“There are times when a gentleman has to be courageous and fight, even when his opponent is bigger than he is and he knows he’s going to lose!” ~Jonathan Joestar
One of the most recognizable and longest-running manga in Japan was adapted into an anime in October 2012, since then it has been a big hit with fans all over the world! But with reviewing an Anime series that has arcs such as Jojo’s it is best to start with the beginning; starting with Phantom Blood.
The Story
Set in the 1880s in London England, we meet a young man named Jonathan Joestar and his adopted brother, Dio Brando but unbeknownst to Jonathan, Dio wants to take Jonathan’s Legacy as the heir of the Joestar family. Throughout the first couple of episodes, we see how sinister Dio could be when it comes to making Jonathan’s life a living hell. With the First Episode, it instantly makes you hate Dio; I am not sure why they went to the great lengths to make him hated in only about 15 to 20 minutes into the first episode but not gonna argue with Hirohiko. It is fascinating to see how his love of music influenced his work and the Characters of his story. The concept of ‘Hamon‘ is a neat idea, this was done through an ancient form of Martial Arts called “Sendo“, the description of Hamon is as follows: “Through self-controlled respiration, a trained person can produce an energy manifesting as ripples throughout their body and that is identical to the energy of the Sun.” As the series progresses, it is clever to see Jonathan grow into his Hamon training, leading up to the eventual showdown with his adopted brother, costing him his wife and eventually his life; curling up with his brother’s severed head in his arms as the ship sinks, foreshadowing what is to come later.
Final Grade:
In certain cases, it was too short, felt rushed and if you’re a dog lover, this will be a tough pill to swallow (It will happen A LOT MORE as the series progresses.) It isn’t pretty for them. But the action, backstories, and the characters make up for the rushed arc. Be sure to catch us with the next review of Battle Tendency and if you’re interested in reading our other Reviews, click here.
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