JOJO NO KIMYOU NA BOUKEN: PHANTOM BLOOD

DESCRIPTION

CAST

CHAPTERS

MOVIE ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Phantom Blood
ANIME ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken (TV)
MANGA ActionJoJo no Kimyou na Bouken: Sentou Chouryuu
NOVEL ActionJORGE JOESTAR

REVIEWS

• 

  MasterCrash

  55/100
  A look at the beginning of a decade spanning franchise.

  When I first heard about JoJo's Bizzare Adventure this was a fairly underground manga in the West. It was a known series, but there definitely were more people that knew the name but never bothered reading than the ones that did. Things started to change, however, in 2012 when a new anime adaptation of Jojo started and as it adapted more and more parts of the story, the amount of fans grew and grew. It's hard to be an anime fan now and not have heard of Jojo or met a fan of the series. It was only recently that I decided to cave in and check what the hype was all about, so join me as I go through the series and tell you what I think. Put your seat belts on as we go all the way back to 1986.

  

  Now, Jojo is huge and there's a lot of people that love it to death, but lets be fair, most of them will tell you that Part 1 is weak compared to the rest of the series. Sure, there's a lot of fans of it, and even people who prefer it, but the consensus is that it's not the best part, and I can see why.
  When I first started reading I liked a couple of things, I like the atmosphere, that Castlevaniaesque vibe it had, it's definitely different than most manga that I tend to read, and I think that's probably because it's not a Japanese setting. It had this mysterious and Gothic aura to it that I really appreciated.

  

  It's in this setting, in Victorian England, that we meet our main characters, the titular JoJo, Jonathan Joestar, who was very happy boy until the day his father introduces him to the newest member of the family, "It was me!" Dio Brando, who is basically Satan. Phantom Blood works around the fact that these two characters are the basic opposites of one another, natural enemies in a battle between morally good and morally bad. This is very cool in concept, but in reality, Dio is somehow the best character in the manga and even then, he is just "evil" and Jonathan is the most bland main character I think I've read. It's easily the worst character in the Jojo parts I've read and it's probably the worst character I've ever encountered.

  And this is my main problem. I definitely have more gripes with part 1, that I'll talk about in a bit, but I would've excused it if I enjoyed the characters. If you read my reviews, or just know me, you may notice that I like works that have a good cast in it, and maybe I give it more importance than other people might give, depending on the story told, but I still think it's a very important aspect regardless. Because the story itself isn't bad, I like the setting, I like the mask a lot, I think it's interesting, the story around it is probably the best part of the first two parts of Jojo's, but alone it can't save it. And the main character is the one that I have more problems with, but I can't say that I found any of the supporting cast interesting. Really didn't care for Zeppeli or Speedwagon, and much less for characters like Dire or Straits.

  

  Plus, it's not just the characters, there's a lot of points that, to be fair happen in a lot of other manga that I read from the time, like Devilman and Saint Seya, so one could blame it's age, but I've also read other manga from the same time that doesn't really have these flaws. I'm mostly talking about the dialogues, they are clunky, they feel unnatural, which doesn't help the characters either, because now they're not only bland, but every time they talk I feel a disconnect from the series, because people just don't talk like that.

  The art too, I appreciate the designs, I think that amidst everything that I'm criticizing about the characters, their designs are unique and it helps them look varied, but the art itself is not that great. The poses they do, I know it's a meme now and part of the appeal to some people, but they don't look good to me, they are just... well... bizarre and look very ridiculous and non-human. Before I read Part 1 I've seen some artwork of Araki, so I know that he is good, that his art is amazing, but it's amazing now, definitely wasn't in 1986, and that's fine, I appreciate that he improved a lot, but we're judging Phantom Blood for what it is, and while it's not the worst art that I've come across, or course not, but it's quite ugly.

  

  Ultimately, even knowing that the first part was probably the weakest, I still got considerably disappointed. It has a good concept, but there's too many flaws to make this an enjoyable experience. Thankfully a lot of problems I talk about would be improved in later parts, but talking about Phantom Blood on it's own, is it a mark on manga history? Yes, definitely! But is it good? Well, in my opinion, not so much.

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• 

  Bropix

  68/100
  An amazing franchise with immense creativity, but a rocky first part.

  __JoJo's Bizarre Adventure__ is Hirohiko Araki's magnum opus, with the recent fantastic anime adaptions by David Production. JoJo has been receiving universal acclaim and fans from all over the world. The stories can vary heavily, from the hero battling an evil but charming vampire (Part 1: Phantom Blood), to battling Aztec male stripper gods with the help of cyborg nazis (Part 2: Battle Tendency), to an adventure through Egypt to fight your family’s 100-year-old archenemy (Part 3: Stardust Crusaders), eventually leading to horseback ridding race to find the remnants of Jesus Christ (Part 7: Steel Ball Run). The franchise __never grows stale __even to this day and is still incredibly unique. Araki deserves all the respect in the world for the amazing stories he has created. Part 1 Phantom Blood, which covers the first 44 chapters of the manga (volumes 1 - 5), is the weakest part in the entire series, but an __important landmark__ for planting the seeds and much of the foundation for the future parts. During its publishing run in __Weekly Shonen Jump__, it was one of the many series inspired by _Fist of the North Star_, featuring lots of muscular men full of testosterone, but having the anomaly featuring a foreign protagonist and a setting outside of Japan. Phantom Blood is set in England, between 1880-1889, following _Jonathan "JoJo" Joestar_ as he attempts to stop his evil adoptive brother _Dio Brando_ from taking over the world after the latter gained vampiric powers from a __stone mask__. JoJo uses the power of Hamon, a breathing technique that allows him to project "Ripple energy", energy that is similar to that of the sun. Hamon uses a lot of thought and it isn't just a power about destruction, Araki is creative with the use of it. Parts 1 and 2 are the only parts of JoJo to not feature __Stands__, the main fighting superpower from Part 3 onwards. The story is simple yet entertaining to read through, starting out with 5 introduction chapters showing the relationship between JoJo and Dio, then a time skip where the core story unfolds and the ensuing madness begins. The issues with part 1 of JoJo are that it does not set a great representation of the absurdity that is to follow in the later parts, and you can tell that Araki still was setting up the foundations. Many people refer to Phantom Blood as the worst part of JoJo, I can understand all the criticism. The series does require a bit of time for its foundations to set in in order for it to pick up its pace, but if you require a sense of “wow” after hearing so much about this franchise and you wish to have a great first impression, then perhaps start with episode 1 of the phenomenal anime adaption by __David Production__. Jonathan is not that great of a character; he is portrayed as a pure gentleman and is designed to be an intentional goody-two-shoes protagonist so that it would contrast with Dio, whose characterization is so stereotypically evil it is ridiculous. However, for Dio it works, especially in the later parts, despite his overly evil persona he has a great character design and so much charisma. While Jonathan’s character design and color scheme in the manga is like a _Kenshiro_ clone, thankfully David Production in the anime decided to replace his color scheme. The remaining characters in Part 1, just side characters. They fit in the story decently, but none are overly memorably besides _Speedwagon_ and _Zeppeli_. The manga does keep your attention as any character could die at any moment, as Araki is not afraid to kill off his characters. The art is very good and has many beautiful double-page spreads, environments, and facial details. It is no secret that JoJo is well known for its various poses of characters, it all contributes to Araki’s great understanding of the human figure. The art style is unique, later on, Araki’s art style has a large evolution change, as the characters change from a muscular/buff physique to a slim more gay design. Overall Part 1 Phantom Blood, despite it being the worst part in the series I’m giving it a 7/10 just for the seeds it planted for the future arcs.
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• 

  Stretcher

  80/100
  The basis of an incredible journey, writing in it's own masterclass and art like no other.

  When you open this manga and begin reading it, you also begin a journey. Much larger than yourself. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Phantom Blood is an introduction. Some of the few manga series that starts in the very beginning. Everything that happens before and after this installment can be traced back to one struggle. Dio Brando and Johnathan Joestar. You're introduced to a plot device that connects way before the struggle, and after as well. The stone mask. The stone mask is truly a great plot device choice on the part of Hirohiko Araki. From panel one it foreshadows the second installment. The stone mask is surrounded by mystery. When two worlds collide, it's right in the center of it all. The initial struggle between Dio and Johnathan is a powerful one. You can feel the true hatred between the two. Dio himself. Dio is easily one of the greatest villains from any story. Well-rounded and immediately pegged as genuinely evil. His character is truly perfect, a true villain. Dio has the struggle, the backstory of someone destined for evil. Araki conveyed this well. Eventually Dio proves this. By such things as kicking Danny, a dog. Heartlessly killing innocent civilians. He compares the sheer amount of travesties he's committed to the amount of bread one has eaten in their life. Gaining powers unrivaled to his own, his use of them are only to further himself. No soft spots. A cold heart, Now for Johnathan. Johnathan is a great protagonist and a great way Araki conveys the contrast between good and evil. Johnathan is a true gentleman, rich and borderline philanthropist. he will stop at nothing to defeat evil. Even if he knows deep down he is disadvantaged. True resolve like a hero should have. He's a good, strong protagonist figure. Even in his final moments, he fights 'til the death. That was just a character review. The manga itself is well executed and well drawn. The art style, inspired by other sources for certain design elements, for example Johnathan's design and every character's large stature inspired by the characters of "Fist Of The North Star". Other than that, it's very original and unlike no other. It only improves with times and can be seen getting better, and evolving, changing throughout Araki's career. Simply put, this a beautiful work of art. Nothing else is like it. It's a beautiful mix of realism and traditional manga. Every panel feels like it's own piece of art. You can feel the love and care Araki put in every single pen stroke. This manga is among the greats, and should be read by anyone who has an interest in anime or manga culture. It is truly in a league of its own.

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