Speed Racer

REUPLOADED. As a young man in his 20s and *not* a woman, I cannot fathom a series that has brought me more enjoyment or amusement. The characters undergo indescribable arcs, and the multiple renditions of the speed leitmotif are nothing short of stunning. Truly, if you gain no enjoyment from this show, you are living a half-life. Objectively, I think women over the age of 39 would not enjoy this show. It really works since it's focused on cool cars; exactly my cup of tea. Based - this show came out a long time ago, but just saying. It's really one of those shows whereyou *have* to watch in order, to keep up with the racer X character development, there's not just a new adventure in each episode about a "good-looking guy" (with a neck scarf) who goes epic zoom zoom fast. Oof.

Nostalgia free review here. I feel so bad about the review I'm about to write. Speed Racer did great things for anime. Many people claim that the show has simply aged too much to be enjoyable, despite the great things the show has done. The issue I have is that I feel like I'm reviewing two different shows at once. There are parts of the show that deserve to be hailed as timeless and classic, and then there are some parts that are absolutely ridiculous. Story:6 This is the main issue for me. There are episodes in this show that I would've rated 8/10. Certainarcs like the Acrobatic Racing Team, most of the Racer X episodes, and the GRX story are absolutely timeless. I think most people know this too, since these are the stories that get the most references in modern media. The problem is that this show is bogged down by filler episodes. It's clear that Speed Racer was inspired by both Elvis Presley car movies, and James Bond. While I think having a few James Bond-esque episodes is okay, the show went way overboard with them. Some of the plots are absolutely ridiculous. This show is honestly at its best when it focuses on racing. But sadly that's not the majority of the show. Like I said before, there are some arcs that absolutely deserve to be seen. But sadly, you have to sit through lots of filler arcs to get to some of them. The ending was also one of the stupidest endings I've seen in awhile. Art:7 Animation is hard. Animation on a low budget is hard. Animation on a low budget in the 60s is hard. Because of this, I am much forgiving of the animation. There are some animation errors, so I can't call this a masterwork of animation. But I respect the scope it was aiming for. I give credit to the character designs. Considering that this was the era of Tezuka, and Japan was just moving out of being Disney knock-offs, the art style for this show is definitely unique. Plus the fact that this show's animation and character designs could be put next to some of the American animation at the time without anybody noticing speaks to it's quality. Obviously this show isn't going to compete with some of the modern character designs, but that's not what it's supposed to do. I give additional props to the car designs. Each car manages to look unique and sleek. Sound: 8 Hands down the best part of the show. The soundtrack is delightfully 60s. The opening is one of those openings that you can't skip based solely on how catchy and endearing it is. The voice acting is also great. I know a lot of people don't like the dubbing. I personally like it. That said, I admit that I have a soft spot for bad dubs. But I wouldn't call the dubbing "bad." I'd rather say that the dubbing is quirky. When the important characters need to deliver their lines, they do so with proper emotion and tone. Speed's VA truly delivers during stressful or emotional moments. Racer X and Pops also have the right amount of concern in their voices when needed. The line delivery is sometimes fast, and full of run-on sentences. I view that more as a form of comic relief. It rarely effects the story. I'd also like to mention how good the sound design was for each car. Most of the cars have different engine sounds that make them distinct. Each of the Mach 5's gadgets has a distinct sound too. You could watch this show blind and still get a good idea for what's going on. Character:6 I saw a review where somebody said Speed is the only interesting character, and the rest serve as accessories. I don't agree with that completely. Speed's character is very good. He's no Light Yagami, but for a 60s hero, he does his job. He tries to be a good person, but he also has his weaknesses. He sometimes gives into temptation, he usually makes reasonable decisions when in the face of danger, but he's not afraid of snapping at somebody when he's angry. Speed is a very good character. While the supporting cast isn't as three dimensional as Speed, they have their own things going for them. Trixie has her jealous moments, Pops gets appropriately protective and emotional, Spritle and Chim-Chim are childish while also being very smart in their own rights. Racer X is hands down the most memorable character besides Speed. However, I think the last few episodes of the show dropped the ball with how to handle his character. Sparky and the Mom are sadly forgettable. The rest of the cast is absolutely terrible. There's always a money grubbing bad guy, and emotional female who is either being used, or helpless, and then at least one helpless good guy who needs speed's help. The guest characters are the main reason I rank Character so low. Enjoyment: 6 Like I said, some of these episodes deserve an 8. But the fillers take away from the enjoyment in a huge way. The good episodes are mostly from episode 1-20. After that, I kept watching waiting for one of the last 32 episodes to be as good as the first part. While there were good episodes, you have to sit through several boring fillers to get to them. This lead to a fair amount of disappointment when I realized this episode is going to be a dumb filler. Some of the episode are good. But the gamble on whether or not the next episode was going to be another good one took away from the experience. Overall:6 If you skip the fillers, you're in for a lot of fun. Watching the Racer family interact with each other is fun. The race courses were usually creative. And even if the racing wasn't realistic, it was incredibly entertaining. Speed's personal dilemmas during some stories were great. But if you're going to watch every single episode, you're in for some disappointment. If at least 15 of the ridiculous filler episodes were cut out, I would've given this show a 7.

As a kid i really loved watching the dub, and now at almost 18, i see how bad it really was. I mean it honestly isnt meant for the average anime fan, but more as a cartoon for kids, which at the time, i was a round 6 or 7. I dont think an anime like this would have fared well in the 90s, with mega hits like evangelion, or dragon ball, or one piece. I think it was just a quick little thing that was meant to appeal to little kids. Overall, i loved it as a kid, and honestly, i had no ideait was an anime as a kid. I only started watching anime in fall 2020. I think however it will remain a classic among one of the earliest animes, and it being unique to its time.