Tag Speed Racer

Brain Candy: The Universe Is Imploding…Don’t Tell Mom!

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Not too long ago, Phelan Porteous (Phelous) presented a video review of Our Friend Power 5 (a South Korean movie made to promote a toy line that unnaturally mashes up Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Voltron, and must be seen to be believed).

This got me thinking about the types of roles that parent characters usually play on shows tailored for kids. I know that this is the type of thing that most people don’t even notice or care about, but I usually notice because I’m a weirdo.

Gonzo

“Nothing wrong with that! Weirdness is a lifestyle choice!”

I’ve noticed that in most Eastern (Japanese, Korean) shows that focus on kids going on amazing adventures, doing science fiction-y stuff and so forth, it will often be the father who has a secondary role in the proceedings, such as the dad being a professor or some type of scientist who will assist the kid protagonists in their adventures, while the mother will usually just be a happy housewife who has no connection to the fantasy side of the show other than being related to and living in the same house as the kid protagonist(s). Some examples include:

Speed Racer Mifune Family

The Mifune family (from Speed Racer):

Mr. Racer – A former wrestler turned owner of the Go! racing team franchise.

Mrs. Racer – Subscribes to Good Housekeeping and Woman’s Day.

Dr.Spike_taylor

The Taylor Family (from Dinosaur King):

Dr. Spike Taylor – Archaeologist who assist the D-Team and sometimes directs the kids to that mission’s location.

Aki Taylor

Aki Taylor – Artist. Housewife. Makes a mean tuna casserole.

Now, my first thought is that something like this would never fly in an American kids’ show. If us yanks ever tried to have a formula like the one aforementioned, there would the inevitable cries of…

Phoenix_Point

“THAT’S SEXIST!!”

Most likely American kids show producers would deal with this issue by simply omitting the mother character altogether, which I don’t like. At all.

Transfromers Rescue Bots Family

Boo on you, you mother hating so-and-sos! Go write for Disney feature films!

Now don’t get me wrong. Generally speaking, I prefer it when mother characters are active characters who do things, such as Phoebe Calisto from Miles From Tomorrowland, who’s not only a crew member of the Stellasphere, but she’s the ship’s captain!

Phoebe Callisto

“That’s Captain Mrs. Calisto if you’re nasty!”

…but even if the mother of the main family is basically Susie Homemaker, I’ll take that over the total absence of a mother from the household.

Maya & Miguel - Rosa & Santiago

Or both parents could be clueless domestics. That works too.

Personally, I haven’t seen any anime or Asian kids where the parents roles are reversed. That is, where the mom is the scientist/adventurer who helps the kids and the dad is just the dad. Mind you, I don’t watch a lot of anime, so if any such examples do indeed exist, feel free to enlighten me.

I know that this character isn’t a mother, but I want to give an honorable mention to Nintendo’s character Pauline.

Pauline

In the course of the character’s history, Pauline went from being Mario’s one time helpless (and blonde) girlfriend who existed solely to be captured by Donkey Kong…

Donkey Kong and Pauline

Stomp in the name of love!

…to the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. Not the Mayor’s aide or the Mayor’s secretary, but the freakin’ Mayor!

Mayor Pauline

You’ve come a long way, baby!

Unpopular Opinions: Spritle & Chim-Chim

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Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t hate the characters of Spritle and Chim-Chim from Speed Racer. In fact, I find them weirdly fascinating in a odd, stupid way.

Spritle & Chim-Chim

BTW, did you know that Spritle’s name is a variation on the word ‘sprite’, referring to how he’s small? Now you do.

I know these 2 have received their fair share of vitriol from cartoon fans and stand-up comedians, but not me. It could be because I’ve always been a fan of silly, zany humor and I’ve always preferred the comedic jokey-joke characters to the straight, sensible, serious stoic hero types, or maybe it’s just ’cause I’m an odd bird, but I personally have never had any serious problem with them.

spritle_chimchim_trunk

Yeah, their antics are stupid and annoying, but they’re the annoying little brother and his equally annoying pet chimp, the add-on comic relief characters of the show; they’re supposed to be stupid and annoying.

S&CC2

Spritle and Chim-Chim’s humor is loud, stupid, pointless, juvenile and pretty dumb, but none of these assessments are criticisms as much as they are simple statements of fact. Can any of those epithets really be criticisms when it seems like they’re exactly what the show was aiming for? To point out that Spritle and Chim-Chim were silly, infantile and annoying is like pointing out that cotton candy has sugar in it.

S&CC3

To elaborate on a point made by Jason in his Cartoon Couch on The Funny Company, another reason why I don’t hate these 2 is because they represent a trope which I’ve always enjoyed: when characters on shows are totally accepting of their weirdness surrounding them. My favorite animated shows are the ones which gladly embrace the big, dopey silliness of cartoons and just run with it. The Mifune/Racer family just happens to have a live-in chimpanzee, who regularly dresses exactly like their youngest child, and often seems to be his twin. Sure, why wouldn’t they? And nobody on the show ever questions it. There’s just a surreal nuttiness to their whole existence that I find intriguing. It makes no sense, but for me that’s part of the appeal.

Aya Mom Racer

Plus, if the presence of Spritle and Chim-Chim means more scenes at home with Aya/Mom Racer, then I’m definitely down. Pour me a glass of MILF!

So no, I don’t dislike Spritle and Chim-Chim the way so many others do. I concede that they’re dumb and grating, but again, I think that’s what the producers were going for. In the right hands, characters like them could and can be made appealing, though admittedly they’re best taken in small doses. If put in the front, they’d have to stick to shorts, as their shtick doesn’t really lend itself to longer stories.

-Think that’s weird? I’ve talked to people who actually don’t hate Scrappy-Doo.

scrappy-doo

“Lemme at ’em! Lemme at ’em! Wait, WHAAA?”

Believe it or not!

Nerdvana: Driving With Toons

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On this Nerdvana, we’ll be geeking out on some of my favorite modes of animated transportation. Those toyetic gas guzzlers that have been featured in cartoons that I’d like to drive myself in real life. Having said that…

“WE RIDE!!!”

Let’s start with one of my favorite vehicles from an anime; Speed Racer’s car, the Mach Five.

Go, Twinsanity, Go!

The Mach Five not only sports a stylish design, but it’s loaded to the teeth with specialized super spy type gadgets. I don’t know if those features are legal on the professional racing circuit, but they’d be cool to have.

Trivia Time: The “M” on the hood of the car doesn’t stand for Mach Five. Rather, it stands for “Mifune”. In Japan, Speed Racer’s name is Go Mifune (which is also why he wears a letter ‘G’ on his shirt). Mifune is not only the protagonist’s surname, but it’s also the name of his father’s motor company.

And of course there’s no way that I could have discussion about my favorite cartoon cars without mentioning The Wacky Races. Among my favorite Wacky Races car designs are the Convert-a-Car driven by Professor Pat Pending…

“My car is blinding you….with SCIENCE!”

The Convert-A-Car can be converted into an assortment of other vehicles, so it’s not only a racing car, it’s a transformer!

And I have to give props to the Crimson Haybailer, driven by The Red Max, because it’s flies!

“Come fly with me!”

Companies have been trying for decades to build the flying car, and this guy just up and does it.

Then there’s the car driven by Peter Perfect.

” Hee, hee, hee! Here comes the Perfect Man!”

First, I need to get this off of my chest: The name of Peter Perfect’s car is the Turbo Terrific!, Not the “Vroom Roadster”, as it was incorrectly referred to on a set of collectible drinking cups that were available at 7-11 many years ago! Way to out that you’ve never actually seen the show, guys! Now that that’s out of the way, I’ve liked the Turbo Terrific’s design, even if it does kind of look like an erect penis. The guy’s name is “Perfect”, after all.

“Huh-huh-huh! He said ‘erect’! Huh-huh-huh! Yeah! Heh-heh-heh! Heh-heh-heh-heh!”

Sorry, but I’ve thought that for years. Anyway, my favorite wacky races car design goes to the Mean Machine, driven by Dick Dastardly and Muttley.

“Eat dust, buster!”

The Mean Machine is not only purple (my favorite color), but it sports that freakin’ cool shark fin on the top. I don’t know why Dick felt the need to always cheat to win when his car had a rocket exhaust!

This one isn’t from a cartoon, but I have to give honorable mention to The Aquabats’ transport, the Battle Tram.

The Battle Tram not only looks cool, but it’s sports multiple rooms and is much bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. Any vehicle that borrows technology from the TARDIS from Doctor Who is OK in my book.

Owning or driving any of these cars would make one the envy of the neighborhood.

Un, no. Nobody wants to be you, Turbo Teen.

Time now, I think, for some music to burn rubber by:

Well, there’s nothing else for me to say, except get out there and RIDE!

“Putt-putt-putt! Walking is for (putt-putt-putt) losers!”