Seven times Joshuu acted like a normal human being, but no one is talking about! [ full of big SPOILERS ].
Since the end of Jojolion, we don't have much Joshu content! :(( But if you are here, you know that the man is full of good, bad and - especially - dirty moments. Most people, of course, love to point out his bad aspects and moments. And with valid reasons, maybe. But hey: what about the decent ones? We don't see much of it. So today I'm ready to proudly wear the questionable taste t-shirt and represent my few weirdo-enjoyers, going further into the positive spectrum of these iconic rat actions.
1- Oh, Shakedown Road, my love! Here we can see Joshuu showing signs of shyness, social panic and remorse. He simply seems to blame himself for the girl's sadness and is very worried about it, apologizing more than once. Gappy, otherwise, is clearly a more analytical and chill-going type of person. Very interesting.
2- Still in Shakedown Road arc, we have this brief moment. The use of sweet adjectives (with no sarcasm!) demonstrated that Joshu is jealous of Josuke because he, first of all, recognizes his strongest pros, and not cuz he is a total asshole without self-critique and that can't acknowledge other people's good traits. One of the things i find most fascinating about Joshu is how he can be so self-conciouss in a minute and in the other delusional as fuck. Such a funny little guy.
3- Every Day Is a Summer Vacation. When Jobin revealed that the beetle was going to die, Joshu seemed to be very anxious and worried about it. People compare him with Anasui; not saying one is better than other, but, romantic obsessions aside, they are indeed very different in character conception. Joshu is always threatening to make grotesque things, but is he willing to go further with his threats? Most of the time, i would say no - he's too of a coward (but Anasui would, lmao). Weird thing but like how much Joshu trembles… such an emotional fella, isn't he?
4- Not only does Joshu worries about Josuke's state let aside not really liking him that much, but he does the social ritual of asking if he is okay! Josuke/Joshu parallels with Dio/Jonathan are clear at the begging of the part, but Joshu and Josuke actually have an overall neutral relationship after the middle of Jojolion.
5- Now he is showing his sweet side, being protective with everyone who is considered family by him. At that moment of the manga, Joshu was the only one trying to fix things in a diplomatic way. He, still, verbally acknowledges the damaging aspects of isolation/ loneliness, besides constantly going through it himself, and this is very sad (god, I love him so much).
6- That one is a classic. Not much to say: Joshu was unable to confront Jobin in a direct manner, but still managed to save Yasuho by discreetly kicking the cellphone. That imo shows another very prominent Joshu contradictory aspect: his strong urge to express/ rebel himself merging with him constantly accepting submission social roles.
7- And the last ocasion, of course. This one I would say people are more willing to recognize as a genuine act of redemption. By letting Josuke choose the cake that better represents the fruit company, Joshu accepts his presence and importance as a member of the Higashikata family. Considering that all of the events in Jojolion occurred in less than three months, that's a more than reasonable lapse to start to get along with your new and strange adopted brother. Everything about this moment is just adorable and I am indeed happy about the end. It shows that a character's development may be not that astonishing, gradual, or linear and yet still happen. Very realistic of him, not gonna lie.
I consider quite clear and even agreeable that these moments per si can make one re-interpreter a few Joshu misleads. I didn't include the polemic ones, like the equivalent exchange scene, because I am not sure myself if it could be considered a pro or a con and I am not yet prepared to interpret it properly until reread Jojolion. My point is that JJBA is so absurd that we naturally tend to forget trivial details even though these also construct one's personality. Honestly, I could do way more, but I'm too lazy. Honorable mentions to any Hato and Joshuu interaction ever. Fuck, and Milagro Man? This arc is the whole Bible to me! God bless Joshu. Or his "good side", at least. 💖
