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. Additionally 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.