JoJos Bizzare Adventure is a series that I used to avoid mainly because of the fanbase... and as irony may have it Im now sinking into the fandom but I eventually gave in. I sat down and watched Phantom Blood/Battle Tendency and now that Ive finished it I figured that a review is a given. Though one thing is for certain the word bizzare isnt just for show. The shows overdescriptive manner and fittingly bizzare contents managed to captivate me and now Im hooked. CONTAINS SPOILERS PART 1 Phantom Blood EP 1 9 220https://ur.com/rzgb26o.jpg The beginning of the story and the ground for everything else to come. It all starts with Dio Brandos arrival as Jonathan Joestars adopted brother to accomplish his goal of overtaking the Joestar mansion and heritage. The Phantom Blood arc is split in 2 halves the first half being Jonathan and Dios childhood as they grow up in the same household while Jonathan has to endure Dios constant torture and eventual mutual peace. But thats just on the surface Dio only got on good terms with JoJo to put his plan in motion. Jonathan reveals his scheme to everyone and as it crumbles down Dio kills Jonathans father and casts away his humanity to become a vampire. With JoJo going through deadly hurdles to eventually destroy Dio and the mask and bring peace back to his and everyone elses lives eventually succeeding but forfeiting his own life in the process leaving behind his pregnant wife as a set up for the next arc. Phantom Bloods pacing is extremely fast and haphazard but thats one of its charms alongside the bizzare characters and great art direction. While the fast pace made the arc more enjoyable in a certain aspect its also the reason why some other moments just fell short it sucked the impact out of them. And the overall writing had a few misses here and there mainly in the first half as a lot of the issues that were present couldve been solved simply by logic I know its not something I should look for in JoJo and Jonathan just properly explaining whats actually happening and what Dios true personality is to his father. The characterization for everyone is as simple as it gets but thats not bad since JoJos greatness comes with its simplicity. Everyones based around a single trait. Jonathan wants to be a true gentleman and his behaviour over the course of the series certainly lives up to that. Meanwhile Dios just straight up rotten to the core. Hes violent arrogant and selfish. Although thats something most likely caused by the harsh enviorment he was raised in while JoJo was pampered and spoiled. Although as Part 1 went on I didnt really get attached to a single character besides Dio and Jonathan. Overall Part 1 is a fun arc with interesting concepts and ideas that were executed properly Its got a lot of charm thanks to its bizzare cast of characters the captivating art and great soundtrack but some aspects couldve been executed better and without pulling my punches... the writing is actually kind of bad as a core part of JoJo lies in complete ass pulls... and it isnt consistent in executing them properly. Not for part 1 at the very least. PART 2 Battle Tendency EP 1026 220https://ur.com/37TLSYi.jpg This is the the longer part of the two. Its also a lot more consistent in structure making it easier to follow. It takes places 2 generations later with our main protagonist being Joseph Joestar the grandson of the late Jonathan Joestar as he gets pulled into events caused by what happened 50 years ago. Hes the only one who can defeat the Pillar Men the ones who inadvertently started everything. JoJo together with Speedwagon seeks out Caesar A. Zepelli to improve his Hamon and over tough experiences together the two form a manly bond and set out to defeat the Pillar Men. As the events unfold Joseph learns more about Hamon and gets stronger and stronger and eventually defeats the Pillar Men though not without losses along the way. The pace in Battle Tendency isnt as fast as Phantom Bloods giving you more time to ease in into the premise and to get attached to the characters which is great because the characters themselves are a lot more fleshed out than Part 1s cast. Not only is the nuance of the characters a couple notches above Phantom Bloods the combat system itself is a lot more fleshed out with us getting an actual idea on how Hamon works within the universe alongside a more appealing use for it. The writing is more tight and suspensful although it still keeps the same plot twist style where it just introduces stuff out of left field every battle feels like a struggle and there were well executed twists that I didnt expect though these kind of nonsense twists in battle actually work really well thanks to Joseph whose personality was literally made to be the protagonist of this series except we all know he gets replaced with his brick of a grandson in the next part. We get to see the gradual pace and effort put in which JoJo learns how to use Hamon instead of magically being a prodigy at it. The characters as a cast also have a much better dynamic than Part 1s quickly put together group of characters that have no real synergy with each other Dio and Jonathan are an exception. Joseph feels energetic and fresh hes a joy to look at on the screen at all times and his defining trait of being a cunning trickster has a pretty wide application withing the story unlike Jonathans bland gentleman etiquette. Joseph also grows in the story to an extent starting out as someone whos easier to anger but matures in some aspects over the course of the story. JoJos main companion during the story is Caesar A. Zepelli the grandson of Part 1s Will A. Zepelli. Unlike his grandpa Caesar has a properly presented personality and his dynamic with Joseph feels like a brotherly bond something that Part 1 tried to achieve with Jonathan and Will to an extent as suggested by Wills words youre both like a son and a brother to me though it didnt succeed. We also spend considerably more time with Caesar than we do with Will which makes him a lot easier to get attached to. Part 2 as a whole feels like a natural successor to Part 1 with pretty much a similar overtone but much much better execution. The OST of Part 2 is a lot better its used at the most appropriate times pulling you into the scene even more. Though I certainly didnt expect dubstep it actually fit well. Overall Part 2 is a fantastic experience with a fun unique cast great soundtrack and better writing and is a natural improvement of everything in Part 1 by a large margin with some flaws that I think inherently come from Arakis writing and not the adaptation itself. While Ive yet to see whats to come in the future Parts of JoJos Bizzare Adventure I can see why Part 2 receives the high praise that it does. Edit : Ive seen Part 3. Its not nearly as good.