Deciphering and Translating Speed Racer

In the English version, the names and references in Speed Racer seem very straight forward.  For example:

• The story centers around the Racer (surname) family: Pops and "Mom" Racer and their three sons Rex, Speed, and Spritle.

• The state-of-the-art race car is called the Mach 5.  "Mach" in English is a measurement of velocity with respect to the speed of sound, so it would seem to incite images of going fast.  The number 5 is simply the number, or generation, of the car build.

• The frequent use of the word "go" in the show's theme song might seem to be a simple cheer as the crowd watches the race.

• Speed has a letter "G" monogramed on his shirt, perhaps also a reference to the cheer "go" or maybe to be "going fast."

However, these are misconceptions that become clear when considering the original Japanese and how some of the significance of these ideas got lost in translation:

• The name of the series in Japanese is Mach GoGoGo and the phonetic pronunciation of those words have different meanings in English.

• The main character (Speed Racer) is actually named Go Mifune, with Mifune being the surname.

• The name of the race car is Mahha-go.

• In Japanese, "go" is the phonetic word for the actual number 5.  The name of the car, Mahha-go, translates as "Item Number 5."

• The catchy line "Go Speed Racer go" from the American theme song is actually the Japanese title: "Mach-go Go Mifune Go."

• The "G" monogramed on the shirt has the double meaning of being both the abbreviation of Go Mifune's name and the car number.

• "Go-Go-Go" is how the Japanese make the sound of tires rumbling on a track.

The other characters' names in the original Japanese are:

• Daisuke Mifune ("Pops Racer")

• Aya Mifune ("Mom Racer")

• Kenichi Mifune ("Rex Racer" and "Racer X")

• Kurio Mifune ("Spritle Racer")

• Michi Shimura ("Trixie")

• Sabu ("Sparky" the mechanic)

• Sanpei ("Chim-Chim," the family's pet chimpanzee)

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