The first part of Jojo's Bizzare Adventure (Phantom Blood) is best described as Dracula starring Jean Claude Van Damme with costume design by Jean Paul Gaultier, and you know something? It is a good read! Blending Shonen anime spectacle with the influence of classical literature. We see if the manga has stood the test of time since its 80's debut. Skip synopsis @ 6:32 Email: WeAppreciateManga@Gmail.com
103: JoJo's Bizarre Adventure vol. 1
Chapters 1 to 8, 'Prologue' and 'The Stone Mask part 1'
By Hirohiko Araki
Translation by Evan Galloway
Lettering by Mark Mcmurray
Phantom Blood is the first part of the epic Jojo's Bizarre Adventure and tells the tale of two young men, Johnathan "Jojo" Joestar and Dio Brando. It starts in south America during the reign of the Aztecs, where a king has used a magical death mask like object to gain supernatural power, then we are taken to the 80's, the 1880's to be precise. where Dio arrives at the home of the Joestars after the death of his father, Dario.
Jojo's father, George Joestar, becomes Godfather to Dio and so they welcome the young man under their roof, all whilst Dio plans to rob Jojo of his status and make him suffer. Dio does this whilst maintaining the guise of a step brother but when he discovers Jojo has a girlfriend, he torments him further by forcing a kiss on the poor girl. Dio sadistically claiming, "You wanted Jojo to be your first kiss, but it was I, Dio".
So, Jojo attempts to kick his ass and in doing so spills blood on the mask that hangs in their home. That same magical mask used by the Aztecs now activated by the touch of blood and designed to penetrate the wearer's brain upon doing so.
Years pass by but Dio takes it further when Jojo infers that Dio had poisoned his father, Dario Brando and has been doing the same to George Joestar.
Jojo sets up new care for his father and sets out on a journey to discover the origin of the poison and get evidence, or at least a cure for his father. Meanwhile Dio investigates the mask to use as a potential murder weapon against Jojo only to discover that it can turn its wearer into a vampire.
As Dio returns to the Joestar residence he is ambushed by Jojo who has gained new allies on his journey, meanwhile Dio, with mask in hand, has a plan.
· The theme of Jojo is one of becoming a "peon to humanity", Jojo aspires to become a true gentleman. Meanwhile Dio himself aspires for greatness albeit through horrific ways, and at the cost of his own humanity.
· Phantom Blood was first published on January 1987 in Shuesha's weekly Shonen. Alongside the original run of Dragonball (not Z), Ultimate Muscle and Saint Seiya. Like Saint Seiya, Phantom Blood is a very fashion-conscious manga, as we'll see in later episodes. This was to appeal to the readers at the time.
· At the time the manga was published Arnold Schwarzenneger, Slyvester Stallone and Jean Claude Van Damme were dominating Hollywood. Their action movies were a response to feminism at the time, with men being celebrated for their physical strength and stamina. So naturally Araki has his hero be the same way, which makes more sense knowing that Jojo needs to be exaggerated physically in order to fight the supernaturally powerfully Dio.
· Physically masculine heroes aren't an action movie ideal either, Jojo takes more influence from ancient styles of stories, where mythological characters show further supernatural feats of masculinity, such as the greek Demi-god Hercules, the Olympics itself being a demonstration of competitive power and indiviualism.
· One of the manga's most iconic scenes is Dio's "kick the dog" moment. A now popular trope for villains, the oldest examples being seen in Anne Brontë's novel, 'Agnes Grey '(1847) where upon Mr. Hatfield kicks not just a dog but also a cat, Anne's sister, Emily went one step further by having Heathcliff hang a puppy in Wuthering Heights, which was published within that same month and year. In Stephen King's novel, 'The Dead Zone' (1979), the villain of that story also kicks a dog. It is important to note that the trope isn't about kicking dogs but instead is a shorthand way to tell the audience immediately that a character is despicable.
Other references:
· The manga opens during the reign of the Aztec Empire, the empire itself was taken over by Spanish conquistadors and their allies in 1521. The Aztecs, also known as the ancient Mexica were the ancestors of the Nahua people of Mexico.
· A nod to Charles Darwin is mentioned, Jojo having a passion for archeology compares his studies to Darwin's and wishes to make breakthroughs like himself. Darwin himself changed academia with his 'Origin of Species' published in 1859. Although incredibly abstract for its time, Darwin's theories still have a lot of credit to them in contemporary times. The phrase "survival of the fittest" is sometimes mistaken as Darwin's words but comes from Herbert Spencer, responding to Darwin. For Jojo to speak of Darwin, is no different than millennials speaking of Carl Sagan or Jordan Peterson, of which the latter's academic legacy has arguably not reached apotheosis as of writing this article. But who knows what the future will bring?
· Dario Brando actions resemble that of the character Thénardier in Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, they both inadvertently save a man whilst trying to rob them.
· Speedwagon looks suspiciously like Australian actor and film director Mel Gibson, especially in his mullet wearing Lethal Weapon days.
· The mysterious mask in Phantom Blood resembles the mask seen in the Italian horror movie 'Demons' (1985), that mask has the power to turn someone into a ghoulish demon. Although it may be coincidence, it could also have been a possible inspiration for Araki.
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