SPEED RACER

Speed Racer is an English adaptation name of the Japanese manga and anime, Mach Go Go Go (マッハGoGoGo, Mahha Gō Gō Gō?) which centered on automobile racing. Mach GoGoGo was originally serialized in print form in Shueisha's 1958 Shōnen Book, and was released in tankōbon book form by Sun Wide Comics, re-released in Japan by Fusosha. From 1967 to 1968 it ran as a television series in the United States, with 52 episodes. Selected chapters of the manga were released by NOW Comics in the 1990s under the title Speed Racer Classics, later released by the DC Comics division, Wildstorm Productions under the title Speed Racer: The Original Manga. In 2008, under the name of its Americanized title, Speed Racer, Mach GoGoGo, in its entirety, was re-published in the United States by Digital Manga Publishing and was released as a box set, used to commemorate the franchise's 40th anniversary and also served as a tie-in to coincide with the 2008 film. It was published under the title Speed Racer: Mach Go Go Go as part of the company's DMP Platinum imprint. The actual television series itself is an early example of an anime becoming a successful franchise in the United States, which spawned multiple spinoff versions, in both print and broadcast media.

PLOT:

A young man named Speed Racer wants to become a professional racer, despite the lack of Pops Racer's (his father) approval. When Pops reluctantly quits his job after the corporation he was working for declined production of a modified engine for his new racing car, the Mach 5, he later thinks of creating his own family owned company, Racer Motors (Mifune Motors in Japan). He realizes that he would need a great amount of money to make his idea work. Nonetheless, Pops conceals his plans for the Mach 5's new engine on a windshield. Speed, who values the welfare of his family, decides to take it upon himself to obtain the money for Pops. In hopes of using his unique driving skills to do so, Speed decides to do what he does best and enters a race.

Speed, along with the help of his friend and mechanic, Sparky, tune up and adjust the Mach 5 in preparation for the race, attaching a new windshield in the process. Unbeknownst to them, they had taken Pops' windshield that concealed the plans for the new engine. Speed takes the windshield along to the race the next day. With the windshield, Speed unwittingly brought trouble towards him, for a corporate gang, who is after Pops' revolutionary designs for the engine, sabotages the race, putting Speed in peril.

Speed, through his wit, realizes that Pops had hidden the plans on the windshield and fights hard to prevent the gang from stealing it. In a last minute effort to save his father's hard work, Speed shatters the windshield with his helmet so that in effect, nobody walks away with the plans. With the gang out of the way, Speed finishes and wins the race...however, he doesn't win the prize money since officials had found out that the race was sabotaged by the corporate gang. A slightly disappointed Speed apologizes to a slightly frustrated Pops, who had found out that Speed had entered the race, for entering the race and destroying his plans. Pops tells Speed that the plans were always locked within his head and gets slightly enraged and tells Speed to quit racing. Speed, who is confident enough to ignore Pops, drives away into many different adventures that come towards him and his friends.
BY HARRY OQC