Beyblade let it rip

ENTERTAINMENT

Picking up speed

Running out of time

Going head to head

 

It’s the way of life

You gotta fall down

Eat ground

And to get back up again

Let’s Beyblade!

Spinning it out

At the speed of sound

Gotta rip it up

Now the bet is down

The team with the bang

Our gang is the one who’s gonna win

Let’s Beyblade!

Beyblade!

Let’s Beyblade!

Let’s Beyblade!

Beyblade!

Let it rip

These words reached my ears  when I was ironing my clothes in front of the television. “What the hell is that? It’s funny though!” I inquired, my eyes fixed on the queer-looking characters on the screen. “That, sis, is the new cartoon series ‘Beyblade’!” answered my brother excitedly. “I don’t think it’s really worth watching,” I said gloomily and continued with my ironing.

But, later, when my brother insisted, I decided to watch this Japanese manga series. 

Since that day, I haven’t missed a single episode of Beyblade; and I still wonder why I said it was not worth watching.

Before we talk about this amazing manga series, let’s find how a simple lato toy was turned into a Japanese manga series, Beyblade. A Japanese company decided to modernize the ‘lato’. The structure of this modern lato was quite complicated which made it a super exciting toy. There is the attack ring that helps you when you are battling any other beyblade. Then, the defence ring defends you against your opponent’s beyblade. Launcher initiates the spinning of the beyblade and the engine gear (in highly improved beyblades) boosts its performance.

It was not easy for the company to compel teens to buy this toy; it seemed too late for even a modernized top to gain popularity among teens who were obsessed with computer games.

Then, some genius had a bright idea of introducing beyblade comic books. The Japanese company began publishing Beyblade comics. Seeing the popularity of these weekly comics, these were turned into cartoons. And, when these cartoons reached America, they were dubbed into English and in no time they got extremely popular.

In 2005, the Karachi-based Cartoon Network also began airing Beyblade. Some of the older readers must have watched the Beyblade cartoon series on the TV!

The cartoons revolve around four teenagers who are crazy about beyblade. They focus on their struggle to win the championships under the name Bladebreakers, together with a computer genius, Kenny. Later they are joined by Diachi and Jin (Please don’t take it the other way!) You might want to know about them.

Tyson: He is a happy-go-lucky sort of a boy.

He is really enthusiastic and energetic. At times, he can be over-confident and rude. For him, nothing is impossible. Tyson, like many others of his age, likes going around and enjoys fame. He is considered as the best blader. He has a very powerful blade, also home to a bitbeast, Dragoon, which was passed on to him by his ancestors.

Ray: He is a good friend to Tyson but not really alike in nature. Ray is extremely kind-hearted, but can be very aggressive when it comes to winning a beybattle. Ray believes there is always room for improvement; it is demonstrated when Ray leaves his home team White Tigers to join the Bladebreakers and learn new tricks. Ray is very superstitious and considers his ancestors as his greatest strength. He has one powerful beyblade, home to a tiger-like bitbeast, Dregar.

Max: He is the guy you would like to hang around with. Max is outgoing, enjoys making friends, socializing and helping others. He seldom gets angry and detests taking revenge. He believes in sincere friendship as well. Physically, Max has got childish looks, but don’t ever underestimate his beyblade tricks.

Max is certainly a reliable blader with a very good defence. He also has a bitbeast, Draciel, given to him by his grandmother.

Kai: He is the guy who would bore you in the very first minute but, at the same time, fascinate you by his very presence. Kai has got mysterious looks which include dark sophisticated dressing and an expressionless face. He is not very talkative and likes to be left on his own. But still he makes a good and sincere person who would always be there to help his friends. The most attractive thing about Kai is that he is never dismayed by the things around him. He believes in winning just like Tyson. He also has a hawk-like bitbeast called Dranzer.

Kenny: He is a computer worm with nerdy looks, yet he is liked by many. He believes that without knowledge there is no winning. He is always there when his team needs him, though he is not a professional blader himself. One can always rely on Kenny for repairing one’s beyblade or giving beyblade counsels. Kenny has childish looks and can be very sensitive at times. He also has a bitbeast called Dizzi, trapped in his laptop.

Diachi: He is the ‘little guy’ of the team. Having grown up in rural areas, Diachi’s manners are not very refined. Like Tyson, Diachi is also very enthusiastic and always ready for action. He hates relaxation, is usually over-confident and gets really agitated when Tyson gets all the praise! Diachi has a childish mind but his beyblading skills are awesome. Diachi’s battle skills reflect nature; his beyblade can easily spin on rough grounds and even water! He also has a bitbeast, Strata Dragoon; it was given to him by his father before he died.

Jin: He isn’t a professional blader. In fact, he coaches the Bladebreakers. Jin is Tyson’s elder brother who appeared after ages in the third Beyblade series. He has got several names such as “Jinof the Gale” and “Her” or just “Big Brother”.

Jin is a stern guy with attractive looks including the bluish hair that fall casually onto his temple. He can give really good advice. Although it takes a while to take in what Jin has said, his words are full of meaning. He would never bore you with his lectures; they are worth listening to.

Beyblade isn’t what you watch every other day. These cartoons don’t include the senseless stuff one sees in most cartoons you get to see nowadays. Besides the thrilling action of beyblading, these cartoons are full of lessons; they teach you how to be determined, strong and loyal to friends.