Montana Jones
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| Montana Jones | |
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| モンタナ・ジョーンズ (Montana Jōnzu) |
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| Genre | Adventure, Comedy |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Tetsuo Imazawa |
| Studio | Studio Jueno |
| Network | NHK |
| Original run | April 2, 1994 – April 8, 1995 |
| Episodes | 52 |
Montana Jones (モンタナ・ジョーンズ Montana Jōnzu?) is a comedy adventure anime television series which was broadcast in Japan on NHK from April 2, 1994 through April 8, 1995. Studio Jueno (Japan) and REVER (Italy) created the 52 episode series as a joint production. Montana Jones has a similar atmosphere to Sherlock Hound, a joint of Rever and Tokyo Shinsha ten years earlier in 1984. The anthropomorphic characters in Montana Jones were big cats instead of the dogs used in Sherlock Hound. It was subsequently broadcast in the United States and in over 30 other countries.
The series takes place in the 1930s and is about the adventures of Montana Jones, who goes treasure hunting with his cousin Alfred Jones and the beautiful reporter Melissa Sone. They visit real locations and cities like the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, Istanbul or Easter Island. Frequently they cross paths with Lord Zero - a rich, eccentric art lover and master thief. All characters in the series are humans with lion or tiger similar heads (Furry-Anime). The anime was obviously inspired by the Indiana Jones movies.
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[edit] Synopsis
Boston, 1930: Montana Jones and his cousin professor Alfred Jones travel around the world to search lost treasures in order to bring them to museums. Alfred's mentor professor Gerrit helps them by sending LPs with information. On one trip they meet Melissa, a wealthy reporter, who speaks nearly all languages. She accompanies the two on their trips. Their opponent is Lord Zero, a rich, bizarre art lover and master thief. Lord Zero has two henchmen: Slim and Slam. There is also the inventor Dr. Nitro, who invents strange engines, which to help finding treasures.
[edit] Main characters
[edit] Montana Jones
Montana is always seeking the unknown and isn't afraid to do dangerous things. Together with his cousin Alfred he travels around the world finding treasures for Gerrit, Alfred's professor. The group's plans are often foiled by Lord Zero. Montana works in his aunt's restaurant to finance his airplane Kitty, a Supermarine GS waterplane constantly in need of repair. He lives somewhere on the coast in Boston. It is believed that Montana is infatuated with Melissa Sone.
[edit] Alfred Jones
Alfred likes to study old cultures, strange languages, and treasures. On the other hand, he hates danger, travelling, and can't swim, making him an opposite of his nephew Montana. Together, the two make a good team. Alfred loves his mother and eating spaghetti bolognese, which he often prepares for Melissa and Montana.
[edit] Melissa Sone
Melissa Sone often helps Montana and Alfred and is the daughter of a diplomat. Melissa is a journalist and enjoys shopping and adventures with the two. In the last episode her father is revealed to be Professor Gerrit, explaining why Melissa was always at the right time and place to help Montana and Alfred.
[edit] Lord Zero
Lord Zero is the antagonist of the story, constantly trying to get all the treasure for himself only to be thwarted by Montana and Alfred. Usually his plans are foiled because of a mistake from his minions Slim, Slam or Dr. Nitro. Lord Zero is notable for his walking staffs, which all have strange and diverse functionalities. Zero is constantly in a bad mood, and personally hates the excuse "I'm sorry, it wouldn't have happened if you gave me more time and money."
[edit] Slim & Slam
Slim and Slam are the bumbling minions of Lord Zero. The two know searching for the treasures themselves would be more successful but their loyalty is greater than their daring. They often do the difficult work for Lord Zero, and when things go wrong they usually take the blame. Ironically, Slim is the larger of the two.
[edit] Dr. Nitro
Doctor Nitro is a minion of Lord Zero and a genius. He is an inventor of machines for Lord Zero that never seem to work the right way, and often gives the excuse "it wouldn't have happened if you gave me more time and money" to defend them. Unfortunately, Lord Zero hates that excuse.
[edit] Episodes and Locations
There are 52 episodes.
| # | Title of episode | Location | ||
| 1. | The secret of the goldmedal | Mexico | ||
| 2. | The giant squid | Caribbean | ||
| 3. | Treasure hunting in Istanbul | Turkey | ||
| 4. | The discovery of the jewel bible | Czech | ||
| 5. | The silk-carpet of the Taj Mahal | India | ||
| 6. | The horrible snowman | Tibet | ||
| 7. | The tomb from the Pharaoh | Egypt | ||
| 8. | King Arthur's knife | England | ||
| 9. | The secret code of the Inkas | Peru | ||
| 10. | Criminals in Chinatown | |||
| 11. | Adventuring with the Vikings | Danmark (Godland) | ||
| 12. | The treasure in the desert | Babylonia | ||
| 13. | The secrets of the dried fountain | Spain | ||
| 14. | A secret entrance in the castle | |||
| 15. | The subterranean waterfalls | |||
| 16. | Kidnapped to castle Mauleon | |||
| 17. | A muddy fight for the future | |||
| 18. | The golden dragon from Hong Kong | Hong Kong | ||
| 19. | The hidden flymachine | Italy | ||
| 20. | The clock from Iwan the Terrible | |||
| 21. | Chased in the goldmine | |||
| 22. | The rescuing boomerang | Australia | ||
| 23. | Attack of the sharks | Monaco | ||
| 24. | The flood's coming! | |||
| 25. | Emergency! Landing on Easter Island | Easter Isle | ||
| 26. | The sunken goldbell | Burma | ||
| 27. | The attack of the bandits in Mongolia | Mongolia | ||
| 28. | The haunted house in Scotland | Scotland | ||
| 29. | Searching through the labyrinth of King Minos | Greece (Kreta) | ||
| 30. | The Colombian jungle | Colombia | ||
| 31. | Saved by the crocodiles | Cambodia | ||
| 32. | The treasure of the caliph | |||
| 33. | The secret pirateship | |||
| 34. | Emergency! Landing on treasure island | |||
| 35. | Adventure in China | China | ||
| 36. | Straight through Austria | Austria | ||
| 37. | The crown of the tsar | Russia | ||
| 38. | Marie Antoinette's Collier | The Netherlands | ||
| 39. | Lemuria: The hidden land | |||
| 40. | The secret of the Mont St. Michèl | France | ||
| 41. | The stone dragon | Germany | ||
| 42. | The Artemis Temple | Greece | ||
| 43. | Get to the Chaco-Canyon | |||
| 44. | Travel through Transylvania | Transylvania | ||
| 45. | Locked in Toscana | Italy | ||
| 46. | Ormeca | |||
| 47. | Marco Polo's heir | Venice | ||
| 48. | Desperately lost in the desert | Algeria | ||
| 49. | The baker and the knight room | Switzerland | ||
| 50. | Keanu, daughter of the chief | United States | ||
| 51. | The monk and the samurai | Japan | ||
| 52. | Lost in Africa | Africa |
[edit] Trivia
- Beside the television series there is also a huge manga-series, see Montana Jones (Manga).
- The opening and ending theme of the series are from the popular Japanese musical group The Alfee.
- Marco Pagot and Gi Pagot, the creators of Montana Jones, also worked on the Japanese Anime Sherlock Hound. Therefore the antagonists of both series are very similar.
- The name Montana Jones is a reference to Indiana Jones. Both characters sharing a passion for adventures and having a U.S. State as their first name.
- There is also a video game for the television series.
