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The protagonist, Gou Mifune, drives a racing car called the “Mach-Go.” It has no license plate, yet it drives on public roads daily. It is a two-seater with a left-hand drive configuration and is equipped with a V-type engine (V12).
00:00Hello. Thank you for watching today. Today's topic is Mach 555.
00:21In the late 1960s, when economic growth was just beginning to take hold and car racing was gradually becoming more popular among the public, this series was aired as a racing program for children.
00:41Now, let's take a look at this work.
00:45The original story of Mach 555 was written by Tatsuo Yoshida, produced by Tatsuno Co-Pro, and aired for a total of 52 episodes from 1967 to 1968.
01:04The story begins with the main character, Go Mifune, driving the Mach-Go and gliding down a racing course.
01:15On the same day, his father, Daisuke Mifune, left the company and founded Mifune Motors after a dispute with a company executive over the development of a new engine.
01:27However, developing a new engine requires a huge amount of money, so Goh enters the Mach into a prize race without telling his father.
01:39Meanwhile, a hitman targeting the new engine discovers that the engine's blueprints have been written in special ink on the Mach's windshield.
01:50So they target Go during the race in order to steal the windshield.
01:56However, when Go finds out about this, he is obstructed and yet manages to win the race, even breaking the windshield himself.
02:05However, due to external interference, the race is invalidated.
02:13Go is disappointed, but he still decides to become a successful racer with his new car, the Mach.
02:26So, let me start by explaining the main character, the Mifune.
02:31He plans to enter a race in the Mach, a car designed and built by his father, Daisuke, and use the prize money to complete the new engine his father developed.
02:45In this situation, Go's father strongly opposes his becoming a racer, but instead Go becomes absorbed in racing.
02:55Although he is a young man with a strong sense of justice, he also has immature aspects, and he grows through his many failures and experiences.
03:05Go actually has an older brother, Kenichi, who has disappeared and is currently missing, so he is concerned about his safety.
03:14His father, Daisuke, is stubborn but has a genius technical ability, and created the super racing car, the Mach.
03:26After leaving Tozai Motors, he founded Mifune Motors and supports Goh's racing activities with mixed feelings.
03:35Also, Go's girlfriend, Michi Shimura, is the daughter of the president of Shimura Civil Aviation, and during Go's races she pilots a helicopter and reports the race situation and other information to Go.
03:51His younger brother, Clio, and the chimpanzee, Sanpei, also make frequent appearances.
03:57Also, a mysterious masked racer named Mr. X appears, giving Go support and advice throughout the race.
04:13His true identity is later revealed to be Go's real brother, Kenichi.
04:19Six years ago, when Kenichi was 18 years old, he took his car out to race without his father, Daisuke's permission, but he spun out and wrecked the car just before reaching the finish line.
04:34Later, his father points out that the accident was caused by the lack of skill of his own driving, but Kenichi counters by saying that it was the machine's fault, which makes an enraged Daisuke, who then disappears.
04:52After his disappearance, he joins an intelligence organization and returns to racing as a masked racer, Mr. X, in a yellow machine called Ryusei-go.
05:04We will explain about the Mach, the racing car that appears in the story and is owned by the main character, Mifune.
05:13It was designed and manufactured by my father, Daisuke, and is packed with features to handle any road condition.
05:22The specifications are two-seater, left-hand drive, and a V12 engine.
05:29The car's number is No. 5, and it has a white body with an M mark on it.
05:38And the biggest feature is the special functions that can be operated using the eight buttons, A through H, on the steering pad.
05:48Button A is the auto-jack function, and is a set of four special jacks that extend from the bottom of the vehicle. These are normally used when changing tires, but can also be used while driving to jump.
06:03Button B is the belt tire function, and by attaching a special belt to the tire, it can be used in bad conditions such as in the mountains or in snow.
06:14Button C is the cutter function, and a circular saw comes out from the front of the vehicle, allowing you to cut down trees and other objects as you drive.
06:23Button D is the Defender function, which turns the car into an open-top car and reveals a bulletproof, hard plastic canopy.
06:33Button E is the evening vision function, which turns the shield on a certain helmet into night vision goggles.
06:42Button F is the flocculator function, which allows you to supply oxygen to the vehicle when driving underwater or use the wash mirror.
06:51Button G is a function that uses the GizmoGo, a swallow-type reconnaissance flying mecha, and can also be controlled remotely.
07:01And button H is the homing function, which allows you to autopilot GizmoGo back home and call for help.
07:11In Mach 555, there is no enemy present throughout the previous episodes, and instead the characters compete in races against rival racers or organizations that appear in episodes every few episodes.
07:31Typical enemies include the Acrobatics who participated in the East Arcus Hell Race, and 999 Bullets, who use the Great Race to transport stolen goods.
07:44After the original version was aired in 1967, a remake was aired in 1997.
07:55In addition, this film was broadcast in the United States under the title Speed Racer, where it became popular, and a live-action movie version was released in 2008.
08:07Now, finally, it's the final episode.
08:15The final episode, episode 52, is a sequel to the previous episode.
08:20The episode from the previous episode is about a wealthy man named Maeda who organizes a race around the world, with Japan as the finish line.
08:30The winner will receive a gold nugget and the right to marry Bianca, the daughter of the winner.
08:36The race involves different machines for each section, and can include races with high-speed boats sailing on the sea or airplanes in the air.
08:49Go pairs up with his mechanic, Sabu, and enters the race, but Bianca, who was also involved in her father's crime, hides her identity and participates in the race with her butler.
09:01In fact, Bianca's goal in participating in the race was to disrupt the other racers, force them to retire, and ruin the race itself.
09:14Many racers also resort to dirty tricks to disrupt the race, but Goh insisted on fair play.
09:22And true to his word, during the race he maintains a spirit of fair play, including rescuing Bianca and the opposing driver, while overcoming many hardships and, with the support of a masked racer, finally reaches his final destination, Japan.
09:42Dozens of cars set out for the round-the-world race, but only three made it to Japan, and one of them retired after a battle with Mach, leaving Mach to go head-to-head with Bianca's racer.
10:01In a close race with cars constantly being overtaken, Go's Mach car takes the checkered flag and takes the victory.
10:08As Go receives his congratulations, Bianca approaches him, but Go tells her that he has no intention of accepting the gold bar that is the prize money for winning, nor does he intend to have Bianca's title annulled.
10:22At the award ceremony, Mr. Zemba is surprised to see his daughter Bianca on the podium, but after hearing her true feelings, he reconciles with her.
10:32Afterwards, during the victory parade, with a blizzard falling, Go's Mach car is followed by cars carrying Bianca and her child, Go's parents, his younger brother, and Michi.
10:48The program ends with Goh racing the Mach car, smiling in response to the congratulations from the supervisor, while the masked racer looks on at the situation.
11:02Now, let's take a look at the performance of the Mifune and Mach.
11:32Mach, go, go, go, go.
11:45The wind was trembling as we made our way through the hairpin curves, and I wondered if it was scary, but I just kept going, going, going.
12:23Young lives step on the accelerator and go, go, go, go, to the ends of the earth.
12:35Number, Mach number, go ...
13:05Thank you for watching
13:35Thank you for watching
14:05What did you think?
14:14When the show was airing, I remember my father scolding me for writing the Mach button on the steering wheel of his car and the M mark on the hood in crayon.
14:25Have you ever played a similar prank?
14:30Well, that's all for now. See you next time. Bye.
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