Yo Joe! HeÆll fight for freedom wherever thereÆs trouble, G.I. Joe is there. Every time I heard that theme song I knew it was time sit back and watch the Joes stop Cobra from taking over the world. G.I. Joe was the best cartoon I had ever watched, and I had most of the shows memorized by the time it was canceled. When cancellation struck my favorite television show my world was turned asunder. Sure I could watch the reruns of all the old shows and pretend that nothing had ever happened, but that was not enough for me I needed something new to experience. That new experience came to me one day as I was surfing the channels on my TV and I happened on Speed Racer, a cartoon which had been in reruns for years, but was brand new to me. I watched that show with all the intense concentration a child of nine could muster. SpeedÆs adventure in that episode hooked me and from that point on I have loved Speed Racer and consider it my favorite cartoon. If you will bear with me for a few moments I hope to prove that Speed Racer is a better cartoon than G.I. Joe because it has a lighter subject matter, the good guys have the cool vehicles, and it has a more realistic treatment of weapons.
First of all, the plot of G.I. Joe was simple and to the point: the Joes kept Cobra from taking over the world while, Cobra kept trying time after time. As a child I questioned why Cobra would keep trying when every plan they set up fell at the hands of the Joes. I feel now that the subject of world domination was probably a little over my head. The subject involved in Speed Racer is more easily understood because it is lighter in nature than G.I. JoeÆs. The story of Speed Racer is based around a family of race car drivers aptly named the Racers. Speed Racer the star of the Racer family with his super car the Mach 5 races to a victory each time he takes to the track. A side story centered around SpeedÆs long lost brother Rex Racer, who is a spy known as Racer X supplies enough action and mystery to keep even a child amused. There are no events in Speed Racer that require one to question the motives behind them for example Speed races because he wants to win, the bad guys race because somebody has to try to beat Speed, and Racer X is a spy because that is his job. All of the ideas proposed in Speed Racer are easily understood by people of all ages, while G.I. Joe sometimes ventures over the head of itÆs target audience.
Cool futuristic technology is the cornerstone of any good action cartoon G.I. Joe and Speed Racer are no different. One notable difference between the two shows is the distribution of all the cool stuff. For example in; G.I. Joe Cobra always had all the cool vehicles like the H.I.S.S. tank and the Rattler, a vertical takeoff and landing airplane, meanwhile the Joes normal tanks and standard fighter jets. As a child I sometimes found myself pulling for the bad guys in a fight just because they had the coolest airplane or the neatest boat. Speed Racer on the other hand is an application of the idea that the good guys should have the best vehicles. Speed drives the Mach 5, arguably the coolest car of all time. With all of the Mach 5Æs gadgets and gizmos the other racers in their generic race cars had only a minimal chance of winning any races. If SpeedÆs Mach 5 is not enough to throw the balance out of whack, Racer X drives the X-11 a car equipped with all the options a super spy would be likely to need at any given time. While G.I. Joe has the cool stuff needed to make a good action cartoon, Speed Racer puts that cool stuff to work in the hands of the heroes which helped me in that I never found myself pulling for the bad guy in a race.
While the other topics discussed thus far are trivial and centered around ones enjoyment of the show this last topic is one with social value and perhaps a bit of controversy. The soft treatment of violence in general and weapons in particular is grossly apparent in modern cartoons. This trend of nonrealistic treatment of violence is seen at itÆs peak in G.I. Joe. For example, the guns used by both the Joes and the Cobras fire apparently "harmless" beams of brightly colored lights that never seem to hit any one and, if a weapon happens to take down one of the vehicles the last things we see is the driver jumping to safety at the last moment. Perhaps I am wrong but it is hard believe that nobody in an elite force of soldiers could hit a target with a gun, and I donÆt feel like every person in a major battle will escape alive. I think children living with this as their guide will have a distorted view of the reality of violence and could end up hurting a playmate by accident.
Speed Racer has a very different approach to violence and weapons. When Racer X fires a gun it fires bullets and when people are hit they die. This realistic treatment may seem harsh at first, but in the long run it teaches kids who watch the show that guns are not toys but that they are dangerous and should not be played with. By the same token when somebody crashes a car on Speed Racer they are hurt or possibly killed. While many would argue that we as a people should not let our children see the affects of violence on TV programs, I commend Speed Racer for helping teach our children a harsh fact of life. The realistic treatment of violence found in Speed Racer as opposed to the sugar coated violence found in G.I. Joe is the paramount reason I feel Speed Racer is the better cartoon for people of all ages.
Here He comes Here Comes Speed Racer. This is the theme music of choice for discriminating cartoon viewers. after years of G.I. Joe, I found Speed Racer and I have learned to love it. I feel you would also enjoy it if you give it a chance. Whether you choose to watch it because of itÆs more realistic treatment of violence and weapons, itÆs light subject matter, or just because the good guys get the cool stuff you will not be disappointed. In Japan Speed Racer is loved by one and all, how could a few million people be wrong.
