Development

Symbolism

Yoshida selected the names and symbolism in his creation very carefully. The large red M on the hood of the Mach 5, which in North America was assumed to stand for "Mach 5," is actually the emblem of Mifune Motors, the family business. That is also the origin of the "M" on Gō's helmet. This was a homage to Japanese film star Toshiro Mifune. In the Latin American version, the "M" stands for "Meteoro", Speed/Go's Latin American name and the name of the series in Latin America which literally translates into English as "meteor", an object that can also be related to swiftness and speed. His given name, Gō, is also a Japanese homophone for the number 5 (the number on his race car). This is also represented by the yellow letter G embroidered on his short-sleeve blue shirt. The tradition of symbolism on characters' shirts would be also used on Michi (Trixie) and Sabu (Sparky), who had the letter "M" and "S" on their shirts, respectively.
[edit] Audience

Beyond Speed Racer's appeal as an early anime, the series generally is for family entertainment and does not contain the deep intellectual conflicts or controversies seen in anime today. It can be argued that the plots in Speed Racer were more complicated than conventional American cartoons of the 1960s, but the overall purpose was to please a growing fan base worldwide with exciting stories that involved facing adversity on the race track and beyond.[7] There is some argument over how much was edited from the original series. Some say the original Mach GoGoGo episodes underwent minor editing to reach the form which aired in the US; others say it underwent major editing. Nevertheless, it was considered appropriate entertainment for the whole family. Both may be possible: the amount of violence in the American airing was generally acceptable; however, there are some scenes in the episodes that would have never been allowed to air were it created under American standards.