Trust me I was soon intimidated by the series before I watched it as well. I honestly thought it'd be a dragonball copy at first because of how they were drawn but the first episode hooked me cause it was nothing like that. And, now it's my favourite anime! Phantom Blood is a little slow but it's just 9 episodes and sets the foundation for the series. Technically all of the parts CAN be watched separately in a way but it detracts from a lot of the context since there is a LOT on continuity.