Author/Artist: Hirohiko Araki
Publisher: Viz Media/Shonen Jump
Pages: 249
ISBN: 13 978-1-4215-7879-8
Reviewed by: Sandra Scholes
Synopsis:
The setting is London in 1880 where two people, Jonathan (JoJo) Joestar and Dio Brando meet under strange circumstances, one good the other bad and the two are always at odds when Dio ends up at his father's estate.
Review:
A young woman is a sacrifice in an ancient Aztec ritual, with a man wearing a mask, driving a knife through her heart. The blood spatters on the mask, giving readers the first clue on the mask and why it exists, it is bloodthirsty, but we still don't know why.
The story goes on to explain that in central Mexico between the 12th and 16th Centuries, a powerful empire was forged through the mask-wearer as it gives the wearer immense power and eternal life, though it is a mystery as to why the people died out and the mask went into obscurity.
Araki after the prologue explains where the mask went and why. Bearing in mind the stone mask is the key to solving the mystery, the story jumps into its first part of Phantom Blood where Dio Brando's father, Dario is on his deathbed, recounting the story of how he saved Jonathan Joestar's father from certain death during a carriage accident. Dario sees the mask in the wreckage, thinking nothing of it, he instead steals jewellery. We can assume that JoJo's father knew of the masks terrible power.
Dario has a plan for his son to get rich quick as a last-ditch chance to make up for being responsible for his poor upbringing. Dio sees this as an opportunity to leave his father to lead the life of a rich gentleman, even if he is a ruffian who doesn't want to fit into JoJo and his father's life. A letter to Dario given by the Joestar head tells him that if he needs a favour, he will repay his kindness. It seems JoJo's father is as honourable as his son, with a motto: a Joestar always repays his debts, which as they discover is a big mistake once Dio starts living with them. Dio proves that even if he is a commoner, he is intelligent. He can read, having a cruel, conniving nature he shows often enough.
When he first makes his entrance, Dio punches Danny, the family Dalmatian, admitting secretly that he intended to psychologically torture him to the brink, then take his place as the Joestar estate's heir. Dio accomplishes many cruel deeds, yet he also makes JoJo look bad in front of his father. Dio's cruelty knows no bounds, he beats JoJo to a pulp during a boxing match in front of his friends, abuses his girlfriend, Erina, then kills Danny and sets about planning to kill his father.
Any normal man would have crumbled under the pressure, but if JoJo's frame is anything to go by, he can handle any opposition, being tall, muscular who has an inner strength enviable to most of us.
If it isn't obvious JoJo and Dio are opposites; white and black, good and bad. JoJo is from decent aristocratic birth, he has a father who loves him and a great life. Until Dio arrived he had a perfect existence, then as the title of the chapter suggests invaded his life, turning his friends against him, hurting the love of his life and trying to kill his father. JoJo matures into the sort of man who can take on Dio and his plans; bearing in mind that all the cruel events so far have shaped JoJo making him stronger. Dio had a drunkard of a father who sent his wife to an early grave and left his son penniless if not for the letter from Jonathan's father.
Dio, as cunning as he is, finds it hard to break JoJo, even if he believed he was a weak character, he thinks he must kill him and take his estate from under him. The mask makes another appearance in his father's library where JoJo is busy studying it's reaction to his experiments. He ponders why his mother bought it while on holiday and what value it has if any in archaeology. Curious, JoJo has done research on the mask, what happens when blood is dripped in it and why spikes protrude from the inside of it which want to attach themselves to the victim's face, though he didn't take his experiment any further.
One part of the story that is interesting as a Chinese drug seller predicts how Dio's life would unfold; he saw the three moles on his ear, and the attributes of his face, believing him to have impenetrable luck. So regardless of his poor upbringing, his evil nature, he predicts he will have a lucky and long life.
Summary: Araki deliberately drew the characters in a muscular way, with JoJo developing his large frame later when he starts to fight Duo almost through every panel. It is a shonen manga where its first volume sets the scene for JoJo and Dio to become fierce enemies ready for the second volume's outcome.
No comments:
Post a Comment