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The Bottom Line

With renewed interest in Speed Racer to drive its publication, the original Mach GoGoGo manga by Tatsuo Yoshida is given a deluxe showroom finish. At $40, it's too pricey for casual readers, but it's still a cool collectible for classic manga fans.

Compared to contemporary shonen manga, Speed's adventures look primitive and the characters are shallow caricatures. The quality of the art and stories are uneven, especially in Volume 2, when Yoshida seems to have lost interest in his creation.

But this retro treat does offer some dynamic action scenes, and a rare look at the inspiration for the TV series.



Pros

• Gorgeous, collectible presentation of this classic manga series
• A blast from the past look at the original stories that inspired the hit anime and feature film
• Gives manga fans a rare look at what shonen manga looked like, pre-Dragon Ball or Naruto
• Volume 1 has several examples of dynamic race scenes and imaginative stories

Cons

• Weak character development of Speed and his supporting characters
• Art and story quality degenerates noticeably toward the end of Volume 2
• Retro art and stilted, abrupt storytelling make it more of an interesting curiosity than a must-read
• At $40, it's fairly priced, but a bit steep for the casual manga reader

Description

• Original Title:Mach GoGoGo (Japan)
• Author & Artist: Tatsuo Yoshida
• Publishers:Digital Manga Publishing (DMP) (US)
  Fusosha Publishing (Japan)
• ISBN: 978-1-56970-731-9
• Cover Price: $39.95 US
• Age Rating:T – Teens Age 13+ for fights, mild violence
  More about content ratings.

• Manga Genres:
  • Shonen (Boys') Manga
  • Action / Adventure
  • Anime Tie-In
  • Sports Manga
• US Publication Date: March 2008
  Japan Publication Date: 1966
• Book Description: 700 pages, black and white illustrations, 14 color pages. Hardcover 2-volume boxed set.

Guide Review - Speed Racer: Mach GoGoGo Volumes 1 & 2

For many American fans, Speed Racer was one of the first examples of Japanese anime they saw. After forty years since its debut, Tatsuo Yoshida's original Speed Racer (a.k.a. Mach GoGoGo) manga has been lovingly translated and presented in a deluxe hardcover boxed set, just in time for the May 2008 release of the Speed Racer feature film.

There's no shortage of Speed Racer comic adaptations out there, but this is probably the best of the batch. With its classy presentation, DMP Platinum's edition is geared toward collectors, connoisseurs of classic manga and the curiosity seekers who are interested in the origins of this cult classic cartoon.

The good news for fans of the Speed Racer TV series: the classic manga follows the anime storylines fairly closely, and kept the Americanized names of Speed and his friends (Speed's original name was Go Mifune). This makes it easy to make the connection between those beloved TV episodes and the manga.

Being from the '60s, Yoshida's artwork and his character development seem primitive and shallow compared to the contemporary shonen manga favorites like Dragon Ball or Bleach. However, it does show flashes of an artist who could draw dynamic action scenes and create simple, yet exciting stories for boys.

This is a fun blast from the past, but there are definite weaknesses in Yoshida's style that become more apparent in Volume 2, when the quality of the art and stories degenerate noticeably. Most disappointing is how the mystery of Racer X is abruptly resolved, which suggests that either Yoshida or his readers lost interest – an anti-climax that's never explained. It would have also been nice to get a longer write-up about this anime pioneer's life and accomplishments.

At $40, it's too pricey for casual readers, but kudos to DMP for putting out this classic manga in such a classy way.



Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.