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Phantom Blood Deluxe #1
ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 1 Part1 ファントムブラッド 1
イギリス貴族ジョースター家の一人息子・ジョナサン。紳士となることを目指し不自由ない暮らしを送っていた。だがその生活は「侵略者」ディオ・ブランドーの出現で一変。事あるごとにジョジョを陥れるディオの傍らには、石仮面が不気味にたたずみ……。
312 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
477 people are currently reading
5182 people want to read
About the author
Hirohiko Araki
646 books2,033 followersHirohiko Araki ( 荒木飛呂彦) is a Japanese manga artist. He left school before graduation from Miyagi University of Education.
He enjoys the baseball manga Kyojin No Hoshii (Star of the Giants); the video games Mario Kart and Bomberman; and likes Prince and other African-American singers, as well as jazz, rock, and rap.
He is a recipient the Tezuka Award for manga.
He enjoys the baseball manga Kyojin No Hoshii (Star of the Giants); the video games Mario Kart and Bomberman; and likes Prince and other African-American singers, as well as jazz, rock, and rap.
He is a recipient the Tezuka Award for manga.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,033 reviews
June 22, 2019
I've watched Jojo's Part 1: Phantom Blood twice, and got a bit bored of watching it for a third time so I decided it's time to jump into the manga.
Edit: Wow! That was a fantastic experience. My sister, who is a Jojo's cult follower, joined me in reading every panel aloud. We had so much fun! My full review will address Jonathan's symbolism as a "pure" man, akin to Christ.
The art style, although initially seeming strange and clunky, latched onto me and rubbed off all of its charm onto me! It's so much like
The art-style I expected, and has the same emotional weight that makes the quirky and distorted drawings so damn beautiful!
Edit: Wow! That was a fantastic experience. My sister, who is a Jojo's cult follower, joined me in reading every panel aloud. We had so much fun! My full review will address Jonathan's symbolism as a "pure" man, akin to Christ.
The art style, although initially seeming strange and clunky, latched onto me and rubbed off all of its charm onto me! It's so much like
The art-style I expected, and has the same emotional weight that makes the quirky and distorted drawings so damn beautiful!
February 21, 2022
It was not a bad start. The art was kind of dated, the body proportions were kind of weird but overall not that bad and The Action was very over the top at some panels. The story was easy to follow, simple and abit naive. There was some unexpacted gore, i wouldn't expect such a level of gore from a shounen. I really like The Nobel Gentlemen boy, Jonathan Joester as The First Jojo. I started to read Jojo because i heard that the manga will be very good in the future parts, especially starting with Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, but the Part 1 was not bad for sure, if you can look over some naive parts of the story, they were some unintentinaly funny parts for me too anyway. I enjoyed that naive parts, especially Dio and Jonathan's fall from empty space between the stairs of the mansion in vol. 2, it took like half an hour for them to fall from such a short hight... HA HA !
March 19, 2016
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is one of the longest running and most popular manga in Japan, starting out in 1986 and still going strong to this day. But the history of JoJo in the west is far from simple, and for the most part kind of unsatisfactory. But this could finally be changing.
JoJo is currently on Part 8 in Japan, and to date the only complete part published physically in the west is Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, which stars Jotaro Kujo, who is subsequently the most well-known of the “JoJo”s in the west. It’s only now, as the fantastic anime continues to air (the new one’s from 2012 onward, and isn’t related to the apparently subpar OVAs), that we are finally getting prints of Parts 1 and 2 in delicious, great looking hardback editions from Viz Media. Better late than never. The first volume of Part 1: Phantom Blood has just come out, with the final two volumes scheduled for May. Part 2: Battle Tendency should follow later in the year.
818fOuBHTnL
The difficulty in getting it to the west has mainly been about localisation and legal issues. But thankfully we can now begin to move on from that. And hopefully in a hurry too, as there a lot of parts for us to all catch up on.
For those unfamiliar with the concept JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a generational manga, with each Part being set in a different time period with a different protagonist, all of whom share some sort of connection to one another and have the nickname “JoJo”. Not all of the Parts follow a chronological order, and some of them don’t even share the same “universe”.
IMG_20150309_163701
The Prologue of Phantom Blood opens up with a mysterious blood ritual revolving around a stone mask that seems to grant some kind of power. It’s described as “wonderfully bizarre”. It then skips forward. The hero of Part 1 is Jonathan Joestar, who we first meet as a baby when he is discovered by Dario Brando, an alcoholic thief, in a crashed carriage along with his father George Joestar. Both the driver and JoJo’s mother have died in the crash. When George wakes he mistakenly believes Dario is trying to save their lives from the crash instead of stealing jewellery and pledges to repay the kindness. The stone mask is also revealed to have been in the carriage.
Years later the story begins proper with Dio Brando the Invader. JoJo is now a young boy, living a happy life in his father’s mansion, standing up to people bullying girls but getting beaten up, and all that sort of mildly generic anime hero beginning stuff. But Dio, Dario’s son, arrives, after his father has died. George has agreed to raise Dio as if he were his own son, but Dio secretly wishes to claim the Joestar fortune as his own, and he plots to break JoJo mentally in order to do it. This begins as soon as he steps off the carriage in a classic panel where he mercilessly knees JoJo’s beloved dog, Danny.
IMG_20150309_163815
Dio’s torment only continues from there, upstaging him in manners and education, turning the other boys against him, and even interfering cruelly in JoJo’s love life. And it all comes to a grisly and terrible end, while Dio is ever careful to remain undetected by the adults, much to JoJo’s frustration, as Dio has been open with him about his selfish designs (which is even more cruel).
Seven more years pass and JoJo and Dio have both become young men, and are graduating university for Archaeology and Law respectively. Despite butting heads before JoJo and Dio are now keeping up the pretence of being brotherly friends, though they both feel the same way as they used to. George Joestar has fallen ill. JoJo hopes to impress his father with his research on the mysterious stone mask from the beginning of the manga, but during his studies he stumbles across a letter from Dario to George that seems to implicate Dio in Dario’s death and his father’s illness.
IMG_20150309_164129
This sets JoJo off on a quest to London to try and find the Chinese man who sold Dio the bogus medicine he’s been using. But while JoJo is away Dio becomes intrigued with the potential to kill someone using the stone mask, little suspecting its supernatural qualities. Needless to say JoJo gets into some scrapes while in dangerous areas of London, involving quite a bit of fighting as he has grown into a very muscular person (along with Dio). And, of course, Dio begins to discover more about the true powers of the mask.
The two plot threads come back together as JoJo and Dio meet each other once again back at the Joestar Manor, as they always had to. This volume uses the chapter split originally used in the Japanese rereleases of the manga, meaning that it ends partway through the A Youth With Dio arc. This means the volume ends on a massive cliffhanger. Of course, this makes you really want to know what happens next, but at the same time it’s a little bit unsatisfying. A lot of the volume is set-up and build-up, and it never really arrives at any of the things it promised. In general it’s a little bit slow. The anime adaptation gets to the end of this first volume at around the beginning of episode 3, of 9 episodes. Really it could end a lot more naturally if they had included just a few more chapters, which is a bit of a frustration.
IMG_20150309_164024
It’s difficult to recommend this manga on its own, though it is fantastically well put together. The hardback is very nice, and feels great to hold and read. The front and back art are new pieces of artwork by Hirohiko Araki, and there’s even an interesting little interview with him at the end (which is perhaps a little bit sort). The art is fantastic, and it’s easy to see why Araki has become so well-known for his style. His artwork contains a lot of detail, but is also very glamorous. The bizarre poses a lot of the characters do have entered popular culture, being known as “JoJo-dachi”. On the colour pages the colour is decided more by style than realism, and that’s what JoJo is all about, both artistically and narratively. Yet it’s not simply chaotic, everything is calculated and works together very well. The heavy use of stylised onomatopoeia is another highlight.
The translation is also very good, and seems to be in-keeping with the style of the manga as a whole. Some of the English does feel a little clunky in places, but like the rest of the manga, it seems to work in its own way. “How delightfully bizarre,” sums it up well. Not only the translation, but the volume as a whole.
It’s absolutely fantastic to have the beginning of JoJo finally available in the west, and for the following volumes to be only around the corner. But, as satisfaction can only really come by connecting this volume with its successor, its release truly can’t come soon enough.
Read more of my reviews of Japanese video games/manga/anime at www.ricedigital.co.uk!
JoJo is currently on Part 8 in Japan, and to date the only complete part published physically in the west is Part 3: Stardust Crusaders, which stars Jotaro Kujo, who is subsequently the most well-known of the “JoJo”s in the west. It’s only now, as the fantastic anime continues to air (the new one’s from 2012 onward, and isn’t related to the apparently subpar OVAs), that we are finally getting prints of Parts 1 and 2 in delicious, great looking hardback editions from Viz Media. Better late than never. The first volume of Part 1: Phantom Blood has just come out, with the final two volumes scheduled for May. Part 2: Battle Tendency should follow later in the year.
818fOuBHTnL
The difficulty in getting it to the west has mainly been about localisation and legal issues. But thankfully we can now begin to move on from that. And hopefully in a hurry too, as there a lot of parts for us to all catch up on.
For those unfamiliar with the concept JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure is a generational manga, with each Part being set in a different time period with a different protagonist, all of whom share some sort of connection to one another and have the nickname “JoJo”. Not all of the Parts follow a chronological order, and some of them don’t even share the same “universe”.
IMG_20150309_163701
The Prologue of Phantom Blood opens up with a mysterious blood ritual revolving around a stone mask that seems to grant some kind of power. It’s described as “wonderfully bizarre”. It then skips forward. The hero of Part 1 is Jonathan Joestar, who we first meet as a baby when he is discovered by Dario Brando, an alcoholic thief, in a crashed carriage along with his father George Joestar. Both the driver and JoJo’s mother have died in the crash. When George wakes he mistakenly believes Dario is trying to save their lives from the crash instead of stealing jewellery and pledges to repay the kindness. The stone mask is also revealed to have been in the carriage.
Years later the story begins proper with Dio Brando the Invader. JoJo is now a young boy, living a happy life in his father’s mansion, standing up to people bullying girls but getting beaten up, and all that sort of mildly generic anime hero beginning stuff. But Dio, Dario’s son, arrives, after his father has died. George has agreed to raise Dio as if he were his own son, but Dio secretly wishes to claim the Joestar fortune as his own, and he plots to break JoJo mentally in order to do it. This begins as soon as he steps off the carriage in a classic panel where he mercilessly knees JoJo’s beloved dog, Danny.
IMG_20150309_163815
Dio’s torment only continues from there, upstaging him in manners and education, turning the other boys against him, and even interfering cruelly in JoJo’s love life. And it all comes to a grisly and terrible end, while Dio is ever careful to remain undetected by the adults, much to JoJo’s frustration, as Dio has been open with him about his selfish designs (which is even more cruel).
Seven more years pass and JoJo and Dio have both become young men, and are graduating university for Archaeology and Law respectively. Despite butting heads before JoJo and Dio are now keeping up the pretence of being brotherly friends, though they both feel the same way as they used to. George Joestar has fallen ill. JoJo hopes to impress his father with his research on the mysterious stone mask from the beginning of the manga, but during his studies he stumbles across a letter from Dario to George that seems to implicate Dio in Dario’s death and his father’s illness.
IMG_20150309_164129
This sets JoJo off on a quest to London to try and find the Chinese man who sold Dio the bogus medicine he’s been using. But while JoJo is away Dio becomes intrigued with the potential to kill someone using the stone mask, little suspecting its supernatural qualities. Needless to say JoJo gets into some scrapes while in dangerous areas of London, involving quite a bit of fighting as he has grown into a very muscular person (along with Dio). And, of course, Dio begins to discover more about the true powers of the mask.
The two plot threads come back together as JoJo and Dio meet each other once again back at the Joestar Manor, as they always had to. This volume uses the chapter split originally used in the Japanese rereleases of the manga, meaning that it ends partway through the A Youth With Dio arc. This means the volume ends on a massive cliffhanger. Of course, this makes you really want to know what happens next, but at the same time it’s a little bit unsatisfying. A lot of the volume is set-up and build-up, and it never really arrives at any of the things it promised. In general it’s a little bit slow. The anime adaptation gets to the end of this first volume at around the beginning of episode 3, of 9 episodes. Really it could end a lot more naturally if they had included just a few more chapters, which is a bit of a frustration.
IMG_20150309_164024
It’s difficult to recommend this manga on its own, though it is fantastically well put together. The hardback is very nice, and feels great to hold and read. The front and back art are new pieces of artwork by Hirohiko Araki, and there’s even an interesting little interview with him at the end (which is perhaps a little bit sort). The art is fantastic, and it’s easy to see why Araki has become so well-known for his style. His artwork contains a lot of detail, but is also very glamorous. The bizarre poses a lot of the characters do have entered popular culture, being known as “JoJo-dachi”. On the colour pages the colour is decided more by style than realism, and that’s what JoJo is all about, both artistically and narratively. Yet it’s not simply chaotic, everything is calculated and works together very well. The heavy use of stylised onomatopoeia is another highlight.
The translation is also very good, and seems to be in-keeping with the style of the manga as a whole. Some of the English does feel a little clunky in places, but like the rest of the manga, it seems to work in its own way. “How delightfully bizarre,” sums it up well. Not only the translation, but the volume as a whole.
It’s absolutely fantastic to have the beginning of JoJo finally available in the west, and for the following volumes to be only around the corner. But, as satisfaction can only really come by connecting this volume with its successor, its release truly can’t come soon enough.
Read more of my reviews of Japanese video games/manga/anime at www.ricedigital.co.uk!
July 30, 2018
This is pretty introductory, scene-setting without much adventure and only a smidge of bizarre.
I was also expecting some humor, I think just based on the cover and title, and no, it is not humorous. Pretty dark, actually, what the horrible way Dio's father treated his wife, and Dio . Actually that part and the reaction is a well-portrayed example of how victim's can often convince themselves that they were somehow mistaken rather than accepting that the perpetrator is a sadist or psychopath.
I was also expecting some humor, I think just based on the cover and title, and no, it is not humorous. Pretty dark, actually, what the horrible way Dio's father treated his wife, and Dio . Actually that part and the reaction is a well-portrayed example of how victim's can often convince themselves that they were somehow mistaken rather than accepting that the perpetrator is a sadist or psychopath.
October 18, 2019
Well. This just made me feel weird.
November 20, 2024
I read this first installment and the story and the artwork is a good and effective enough as a 'good v.s evil' supernatural adventure series opener, the sense of humor is good too! I look forward to the next volume!
February 17, 2017
Well, I'm not the demographic for this book, but I was willing to give it a good shot. My young son-in-law recommended it when I asked for a "best-seller from a genre I don't normally read" (Popsugar 2017 challenge). I used to be a graphic-novels snob, thinking they were shallow and childish until Echo and Wonderstruck converted me regarding the medium's potential. And while vampire/zombie/werewolf stories are not my usual choice of entertainment (I just find it overwhelmingly overdone these days), I'm perfectly game for a book or movie in the strain that's touted to be good. So I was looking forward to a nice foray into this Manga.
This one is not my cup of tea. I did finish reading it and found some traits enticing. For example, it looks like a decent enough werewolf/vampire/Aztec mysticism adventure line. Some of the cheesiness cracked me up. I also enjoyed the use of perspective and proportion in the artwork to enhance the nuances of feeling in the story.
However, several things turned me off:
From the get-go, characters are abusive, some necessarily so (for the storyline), others seemingly gratuitously, as if a teen-angst male author was getting his jollies from it. Arrogant patrimony/misogyny - yeah, it's here, too, and not just in a 19th-century depiction, and it literally made me feel horrid coming from an entertainment book aimed primarily at young(ish) men. The book does not contain outright rape or nudity, to give it credit - in fact, there's only one real female character briefly featured. Wait - make that two: I forgot the oversexed one in the prologue who's sacrificed. This is a boy's tale, and women simply don't figure in it except as an accessory for cruelty.
The story is riddled with choppiness, as if several comic books in a series were gathered and bound together despite missing some here and there.
The worst thing of all for me is the failed characters. I can't take either JoJo or his father seriously when they're ridiculously, fatally gullible in a way that only a young child could be. In JoJo, is this supposed to be a manifestation of innate goodness? It doesn't come out that way- it just comes out making him look pathetic. What person would have every reason to know somebody had cruelly murdered their beloved dog and then turn around and become friends with them through their school years? It just doesn't happen. (By the way, you get to see that murder by fire, and it really makes you feel sick - one point of the gratuitous violence that turned me off. In consideration, though, it does build revulsion for the villain, Dio.) And then to find that same person has been trying to murder your father, and you decide to go easy on him and let him turn himself in? That doesn't happen, either. The father, as well, is a character that drives me insane.
As I said, I'm not the demographic for this book, but my experiences with the two graphic novels I mentioned above led me to expect much more from another graphic novel that came so highly recommended and reviewed. I wouldn't lable this "childish," but definitely immature and shallow. You're going to be reading comic book material, not novel material presented graphically. If the things I mention don't bother you, it's probably perfectly entertaining in the whole zombie/vampire/werewolf strain of things.
This one is not my cup of tea. I did finish reading it and found some traits enticing. For example, it looks like a decent enough werewolf/vampire/Aztec mysticism adventure line. Some of the cheesiness cracked me up. I also enjoyed the use of perspective and proportion in the artwork to enhance the nuances of feeling in the story.
However, several things turned me off:
From the get-go, characters are abusive, some necessarily so (for the storyline), others seemingly gratuitously, as if a teen-angst male author was getting his jollies from it. Arrogant patrimony/misogyny - yeah, it's here, too, and not just in a 19th-century depiction, and it literally made me feel horrid coming from an entertainment book aimed primarily at young(ish) men. The book does not contain outright rape or nudity, to give it credit - in fact, there's only one real female character briefly featured. Wait - make that two: I forgot the oversexed one in the prologue who's sacrificed. This is a boy's tale, and women simply don't figure in it except as an accessory for cruelty.
The story is riddled with choppiness, as if several comic books in a series were gathered and bound together despite missing some here and there.
The worst thing of all for me is the failed characters. I can't take either JoJo or his father seriously when they're ridiculously, fatally gullible in a way that only a young child could be. In JoJo, is this supposed to be a manifestation of innate goodness? It doesn't come out that way- it just comes out making him look pathetic. What person would have every reason to know somebody had cruelly murdered their beloved dog and then turn around and become friends with them through their school years? It just doesn't happen. (By the way, you get to see that murder by fire, and it really makes you feel sick - one point of the gratuitous violence that turned me off. In consideration, though, it does build revulsion for the villain, Dio.) And then to find that same person has been trying to murder your father, and you decide to go easy on him and let him turn himself in? That doesn't happen, either. The father, as well, is a character that drives me insane.
As I said, I'm not the demographic for this book, but my experiences with the two graphic novels I mentioned above led me to expect much more from another graphic novel that came so highly recommended and reviewed. I wouldn't lable this "childish," but definitely immature and shallow. You're going to be reading comic book material, not novel material presented graphically. If the things I mention don't bother you, it's probably perfectly entertaining in the whole zombie/vampire/werewolf strain of things.
July 19, 2021
I forgot how fun and whacky Jojo is especially in manga format! The art is just insanely good whilst being crazy to look at, I really enjoy this series a lot
November 5, 2022
Something about old school manga and Araki’s initial art style for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure is just so good. This series has been ongoing since the 80’s, and I’m feeling the nostalgia already (I’m definitely biased after watching parts of the anime with my sister).
Dio is already such a menace to poor Jonathan!! Their rivalry becomes so apparent really quickly. This was a great introduction to what I know will be a fantastic series (especially since Araki’s current art style is TO DIE FOR!! Easily some of the most unique stuff I’ve seen, and my favourite by any mangaka ever).
Dio is already such a menace to poor Jonathan!! Their rivalry becomes so apparent really quickly. This was a great introduction to what I know will be a fantastic series (especially since Araki’s current art style is TO DIE FOR!! Easily some of the most unique stuff I’ve seen, and my favourite by any mangaka ever).
April 4, 2019
I never liked how this series began. It’s an alright beginning and I definitely liked the manga more than the anime, it’s just not as bizarre, funny, and charming as the other parts. I do, however, appreciate it’s unrivaled power to put me to sleep, the last time I fell asleep that hard was when I watched Shigurui and the old farts were talking.
April 14, 2022
2.5 stars
I’ll admit it, I’m very confused about the hype surrounding this series. It was…fine…?
It definitely had a dated art style, but we can’t fault the creator for my personal art tastes not meshing with this one. The 1800s time period was a very cool touch that I appreciated throughout the volume.
However, I felt that this volume had extremely two dimensional characters. Jojo himself was so naive I was bored with his arc the minute it started, and then Dio’s absolute refusal to have have any depth beyond “I AM THE VILLAIN OF THIS STORY” aura just really kept me from sinking into the plot. I felt it had nowhere to grow, which was a confusing vibe to present as it’s literally the series starter.
The stone mask is clearly the mysterious item that will carry the story forward…but I’m a character reader, and that’s a plot device and not a reason to stay. (I’m so sorry Jojo fans, I’m not throwing shade but just sharing some thoughts.)
It seems almost everyone agrees that this part of the series is not the best… but I’ll be honest, I’d need to have a big carrot dangled in front of me to wade through this arc’s blandness to get to potential good parts.
I’ll admit it, I’m very confused about the hype surrounding this series. It was…fine…?
It definitely had a dated art style, but we can’t fault the creator for my personal art tastes not meshing with this one. The 1800s time period was a very cool touch that I appreciated throughout the volume.
However, I felt that this volume had extremely two dimensional characters. Jojo himself was so naive I was bored with his arc the minute it started, and then Dio’s absolute refusal to have have any depth beyond “I AM THE VILLAIN OF THIS STORY” aura just really kept me from sinking into the plot. I felt it had nowhere to grow, which was a confusing vibe to present as it’s literally the series starter.
The stone mask is clearly the mysterious item that will carry the story forward…but I’m a character reader, and that’s a plot device and not a reason to stay. (I’m so sorry Jojo fans, I’m not throwing shade but just sharing some thoughts.)
It seems almost everyone agrees that this part of the series is not the best… but I’ll be honest, I’d need to have a big carrot dangled in front of me to wade through this arc’s blandness to get to potential good parts.
August 3, 2020
Generalmente espero a tener algunos tomos acumulados antes de empezar a leer un manga, pero he escuchado a tanta gente hablar de Jojo's Bizarre Adventure que esta vez me ganó la ansiedad.
No sabía que esperar de Jojo's porque nunca vi el animé y solo lo conocía de memes e imágenes de poses y cosas por el estilo, y la verdad es que a pesar de que Araki no dibuja tan bien (al menos en este primer tomo), la historia me mantuvo atrapado y me divirtió mucho lo exagerados de algunos momentos, incluyendo el gore, y las reacciones de Jojo y Dio. Es como una película de acción super masculina de los 80's, de esas que te podés ver 3 seguidas en una tarde de domingo.
Como punto extra, la edición de Ivrea es muy linda.
No sabía que esperar de Jojo's porque nunca vi el animé y solo lo conocía de memes e imágenes de poses y cosas por el estilo, y la verdad es que a pesar de que Araki no dibuja tan bien (al menos en este primer tomo), la historia me mantuvo atrapado y me divirtió mucho lo exagerados de algunos momentos, incluyendo el gore, y las reacciones de Jojo y Dio. Es como una película de acción super masculina de los 80's, de esas que te podés ver 3 seguidas en una tarde de domingo.
Como punto extra, la edición de Ivrea es muy linda.
April 19, 2016
I read this on the recommendation of a teen at the library, who wanted to share this weird comic where the men are all drawn in the ridiculously sexualized way that women in most superhero comics are. I enjoyed reading this, and it's definitely different. I don't know if I'll be picking up more volumes anytime soon, though, I'm not feeling into reading things that are serialized these days, plus I feel that non-graphic novels give me more bang for my buck. That's not something I always feel, I like comics and manga, but just a mood I've been in lately.
March 7, 2018
Sometimes the weirdest stuff can come out of the inter-dimensional portal in my basement. I gave this a read while on a carriage ride to a nearby Hobbit village. It’s.....interesting, to say the least.
June 11, 2018
4,5
Haber visto primero el anime me jugó en contra, ahora sé que la cosa se va a poner mejor y es por eso que no le estoy poniendo las cinco estrellas (aunque creo que se las merece jaja).
Soy muy fan de Jojo's, todos deberían ser fans de Jojo's.
Estoy cruzando los dedos que no tengo para que Ivrea confirme las sagas que faltan (a partir de Vento Aureo).
Haber visto primero el anime me jugó en contra, ahora sé que la cosa se va a poner mejor y es por eso que no le estoy poniendo las cinco estrellas (aunque creo que se las merece jaja).
Soy muy fan de Jojo's, todos deberían ser fans de Jojo's.
Estoy cruzando los dedos que no tengo para que Ivrea confirme las sagas que faltan (a partir de Vento Aureo).
January 5, 2022
Fajowe, dzięki ojenka
February 20, 2022
Phantom Blood introduces us to the world of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and what an incredibly bizarre world it is!
Jonathan Joestar is a gentle young nobleman with a kind heart and good intentions. He vows to use his father's inheritance for good deeds and devotes himself to a life of virtue and selflessness. Everything changes when his father adopts the son of a dead man that once saved his life. Young Dio Brando wears the facade of a gentle nobleman just like Jonathan, but beneath this facade lies a power-hungry sociopath that abuses his step brother behind closed doors and seeks to overthrow Jojo's father to steal his inheritance for himself. A deadly rivalry that's been in the making for over a thousand years sparks to life as the conflict between Jonathan and Dio escalate to supernatural heights.
Phantom Blood is essentially a giant prologue to the actual meat and bones of the JoJo universe. It's written like an Agatha Christie Victorian murder mystery, but with a crazy fusion of thematic elements from the historical paranormal horror of The Mummy, the brute force action sequences of Conan the Barbarian, and the supernatural martial arts of Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball Z.
This was a weird and fun story with a few genuinely shocking horror moments with a nice balance of romance, comedy and explosive action. I also like how it draws real historical figures into the story like Jack the Ripper and the knights of Queen Mary Stuart.
The writing definitely shows its age. I've heard a lot of people say that Phantom Blood is the weakest story arc in the whole series and doesn't do a great job representing the series as a whole, and so far I can see where they're coming from. The characters are ridiculously over the top which makes them exotic and fun, but most of them have little depth. The lore of the story is very interesting, but the actual plot of the series itself so far leaves a lot to be desired.
I look forward to seeing how much better the future arcs of this series hopefully are.
Jonathan Joestar is a gentle young nobleman with a kind heart and good intentions. He vows to use his father's inheritance for good deeds and devotes himself to a life of virtue and selflessness. Everything changes when his father adopts the son of a dead man that once saved his life. Young Dio Brando wears the facade of a gentle nobleman just like Jonathan, but beneath this facade lies a power-hungry sociopath that abuses his step brother behind closed doors and seeks to overthrow Jojo's father to steal his inheritance for himself. A deadly rivalry that's been in the making for over a thousand years sparks to life as the conflict between Jonathan and Dio escalate to supernatural heights.
Phantom Blood is essentially a giant prologue to the actual meat and bones of the JoJo universe. It's written like an Agatha Christie Victorian murder mystery, but with a crazy fusion of thematic elements from the historical paranormal horror of The Mummy, the brute force action sequences of Conan the Barbarian, and the supernatural martial arts of Fist of the North Star and Dragon Ball Z.
This was a weird and fun story with a few genuinely shocking horror moments with a nice balance of romance, comedy and explosive action. I also like how it draws real historical figures into the story like Jack the Ripper and the knights of Queen Mary Stuart.
The writing definitely shows its age. I've heard a lot of people say that Phantom Blood is the weakest story arc in the whole series and doesn't do a great job representing the series as a whole, and so far I can see where they're coming from. The characters are ridiculously over the top which makes them exotic and fun, but most of them have little depth. The lore of the story is very interesting, but the actual plot of the series itself so far leaves a lot to be desired.
I look forward to seeing how much better the future arcs of this series hopefully are.
March 13, 2022
Edit: Also with this edition (kind of like an omnibus), it was not 8 chapters like the separate volumes, but its of Chapter 1- Chapter 11 (3 Chapters in Vol 2 of the original volume)
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
A good start to a series!
Araki's drawings grew on me and I really like Jojo and his tenacity in protecting his family.
The concept of the series for now is kind of new to me, with the secret of the mask as well, but for now, its quite fast paced. Dio is a character that you'll hate and love at the same time. He may have his motives but for now, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
There are three arcs from this volume alone
1) Dio Brando the Invader
2) A Letter From the Past
3) The Stone Mask
The first arc tells Jojo's life and what had happened to him when Dio came. In a way, Jojo is a priviliged kid with a good heart but with Dio in his life, it became haywire. For me, Dio arriving in his life kind of sets a competition for him but I felt sorry for Jojo as well. Can't wait to see how this series goes as my friend really loves it and I hoped it will grow on me as well.
Personal Ratings : 4🌟
A good start to a series!
Araki's drawings grew on me and I really like Jojo and his tenacity in protecting his family.
The concept of the series for now is kind of new to me, with the secret of the mask as well, but for now, its quite fast paced. Dio is a character that you'll hate and love at the same time. He may have his motives but for now, I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt.
There are three arcs from this volume alone
1) Dio Brando the Invader
2) A Letter From the Past
3) The Stone Mask
The first arc tells Jojo's life and what had happened to him when Dio came. In a way, Jojo is a priviliged kid with a good heart but with Dio in his life, it became haywire. For me, Dio arriving in his life kind of sets a competition for him but I felt sorry for Jojo as well. Can't wait to see how this series goes as my friend really loves it and I hoped it will grow on me as well.
March 21, 2022
Phantom Blood suffers from the same disease of a writer still looking for a distinct voice. I know this is just the beginning of a sprawling mutli-generational epic, weird-horror adventure (or so I've heard) so I'll happily read on.
Also looking forward to how Araki will polish his detailed art into the gorgeous signature style showboated in the deluxe covers.
Also looking forward to how Araki will polish his detailed art into the gorgeous signature style showboated in the deluxe covers.
August 24, 2015
gonna give this 5 stars because it was amazing. amazingly over the top. there were ne'er punches punchier, hatred hatier, artifacts more powerful and bloodthirsty, etc. Hard to describe how delightful this is.
May 5, 2019
A tale of a powerful mask from a long-gone civilization and 2 boys whose fates get tangled with it, and each other. Only this is a shounen. Set in Victorian England. With horror elements.
That should already tell you that the "bizarre" in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure isn't just flavour text. And to this day this is still the biggest selling point of the series. JJBA is a mix of strange plot points, extravagant character design, iconic poses, and idiosyncratic speech. It stretches and pulls suspension of disbelief like spider silk, never breaking it.
I shan’t spoil the story more than I already did, as one of the biggest joys in the series is the twisting and turning plot. Araki's "making it up as I go" storytelling has its flaws but it also makes for such a memorable insane ride, keeping things fresh even when writing this series for decades.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's stick to Phantom Blood.
Written in the 80s and influenced by that time's western action films, inspired by Fist of the North Star, PB shouldn't surprise when it features big burly men punching the shit out of each other. There might be the occasional sword or magical shounen powers, but the fights boil down to that. It’s a good mix of action, horror, and comedy.
Translation seems ok. At worst it runs in parallel with fan translations and can sound a bit off. It's like it was too literal and afraid of adding some extra flourishes to make the dialogue flow better. But I wouldn't call it bad.
Araki’s art style here is honestly not my favourite. Proportions seem inconsistent and anatomy gets broken, but not without reason. He’s great at expressing mood, exaggerating things for drama, and directing us with lines of action, even if those flaws are the cost. My favourite panels are often the closeups of characters’ faces, full of emotion.
In addition, it’s not everyday that I come across a shounen where backgrounds are so prevalent. A great amount of work went into them, and some as well to all the different getups we see people dressed in. His panel layouts are very dynamic and generally easy to follow.
Regarding Araki being just amazing at expressing mood, he’s incredible with colour, but sadly only the volume covers get blessed by this trait of his (and rare pages here and there). These JoJonium don’t have said covers but have other “colour” pages and the gorgeous hardcover with a newer art style. There’s a fully coloured version of the manga, which is great because JJBA begs to be in colour, but it’s just not the same as Araki colours.
Overall I deeply love this series, and I hold Phantom Blood close to heart as a reminder of the simpler times we had.
By the way, here's my growing twitter thread on rereading PB: twitter.com/AzoreanEve/status/1122057...
That should already tell you that the "bizarre" in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure isn't just flavour text. And to this day this is still the biggest selling point of the series. JJBA is a mix of strange plot points, extravagant character design, iconic poses, and idiosyncratic speech. It stretches and pulls suspension of disbelief like spider silk, never breaking it.
I shan’t spoil the story more than I already did, as one of the biggest joys in the series is the twisting and turning plot. Araki's "making it up as I go" storytelling has its flaws but it also makes for such a memorable insane ride, keeping things fresh even when writing this series for decades.
But I'm getting ahead of myself, let's stick to Phantom Blood.
Written in the 80s and influenced by that time's western action films, inspired by Fist of the North Star, PB shouldn't surprise when it features big burly men punching the shit out of each other. There might be the occasional sword or magical shounen powers, but the fights boil down to that. It’s a good mix of action, horror, and comedy.
Translation seems ok. At worst it runs in parallel with fan translations and can sound a bit off. It's like it was too literal and afraid of adding some extra flourishes to make the dialogue flow better. But I wouldn't call it bad.
Araki’s art style here is honestly not my favourite. Proportions seem inconsistent and anatomy gets broken, but not without reason. He’s great at expressing mood, exaggerating things for drama, and directing us with lines of action, even if those flaws are the cost. My favourite panels are often the closeups of characters’ faces, full of emotion.
In addition, it’s not everyday that I come across a shounen where backgrounds are so prevalent. A great amount of work went into them, and some as well to all the different getups we see people dressed in. His panel layouts are very dynamic and generally easy to follow.
Regarding Araki being just amazing at expressing mood, he’s incredible with colour, but sadly only the volume covers get blessed by this trait of his (and rare pages here and there). These JoJonium don’t have said covers but have other “colour” pages and the gorgeous hardcover with a newer art style. There’s a fully coloured version of the manga, which is great because JJBA begs to be in colour, but it’s just not the same as Araki colours.
Overall I deeply love this series, and I hold Phantom Blood close to heart as a reminder of the simpler times we had.
By the way, here's my growing twitter thread on rereading PB: twitter.com/AzoreanEve/status/1122057...
March 11, 2018
Jojo's Bizzare adventure is an enjoyable tale and from what I've read it had a huge impact on the Manga industry in general in terms of story telling and style. While not his best work, the phantom blood is still a good manga to read. The story is not something overly unique neither is the fantasy element (That comes in stardust Crusaders) however there are some clever plot points and interesting characters to make it an enjoyable read none the less.
August 25, 2022
Idk man I didn't really care for this. I didn't like the writing, I didn't like the pacing, and the art, while great, isn't really my thing.
It starts strong, then it's kinda ass until the very end when it gets good again for 2 seconds before having an ending that's mid af.
I've heard this is the worst part but I think I need a break before trying part 2.
It starts strong, then it's kinda ass until the very end when it gets good again for 2 seconds before having an ending that's mid af.
I've heard this is the worst part but I think I need a break before trying part 2.
December 12, 2019
I'm very happy with my purchase, There's no better place to start again than at the beginning for a story wrote in the 80's it still holds up today,JoJo's has been going for 30 years and this is just the beginning of an epic saga of JoJo's Bizarre adventures.
May 28, 2024
I was always kinda hesitant of this series because the art kinda turned me off, but dang was I an ignorant fool. I didn’t expect the characters to be so deep and the story to be so compelling. (I hate you, Dio!)
August 5, 2019
I love this so muchhh!
September 3, 2021
avvincente
August 10, 2022
read this because one of my best friends recommended it and ngl it wasn't bad, I actually enjoyed it even though its not really my usual style :)
July 25, 2024
Dio is someone you don’t talk to, you just shoot him on sight cause this man is EVIL!
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