Speed Racer...
At this point, Speed Racer has been available in one form or another for many years. I've had a handful of VHS tapes, and now with the advent of DVD, I've taken the opportunity to replace my old tapes...
As it happens there was also an attempt to reboot the Speed Racer franchise with a new animated series, but, that, thankfully died a quick death. In addition, there was a big-budget Hollywood film that was seen as an homage to the classic cartoon. The movie was certainly an admirable effort, but, didn't quite capture the same magic that the original had in its day. I gave Speed Racer a 4 out of 5.
According to Wikipedia...In 1967, "Speed Racer" made its debut, igniting the first Japanese anime cartoon to ever succeed in the United States. Originally titled "Mach GoGoGo," the English-dubbed series "Speed Racer" soon became an instant classic. Four generations later, it continues to impact American anime and rev up the hearts and imaginations of over 45 million fans as one of the most beloved animated series of all time. Speed Racer fans can now enjoy the incredible "Speed Racer The Complete Classic Collection" and be thrilled as Speed, the intrepid young race car driver, races for the flag, chases notorious villains, and pursues fast-action adventures. Join the full-throttle excitement with an unforgettable supporting cast including Pops Racer, Trixie, Spritle, Chim Chim, and the mysterious Racer X. "Go, Speed Racer! Go!"
The English rights to Mach GoGoGo were acquired by syndicator Trans-Lux, and Speed Racer premiered on American television in the fall of 1967. In the series, Speed’s full name was Go Mifune, in homage to Japanese film star Toshiro Mifune. His name, Americanized, became Speed Racer. His adventures centered on his powerful Mach 5 car, his girlfriend Trixie, his little brother Spritle Racer, Spritle's pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim, and his mysterious older brother, Racer X, whose real name was Rex Racer Jr. For American consumption, major editing and dubbing efforts were undertaken by producer Peter Fernandez, who likewise not only wrote and directed the English-language dialogue but also provided the voices of many of the characters, most notably Racer X and Speed Racer himself. Fernandez was also responsible for a rearrangement of the theme song's melody, written and composed by Nobuyoshi Koshibe, and he subsequently also wrote its English lyrics. The theme was performed, in the opening and closing titles, by Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass; however, Davis and the Nashville Brass were not credited on screen.Wikipedia goes on the speculate about the character names...
The large red M on the hood of the Mach 5, as well as on Gō's helmet, is the emblem of Mifune Motors, the family business, and an homage to Japanese film star Toshiro Mifune. In North America it was assumed to stand for Mach 5, and in the Latin American version, for Meteoro. His given name, Gō, is a Japanese homophone for the number 5 (the number on his race car) which is also represented by the yellow letter G embroidered on his short-sleeve blue shirt. The tradition of symbolism on characters' shirts would also be used on Michi (Trixie) and Sabu (Sparky), who had the letter "M" and "S" on their shirts, respectively.Wikipedia also speculated on apparent changes to the credits...
In the early 1990s the series made a comeback as reruns on MTV broadcast in the early morning hours. In 1993, the series was rebroadcast in syndication concurrently with a new American-created remake courtesy of the newly established "Speed Racer Enterprises," with distribution by Group W's international unit. But in this version, all references to Trans-Lux were removed, with the opening sequence including a re-created logo, and the episode titles and closing credits were also re-created. The re-created closing credits include three typographical errors: Jack Grimes is misspelled Jack "Crimes," Hiroshi Sasagawa is misspelled Hiroshi "Sasacawa," and "Yomiko" is misspelled "Yumiko." This version later aired on the Cartoon Network in the late afternoon (and later on in late night/overnight), and is also the version released on Region 1 DVD.My favorite episode is, of course, The Mammoth Car:
A 600-foot-long train-like monstrosity is entered in a dangerous open competition race through a mountain area as cover for international gangster Cruncher Bloch to smuggle out $50 million in gold, and when Speed and Trixie run afoul of Bloch's plan in their effort to win the race, the Mammoth Car pursues them...Speed Racer was a very special part of my youth and I remember it with fondness. In the late 80s there were a handful of VHS tapes available, but, as I recall, the series never did have a complete release on tape. It wasn't until the advent of DVD and the resurgence of retro cartoons that the series was finally released in its entirety on DVD. Of course, I couldn't NOT get the series when it became available.
As it happens there was also an attempt to reboot the Speed Racer franchise with a new animated series, but, that, thankfully died a quick death. In addition, there was a big-budget Hollywood film that was seen as an homage to the classic cartoon. The movie was certainly an admirable effort, but, didn't quite capture the same magic that the original had in its day. I gave Speed Racer a 4 out of 5.
