Ah, good ol' Speed Racer. The theme, the Mach 5, the classic music... such good times. Speed Racer is Tatsunoko's work that deals with racing, which I spoke a little about when I covered Speed Racer: TNG in post XXXVI. The original title was Mach Go Go Go, with localization changing the title, as well as the titular character, to Speed Racer. This name has gained a lot of fame over the years, debuting from it's jump to the US in 1967. Since then, the anime gained a lot of popularity, spawning related titles, video games, and a webseries.
If you read the aforementioned post, I've covered a bit about the Speed Racer world, but this is where it begins. Speed Racer (Go Mifune) is a young man who aspires to become a professional racer. His father, Pops Racer does not respect this desire Speed has, and rejects the idea. However, after being declined of the production for the modified engine of his race car, he quits his job. Some time after, he wanted to make his own company, Racer Motors, but acknowledged that he needed funds to set it into motion. Seeing this as his chance, Speed and Sparky, a friend and mechanic, tune up this car, the Mach 5, to be in racing condition. The final touch was the addition of a windshield, though this shield had the plans Pops had for the modified engine. And if this wasn't enough, a corporate gang was after those very designs, putting Speed in quite a pickle. And this is just the beginning. Throughout every race, he finds some trouble on the track that will either beat him to the finish line, or end his career permanently. The final notch I'll add is Racer X, a mysterious recurring character who serves the heroic rival to Speed, but has a past that's connected to the family.
In addition, a follow up manga was made, and also animated as the retelling, Speed Racer X. Due to licensing issues and a lawsuit between Speed Racer Enterprises (who had the rights to bring the series to America) and DiC Entertainment, only 11 episodes was aired in English on Nickelodeon. There are significant changes not only in characters, but more notably in Racer X's story, which alters Speed's motive to begin racing.
Speed Racer is a good impact to what I love about my childhood, and even though I only saw 11 episodes in English, Speed Racer X wasn't bad either. Speed Racer gets and 8 of 10, while Speed Racer X scores slightly lover, getting 7 of 10. Save for the 3rd series, the name itself makes me wanna shout: "Go, Speed, GO!" I would do that everyday, but what does that make me, someone of the Speed Racer fanclub?
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