JUMP!!：The Heroes Behind the GOLD (2021)

Interesting facts

Jump!! The Heroes Behind the Gold is a Japanese film released on 18 June 2021. It is based on a true story of the test jumpers for the ski jumping event at the 1998 Winter Olympics, who were instrumental in giving Japan a chance at winning the gold medal.

Production and release

The 1998 Nagano story is one that is retold before every subsequent Winter Olympics in Japan and had inspired ski jumpers such as Sara Takanashi and Ryōyū Kobayashi.

Jump!! The Heroes Behind The Gold was first announced in November 2019, with Kei Tanaka as lead actor. Yuki Yamada's appearance was announced in January 2020, while those of Gordon Maeda, Nao Kosaka, Takayuki Hamatsu, Motoki Ochiai, and Arata Furuta were announced in February and Tao Tsuchiya in March.

Jinya Nishikata positively commented on Tanaka's portrayal of him, particularly noting the scene where his character wishes for Harada to fall, as at the time he had indeed hoped that his rival did not make a long jump. Yamada revealed that he had never skied before the film's production, and director Ken Iizuka revealed that Yamada was his first choice for the challenging role.

To promote the film, Yamada and Nishikata appeared as guests at the 2020 HBC Cup Jump. Kosaka appeared as a special guest at the 2021 HBC Cup Jump, where Yoshiko Yoshiizumi (née Kasai) also appeared as a guest. Masahiko Harada served as commentator for both events.

The theme song of Jump!! is "Omoiharaharato" by Misia, with lyrics by Enon Kawatani and arrangement by Keiichi Tomita. It also features "Perfect Clarity" by Man with a Mission.

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