Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou – JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Episodes 1 to 5

Season One: Phantom Blood / Battle Tendency
Original Run: October 6, 2012 - April 6, 2013
Number of Episodes: 26
Based on the Series Created By: Hirohiko Araki

As A Reminder:  Anime Hajime Impressions: Benkyou is not a review series. Anime Hajime’s LofZOdyssey attempts to watch an anime in Japanese with no English subtitles. Therefore, misinterpretations and misunderstandings are possible.

Feel free to leave comments, clarifications, and thoughts in the comments section below.

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Episode 1

Japanese Title: 侵略者ディオ
Romaji Title: Shinryakusha Dio
English Title: Dio the Invader

Episode Summary

Our series begins in 1868, England. On a dark and stormy night, there is a horrible carriage accident. Stumbling across the wreck is the notorious thief Dario Brando, where he discovers an injured but alive, George Joestar I. A begrudged Dario helps the wounded George, created a debt between the two. Among the debris is a mysterious white mask.

Twelve years pass, and George’s son, Jonathan “JoJo” Joestar, lives a happy life on his family’s estate. Elsewhere, Dario’s son, Dio Brando, is waiting for the day his drunkard of a father finally dies. Despite his young age, Dio is even more crafty and villainous than his father. Once Dario finally passes, Dio cashes in the dept the Joestar family owes.

Arriving at the Joestar estate, Dio meets JoJo. Instantly, Dio establishes his dominance over the naïve Joestar. Then to JoJo’s horror, Dio is to be adopted into the Joestar family.

As weeks go by, Dio does everything he can to turn JoJo into a social pariah, refusing his adoptive brother any ounce of happiness. Things come to a head when Dio attacks Jojo’s sweetheart, Erina Pendelton.  

JoJo confronts Dio, and although this conflict starts in Dio’s usual favor, JoJo quickly turns things around. Enraged that JoJo would dare stand up to him, Dio arranges it so that JoJo’s beloved dog is murdered.

Principle Characters

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Episode 2

Japanese Title: 過去からの手紙
Romaji Title: Kako kara no Tegami
English Title: A Letter From the Past

Episode Summary

A few years have passed since episode one, and it is now 1888.

The ounce weak JoJo has grown into a big, strong man. On the surface, it would appear JoJo and Dio have buried the hatched. However, this is only a front. The two still despise one another.

George Joestar has become quite ill, and it does not look good. JoJo is doing his best to discover a cure. In his search, JoJo comes across a letter that sends a chill down his spine. It suggests that Dio’s father, Dario, died of the same sickness George is suffering.

When JoJo questions Dio about the letter, the former’s suspicious are heightened. JoJo believes Dio killed Dario and is now planning the same for George.

JoJo heads to London to find a medicine that will save his father. While there, JoJo is surrounded by a group of thugs. However, JoJo easily fights them off. He even convinces the gang leader, Robert E. O. Speedwagon, to help in his search.

Back home, Dio has been doing some researches on the properties of the mysterious white mask. One night, in a rage, Dio gets into a fight with a pair of drunks.

Dio murders one man and forces the mask onto the other. When the mask is smeared with blood, the man transforms into a powerful vampire. Dio is saved by the rising sun, which turns the vampire into dust.

Principal Characters

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Episode 3

Japanese Title: ディオとの青春
Romaji Title: Dio to no Seishun
English Title: Youth with Dio

Episode Summary

After discovering what the mask can do, Dio returns to a darkened Joestar estate. Waiting for him is JoJo, who has returned from London with evidence linking Dio to his crimes.

The two adoptive brothers talk, and Dio almost convinces JoJo that there has been some massive misunderstanding. Then from the shadows, Robert E. O. Speedwagon steps forwards and calls Dio out for the liar he is.

While in London, JoJo discovered the man supplying Dio with the poison the latter had been giving JoJo’s father. On top of that, George Joestar and a group of lawmen hear everything.

Trapped with no way out, Dio “gives up.” But when JoJo is about to take him into custody, Dio lunges forward with a knife, stabbing George Joestar. With his now bloodstained hand, Dio puts on the mask and transforms into a vampire.

Dio effortlessly murders most of the group, leaving only JoJo and Speedwagon. Struggling to face the superpowered Dio, JoJo sets the house on fire to give Speedwagon a chance to escape.

The battle between the brothers is fierce, and Dio appears to have the upper hand. However, Dio fails to realize how far JoJo is willing to go to defeat him. Despite all the odds, JoJo manages to best the vampire.

Unfortunately, after JoJo heads off to treat his injures, Dio rises from the ruined Joestar estate’s ashes.

Principal Characters

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Episode 4

Japanese Title: オーバードライブ
Romaji Title: Obadoraibu
English Title: Overdrive

Episode Summary

As JoJo is recovering in the hospital, he is reunited with his first love Erina Pendelton. The two strike up a relationship once again.

Over in London, Dio is searching the street for the most ruthless people to join him. Amongst the nastiest is the notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper.

Back in the countryside, a bandaged but healthy JoJo is on a walk with Erina. There they run into a strange, well-dressed man. Named Will A. Zeppeli, he instantly heals JoJo with a mysterious power called Hamon. Then, to Zeppeli’s great astonishment, JoJo has a strong affinity for Hamon energy.

Zeppeli, a vampire hunter, decides to train JoJo to defeat Dio. The two of them, along with Speedwagon, head to Windknights Lot, where they have heard rumors of strange disappearances.

While out on the road, JoJo’s group is attacked by a monstrous Jack the Ripper. Although Zeppeli is capable of defeating their foe, he gives JoJo a chance to do so. Although it is rough going at first, JoJo quickly harnesses the power of Hamon and defeats Jack with his new technique, Overdrive.

Principal Characters

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Episode 5

Japanese Title: 暗黒の騎士達
Romaji Title: Ankoku no Kishitachi
English Title: the Dark Knights

Episode Summary

Arriving at the outskirts of Windknights Lot, JoJo, Zeppeli, and Speedwagon are attacked by Dio himself.

Unlike Jack the Ripper, Dio has countermeasures against Hamon energy, and he easily beats back both JoJo and Zeppeli. Wishing to be entertained, Dio summons two mighty undead warriors who once serve Mary Queen of Scots – Tarkus and Bruford.

Having been gravely injured in their encounter with Dio, Zeppeli must leave JoJo alone to handle the two knights.

Bruford forces JoJo into the depths of a nearby lake, thus limiting JoJo access to Hamon energy. However, JoJo finds a small pocket of air and readies a new attack, Turquoise Blue Overdrive.

Principal Characters

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Thoughts and Impressions

This show is weird, over-the-top, and entertaining as hell. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it the easiest thing to follow; the Japanese is quite difficult for me.

Nevertheless, I intend to power through to the end of the Phantom Blood/Battle Tendency story arcs. And though I plan to cover the entire JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure series, I might want to take a break before heading into Stardust Crusaders.

For now, I’m going to keep at it because, if nothing else, this show is quite insane in the best kind of way.

Thanks for following along with me. If you’ve seen this series and feel I am wrong in my descriptions, please let me know in the comments below. I wouldn’t want to put this show in an inaccurate light.

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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next week for JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure Episodes 6 to 9.

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