In April 1967, the anime Maha Go Go Go (Speed Racer) from Tatsunoko Production, created by Tatsuo Yoshida, premiered in Japan. The anime tells the story of an eighteen-year-old race car driver who drives the Mach 5 car, created by his father. The production had a very limited budget, but nonetheless, with a great story, good characters, and an unforgettable soundtrack, it is still considered one of the most iconic anime to this day.
The races shown in the anime were always memorable and exciting. They were filled with accidents, overtakes, strategies, and cheating. In addition to many teams like "Carro Mamute" and the ''Equipe Acrobática'', the races took place in jungles, volcanoes, deserts, and much more. And since many races were dangerous and on rugged terrain, accessories were always designed to help the racers.
As soon as it was released, the anime became quite popular, but nothing compared to the reception it would find on the western side. When it was exported to the United States in 1967, the title and names of many characters had to be changed. That's when the phenomenon Speed Racer was born, which became a success worldwide and especially in Brazil.
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Speed Racer in Brazil
The anime premiered on Brazilian TV on Rede Globo in 1969, staying on the channel until 1971. Years later, its name was even changed to Capitão Meteoro, perhaps in reference to the letter "M" emblazoned on the Mach 5 car. Again with Speed Racer, in 1975, it was presented on the now-defunct TV Tupi in the program Clube do Capitão Aza. There, it became the highlight of the program's audience, remaining on the channel until 1979.
Only showed its face again in Brazilian programming on TV Record in 1981, but stayed on air for a few months. In 1994, it was broadcast in the early mornings on MTV, but it was completely subtitled. All the original Brazilian dubbing done by Telecine was lost in the fire at TV Record. But in 1996, Cartoon Network aired it for two consecutive years. Bringing a new dubbing, considered even today as one of the best ever made at that time.
In 1993, an animated series called The New Adventures of Speed Racer was produced, created to be an update of the anime. But this American version did not please fans, did not achieve the expected success, lasting only one season with 13 episodes. In 1997, another anime from the franchise was released in Japan, but it did not reach the success of the classic series. 52 episodes were planned, but it was canceled after 34. Even so, it was released in the United States under the name Speed Racer X, and later in Brazil.
The memorable Speed Racer
In 2008, the Wachowski brothers, creators of the Matrix trilogy, directed a film based on the anime. Even without the involvement of the original studio of the work, the film managed to receive a good reception from the audience. Given that the work Speed Racer is even more popular in the West than in its country of origin. However, the film ended up with results well below the studio's expectations, receiving some criticism and grossing just over 130 million dollars.
Even with the ing of the years, Speed Racer will always be ed as one of the first anime to be broadcasted and to succeed on Brazilian TV. Many only Dragon Ball, Cavaleiros do Zodíaco or Yu Yu Hakusho, but forget the enormous importance and influence that Speed Racer had at the time, opening the doors for all subsequent anime and Japanese series.
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