Speed Racer X facts for kids

Speed Racer X, known in Japan as Mach GoGoGo (マッハGoGoGo, Mahha GōGōGō) and sometimes referred to as New Mach GoGoGo (新・マッハGoGoGo, Shin Mahha GōGōGō), is a 1997 remake of the original 1967 series Speed Racer by Tatsunoko Productions, the original producers. The show originally aired in Japan in 1997 on TV Tokyo and lasted only 34 episodes of a planned 52.

In 1998, Speed Racer Enterprises planned to release an English dub of the series in the United States as Speed Racer Y2K, though the project did not succeed and only the third episode, "Silver Phantom", was dubbed.

Another English adaptation, Speed Racer X, was later produced by DIC Entertainment Corporation and aired in the United States on Nickelodeon's short-lived action block, "SLAM!", in 2002. Unfortunately, this show was quickly taken off the air (with only 13 episodes dubbed) due to a lawsuit between DiC Entertainment and the Santa Monica-based Speed Racer Enterprises, the company which owned the American rights to the franchise at the time.

The series got a Blu-ray release in Japan on April 21, 2017. Funimation released the series under the name Mach Go Go Go: Restart with English subtitles.

Differences from the original series

In this version, Rex Racer does not run away, but is presumed dead after an accident while testing out the Mach 5. His father, Pops, later rebuilds the Mach 5 with a new safety system called "Safety Seven", which protects its driver. Rex's younger brother and Pops' second son, Speed, decides to follow up on his brother's footsteps. Trixie appears in this series as a reporter who befriends Speed, with Spritle being her younger brother (as opposed to being Speed's younger brother in the original).

There are also differences that exist even in the original Japanese version. Aside from Gō's different surname (Hibiki), other characters were replaced entirely, but have similar roles. For instance, Mai Kazami is the "Michi Shimura" (the original Trixie) of this series, with her younger brother Wataru representing "Kurio Mifune" (the original Spritle). Although Pops is still called Daisuke, Mom Racer (Aya Mifune in the original) is now known as Misuzu. Chim-Chim's name is this version is Rocky. The English dub uses the same names from the original Speed Racer English dub, though the family's team is still called "Hibiki Motors".

Later on the series involved time traveling. When the Mach 5 hits 555 km/h, it sends Speed and his friends to the year 2555 where the world is ruled by a blue-skinned alien named Handler, who plans to use a device called the Ezekiel Wheel to rule time.

Voice cast

Japanese

• Kōichi Tōchika - Go Hibiki (響 剛, Hibiki Go)
• Kazusa Murai - Mai Kazami (風見 舞, Kazami Mai)
• Motoko Kumai - Wataru Kazami (風見 ワタル, Kazami Wataru)
• Minoru Inaba - Daisuke Hibiki (響 大輔, Hibiki Daisuke)
• Yōko Sōmi - Misuzu Hibiki (響 美鈴, Hibiki Misuzu)
• Toshiyuki Morikawa - Masked Racer (覆面レーサー, Fukumen Rehsaa)/Ken'ichi Hibiki (響 健一, Hibiki Ken'ichi)
• Kaneto Shiozawa - Handler (ハンドラー, Handora)

English

• Dave Wittenberg - Speed Racer
• Dan Woren - Pops Racer
• Tifanie Christun - Trixie, Spritle
• Michelle Ruff - Mom Racer
• Joshua Seth - Sparky
• Richard Epcar - Racer X/Rex Racer

Episodes

Other media

A two-volume manga adaptation was published on CoroCoro Comic in 1997. It is a kodomo manga aimed at a younger audience.

A video game based on the series was developed by TOSE and published by Tomy Corporation, exclusively in Japan for the Game Boy. The game also has Super Game Boy support.

See also

In Spanish: Speed Racer X para niños