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THE BATTLEGROUND — Do you remember the sky battles in the movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?”
The fighters jumped atop roofs, scaled sky-high bamboo and bounded through treetops in epic sword battles. The sequences were groundbreaking in 2000, and they created a magical effect for the adult-sized, Chinese fairytale.
Who would have ever guessed that airborne sword battles could be a real life thing? The Japanese, of course.
Just like the movie, this video features a sword battle in the sky. However, this new battle probably won’t be described as “epic.”
The fight takes place at a middle school in Japan, according to a Google-based translation of the video title. The demo was probably more as a form of fun entertainment for the kids than a display of technological advancement. But the truth is, anytime a jetpack is involved, it’s hard not to think about the futuristic landscape dreamed up in the '50s, when everyone thought we’d have flying cars, hoverboards, jetpacks and robot maids by now.
Of course, the two warriors in this short battle aren’t playing with real swords. So soft sound effects of fake swords and the exaggerated leg movements make the video a little more hilarious and a little less epic.
That being said, it’s still impressive. And I’ll just be over here trying not to think too much about getting my hands on a jetpack to sky battle with all my friends like we’re still kids in the '80s dreaming of this very future.
