Speed Racer Movie Tralier
http://youtube.com/watch?v=OISpAFrtMH8
Speed Racer is the title of an English adaptation of the Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo, Mahha GōGōGō?) which centered on automobile racing. The series is an early example of an anime becoming a successful franchise in the United States.
Background
TrixieThe characters and storylines originated in Japan as the manga and anime series Mach GoGoGo from the anime studio Tatsunoko Productions.
Mach GoGoGo was first created by anime pioneer Tatsuo Yoshida (1933–1977) as a manga series in the 1960s and made the jump to TV as an anime series in 1967. The central character in the anime and manga was a young race car driver named Gō Mifune (Mifune Gō). Yoshida selected the names and symbolism in his creation very carefully. The large red M on the hood of the Mach 5, which in North America was assumed to stand for "Mach 5", is actually the emblem of Mifune Motors, the family business. That is also the origin of the "M" on Gō's helmet. This was an homage to Japanese film star Toshiro Mifune. His given name, Gō, is also a Japanese homophone for the number 5 (the number on his race car). This is also represented by the yellow letter G embroidered on his shirt. The name of the series, Mach GoGoGo is actually a triple entendre; as mentioned, it stands for the number 5, i.e. it is the name of the car, the Mach 5, it is the name of the main character, and the English word "go". Put altogether, the title of the show means, "Mach 5, Gō Mifune, Go!" The names themselves constitute a multi-lingual wordplay of the kind that started to become part of the Japanese popular culture of the time. Yoshida got his idea for Speed Racer after seeing two films that were very popular in Japan at the time—Viva Las Vegas and Goldfinger. By combining the look of Elvis Presley's race car driving image (complete with neckerchief and black pompadour) and James Bond's gadget-filled Aston Martin, Yoshida had the inspiration for his creation.
The English rights to Mach GoGoGo were immediately acquired by American syndicator Trans-Lux. The main character Gō Mifune was given the name "Speed Racer" in the English version. A major editing and dubbing effort was undertaken by producer Peter Fernandez, who also voiced many of the characters, most notably Racer X and Speed Racer himself. Fernandez was also responsible for a retooling of the theme song's melody and its subsequent English lyrics, provided by Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass. When the series emerged before U.S. TV audiences as Speed Racer, fans were quickly drawn to its sophisticated plots involving fiendish conspiracies, violent action, hard-driving racing, and soulful characters with sparkling eyes.[citation needed] In an effort to squeeze the complicated plotlines into existing lip movements, the frenetic pace of the dubbing made Speed Racer famous for its quirky "fast" dialogue.
In the late 1990s the series made a comeback as reruns on Cartoon Network in late afternoon (and later on in late night/overnight) programming. The series was distributed in the 1990s by Group W's international unit with the mention of Trans-Lux deleted from the show's opening sequence.
The Car
Mach 5 Steering Wheel Hub
Sparky repairing the Mach-5
Spritle & Chim-ChimMain article: Mach 5
Mach 5, the car Speed Racer drove in the series (known as the "Mach Go", or simply the "Mach" in the Japanese version), is a technological marvel containing useful pieces of equipment. These gadgets were easily deployed by pressing buttons marked 'A' through 'G' on the steering wheel hub. There was another button, marked 'H', mounted in the console.
The buttons had the following functions:
Button A (Auto Jacks): “Releases powerful jacks to boost the car so anyone can quickly make any necessary repairs or adjustments.” Although not designed for this function, the auto jacks can also be used to “jump” the car short distances at high speeds. The "chyock chyock" sound effect played whenever the car jumped through the air is instantly recognizable to the show's fans.
Button B (Belt Tires): Toggles special grip tires for traction over rough terrain (firm, icy, or unsteady ground, ocean floor, vertical mountainsides). At the same time, 5,000 horsepower is distributed equally to each wheel by auxiliary engines.
Button C (Cutters): For use traveling over heavily wooded terrain. A matched pair of powerful rotary saws protrude from the front of the Mach 5 to cut away many obstacles.
Button D (Deflector): Releases a powerful transparent cover which seals the cockpit into an air-tight chamber. The cover is bullet- and crash-proof. The cockpit becomes a water-tight chamber which then allows the car to be completely submerged under water.
Button E * ("Evening Eye"): Controls special illumination lights "which can be controlled singularly or in tandem", allowing the driver to see more clearly than with ordinary headlights. When used with the “night shades” attached to Speed’s helmet, his vision is enhanced with infrared light. The original Japanese version strictly translates this as "illuminating eyes".
Button E was later modified to activate mini-wings that would slide out from under the car to assist Speed in long jumps.
Button F (Frogger mode): Used when the Mach 5 is submerged. An oxygen canister supplies the cockpit with breathable air. A periscope can then be raised to scan the surface of the water. Everything viewed is relayed to a video screen inside the Mach 5's cockpit. The 100-pound auxiliary supply of oxygen is enough to last for thirty minutes.
Button G (Gizmo Rocket): Releases a flying, gull-shaped "homing robot" from under the hood of the car.
Button H (Home): Mounted in the center console with the rest of the controls for the homing robot, this button sends the homing robot back to the Racer house.
Extra Button: Pops, in one episode, put an extra button in the car that makes it glide short distances.
Characters
Racer X
Rex Racer (a.k.a. Racer X)Speed Racer had a younger brother named Spritle (Kurio Mifune) who, along with his pet chimpanzee Chim-Chim (Senpei), constantly got into mischief by hiding in the trunks of cars.
Other regular characters included Sparky (Sabu), the company mechanic (the "S" on his shirt matches both his original Japanese name and North American renaming); Speed's father, Pops (Daisuke Mifune), a former wrestler-turned race car owner and builder; his mother, Mom (Aya Mifune); and also Speed's chaste girlfriend, Trixie (Michi Shimura). The "M" on "Trixie's" blouse stands for "Michi". Michi would often fly around in a helicopter during a race, advising Speed Racer via a radio link to the Mach 5. Though this is never made clear in the anime, in Michi's first manga appearance she is presented as the spoiled, willful daughter of the head of a rival car company who first meets Gō when she is sent to spy on Mifune Motors. When she falls in love with Gō, the plan is scotched. The character's background as a "rich girl" explains why she owns her own helicopter and drives a Mercedes.
A frequent recurring character, driving car number 9 (the "Shooting Star") is the enigmatic Racer X (Fukumen (Masked) Racer), a heroic, mysterious, selfless, sympathetic and often brooding soldier of fortune whose secret identity is that of Rex Racer (Ken'ichi Mifune) Speed's older brother, who years earlier had a falling out with his father, Pops Racer, after Rex wrecked the first race car that Pops had built. Pops had told Rex prior to the race that Rex was not yet prepared to compete at the professional racing level. With less than one lap to go in his first major race, Rex was leading and cruising toward victory, but as he happily waved toward Pops in celebration of the impending victory, Rex lost control of Pop's car and wrecked it. Pops exploded with anger. After being berated by Pops, Rex left the family and exiled himself while vowing to become the world's greatest race car driver. It was at that time that Rex assumed the mysterious, Racer X (a/k/a Masked Racer) identity, to pursue his racing career.
It was acknowledged by both Pops and Speed over the years that Racer X was the superior driver of the two, and the greatest driver that they had ever seen, but Speed always vowed to defeat Racer X as the two vigorously competed. Speed was often suspicious of Racer X's identity and motives because Racer X would repeatedly, and inexplicably, sacrifice winning races to protect Speed from drivers and others who tried to harm or even kill Speed. The assistance from Racer X nearly always led to Speed winning races, while Racer X came in second place. Racer X always left the scene unnoticed, receding into his secret life. It is not until the celebrated episode, "The Trick Race", that fans of the show finally get to see the face of Racer X. It was during that episode that Speed began to suspect that Racer X may, in fact, be his estranged older brother. In that episode, Racer X again rescues Speed from villains who attempted to kidnap him. Racer X then brings an unconscious Speed to his home. When Speed awakens, the first thing he sees is a vase of white roses, and he states that they are his mother's favorite flowers. While Speed stares at the vase of white roses, and then at the mask of Racer X that has been left behind in the room, an emotional Speed is thought to be speculating that Racer X is, in fact, Rex Racer, his long exiled older brother. The episode ends, however, without confirmation to Speed that Racer X is his older brother. After the completion of their next race, Speed adoringly comments that he will someday find out the true identity of Racer X, as Rex once again mysteriously recedes into the background. The "M" on his tunic stands for Mifune, the family name.
The Westernization of Characters
One distinct feature seen in Speed Racer and in most anime today is the Westernization of their character’s physical appearance and, to some extent, their mentality. This is partly due to Tatsuo Yoshida's affinity for America through portrayals of American life in numerous films (see Background at top). This use of Western appearance can somewhat be referred as mukokuseki (literally meaning, “stateless”), though the term relates to more abstract anime and is used in hyperbole for this case. In Speed Racer, the fair complexion and American attire can be seen as an example of mukokuseki, but it can take many nonconventional forms . This can be seen more readily in later anime in the fantasy and mecha genres, where characters are given more unusual traits like unusually colored hair (pink hair, blue hair etc.), enlarged eyes, and dismorphic humanoid bodies (i.e. Tetsuo and the Espers in Akira). Reasons behind the presence of mukokuseki may be to diversify the character roster and distinguish between individuals, but it can have cultural implications . Other aspects of physical appearance, such as disproportionally large eyes, are used to promote kawaii, or “cuteness”, as seen in many shojo anime. It has even been inferred that the large eyes could have its roots to early influences from older cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat .
Despite their Westernization, the series falls into the familiar manga-anime storyline, which is a form of Japanese expression . Speed Racer definitely resembles typical manga characterization of a teenage boy with superior skills (in this case, racing skills) facing unreal adversity through a multitude of villains; this is seen more numerously in mecha anime such as Gundam Wing and Macross (Robotech). Though always doing his best, he frequently receives a helping hand from his virtually superior brother (Racer X) when he falls short of his goals. This kind of continuing support can easily be identified in “Challenge of the Masked Racer”. Another persistent manga component is the overreactions of many characters. The long, drawn out dialogues with no pauses are very distinct in Speed Racer from Pops speaking his mind to Ace Deucey's thugs in "The Great Plan" to Racer X’s monologue of his thoughts to Speed after crashing in "Challenge of the Masked Racer."
Beyond Speed Racer's appeal as an early anime, the series generally was for family entertainment and does not impose deep intellectual conflicts or controversies seen in anime today. It can definitely be argued that the storylines in Speed Racer are more complicated than conventional American cartoons of the 1960’s, but the overall purpose was to please a growing fanbase worldwide with exciting plots that involve facing adversity on the race track and beyond . On a side note, the Speed Racer which aired in the U.S. was appropriate entertainment for the whole family, but the original Mach Go Go Go episodes were extremely violent and underwent significant editing.
German television (airing Speed Racer from late 1971) f.e. had to stop the show after only the first three episodes, because parents where concerned about the violence displayed. Newspapers wrote quite negative reviews about the series, calling it "horror comic" and "blood and collision racket".
Speed Racer’s Impact on Anime and the World
Along with Astro Boy, Space Ace and Gigantor, Speed Racer was one of the earliest anime to ever become popular outside of Japan, specifically the United States. With fast paced storylines, manga-like attributes, and distinct Japanese animation, it developed a substantial fanbase starting with its debut with the U.S.in 1968 and with Melbourne in 1969 (1). The series may seem outdated when compared to the sleeker, faster-paced anime produced today, but Speed Racer still contributes to the early foundation of Japanese animation. It is also the most steadfast anime in the racing genre, though other manga/anime series arose in the genre as well such as Initial D and Wangan Midnight.
Legacy
Speed Racer, along with Astro Boy, was one of the first truly successful anime franchises in the United States. The pivotal episode in which Racer X reveals his identity to Speed (The Trick Race) was selected by TV Guide as one of the most memorable moments in TV history. Many real-life race car drivers became fans of the show.
The title character was "interviewed" in a humorous series of promotional ads for auto racing that ran on ESPN. The Speed Racer characters even appeared in an animated commercial for the Volkswagen GTI in 1996. In the ad, titled "Sabotage", Speed drives a GTI to victory after the Mach Five is disabled. The ad also incorporated the rotating freeze frame shot from the cartoon's ending credits, with the GTI replacing the Mach Five in the shot.
Speed Racer was also featured in a 30 second advertisement for GEICO Insurance in 2004. In the ad, Speed is advised that the bridge is out ahead. That's bad news for Speed Racer, but Trixie, who transmitted the news to him that she saw in her helicopter, is more concerned with her good news about the Geico savings. The next shot of Speed shows him struck dumb in bewildered astonishment.
In the 1977 film Slap Shot, after arriving at their hotel room in Charlestown, one of the Hanson Brothers ask when is Speed Racer on in the city. It should be known that the Hansons, when they're not playing hockey, play with toy racecars.
The series was also revived on MTV for a short period of time in 1993, then moved to Cartoon Network in 1996, and again to its sister network Boomerang until 2005.
The series was parodied on the Dexter's Laboratory episode with a pun-intented title, Mock 5. It featured Dexter competing in a soap-box car race against Mandark, his Dad in a role much like Pops Racer, and Dee-Dee in a role very much like Racer X. Everyone in this episode talked incredibly fast and detoured into redundant chatter.
Speed and his dad Pops were parodied on an episode of Family Guy, titled The Son Also Draws. Chris Griffin enters a soapbox race held by the Boy Scouts troop that he is in. When the racers line up at the starting line, Speed shows up and jumps out of a soapbox car that resembles his race car the Mach 5. Pops comes out from the audience at the race and tries to convince Speed that he should not be in this race. In their conversation, each sentence Speed and Pops says ends in "Ha ha!" (a common Japanese stereotype).
Among other cartoons and anime, Speed Racer was parodied in the Fairly Oddparents animated movie, Channel Chasers. A short segment of the film featured Timmy Turner taking a role similar to Speed's. Most characters during this segment parodied Speed Racer's fast dialogue and added exclamations such as "Hah! Hoo! Ha!" to the end of their lines, in the same vein as The Son Also Draws.
DVD releases (Region 1)
Artisan/Lion's Gate Entertainment released the first 11 episodes of the original series in DVD format in the US and Canada on April 22, 2003. This turned out to be the first in a series of DVD re-releases of the shows.
The second volume, containing episodes 12 through 23 was put on sale May 18, 2004. The DVD came in a special package where one could push a button on the cover and the Mach 5's headlights would light up while a portion of the show's English theme song played.
The third volume came out on May 24, 2005, with the discs packaged in a round metal box made to resemble the steering wheel of the Mach 5. It contains episodes 24 through 36.
Lion's Gate released the fourth volume, which features episodes 37 through 44 on March 14, 2006 and included a die-cast toy Mach 5. The last episode, "Race the Laser Tank" was time-compressed (in other words, sped up to take up less space on the DVD) which upset some fans.
The fifth and last volume was released on October 31, 2006. This volume included the final eight episodes of the series, and a miniature license plate with the inscription, "Go-Speed Racer-Go!"
Later series
The New Adventures of Speed Racer was an American produced 1993 series by Fred Wolf Films with more new episodes presenting a more contemporary style. The series was soon off the air (after only 13 episodes) as the Americanized character and vehicle designs didn't arouse viewer interest. However, it did introduce the Papenbrooks to voice acting, especially Bryce Papenbrook, who won the Speed Racer Sweepstakes.
Speed Racer X, was released in 2002 by DiC on Nickelodeon's short-lived action block, Slam. This new series showed enormous promise as it was actually based on a new 1997 Mach GoGoGo anime series created by original Japanese studio Tatsunoko Productions. However, it was discontinued a few weeks after it started, when Nick unceremoniously, and without prior notice, took all Slam programs off the air. Its future is uncertain, as DiC and Santa Monica-based Speed Racer Enterprises became embroiled in a bitter lawsuit for control of the series. Even if the lawsuits between DiC and Speed Racer are cleared up, the anime series will never be complete -- due to production problems, production on this Speed Racer series was halted after 34 episodes, out of a projected 52.
Speed Racer Lives, a Flash-based series of "webisodes" that takes place many years after the original series, was made available on the internet to promote a new line of toys.
Speed Racer, a new series, taking place years after the original, will focus on the sons of the original Speed Racer. Its premiere is scheduled to coincide with the live-action feature film in May 2008 and will air on Nicktoons Network. Speed Racer will be voiced by Kurt Csolak of New Jersey. The new series is created by Larry Schwarz, based on the original series. Animation Collective is producing the series.
Comics
Speed Racer:
Born to RaceMach GoGo - selected chapters of Tatsuo Yoshida's original Mach GoGo manga series have been reprinted by Now Comics as Speed Racer Classics and by DC Comics/Wildstorm Productions as Speed Racer: The Original Manga (ISBN 1-56389-686-9).
Now Comics launched an American Speed Racer comic series in 1985. The series became an instant hit with the high production values of superstar airbrush artist Ken Steacy. The comics continued for nearly 40 issues and included a spin-off Racer X series and crossovers. A mini-series adapting The New Adventures of Speed Racer was also released, which included art by Oscar González Loyo. Now Comics also published a 4-issue crossover between Speed Racer and the characters of Ben Dunn's Ninja High School in the 1990s.
Wildstorm Productions released a new Speed Racer comic series in 1999 to widespread acclaim, becoming the #1 pick of industry publication Wizard magazine. The manga style of writer/artist Tommy Yune recaptured the striking look of the original anime which was soon followed by an industry-wide revival of comic adaptations of other classic animated series. The prequel comic storylines were also released as the graphic novel Speed Racer: Born to Race (ISBN 1-56389-649-4) and a Racer X miniseries featuring the artwork of Chinese manga star Jo Chen.
Toys
Hot Wheels produced miniature replicas of the Mach Five called the West Wind and later the Second Wind.
Playing Mantis released a wide range of the Speed Racer miniatures, including replicas of the villains' cars and "mini-dioramas" under their "Johnny Lightning" line. A limited-edition release of the Mach Four from the Wildstorm comic series remains one of the hardest-to-find collectibles to this day. In 1998 Playing Mantis acquired the rights to the "Captain Action" action figure line, a vintage line about a hero who disguises himself as famous super heroes. Playing Mantis had planned to produce new costumes of Speed Racer, Racer X, and Captain Terror for the revamp of the line, but they were never produced. Control art for the Speed Racer costume appear on the packaging of some figures, and pictures of the prototypes are available online.
Resaurus produced two series of five-inch action figures, rich with articulation and accessories; as well as a full-sized Mach Five in 1999. A third series of figures and a full-sized Shooting Star were planned, but the line folded before this could happen.
Toynami is currently releasing a large-scale version of the Speed Racer vehicles, including a Mach Five playset complete with all of its gadgets.
Polar Lights is currently manufacturing two 1/25-scale (according to the box) model kits in standard "glue" and snap-together variations (though the scale of the model inside is closer to 1/32). These can be built with or without the waterproof bubble canopy at the modeler's discretion. The kits feature a homing robot and separate jacks; and a rear engine (possibly a tip to NOW comics, which illustrated the engine in the rear).
RC ERTL has produced Speed Racer's Mach 5 in 1:18 Die Cast Form with many features of the animated car - including pop out saw blades, ion jacks, opening doors, hood and trunk. Includes Spritle and Chim Chim figures. (Special variants were made with decals celebrating Racer X and other characters from the series as part of the 35th Anniversary Edition in 2001. A similar die-cast version of Racer X's Shooting Star was produced as well. It has now been retired from production and is a sought-after collectible.
Art Asylum has announced a line of toys consisting primarily of their block-figure Minimates in both classic and new series forms.
[edit] Film
Main article: Speed Racer (film)
The Wachowski Brothers have written and directed a live-action adaptation of Speed Racer for a May 9, 2008 release.[1] The first trailer went online on December 6, 2007 at Movifone available here.
Video games
In 1992 Accolade made Speed Racer in The Challenge of Racer X for DOS.
In 1994 Accolade made another Speed Racer game this time for SNES called Speed Racer.
In 1998 Jaleco made a Speed Racer game for the Playstation.
Additionally, Namco created a Speed Racer arcade game in 1995.
