JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood

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Alternativas: English: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood
Synonyms: Dai Ichi Bu Jonathan Joestar: Sono Seishun
Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ファントムブラッド
Autor: Araki, Hirohiko
Modelo: Mangá
Volumes: 5
Capítulos: 44
Status: Finished
Publicar: 1986-12-02 to 1987-10-13
Serialização: Shounen Jump (Weekly)

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4.0
(38 Votos)
15.79%
65.79%
18.42%
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Alternativas: English: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1: Phantom Blood
Synonyms: Dai Ichi Bu Jonathan Joestar: Sono Seishun
Japanese: ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 ファントムブラッド
Autor: Araki, Hirohiko
Modelo: Mangá
Volumes: 5
Capítulos: 44
Status: Finished
Publicar: 1986-12-02 to 1987-10-13
Serialização: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
Pontuação
4.0
38 Votos
15.79%
65.79%
18.42%
0.00%
0.00%
0 Lendo
0 Quero ler
0 Ler
Resumo
While the gold rush takes Europe by storm, a young Jonathan Joestar lives a life of luxury with his father at their estate in Liverpool, England. Jonathan, known by his peers as JoJo, spends his days playing the part of a gentleman and living a carefree life. However, those peaceful days soon came to an end when Dio Brando intrudes upon him.

Dio is young boy from London who is adopted into the Joestar family due to a debt Jonathan’s father owed to Dio’s father. While Jonathan is receptive towards having a new brother, Dio schemes against the Joestars in order to inherit the fortune. As Dio’s schemes get out of hand, Jonathan is forced to confront him once and for all.

Thus begins the story of the Joestar bloodline, as Jonathan matures with and eventually combats his adoptive brother while encountering bizarre new friends and foes.

Avaliações (38)
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JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
YdYdLmDn4
Apr 04, 2021
The first volume of my favorite manga and anime series of all time, and it’s definitely not without its growing pains by no means whatsoever. Of all the jojo arcs this one is the most flawed (even Araki has said so), but it had to be the way it is to set the scene for the arguably much better later volumes of the series. It serves as the groundwork of the JJBA adventure series and without this, the others wouldn’t be nearly as good.

Story (7)

The story starts out with a visual of a woman being sacrificed to some deity by the Aztecs during ancient times. The blood that comes off of her gets splattered unto the priest’s mask and it awakens some sort of supernatural power (important later). Afterwards it cuts to thousands of years later and Dario Brando notices a noble’s caravan that had crashed and most of its occupants (save a baby (jojo) and a man) dead. He goes to loot the wreckage (and surprise!, the mask from earlier is there) and finds several things of value, he goes to the presumed dead George Joestar to loot his “body” and is taken aback hby the fact that he is actually alive. George Joestar is mistaken and believes that Dario Brando was trying to save his life, and Dario plays along with this. They then make a promise that george will take care of his son Dio Brando if Dario should die.

Fast forward 12 years later and Dario is in ill health, once he finally croaks dio goes to live with the Joestar family to live out the 12 year promise between their fathers and also to steal the riches of the Joestar family, but while he was evil to begin with, he becomes more and more of an awful human being (and alter vampire) through the series.

Phantom blood takes a while to establish the Shōnen action that the jojo series is so famous for. It feels more like a Victorian drama and a seinen focusing more on family issues than combat but with a Hokuto Shinken feel to it at first, but by the second volume the latent supernatural themes start showing.

Character (8)

Jonathan is basically nicer and less powerful kenshiro. He always plays the hero who helps everyone and fits many Shōnen anime tropes. Despite the fact that he manages to be my favorite jojo (not even sure why, I just really like Jonathan) he’s really the least interesting one. But he serves as a necessary catalyst for the personalities of his descendants. The contrast is fun to witness, especially between him and Jotaro. There’s not really much else to say about him.

Dio is established extremely well as a villain. Araki does an amazing job at making you absolutely despise him. Unlike a lot of Shōnen villains Dio does not fuck around. He is utterly and despicably evil from the get go, trying to make Jonathan spiral into depression so that he loses his mind and is in no state to challenge his claim to the Joestar fortune, and showing no mercy to anyone and making other anime villains look empathetic in comparison. Despite this he is incredibly powerful but his boasting about his power is his downfall. From burning jonathan’s dog to killing his adoptive father to making a woman eat her child, nothing Dio does benefits anyone except Dio and he makes damn sure well you know it, he is pure evil.

The other characters are rather interesting and clearly there were ideas for them that Araki just forgot about (especially Speedwagon), the problem is that it focuses too much on the adventures of Jonathan and Dio to pay much mind at all to the supporting cast, and they’re not fleshed out nearly as much as they could be.


Art (7)

The art is... interesting. Some scenes look absolutely gorgeous while others look really flawed (it improved throughout the books though). Movements during fight scenes look especially awkward. Basidallt, drawings of houses, landscapes, castles, vehicles, basically anything inanimate are all gorgeous, but drawings of people look off and fall into uncanny valley fairly often. The first arc is infamous for having such bad male anatomy that you would think Araki is a girl who draws Yaoi rather than a Shōnen artist, the male characters have a physique that the greatest of body builders couldn’t hope to achieve and are usually bulging out so much in every direction that you wonder if they can even fit through doors. Jonathan also looks like the mascot for big boy burgers (but extremely muscular) throughout the length of the book, take that as you will.

Enjoyment (9)

Despite the fact that this is the weakest jojo arc I actually enjoyed it a lot. The first volume is pretty much all drama but later on in the series it starts focusing more on fighting and the signature “bizarreness” of the series’ namesake comes into play pretty quickly.

Overall (8)
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
Tyrraell8
Apr 04, 2021
After all the bizarre adventures I've been on, it's surprising it all came from this. Phantom Blood is an flawed but entertaining action series with... admittedly basic shounen elements compared to the rest of the series.

Jonathan is a strong boy who is nice and knows magic karate. Dio is a strong boy turned vampire that is evil incarnate. There are other characters, but this us the basic gist. Despite the role Phantom Blood has taken as the worst part, this does have some elements that are pretty good.

First, this manga is excessively creative. Hamon is honestly a pretty cool power, even if a bit vague in identity, and Dio is constantly testing out his vampiric abilities in cool ways. It even feels less 'deus ex machina' than some other Jojo parts.

Second, Jonathan and Dio have a personal relationship before their big clash. Many series don't do this, but having the battle be personal makes a series that much better in my opinion.

Third, it's pretty short. Aside from a few battles, this series doesn't overstay its welcome. At 5 volumes, you could probably finish this in a day.

Now there are some problems. Jonathan is not a particularly interesting character. His motivation is to stop Dio, and that's about it. I wish I knew more about Jonathan as a person. Dio is fun in the same way the Emperor from Star Wars is, and has a bit more depth than said character, but this series has better villains. Despite the memes, Speedwagon isn't that cool. You could tweak the story and nothing could change if he was gone (In part 1, that is). Erina is Jonathan's girlfriend, and that's it. Zeppeli is goofy and whimsical, and we learn a bit about him, but he's a basic teacher character. These characters are somewhat enjoyable, but not compelling

The art is also creative, and really detailed, but it has its problems. Don't get me wrong, there are some great panels, but there is also some clear lack of consistency in both quality and design, especially with anatomy. Detail doesn't make up for many of these problems. It gets better as it goes on, and by part 2, the art is pretty good, but here, it's rather... bizarre.

The ending makes the story for me, and Jonathan's speech about his and Dio's relationship is probably the best part of Phantom Blood, and one of the best parts of Jojo in general to me.

This is probably my second least favorite part of Jojo, but it's still enjoyable. Is the anime better? Yes. More consistent art, Dio's origin, and better emotional scenes make it a great adaptation. But there's something so captivating about reading this and knowing this is the solo start of a critically acclaimed author. I'd recommend Phantom Blood, despite the rating.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
Jagory8
Apr 04, 2021
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure has only recently experienced a big boom over in the English-speaking parts of the world, due to the recent anime adaptation taking off in a big way, and beforehand was merely a cult series with a small but devoted fanbase. However, in Japan, it has been huge for a very long time - it's tremendous influence spans to everything from Hunter X Hunter to Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei, and it still stands as the 9th longest manga of all time, and still going. And through all this (well-deserved) attention and acclaim, it's pretty easy to forget that this, where it all began, really just isn't very good.

The story begins in England, during the 1800s. It opens with a petty thief, Dario Brando, attempting to rob a fallen carriage and the dead nobles inside. However, it turns out that the noble in question survived - and thinks that Dario saved his life. Many years later, after Dario's death, he repays what he thinks he owes Dario by taking in his son, Dio Brando. Dio is incredibly embittered by his life in the slums and his abusive father... and upon meeting Jonathan "JoJo" Joestar, the son of the noble Dario supposedly saved, he begins to take it out on him and attempt to ruin Jonathan's life.

It's obvious that a premise like that couldn't possibly launch 107 volumes (and counting), so to say the least, the plot goes to very, VERY different places as it progresses. The strife between Jonathan and Dio doesn't last that long, relatively speaking, but it does feel pretty long at the time - it takes almost two volumes before the supernatural aspect takes over the plot. Much as I can appreciate that it doesn't baby the viewer by introducing the entire premise as fast as possible (as shonen series are oft to do), the beginning can be a real struggle to get through.

It isn't helped by how generally appalling the art is art first. By the end of this arc, it's passable, but at the very beginning, body proportions are appalling (the 12-year old Dio and Jonathan look like bodybuilders), the anatomy is ridiculous, lines are far too thick and cartoony-looking, and darker pages are very hard to follow due to how unclear and smudged-looking everything becomes. In this day and age Araki Hirohiko is one of the best artists in the business, but looking back on this you'd be hard-pressed to believe it.

While the slow start is definitely the biggest flaw with Phantom Blood, it's far from the only one. The rest of the series is littered with a number of small issues that collectively build up into something very problematic. Perhaps the most obvious is Jonathan Joestar himself. I haven't said much about him thus far in this review, and there's a very simple reason for that - there isn't much to say. The "JoJo" in the title is something of a legacy character, passing onto a new character every arc, and Jonathan is arguably the worst, and definitely the least interesting. He's little more than a generic noble and chivalrous shonen hero, complete with idiotic idealism. To make matters worse, every single fight in the series revolves around him. This is especially irritating, because his comrades, Will Zeppeli and Robert E.O. Speedwagon (I'm not making this up, that's actually his name) are actually interesting characters, and yet fail to be anything more than likeable because of how much Jonathan hogs the spotlight.

And now, I'll stop beating up on Phantom Blood, because for all it's faults there are still plenty of things it does right.

The first, and most obvious, is Dio Motherfucking Brando (expletive sorely needed). Don't get me wrong - he's not a deep character by any means. His utter nefariousness is given little reason, and his Freudian excuse does very little to explain his behaviour. He is completely, atrociously, unspeakably evil, and pretty one-dimensional for it. However, once he gains vampire powers, Dio becomes mind-bogglingly fun to watch. Perhaps the best thing about him is that unlike so many other shonen villains, Dio does not fuck around. Whether he's using his newfound superstrength to chase his Jonathan by digging his feet into the walls, or digging an entire, intact artery out of Jonathan's neck and playing with it just to let him known how easily he could kill him on the spot, Dio is unflinchingly brutal in the most disturbing, almost playful way.

And while Dio is the patron saint of this (for Phantom Blood at least), this is the key strength of Phantom Blood and one of the key strengths of JJBA as a whole - it does not pull a single punch. Looking at other shonen series after reading JJBA, it's remarkable how much the characters use their powers in utterly pedestrian and obvious ways. Let's face it - if you had anything that extraordinary, one of the first things you'd do is find out how many ways you can use it. And this is something Araki seems to truly understand - what with not only the enourmous variety of vampiric techniques that go above and beyond the generic bloodsucking bat-transforming fodder you'd usually see. Much as the setting owes itself to classic vampire horror, the vampires themselves are wholly original (Battle Tendency would later elaborate on why). Similarly, the Hamon technique (often translated as "Ripple") that the protagonists use is a wonderful slice of applied pseudoscience, effectively using breathing techniques to channel the energies of the sun, and playing around with a wonderful variety of ways to channel and conduct it.

Finally, the cherry on top is of course the naming conventions. By this point you'd have to be blind, dense, or just plain unfamiliar with rock music in it's entirety to have not noticed Araki's love for music. Almost every character is named after some sort of band or musician - JoJo himself is a reference to a certain Beatles song, Dio is named for the small man with the big voice himself, and hilariously, there is actually a character named Robert E.O. Speedwagon (as mentioned before). Then there's a pair of Hamon disciples named Dire and Straights, trained under master Ton Petti, a quartet of vampires named Page, Plant, Jones and Bonham... the list goes on. It's a colourful little addition that makes for a nice finishing touch.

So for all that... Phantom Blood is a heavily flawed manga. However, it has numerous redeeming features in of itself, and more importantly, it's the weakest arc by far - not to mention the shortest. Phantom Blood clocks in at a meagre 5 volumes, far less than most arcs. And as it is immediately followed by what is one of if not THE best of the arcs, any patience you're willing to exercise with Phantom Blood will soon be rewarded.

Final Words: Has plenty of issues but it's one hell of a worthy investment.

Story/Plot: 7/10.
Characters: 5/10.
Art: 3/10.

Overall: 5/10.

For fans of: Fist of the North Star, Toriko.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
labrizzle942
Apr 04, 2021
Part 1 of Jojo gets shit on as the worst part, false. Part 1 lives up to what it is supposed to be, which is more than I can say for part 8 or part 5. I actually like part 1 a lot, and I feel like a lot of people think it's bad because the anime adaptation didn't really do it justice. I'm here to set the record straight on why part 1 isn't so bad, here we go!

The story. The story is very very simple, Dio bad, me get revenge, ooga booga. Yes ladies and gentlemen it's really that simple, but I feel like it's because the plot is so simple that this part works, like it isn't overachieving by trying to be something it's not, and in a show like Jojo, I don't always want the plot to be complex, the reason being that the fights are very complex, I love seeing Jojo think his way out of a fight, I want the story to take time to explain how he figures out how to beat his opponents rather than why he wants to beat Dio. Dio is evil and Jonathan is good, and to be honest a simple reason that just works is better than a more complex reason that fails to live up to its own hype. Because the plot is so cut and dry it lets jojo focus on what it does best, which is the intense mindgames and crazy fights.

The art, oh baby. Araki as we know him today is an incredible artist, but back then his style was still developing, and Jojo had yet to fully come into its own though. It does show its age but despite that it still sticks out as something different. I know that Araki is actually a big fan of zombie movies and "The Walking Dead", this is clearly evident in part 1 as Araki does his own take on the horror genre. The artistic mood of part 1 is like a classic victorian gothic horror story with vampires, revenge, and tons of weird japanese bullshit.

Characters.

Speedwagon: The greatest Jojo character of all time, speedwagon alone is enough to secure a 10/10 for part one, but unfortunately that would be unfair, so I can't really rank him

Will Zepelli: This guy is actually a really decent jobro and mentor to jonathan, in the manga his backstory was a little more fleshed out than it was in the anime, and it was cool to see his path to learning hamon, and how he's destined to die if he pursues the mask. Despite this Will jumps headfirst into death like an absolute badass because he knows this conflict is more than just himself, in doing so Jonathan is able to finish the job on Dio, Will knew fear and made it his own, that's courage.

Jonathan: Constantly shat on as the first Jojo, but what's actually bad about him? I can at least tell what Jonathan's personality type is, and his personality remains unique among the Jojo's, as no one else is really like him. He's a gentleman, and there's some real charm to that, if Jonathan wasn't such a good guy then Dio wouldn't have been as good of a villain. You see Dio and Jonathan are truly bound by fate, they have a dichotomy, and because jonathan is so good and dio is so bad that actually makes them both better characters then they were before. Most of the other Jojo's really weren't that interesting, they seemed to be de emphasized as the main character, jotaro, josuke, giorno, jolyne, and gappy all get shown up by their peers, and it's good to have good side characters, but it feels like the jojo's always get the shit end of the stick when it comes to personality. Jonathan is honestly one of the better jojos out there.

Dio. Holy actual shit Dio is so goddamn cool, I love him. He's so deliciously evil in the best way possible, he doesn't really have a super good reason for this, and that's why some people don't like him, but the reason isn't important. You're not thinking about Jojo in the right way, it's all about the style points, don't think about it logically, this isn't where you use logic in Jojo, just love the characters for what they are, if you do then you'll realize that Dio is the embodiment of everything that the Jojo series is. He's smart, weird, beautiful, graceful, flamboyant, crazy, bizarre, gay, powerful, immortal, I mean he's just the best.

Enjoyment: It was cool as shit, I mean this manga was chock full of crazy ass shit that just keeps you engaged constantly. Part 1 is truly a marvel of its time, and to truly appreciate it you have to understand some historical context. Anyone who calls part 1 stereotypical and cliche doesn't know shit about shit, because this was so extraordinarily revolutionary for manga than no one has ever attempted this besides araki. Araki broke just about every rule in the book when he made part 1, and he got a lot of shit for it, but look at it now, all of that paid off in the end. You weren't supposed to have a non japanese protagonist, or non japanese characters, or a non japanese setting, Araki changed all of that, Araki killed Jonathan. Killing your protagonist was the kind of shit that would get your manga cancelled, Araki took big risks, and it paid off. Part 1 is amazing, just amazing.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
cheropteran10
Apr 04, 2021
Part 0: Whole Lotta Love
I loved JoJo since the first time I’ve read it years ago and I still love it now, it’s one of the few manga series that personally resonated with me like none other. While I hope to be as fair in this review as possible when it comes to pointing out the highs and lows of Phantom Blood, keep in mind that all this is coming from someone who’s a fan of series despite all the flaws than be found within.

Part 1: Brothers in Arms
Phantom Blood is the first part of the gigantic franchise JoJo has become and I think many consider it to be least distinct one. There’s a very good reason for it. While the later parts delve deep into high concept super powers and weird plots that on the surface shouldn’t make as much sense as they do, Phantom Blood is a far more conventional narrative.

After his carriage crashes off a cliff, George Joestar is knocked unconscious, the driver is impaled on a broken wheel and his wife sacrificed her life trying to protect baby Jonathan. Dario Brando, Dio’s father sees this as an opportunity to get some valuable loot but George comes to consciousness. He mistakingly thinks that Dario was trying to save him and promises him a handsome reward and gratitude. Some years later Dario is on his deathbed and uses kindness of George to send Dio to his house where he would live as an adopted son of Joestar family.

What follows after is an ever-escalating clash between Dio and Joseph. From their design to their personality the two are entirely different. Jonathan is an embodiment of justice and virtue, he’s a man who will do everything in his power to protect others. On the other side Dio is an incredibly evil and calculating bastard who will do everything he can to gain more wealth and power.

This central conflict is why I believe the overall goal of the manga was to tell a story about virtue and honor triumphing over depravity and corruption and Dio represents. In a I feel it’s similar to Hokuto no Ken which beyond being an action packed martial arts manga followed a strong character with a bleeding heart who without fail would save others from overwhelming evil.

Part 2: Strange Highway
So far Phantom Blood sounds fairly mediocre, right? Well it would be if not for Araki’s creativity and passion for crafting exciting stories that can be traced all the way from his debut works. Phantom Blood has a lot to offer when it comes to eccentric characters and imaginative action scenes. While Jonathan is fairly standard for a story like this but his companions include a street thug with overwhelming respect for strong willed and natured people and has a tendency to narrate his own feelings, more so than anyone else at least. Next in line you have Zeppeli, an italian sailor who resigned his life to training in Sendo, finding the stone mask and destroying what is and should never be while looking fabulous in the process. While this will very much depend on the reader I found their dynamic to be amusing throughout, from Speedwagon’s nearly comedic overreactions to Zeppeli’s unusual training methods that include trying to destroy a vampire without spilling a drop of wine.

Hamon or Ripple is another part of what makes Phantom Blood so entertaining. While the concept of versatile superpowers is as old as dirt in shonen the applications for Ripple remain fresh and sometimes surprising throughout the 44 chapters. From standing on water and sending out wine shurikens to making a leaf glider or spraying out your own blood or other liquids through wounds to avoid poisoning or other unwanted effects. While it might seem convenient I think it accomplishes a lot to make the adventure feel exciting in unpredictable ways. On top of that when used it combat it makes for some pretty gruesome attacks as sunlight energy melts whoever tries to oppose a ripple user.

It’s interesting to me how much effort Araki puts into establishing the superpower itself. Instead of going the usual route and saying “well it’s just a special thing some people can do let’s get back to the story” he actually made up its own backstory and the method behind it which feeds into thematic core of the manga. It also serves as an example of another thing I like about Araki, which is his enthusiasm in fleshing out his settings or just plain sharing some information with the viewer that he finds interesting like the occasional tidbits he throws in about 19th century England. This is much less prominent in Part 1 than it is in future manga but I find it charming nonetheless.

Part 3: Damn the Torpedoes
Obviously however, not everything is good. There are some noticeable flaws in Phantom Blood that need to be acknowledge.

One of the most prevalent I think is Araki’s reliance on narration to add nuance to either characters or their surroundings that doesn’t always need to be there. While yes the nuance is there there are many moments where a reader could’ve been informed about them in a way that’s much more subtle. Does Speedwagon really need to comment on how hard Erina was overworking herself to take care of Jonathan when it already would’ve worked without text? There’s an example of something like this in every other chapters and while it’s not especially egregious in my opinion it does sour the taste.

Next comes the Ripple. Yes, while the scenes it was used for are universally entertaining, it occasionally feels like new powers and techniques just sort of come out of nowhere only to get a brief explanation shortly after they’re used as if to justify their existence. Araki has gotten a lot better at introducing powers as it went on and I doubt he’d leave Ripple as is, seeing how The Spin’s execution in Part 7 was much more consistent.

The art is also often cited as one of the weaker aspects of Phantom Blood and it’s understandable. When it comes to inanimate objects Araki’s grasp of fundamentals is strong throughout but when it comes to people I feel like he valued dramatic exaggerations a lot more than accurate anatomy. While I do agree that it’s not always a pleasure to look at the dramatic aspect does come true. It’s hard not to feel the sheer energy, impact and threat emanating from certain attacks when they are drawn as if jumping out of a page or dominate entire panels where the target feels like a bug compared to the magnitude of force that’s about to crash on them. So, while on technical aspect it’s far, far from perfect the art still serves a tangible purpose. Some people might not agree with this but I feel like this sort of flawed art is still a lot more entertaining than something that feels like it was drawn my a machine cause there’s a very human charm to imperfections.

Lastly I’d like to sandbag the series a little and offer my two cents on something that people always bring up when talking about why Part 1 is the worst or the weakest in the series.

“Jonathan is a boring, bland protagonist and a bad character”. This is something I can’t agree with. Yes he’s a simple character without complex goals or struggles but that doesn't make him bad. If you’re willing to pay attention there are many beats in first two volume that work towards building up Jonathan’s personality. From how he came to form a relationship with his dog to his mentality when it comes to fighting which can be traced from his very first fight and is kept consistent throughout with exceptions only serving to prove the rule. At the same time Jonathan’s naivety is often conveyed to be a flaw since a character that’s much less restricted by moral code would have an easier time (see Joseph). It drives him to take risks which ultimately drove the story forward.

Another complaint I saw being thrown around is that he’s a reactionary character which seems to stem from people thinking that there’s never a case where such a character is acceptable. All it means is that Jonathan more often than not reacts to ploys caused by Dio instead of being in control of events and serving as their catalyst. When the main antagonist is nigh on a mysterious force of nature what else is expected of the main character but to react while trying to figure out a way to fight back? This is nothing new in fiction and I find it hard to take this complaint seriously.

Part 4: Pieces of Eight
To sum it up. Phantom Blood is a unique and unforgettable adventure that succeeds despite any flaws thanks to the charm and sheer creativity behind it and while future parts do overshadow it by turning down the flaws and cranking up pros to 11, it wouldn't be fair to judge Part 1 based on what it’s not. It set out a goal and achieved with flying colors. It’s a manga that deserves to be read.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
YummiYT15
Apr 04, 2021
Every great franchise has a beginning, whether humble or loud. Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, the notoriously flamboyant and massive manga series falls under the first category. It's first story arc, The Phantom Blood is relatively normal and short compared to its future successors. Thus, it's unfair to compare it to the other Parts. The Phantom Blood is a fighting shounen tragedy with Victorian and Gothic horror elements. It follows an aristocrat's son named Jonathan Joestar in 1800's Britain. When he discovers his adopted brother, Dio Brando, seeks to destroy the Joestar family and manages to do so, Jonathan, also known as Jojo, must go through hell and back to take his vengeance on Dio.

Story: 7/10
The Phantom Blood's story is short but sweet for the most part. It suffers from an overlonged exposition featuring Jonathan and Dio's childhood. It adds some character, but it could be easily abridged, and has been in the latest anime adaptation. The Phantom Blood also partially suffers from being a Hokuto no Ken clone at times. However, there is separation, and the tow can't be called carbon copies. For starters, Phantom Blood's weird mix of action and horror works very well not only at delivering a good style but also heightening the tension behind the actions committed by the characters. Add that to the fantastic and tragic conclusion and you have a brief prelude to an epic series to come.

Art: 7/10
Jojo has one of the most unique and distinct artstyles in manga history, and here is no exception. Rather than the androgynous fatuousness later on in the series, Phantom Blood's art style is very testosterone filled and is a love letter to being a man. Characters are impossibly buff and mangaka Hirohiko Araki doesn't do proportions well at all. The section of Phantom Blood where Jojo and Do are children thoug,h yeah that art is grody. But everything after is pretty damn good, and the use of shading is excellent, even though it lacks the distinctive style Araki develops later on in favor of a Hokuto no Ken lookalike.

Characters: 9/10
It has a fraction of protagonists that future Parts have, but I loved everyone pretty near equally. Jojo's best friend, Robert E.O. Speedwagon, is hilarious and lovable. He ends up becoming arguably the most significant protagonist in the entire series later on and is one of the most selfless and kind characters ever conceived. Jojo's mentor, Will A. Zeppeli, is fun and easy to root for, even though his time spent with the reader is short. Dio is a fantastic villain and is certainty one of the most easily hateable ever made.

However, the real star here is Jonathan himself. He is one of the single greatest actions protagonists of all time, period. Jonathan is also one of the most perfect characters ever made in terms of temperament and beliefs. Jonathan is a truly selfless and righteous hero. He is the epitome of humanity, a perfect gentleMAN. He's manly in all sense of the word. He is ripped as all Hell and is a fearless and fierce fighter. However, he is also a noble and kind man at heart who believes in and fights for absolute good. This is a man who despite living a life of true suffering holds to the true ideals of the knight stories he grew up on. He never falls into "white knight" territory though because he only gets involved in matters that concern him. Rather than fight other people's battles, he seeks to better that person so they can fight for themselves. Jonathan's angelic and divine demeanor makes him impossible to not root for. He lost his family, fortune, love (For a bit at least), and dignity, and thus has nothing to lose. But as time goes on and he matures and begins to have a family of his own, he has everything to gain through vanquishing all evil that comes into his life, all coming from Dio. The ending is a testament to this. Because of Jonathan's struggle, his family is able to survive through generations and events he couldn't possibly conceive.

Enjoyment: 8/10
The fights are excellent and there is true raw emotion behind them. This is a fight to the death by two brothers that eventually encompasses much more than a family feud. Jonathan, unlike most action heroes at the time, is neither unstoppable or stone cold, and without going into spoilers he faces true tragedy and reacts realistically to it. And just as Jonathan sheds manly tears, I can say I'm feeling the chills up my spine recalling Phantom Blood's climax.

Overall: 7.8/10
Despite being considered the worst Part of the entire series, The Phantom Blood is nonetheless a fantastic action epic and a damn good Gothic horror story to boot. It sets the stage perfectly for the entire series and never overstays its welcome. Jonathan and Dio are both icons and inspirations to the medium as a whole and it's easy to see why. Araki's writing is strong and is only brought down by his young and inexperienced style, that only gets refined as the series goes on for the most part.
JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken Part 1: Phantom Blood review
de
Anitakawai6
Apr 04, 2021
JoJo's Bizarre Adventure is undoubtedly my favorite manga series. This is my first review, so take it easy on me.

Even though JoJo's as a whole is gigantic, This review is going to be of this part alone. And this part, is definitely not the greatest in JoJo.

-= Story (6/10) =-
The Story is fairly simple, Our characters are introduced very early: Jonathan Joestar being our protagonist, and Dio Brando being our antagonist. Dio does all he can to make Jonathan's life as miserable as possible, With his end goal to become the heir to the Joestar family, and acquire all their wealth.

-= Characters (5/10) *slight spoilers* =-
The Characters are also quite simple. Jonathan's entire personality is his desire to be a gentleman. He is the embodiment of good. Dio is the complete opposite, his character is completely evil. This is Dio's entire personality (at least until later parts). We also have a small cast of companion characters. Robert E.O. Speedwagon being the best. And Will Zeppeli being the only other worth noting. There are a few others that were so un-interesting and unimportant to the story, I can't even remember their names.

-= Art (8/10) =-
Hirohiko Araki makes absolutely amazing art, and while part 1 of JoJo probably has the weakest art of the entire series, It is still absolutely amazing. It's honestly the best aspect of Part 1. And alone, makes it worth a read.

My overall enjoyment of part 1 is about 7/10, Alone it's probably closer to a 6, but If you intend to go into the series deeper than part 1 (Which I highly recommend), It will be closer to an 8, because you appreciate it much more, later on in the story. Anyways, those were my thoughts on part 1 of JoJo. This is my first review, so let me know if there is anything I can improve upon.
Mais