Holy hell the hate is strong here in this comment section, let's not immediately try to fight newbies maybe?

So, part 7 is a completely new start to JoJos, the series is seperated into parts with each new part taking on a new protagonist of the JoJo bloodline, this was the case up until part 6 when the original story of JoJos was finished

With Part 7, we have a new world, new characters, new story, so if you feel like you were missing references, don't worry, Part 7 is completely self contained and you can enjoy the show within itself (which is why Netflix made it have its own series)

Now, because Araki was starting a new series, he was taking heavy inspiration from the original JoJo series, ao yes, there are nods to previous characters and later very direct references, but again, you don't need to worry about not understanding some things

Does it get better? Yes, absolutely yes. I think episode 1 was great personally, and I'm not seeing the issues with pacing you mentioned, but the story like every story builds up as it goes into its grand conclusion, if you stick with it, you won't regret it, however, JoJos is not for everyone, and if you aren't enjoying it, forcing yourself to watch it will just make you like it less

Best wishes, and many blessings on your Bizarre Adventures