Mach GoGoGo (1997 TV series)

Did You Know?

• A two-volume manga adaptation was published on CoroCoro Comic in 1997 as a kodomo manga aimed at a younger audience.
• A video game based on the series was developed by TOSE and published by Tomy Corporation exclusively in Japan for the Game Boy, with Super Game Boy support.

Differences from the original series

In this version of the story, Rex Racer is not a runaway. Instead, he is believed to have died in a crash while he was testing the Mach 5. After the accident, his father Pops rebuilds the car with a new protection system called Safety Seven, which includes seven driver safeguards. These are marked by the letters A through G on the steering wheel. Rex’s younger brother, Speed, decides to carry on his sibling’s legacy. Trixie is introduced as a reporter who becomes friends with Speed, and in this series, Spritle is her younger brother—unlike the original show where Spritle is Speed’s brother. The original Japanese version also has its own changes. The main character’s surname is Hibiki instead of Racer. Several characters are swapped out for new ones with similar roles: Mai Kazami takes the place of Michi Shimura (the original Trixie), and her little brother Wataru replaces Kurio Mifune (the original Spritle). Pops is still called Daisuke, but Mom Racer, originally Aya Mifune, is now named Misuzu. In episode 20, a baby gorilla named Rocky joins the cast, filling the role that Sanpei (Chim-Chim in the English dub) had in the original. Sabu, Pops’ apprentice mechanic, is replaced by a character named Takumi. The English dub keeps the same character names from the original Speed Racer dub, though the family’s racing team is still called Hibiki Motors. The first 21 episodes form a story arc centered on the Earth Grand Prix and the events that lead up to it. The next 13 episodes involve time travel: when the Mach 5 reaches 555 km/h, it sends Speed and his friends to the year 2555. There, a blue-skinned alien named Handler rules the world and plans to use a device called the Ezekiel Wheel to control time.