Mach GoGoGo (1997 TV series)

Mach GoGoGo, also known as New Mach GoGoGo, is a 1997 remake of the 1967 anime series by Tatsunoko Production, the same studio that made the original. It aired on TV Tokyo in 1997 and ran for 34 episodes. A Blu-ray release came out in Japan on April 18, 2017, and Funimation later released it with English subtitles as Speed Racer: The Next Generation.

In this version, Rex Racer doesn't run away; instead, he's presumed dead after a crash while testing the Mach 5. His father, Pops, rebuilds the car with a "Safety Seven" system—seven functions marked A through G on the steering wheel. Speed, Rex's younger brother, follows in his footsteps. Trixie is a reporter who befriends Speed, and Spritle is her younger brother (unlike the original where Spritle is Speed's brother).

The Japanese version uses different names: the family is the Hibikis, with Go (Speed), Mai Kazami (Trixie), Wataru (Spritle), Daisuke (Pops), and Misuzu (Mom). Episode 20 adds a baby gorilla named Rocky, replacing Chim-Chim. Sabu is replaced by Takumi. The English dub keeps the original Speed Racer names but calls the team "Hibiki Motors."

The first 21 episodes form an Earth Grand Prix arc. The next 13 involve time travel: when the Mach 5 hits 555 km/h, Speed and friends are sent to the year 2555, where a blue-skinned alien named Handler rules using a device called the Ezekiel Wheel.

An English dub, Speed Racer Y2K, was planned in 1998 with a cover of "Go Speed Racer Go" by the band Sponge, but only the third episode, "Silver Phantom," was dubbed. Another adaptation, Speed Racer X, was produced by DIC Entertainment and aired on Nickelodeon's "SLAM!" block in 2002. It was pulled after 13 episodes due to a lawsuit between DIC and Speed Racer Enterprises.

Other media

A two-volume manga adaptation ran in CoroCoro Comic in 1997, aimed at younger readers. A video game for the Game Boy, developed by TOSE and published by Tomy Corporation, was released only in Japan and supports Super Game Boy.