Jonathan is 12 years old for a good chunk of Phantom Blood, and he's only 20 at its end. Not only does this make for a refreshing change of pace, but it gives SBR a somewhat more mature vibe, especially relative to other JJBA parts.

Speaking of protagonists, while we've seen dynamic duos in other JJBA parts (EX, Joseph and Caesar in part 2, Josuke and Okuyasu in part 4), up until SBR it's been pretty clear who the central protagonist is. But in SBR, while there are arguments you can make that actually it's [insert your favorite boy here] who's the central protagonist, the line dividing the central-most character and their best friend-slash-sidekick has never been so blurry. Sure, Johnny is the titular Jojo—but to say nothing of how much charisma he oozes, Gyro is at least equally as important as Johnny. Still, whoever your preference, their chemistry as the series develops is fantastic. As a duo, and especially as protagonists, Gyro and Johnny—and especially Gyro—are among the best JJBA has ever had. Similarly, while it's hard to get the fullest sense of this since we're still only about halfway through the series, we're treated to some of the best villains and antagonists in all of JJBA as well.

Still, apparently, having such strong main characters comes at the cost of the side characters. While it's not to say there aren't any, there are markedly fewer in SBR than there are in previous parts of JJBA. And even among the ones we do have, most of them don't quite have the quality to make up for their lack of quantity. This might not be so noticeable and disappointing, were it not for the fact that JJBA is usually right up there with the likes of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Ranma ½ as having some of the best, most memorable, and even downright iconic jobbers in all of anime and manga.

The art, meanwhile, is Araki's unique, trademark style at its absolute best. Luscious, dynamic, and as stylish as it gets—to say nothing of how we have to respect how great the horses look—it somehow gives SBR even more personality than it already has. Racing segments, fights, and tense conversations have so much movement and fluidity; the pages are bursting with life. This manga looks so great, in fact, that it's worth warning that there's some gore and body horror to be found in SBR. Suffice to say, truly, the art of SBR is unlike anything else. It's the brilliant Hirohiko Araki at his most powerful.

Even in just its first half, it's easy to see why SBR tends to be a fan-favorite part of JJBA. With a great (and truly unhinged) story, charming characters, exciting fights, and the best art the franchise has ever had, SBR really is everything you could want in a manga and more. Especially with an imminent anime adaptation coming out during this, the year of the horse, there's never been a better time to get up on the beautifully drawn horse that is the SBR manga.