"Mahha GoGoGo" (1967) TV series 1967-1968

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creator:

Tatsuo Yoshida

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

23 September 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi | Sport

Tagline:

Faster, Speed!

Plot:

Teenager Gô Mifune aspires to be the world's best race-car champion with the help of his friends, family and his father's high-tech race-car, the Mach 5.

Plot Keywords:

Boy | Manga | Cult Cartoon | Cult Favorite | Racing

Cast

Katsuji Mori

...

Gô Mifune (52 episodes, 1967-1968)

Also Known As:

"Mach GoGoGo" (Japan) (alternative transliteration)
"Speed Racer" (USA)

Runtime:

30 min (52 episodes)

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:TV-Y7 | Brazil:Livre

Company:

Tatsunoko Productions Company

Trivia:

The lettering on the shirts as well as the hood of the Mach 5 corresponded to the characters' names on the Japanese version of the show.

Goofs:

Continuity: Three of Ace Ducey's henchmen are chasing Speed Racer, and Trixie is flying overhead in a plane. As Trixie drops smoke flares to slow down the henchmen, all three cars skid to a stop and all three cars feature the number "0" on the side. In the next scene a close-up of one of the cars reveals a number "13" on the side.

Quotes:

Speed: If we crash I can't win!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "Dexter's Laboratory: Snowdown/*Figure Not Included/Mock 5 (#2.9)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Go Speed Racer, Go!

Action and adventure in early anime.

One of the most complex early anime series to be dubbed for American audiences. Speed Racer is the teenaged son of a car designer, whose Mach 5 can jump, go underwater, clear a path of trees and do other tricks. Besides winning various races, Speed and his family (girlfriend Trixie, kid brother Spritle and pet monkey Chim-Chim) run into spies, saboteurs, criminals and other bad-guy types.

What raises the show above simple adventure is the family background. Speed's brother Rex, suffering dishonor and shame, adopts the identity of Racer X, secretly aiding his brother and goading him into becoming the world's best racer. The series has its dark moments, and the use of gunfire and explosives kept it off American TV for years ("too violent for kids").

The show is far better than the 1994 version, a simple licensing of the character for a "kid-friendly" racing show. However, a new anime version (under the Japanese title "Mach A Go Go") has been made; it may surface in a well-dubbed English version in a few years.