I wasn't coming back to the US from Japan last spring without something exceptionally awesome and radly related to another one of my favorite old school 60's anime classics, Speed Racer. Aka Mach GoGoGo, was first released as a manga that ran from 1966 - 1968 in the black and white pages of Sun Wide Comics' Shonen Book, and then quickly followed as the colorfully incredible Tatsunoko animated tv production that so many of us all over the world are familiar with from 1967 - 1968. Tatsuo Yoshida's timeless tale of a teenage race car driver vs. all sorts of crazy villains and super car competitors still holds up today as one of the most exciting, and endlessly entertaining Japanese cartoon series imports ever-- and this great 33 1/3rd flexi disc version from 1967 with a stunningly illustrated booklet is seriously just as amazing. You get the opening / closing themes songs (original Japanese versions, of course), plus a wonderfully bombastic, hi-octane read-a-long adventure starring Speed, Trixie, Racer X, and Sprittle and Chim Chim.
So tighten those helmet straps, load the trunk with food for those silly stowaways, and buckle up-- it's time to GO GO GO!!!
Hear the original theme song version HERE!
PLEASE NOTE: I spent a great deal of time on the scanning and clean-up for this post, so if you share these images elsewhere on the web, please remember to do the right thing and link back here to my original post. THANK YOU! --Mr. K
Wow, these look great. I especially like the first two double-page spreads. And the cover.
ReplyDeleteIf I am not mistaken, Speed Racer/ Mach GoGoGo is the definition of Japanese car culture, Japanese car enthusiasts love of the automobile.
ReplyDeleteThe original cartoon still holds up so well that it still crosses the checkered flag first every time.
Thanks for the post Karswell GoGoGo.
My favorite image is definitely the race through the cave panel.
ReplyDeleteMan, I really wish that live action Speed Racer movie from a few years back wasn't such a migraine inducing mess, visually... buuuut what do you expect when a non Japanese film company tries to translate anime to film.
Thanks for the comments!