They started the show off with a couple of good episodes that started out as a mystery, but I guess after the pilot, they decided to "tone it down." So we ended up with a watered down more kid friendly version of the show.
I took a look at wikipedia and there was another version of the show that was a bastardized version of the original show called The New Adventures of Speed Racer (1993) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arU5EXJaMz8 In the show there were intelligent animals that controlled vehicles. Speed Racer X was a late 90's version of the show where Rex is presumed dead, so Pops creates the Mach 5 with a safety system and flight controls. They made Trixie a reporter, and Spritel her brother instead of Speed's. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arU5EXJaMz8 I can't find the one that was on WB or UPN. It was the worst of all and was set in the future. I think it came out around 2005. I cannot find any info on it at all. On Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 4:06 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > > > That's the show, it was horrible. I couldn't stand the animation/CGI style, > the whole plot of the racing academy was dopey even for a series where race > cars had saws and stuff, hated the robotic monkey--you name it. > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> > To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Tuesday, July 6, 2010 3:04:16 PM > Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers > > > > The last incarnation of Speed Racer was done about 2 years ago. (I think > just before or just after the movie) The storyline was that it was in the > future. Speed Racer was a legend and had gotten together with Spridal to > create a powerful engine that did not use gasoline. When Speed was supposed > to make the announcement to the world about the engine, the heads of the oil > companies tried to have him killed. Through some other events, Speed's sons > were separated and both eventually end up at a "racing academy" years later > where Speed jr. finds the designs for the engine through clues left to him > by his father and he builds the Mach 6. > > The show was kind of an homage to the Speed Racer series and was loosely > tied to the original creator of the show. There are a lot of references to > the original show including footage from Speed's races and some of the bad > guys that were racers back then reappear. The guy that did Speed's voice > owns the rights to the show and he has been trying to build into something > for many years, which is why there are so many different versions of it. > > The 1990s version of Speed Racer had almost nothing to do with any of the > series. I think that it was supposed to be a different show but they wanted > to tie it to a name. > > 250KPH was pretty fast back then, but there were cars that could do speeds > in that neighborhood. (Including the Mach 5) > > This conversation started me watching the series early! > > On Tue, Jul 6, 2010 at 11:28 AM, Keith Johnson > <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: > >> >> >> That's the one, truly one of the coolest car designs I've *ever* seen, as >> was Racer X's car. That whole series had awesome car designs. I think the >> speedometer on the GRX was in KPH, so it actually hit 250+ mph or something. >> As for a reboot, I've seen two animated redoes and both sucked. Back in >> the late '90s or something there was an updated Speed Racer that was >> godawful. Just in the last year, of course, there was that updated one where >> the children of Speed and others are going to some kind of racing school. It >> was horrible! >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> >> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com >> Sent: Tuesday, July 6, 2010 3:21:49 AM >> Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers >> >> >> >> The supercar was called the GRX! One of my favorite episodes. I think it >> broke the 500mph barrier or something like that. That car design is being >> used now in the Ferrari 599 model. It also looked similar to the Corvette >> Stingray 2010 model http://2010corvette.us/images/2011_corvette.jpg and a >> few other prototypes. I am sure that most of car designers watched the same >> episode at some point in their lives. :) >> >> I would love to see a retro Speed Racer reboot. (live action or cgi) >> >> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 7:36 PM, Keith Johnson >> <keithbjohn...@comcast.net>wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> Speaking of wild cars--and did Speed Racer have anything else?--do you >>> remember the ep where there was an engine so powerful and fast that it was >>> too dangerous to drive? Pops was part of the team that built it, and it was >>> so powerful that every test driver died in fiery crashes. So the creative >>> team decided it was too much for man to control, and buried the engine in a >>> graveyard like some kind of mythical creature or magical artifact! It was >>> great: the engine was found by some unsavory types who planned to race cars >>> with it. They'd created a spray that could give a man temporary super >>> confidence and skill. This was the only one a mortal could the car. Problem >>> was, once the spray wore off, the dude was not only no longer brave, but was >>> reduced to a quivering, whimpering fearful mass. Speed ends up driving the >>> car and is zooming through the streets at night. Drunk with its power, he >>> starts laughing at first, then has trouble focusing. He then starts saying >>> the car is going so fast it's taking him to another dimension--a dimension >>> bourne of speed, then passes out. It was hilarious! >>> >>> I think the engine was the GRX. >>> >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> >>> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com >>> Sent: Monday, July 5, 2010 10:15:37 PM >>> Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers >>> >>> >>> >>> You brought up an excellent point. One of the most intense cartoon >>> moments that I remember was watching Speed Racer and watching the brother of >>> the woman that owned the Melange car die. (A robot driven car that had a >>> metal face and 19th century clothes) Topped by one of the main characters >>> (Roy Fokker) in Robotech dieing and going through the grieving process by >>> his fiance. A totally realistic relationship and response. >>> >>> Captain Harlock also had many characters die in it as well. I plan on >>> re-watching all of these soon. >>> >>> Did you know that there were plans for a live action Robotech movie? The >>> last I read was that there were writing direction issues. >>> >>> I would love to see live action versions of all of these. (as long as it >>> doesn't turn into the last few episodes of BSG) >>> >>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 5:46 PM, Keith Johnson <keithbjohn...@comcast.net >>> > wrote: >>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Yep, I never have understood it. Could never determine if they do that >>>> in order to appeal to worldwide (read: "white" ) audiences, or based on >>>> some >>>> internal self-hatred. >>>> >>>> As for the Starblazers thing, thanks to you I blew an hour on You Tube >>>> watching eps of the Comet Empire and Iscandar series. I really, really >>>> loved >>>> that show. Decades later, though the animation's not as clean as nowadays, >>>> the show holds up perfectly. Amazing time spent on the jets, things you >>>> never saw in American 'toons like the sunlight sliding down the Argo as it >>>> emerges from the ocean, or the ship dippling slightly as it transitions >>>> from >>>> water to air. Amazing! >>>> >>>> One thing about anime that captivated me from the start was the more >>>> mature stories that had real world results to the action. Even as a younger >>>> kid, I never got why no one in US-based cartoons ever died. Remember how in >>>> GI Joe, whole jets would explode, then they'd take pains to show the pilots >>>> jump to safety? Whether it was C.O.P.S, Thundercats, Bravestar, Batman, >>>> Superfriends, whatever, in American toons no one died. Not that I'm >>>> ghoulish, it just seemed unrealistic. So when I saw the likes of Speed >>>> Racer, where dudes died all the time in car crashes, it caught my interest. >>>> The same with Starblazers, where ships exploded all the time in combat, and >>>> no pilots were jettisoned to safety. And that's speaking of the >>>> Americanized, sanitized versions of both of those series. American toons >>>> were always too busy with one-note villains around which the entire series >>>> were built, or dealing with that horrid 70s-era mandate that all cartoons >>>> had to be non-violent and have a moral. Remember the "And knowing is half >>>> the battle BS of 'GI Joe'" or all the message-heavy shows like "Shazaam" >>>> and >>>> others back in the day? Even in recent years, toons like "The Batman" have >>>> all the cops shooting laser weapons instead of projectile ones. Why? >>>> Because >>>> the censors feel guns are too intense for youngsters. Ugh! >>>> >>>> The first American-based 'toon I can recall that had mature, complex >>>> plots, attention to the real physics of how ships would move, and realistic >>>> battles in which people paid the ultimate price, was Exo-Squad. It's one of >>>> my favs of all time. >>>> >>>> >>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>> From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> >>>> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com >>>> Sent: Monday, July 5, 2010 6:08:38 PM >>>> Subject: Re: [scifinoir2] Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> That's one of the things about anime that I find disturbing. The style >>>> in most anime movies is that the characters take on caucasian appearances. >>>> Although the character's name may be Japanese and their mannerisms, customs >>>> etc are Japanese. Unfortunately, that is how it has been since the >>>> beginning. >>>> >>>> The live action movies have been different though, sometimes having a >>>> mixed cast. For example, the later Godzilla movies. >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 2:48 PM, Keith Johnson < >>>> keithbjohn...@comcast.net> wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> What a trip. I am a *huge* fan of the Americanized version that I saw >>>>> back in junior high, and have several eps on tape. I loved the Comet >>>>> Empire >>>>> arc as well, especially the finale when the Starforce attacked the base. >>>>> >>>>> Interesting. While the two Starblazers cartoons shown on TV here had >>>>> decidedly European looking characters, everyone in this movie is clearly >>>>> Japanese. Maybe they should have shipped some of them over for M. Knight >>>>> to >>>>> cast in his flick! :) >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> ----- Original Message ----- >>>>> From: "Mr. Worf" <hellomahog...@gmail.com> >>>>> To: scifinoir2@yahoogroups.com >>>>> Sent: Monday, July 5, 2010 4:48:04 AM >>>>> Subject: [scifinoir2] Space Battleship Yamato aka Starblazers >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> My innerchild is dancing right now. It is taking a lot of concentration >>>>> to type this out, but the movie is due this December!!!!! >>>>> >>>>> Here is some info on it: >>>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Battleship_Yamato >>>>> >>>>> Here's the advanced trailer: >>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoHXxWg7pw4 >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! >>>>> Mahogany at: >>>>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! >>>> Mahogany at: >>>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! >>> Mahogany at: >>> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! >> Mahogany at: >> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ >> >> >> >> > > > -- > Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! > Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/ > > > > > -- Celebrating 10 years of bringing diversity to perversity! Mahogany at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mahogany_pleasures_of_darkness/