Speed Racer

Speed Racer, or Mach Go Go as it is known in its native Japan is an anime series based on a Japanese manga. While the manga started in 1966 and continues to be published today, the anime was shown on American tv from 1967-1968 and totaled 52 episodes. Addtionally there was a later incarnation of the show that ran on TV for a short time called Speed Racer X, but only lasted 34 episodes. The show follows a young boy named Gô Mifune as he attempts to become a professional racecar driver, using the specially designed car called the mach five []. Like [Astro Boy] Speed Racer is significant because it was one of the first Japanese Animation TV shows to achieve success in the US. The company Trans-lux quickly acquired the rights to the show when it achieved success in Japan, and Speed Racer was aired in syndication on the Cartoon Network in the late 90’s []. The show became a trans-media success as, in addition to the original manga, multiple comics, toys, and video games based on Speed Racer, have been released. The Wachowski Brothers are currently producing a live action adaptation of the animated series simply called Speed Racer, and it is do out in 2008. []