Alex's works had always carried a clear signature: there was no room for hesitation. He didn't believe in overly long introductions or episodes that existed merely to "warm up" the audience. From the very first minute, his stories moved with intent, as if every scene were fully aware of the viewer's time. Phantom Blood was no exception.
In less than ten minutes, the world was already in place.
Rain poured heavily over England that night, washing over dirt roads and turning the path treacherous. The Joestar family carriage plunged from a cliff amid chaos-shattered wheels, panicked horses, screams swallowed by the wind. When help finally arrived, only two young survivors were found: Jonathan Joestar, injured but alive… and Dio Brando, pulled from the wreckage as if saved by a miracle.
A single misjudgment sealed everything.
The Joestar family believed they had found a boy worthy of eternal gratitude. No one realized, in that moment, that they had welcomed something far more dangerous than a needy orphan.
Not long after, the contrast between the two protagonists became impossible to ignore.
Jonathan, raised in comfort and discipline, genuinely believed in honor, justice, and kindness. His dream was not power or wealth, but to become a true gentleman-someone worthy of carrying the family name without staining it.
Dio, on the other hand, came from the gutter. He had grown up surrounded by violence, hunger, and contempt. To him, the world was a place where the strong crushed the weak. Morality was nothing more than a luxury invented by those who had never had to fight to survive. He didn't merely want to rise-he wanted to rule.
The difference between them went far beyond social background. It lay in how they viewed their own fate.
When Dio officially became the Joestar family's adopted son, daily life quickly revealed his true nature. There were no overt attacks, no visible outbursts of rage. What he did was worse: subtle humiliations, calculated manipulation, words chosen carefully to erode Jonathan's confidence piece by piece. One psychological blow at a time.
The tension escalated quickly.
When Dio cheated in a boxing match to turn their peers against Jonathan, many viewers already felt discomfort harden into anger. When he killed Danny, Jonathan's dog, the outrage burst through the screen. It was impossible not to clench one's fists. Impossible not to hate him.
The same question echoed in comments and living rooms alike:
- How can this protagonist still not see that this guy is a monster?
Then came the crimson sunset.
On the quiet, tree-lined path bathed in the glow of dusk, Dio leaned casually against the tree carved with Jonathan's and Erina's names. The smile on his face wasn't mere provocation-it was anticipated triumph. He knew exactly what he was about to do.
When he stepped forward and stole Erina's kiss, the hatred exploded. For many viewers, that crossed a line. It wasn't just narrative villainy; it was a direct affront to their sense of justice.
In that moment, Alex had struck perfectly.
- Your first kiss wasn't with JoJo… - Dio drawled, his voice slow and cruel.
And then came the line that would tear through the internet like lightning:
- It was with me. Dio Brando!
The impact was anything but uniform.
For a brief instant, there was silence. In some apartments, it lasted less than a second before breaking into loud, incredulous laughter.
- No… that can't be real - someone said, covering their face. - Is this serious?
Elsewhere, people paused the episode, rewound the scene, and watched it again, just to make sure they hadn't imagined that twisted expression, that exaggerated gesture, that almost caricature-like grin.
- Is this a villain or a clown? - someone complained, indignant. - After Aizen, this is what we get?
Comments began flooding in real time.
"What kind of ridiculous acting is this?"
"Did this turn into a parody?"
"Did Alex lose his touch?"
For this group-accustomed to cold, calculating, restrained antagonists-that burst of theatricality felt like a tonal misstep. An exaggeration without purpose.
At the same time, in other places, the reaction was the complete opposite.
- HOLY SHIT, LOOK AT THIS BASTARD'S FACE! - someone yelled, laughing uncontrollably. - THIS IS AMAZING!
There were viewers who didn't just accept the scene-they surrendered to it instantly. People who, without realizing it, instinctively understood what JoJo was asking of them from that very moment.
- Dude… this is totally intentional - someone said, already laughing before the scene even ended. - You're not supposed to take it seriously. You're supposed to feel it.
In the chats, almost instructional comments began to appear:
"You're watching it wrong."
"This isn't psychological realism."
"Turn your brain off and enjoy."
Gradually, a curious pattern formed. The more someone tried to analyze Dio through traditional logic-emotional coherence, subtlety, restraint-the more frustrated they became. The more someone accepted the absurd as language, the more fun they had.
It was as if the work itself were testing the audience.
Some insisted on comparing Dio to Sosuke Aizen, demanding strategic depth, calculated mystery, silent dominance. Others were beginning to realize that the comparison was flawed at its core.
Aizen was a cold god who manipulated the world in silence.
Dio was a loud demon who wanted to be seen.
And that difference had not yet been understood.
Curiously, even those who complained found themselves returning minutes later to rewatch the scene. Not out of respect, but fascination. Dio's expression clung to the mind. Ridiculous? Maybe. Iconic? Without question.
And without realizing it, even the haters were already hooked.
By the end of the first episode, the timeline jumped forward. Jonathan and Dio were now adults, living through a false sense of calm in their university years. Jonathan immersed himself in the mystery of the Stone Mask, while Dio, patient, hid his fangs and waited for the right moment.
Then an old letter surfaced.
Just a few lines were enough to plant suspicion: Jonathan's father's failing health was not natural. Something was wrong. Something deliberate.
Determined to uncover the truth, Jonathan set out alone for London.
And in the shadows, Dio began to move.
All of this in a single episode.
The narrative efficiency was impressive-but it also pushed expectations to an almost unfair height. This wasn't just a new series. It was Alex's next work.
When the second episode began, the comments grew harsher, more demanding. Some said Dio felt too simple. Others claimed it could never reach Bleach. There were criticisms, comparisons, impatience.
Melissa couldn't hide her discouragement.
- They're being way too harsh…
Alex only smiled, unbothered.
- That's how it is. When you deliver great things for too long, people start pointing guns at you. One mistake, and they pull the trigger. Compared to that, we're doing just fine.
He knew.
If the same story had been signed by someone else, it would have been hailed as an absolute success. But coming from him, "excellent" was no longer enough. The audience had decided, without realizing it, that Alex had no right to fail.
Either he created another classic-
-or, in their eyes, he had failed.
And that invisible pressure-silent, constant-was exactly what drove everything forward, both on and off the screen.
That night, while some closed the episode shaking their heads in frustration, others shut off the app smiling, with the strange feeling that they had found something unique, even if they couldn't yet explain why.
JoJo was only just beginning.
And the audience, whether they liked it or not, had learned its first lesson:
To watch JoJo, you didn't need to understand everything.
You needed to accept the exaggeration… and look to the stars.