is a Japanese comedy adventure

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series produced by Studio Junio and which was broadcast in Japan on

NHK , also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee. NHK operates two terrestr ...

from April 2, 1994 through April 8, 1995. ''Montana Jones'' has a similar atmosphere to ''

Sherlock Hound is an anime television series produced by RAI and Tokyo Movie Shinsha. Based on the character Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, almost all the characters are depicted as anthropomorphic dogs. The show featured regular appearances of ...

'', a joint production of

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

and

TMS Entertainment , formerly known as the , also known as or , is a Japanese animation studio established on October 22, 1946. TMS is one of the oldest and most famous anime studios in Japan, best known for numerous anime franchises such as '' Lupin the Third' ...

ten years earlier. The anthropomorphic characters in ''Montana Jones'' were

big cat The term "big cat" is typically used to refer to any of the five living members of the genus ''Panthera'', namely the tiger, lion, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard. Despite enormous differences in size, various cat species are quite similar ...

s instead of the dogs used in ''Sherlock Hound''. It was subsequently broadcast 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 Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, ...

Alfred Jones and the beautiful reporter Melissa Thorn. They visit real locations and cities like the

Pyramids of Giza The Giza pyramid complex ( ar, مجمع أهرامات الجيزة), also called the Giza necropolis, is the site on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt that includes the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Men ...

, the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...

Easter Island Easter Island ( rap, Rapa Nui; es, Isla de Pascua) is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is most famous for its ne ...

. Frequently they cross paths with Lord Zero - a rich, eccentric art lover and master thief. All characters in the series are anthropomorphized big cats. The anime was inspired by the Indiana Jones movies.

Synopsis

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 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

gramophone records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts near ...

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 also works for Lord Zero and invents strange engines, which to help finding treasures.

Main characters

Montana Jones

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 Ketty, a Supermarine GS waterplane constantly in need of repair. He lives somewhere on the coast in

. It is believed that Montana is infatuated with Melissa Thorn. He was voiced by Akio Ohtsuka.

Alfred Jones

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 cousin Montana. Together, the two make a good team. Alfred loves his mother and eating spaghetti bolognese, which he often prepares for Melissa and Montana. He was voiced by Ryusei Nakao.

Melissa Thorn

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. She was voiced by

Junko Iwao is a Japanese voice actress and singer. Her most notable role is in ''Cardcaptor Sakura'', providing the voice to Sakura's best friend and cousin, Tomoyo Daidōji. She also voiced lead character Mima Kirigoe in '' Perfect Blue'', Ceres in ''Cer ...

Agatha Jones

（episodes 1-8, 10, 12-13, 15-18, 23, 24-28, 33-34, 38-39, 45, 51-52) is Alfred's mother, and Montana's aunt. She was voiced by

Rihoko Yoshida is a businessperson and a former Japanese voice actress. Among her most noteworthy roles are Megu-chan in '' Majokko Megu-chan'', Monsley in ''Future Boy Conan'', Maria Grace Fleed in ''UFO Robo Grendizer'', Michiru in ''Getter Robo'', Klara in ...

Lord Zero

is the main 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." He was voiced by Ryuzaburo Otomo.

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. Slam is the shorter and larger of the two. Slim was voiced by Toshiharu Sakurai and Slam was voiced by

Chō is a Japanese actor and narrator from Kōnosu, Saitama. His former stage name was . He is a graduate of the Nishogakusha University Department of Literature and received training at Bungakuza's research establishment and the Seinenza Theater C ...

Dr. Nitro

is a minion of Lord Zero and a genius. He is a creator 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. He was voiced by

Junpei Takiguchi , better known by his stage name , was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Chiba Prefecture. Besides his many narration and dubbing roles, he was also known for his roles in '' Time Bokan'' (as Perasuke), '' Yatterman'' (as Dokurob ...

Episodes and locations

There are 52 episodes.

Video game

A eponymously titled video game developed by Future Pirates based on the anime was released in 1995 for the 3DO.

References

External links

* {{ann, anime, 1233
Official Homepage from ''NHK'' via the Wayback Machine (Japanese)
1994 anime television series debuts Television series set in the 1930s Japanese children's animated adventure television series Japanese children's animated comedy television series Fiction about Earth Television series about tigers Fictional tigers NHK original programming Indiana Jones