Phantom Blood (Japanese: ファントムブラッド, Hepburn: Fantomu Buraddo) is a Japanese manga series created by Hirohiko Araki, and the first main story arc of the larger JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series. The manga was originally serialized by Shueisha in Weekly Shōnen Jump under the title JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 1 Jonathan Joestar: His Youth (ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 第一部 ジョナサン·ジョースター ―その青春―, JoJo no Kimyō na Bōken Dai Ichi Bu Jonasan Jōsutā -Sono Seishun) and was collected in five volumes; a three-volume collection was released by Shueisha in Japan in 2002, and by Viz Media in North America in 2014. The arc was serialized for more than 10 months; from January 1 to October 26, 1987. It was followed by Battle Tendency.
The story is set in England in the middle-to-late 1880s, and follows Jonathan Joestar, the heir of the wealthy Joestar family, and his adoptive brother Dio Brando, who wishes to take the Joestar fortune for himself. Using an ancient stone mask, Dio transforms himself into a vampire, and Jonathan learns the sunlight-based martial arts technique of Hamon to fight him. Araki described the themes of the story as "being alive" and "an affirmation that humanity is wonderful", with characters growing and overcoming problems through their own actions.
The series received reviews ranging from mixed to positive, with critics frequently criticizing the anatomy and character posing in Araki's artwork, and Araki was often told during the serialization that Phantom Blood was the one series that did not fit in with the "best of the best" that were published at the same time, like Dragon Ball and Fist of the North Star. The series has seen two anime adaptations, in the form of a 2007 film by A.P.P.P., and as part of the first season of David Production's 2012 JoJo's Bizarre Adventure TV series. It was also adapted into a 2006 video game by Bandai. A stage musical adaptation debuted in February 2024.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
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