IDATEN JUMP

The Japanese cartoon Idaten Jump (original title Idaten Janpu) is based on the manga comic by Toshihiro Fujiwara, published by Kodansha in the Comic Bom Bom magazine. The anime produced by Aniplex under the direction of Takayuki Hamana is divided into 52 episodes and was also made thanks to the collaboration of Trans Arts and Production IG, who took care of the animated parts in 3d graphics. From 8 September 2008 it is possible to follow the episodes at 17,10 on Italia 1 from Monday to Friday.

The protagonist is Yamato Sho, a boy who has a passion for mountain biking, as his father was a great champion of this sport, but who has mysteriously disappeared for some time. Sho is always intent on making changes and improvements to the bicycle his father built for him: the "Flame Kaiser", a true mountain bike jewel, which Sho manages to maneuver with extreme skill. One Sunday morning Sho goes to an appointment with his friends Makoto and Kakeru, who must challenge the fearsome mountain bike team of the Samejima brothers, of the "toothed shark team. Whoever wins the challenge will have the exclusive right to train in the mountain. , where the race will take place. Yamato Sho is challenged by the leader of the rival bikers and so after a few skirmishes, the two boys start the race. The Flame Kaiser runs at full speed between the curves and the bumps of the underground road of the mountain, but at a a certain point in front of them appears a mysterious blue vortex, which swallows all the boys present on that place. Sho, Makoto and Kakeru find themselves in another dimension called X Zone. It is a desolate and ruined world, where they meet other bikers ready to challenge them A mysterious boy wearing a helmet and a suit explains the rules of the match. The Idaten Battle is a Mountain Bike race where everything is allowed except for having a minimum physical contact with the opponent; this means that there can also be ramming and other tricks to send the opponent off the track. If Sho and his companions manage to win and collect 10 golden emblems, they will become champions of Idaten Battle and can finally return to their dimension. Sho accepts the challenge and after an initial push given by a strange machine, his Flame Kaiser begins the race at a speed of 100 km per hour. Despite his opponent trying to throw him out of the circuit, Sho proves to have an extraordinary technique, especially in tackling the curves. This allows him to recover position and to win thanks to a jump of 10 meters, which allows him to overcome his opponent. He recognizes his defeat and Sho's worth, but at some point the X-Zone police arrive and capture Sho, Makoto and Kakeru with nets thrown from their helicopters.

by Gianluigi Piludu

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