Review: Speed Racer

Unfortunately racing is a serious business, and there are those who would go to great lengths to steal his father's engine designs or simply to win the race.

The plots of the individual episodes are fairly predictable and dialogue is very simple (if clear). Essentially these are cartoons in a sense that few people would argue with. Compared to Hanna-Barbera fare they compare well, but they lack the subtext found in much anime which makes it more interesting for an adult to watch.

Basically it's fun - but turn your brain in at the door, or watch it for nostalgia's sake. I've seen fan sites which praise the show for its campy dialogue, complex plots and puns, but I didn't really notice... although the dialogue is certainly campy enough.

Animation quality is poor - in many cases you can see the frames flip by, and in some shots of the races you can see cars change colours as they round a corner. Images and colours are clear and bright, although some characters and situations are rather caricatured. Given the 1966 authoring date, this is perhaps understandable, but there are other cartoons of similar vintage have better animation.

Audio quality is also of a fairly low standard; engine noises are generally a low drone (dopplered for passing cars, but otherwise with little variety). The richness of background sound found in much anime is missing.

Voice acting is straightforward, with little attempt to portray depth of emotion. However, such depth would not suit the rest of the show, and for the purposes used it is suitable. There is no Japanese track in this release (the original show was Mach Go Go Go, and was released in 1966).