As a fan of Old school Shonen anime and manga, I knew since the start of my journey to absorb everything shonen I could find that I’d eventually have to tackle not only one of the most famous fighting stories, but one of the best selling and longest running manga period, Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.



JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has been in publication since 1987 and tells the adventures of the Joestar Family. The history of the Joestar Family tree is complicated and long-winded, so I’ll have to give a history lesson when I’m more knowledgeable on the subject. For now, I’m talking about where it all started, with Johnathan Joestar and Dio Brando.



I had no idea what to expect from JoJo. Obviously a beloved manga with a rich history and storyline, but aside from the main character always being a Joestar and every character being built like a brick wall I didn’t know exactly what I was getting into, only that it’s a cherished piece of Japanese pop culture that has seeped into the hearts and minds of westerners more recently. But even with the zero expectations, I still found myself surprised.



The first thing that struck me about Phantom Blood, the first arc, is Araki’s hyper-detailed art style. Araki’s ability to draw depth and definition and to bring life to environments was nothing short of spectacular to me. But as I kept reading I started noticing cracks in Araki’s drawing ability. For starters, EVERY male character has the build of a Greek God. Even the children have forearms I’d kill for. And no matter what a character is wearing, be it a tailored suit or a smoking jacket, it fits almost as if it were painted on. Every bulging muscle is well defined in every article of clothing worn, which creates this almost parody of 80’s Shonen Fighter physiques. And despite what I said about Araki’s ability to draw these hyper human forms he does slip frequently into the Rob Liefeld wasteland of talent, with characters’ bodies morphing into enormous tumor filled sack and postures bordering and sometimes fully committing to the painfully awkward and implausible. This doesn’t mean that I think Araki is in any way a bad artist. The man showed clear talent and unique flair in his early career that I’m sure has evolved and grown as his career has continued. It’s just strange to me to see someone with clear talent showing no control or knowledge of anatomy or perspective at times. It's hard to rate the art here because sometimes it borders on a perfect ten, while occasionally slumping into a four.



The story of JoJo is just as outlandish as its art, with the nefarious Dio Brando coming to live with the Joestar’s after the death of his father. The sibling quarrels and sadistic tendencies of Dio create a slow burn that quickly elevates once Dio dons the stone mask. It’s at this point that the story quickly kicks from first to fifth gear and goes off the deep end. Dio becomes an unstoppable, immortal vampire zombie, and Jonathan becomes a 6’ 4” 230lbs juggernaut of unbridled strength. And it’s here where the story goes full Mad Bull 34. For those of you who have never read Mad Bull 34, imagine if steroids and cocaine became a sentient being that grew up to become a mangaka. That mangaka would create Mad Bull 34. Phantom Blood is Mad Bull set in England during the late 19th century. Unbelievable body proportions, ludicrous amounts of blood and gore, gruesome deaths. It gets a 7 from me purely because of how enjoyable it was in its ludicrousy.

The characters and their development are nothing special. Johnathan Joestar is your typical Shonen hero who must overcome seemingly insurmountable odds to save the world. He's a kind, gentle soul who can also shatter bones with a mere thought. Dio is your stereotypical Shonen villain: pure evil down to his core. Araki obviously wrote Dio to be the most irredeemable character possible and he did a damn good job at it. There also isn't much to say about the supporting cast. Johnathan is later joined by Speedwagon and Baron Zeppeli, who aid him in his quest to find and destroy his rival and the stone mask that created him. Baron Zeppeli provides a solid mentor role for Johnathan, teaching him how to do the Hamon, an ancient form of martial arts that is the only form of hand-to-hand combat that can kill the now indestructible Dio. Speedwagon is pretty useless. He's a street thug who comes to respect Johnathan for his fighting ability and tries his best to assist him as his lackey in any way he can. He's kind, yet hot-headed, but ultimately serves no purpose and could have been completely left out.

While I can’t say I find Phantom Blood good in the sense that I think it’s a classic story, I can say I enjoyed part one of Araki’s manga in the same way I enjoyed Mad Bull 34. Both are junk food entertainment in the same vein as Battle Beyond the Stars and Yor, the Hunter from the Future. There’s no substance, everything is hilariously exaggerated, and it never stops finding new ways to surprise you. So I guess you could say that JoJo both exceeded and fell short of my expectations. With such a dedicated fan base and legacy as JoJo has I was expecting something completely different than what I got, but I can’t say I was let down by this experience. While it doesn’t come close to works such as Dragon Ball Z or One Piece, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure has definitely been a fun ride that I can’t wait to continue.