PART 1: PHANTOM BLOOD (EPS 1-9)
The beginning of JoJo seems a bit rough at first but manages to give the outline for its primary themes of the series. Taking place in the late 1880's in England, we are introduced to the Joestar family & the Brando Family. The story starts to move when Dio Brando is adopted into the Joestar family as Dio is an ambitious jerk who wishes to rob the family of its fortune & would resort to murder.
Jonathan Joestar is our JoJo for the series whose life changes once Dio discovers the stone mask using it to make himself a vampire. The rest of the series involves Jonathan learning the Ripple martial art to battle against Dio & his vampire army & going on an adventure involving zombies, Jack The Ripper, martial artists, bizarre super powers, over the top dialogue & manly tears.
Being inspired by Fist Of The North Star & possibly Bram Stroker's Dracula, Phantom Blood is a blend of manly characters & horror elements making it a unique short tale. To some people, Jonathan comes off a rather too "good hearted", however having experiencing Fist Of The North Star (specifically The Shin Arc chapters 1-10/episodes 1-22) the "corny moments" come off as very tragic to me.
Part 1 feels more like a classical tale of vampire hunters especially with its location & time period as we have normal humans battling against the forces of darkness. This is further aided with its music as it has the feel of an epic tale & often resorts to something akin to immediate music.
While the concepts of Stands & its much later "Bizarre" quality weren't developed yet, this story almost works as a stand alone with its tragic finale giving much highlight to fans of Manly series such as Sakigake Otokojuku, Riki-Oh, Cyber Blue, Kongo Bancho & Fist Of The North Star respectively.
Phantom Blood may not be the best part of JoJo but serves as a teaser of what the series can become as it expresses the original themes Hirohiko Araki thought of: The struggle of humanity, the temptation of evil, the strive for perfection & the importance of family.
PART 2: BATTLE TENDENCY (EPS 10-26)
50 years after the events of Phantom Blood, Joseph Joestar makes his debut as the grandson of Jonathan Joestar. The story begins once Straights uses the stone mask battling Joseph who then later encounters The Wermacht & the series villains; The Pillar Men who created The Stone Masks of Part 1.
This story continues the original message of the importance of family as history repeats itself with the descendants of The Joestars & The Zeppelis having to face Aztec Vampires. Battle Tendency succeeds as a sequel as it vastly improves The Ripple technique along with having 3 major enemies this time around. Much like part 1, this sequel contains over the top dialogue, manly battles, creative abilities & flourishes more into comedy while still retaining its signature horror.
Joseph Joestar is vastly different from his grandfather, as he comes off as more rebellious & comedic which more fans seem to like as a leading JoJo. Other differences in Part 2 is being more expressive in flamboyancy in ways serving as a contrast to the more masculine tone of part 1. This is aided by its opening & villains The Pillarmen as the fabulous colors pay homage to Araki's coloring style & foreshadows its future in Part 5. While it may deter to some viewers, this part does retain its masculine audience as the characters continue to carry various warrior ideologies. The tone for this series is more adventurous as it contains more locations than the 1st series as well as a bigger roster of leading characters. Aiding these characters are various theme music used in this anime as it ranges from 90's rap, upbeat pop, german lyrics, dubstep, electro, rock, classical & even Italian singing. Note the anime uses mostly instrumental tracks while the OST contain lyrics within their songs.
Part 2 is about breaking The Joestar family curse & the passing of lineage as it displays how men learn to accept their pasts & discover the value of the next generation. Most of the content in Battle Tendency is greatly appreciated due to the tragic events that occurred in part 1 as it helps the viewer see the progress of not just a family but the author's writing style.
Look forward to Part 3 Stardust Crusaders as it focuses more on horror & introduces its iconic STANDS creating the structure of the following parts of JoJo.
