The Show:
In order to fill their schedule while riding the wave of popularity
that anime is now experiencing, the Cartoon Network has teamed up with
the Japanese animation house Production I. G. to co-produce a new show:
IGPX. This futuristic racing show could be really good.
If you took the best from American cartoons and matched it with the best
elements of anime you could have a really great show. Unfortunately,
like DICE
before it, this program doesn't have the charm of either country's work
and seems to have been written by a committee rather than someone trying
to tell an interesting story.
Immortal Grand Prix, or IGPX for short, is the hottest sport in the
year 2049. This roller derby with mechas race is fast and furious.
A pair on three man teams race over a 60-mile course at speed reaching
400 MPH. There are only six teams in IG-1, the most elite division,
and Team Satomi has just won a coveted place in that league.
Team Satomi's lead racer is Takeshi, an impulsive and reckless pilot
who doesn't know the meaning of teamwork and often leaves his teammates
in the rear to fend for themselves. Liz is the midfield player who
is a bit of a hot head and is quick to fly off the handle. The team
is rounded out by the young genius Amy and the cat she's cybernetically
linked to, Luka. Together they have to fight through the matches
with the best IGPX racers in the world, but that's hard for them to do
while they are constantly bickering.
This US-Japan co-production is a great example of why you shouldn't
let committees create TV shows. IGPX really has a lot of problems,
and most of them are because there is no one driving force behind the show,
it's a series of compromises.
The most glaring error is that they never explain the rules of IGPX
or how it is played. The game seems to be like roller derby, for
those of you old enough to remember that spectator sport, where two teams
fight on a sixty mile course. They don't discuss the strategy or
why the game is interesting though. They have based an entire show
around a nebulous game that appears to have random rules. Not only
is this irritating, but it's really makes it hard to enjoy the show.
Why do some teams slow down when they are in the lead in order to fight
the team behind them? Why not just stay ahead and fight if they catch
up? Why are there a defensive position that stays in the back?
If this is a race, which it is, why would you want someone in the rear?
A lot of this just doesn't make sense.
The main plot of the show is a little hard to grasp too. Team
Satomi has a lot of problems and never works together, yet they are the
6th ranked team in the nation. What? You'd think that a team
with their problems (like Takeshi taking the lead! Liz complains about
that a lot. Heaven forbid he try to win the race. But I digress...)
would still be in the minor leagues, if that.
Their coach is useless too. Why he isn't fired is anyone's guess.
In one episode he promises to show the racers the way to win a match.
He says that he'll give them a win on a "silver platter." His advice:
"find the weak spot and crack the egg." Oh yeah, that's great, when
they really need to win, give them a riddle mister Zen master. That's
what coaches are for.
Okay, and what's with the girl with the cat??? Why is there a
cat in this mecha-racing thing, huh? Will someone explain that to
me? They never explain that and since Amy's always in the back, it
doesn't seem to do her much good. It really feels like some big-wig
threw this out in a meeting, and no one was brave enough to say that it
was a stupid idea.
Okay, enough ranting on the idiotic storyline. This show does
have some redeeming qualities. First off the animation is excellent.
Production I. G. did the work and if you've seen Ghost in the Shell:
Stand Alone Complex you'll know that they can do excellent work.
This show looks great, but whereas SitS:SAC is dark and shadow filled,
this is brightly lit with strong colors and sparks flying off of the racers
while they fight. The animation isn't done on the cheap either, and
though one or two corners are cut, that's the exception rather than the
rule. The CGI that they use meshes very well with the drawn
images and isn't distracting at all. This is a very good looking
show.
The music that they picked for the background was also good. The
rock soundtrack fits well with the show and they took their time and selected
tracks that would amplify the emotions that are being shown on the screen.
The music adds a lot to the show, unfortunately not enough to make up for
the deficits in the story.
The DVD:
This show comes in two flavors; the Toonami version and an unedited
version. This review was for the unedited show. There wasn't
any swearing, nudity, or violence so I can't imagine what they cut.
I had no problem letting my two sons watch this version.
Audio:
This disc offers the viewers the choice of a Japanese or English soundtrack,
both in Dolby Digital 5.1 or stereo. All four tracks sound very good,
with the DD tracks really putting viewers in the middle of the action.
The sound of the racers zooming across the room from the back to front
and side to side adds a lot to the viewing experience. The soundtrack
doesn't flatten to a stereo mix after the races either. The full
soundstage is used for the entire show. There isn't any distortion
or dropouts of course, making this a really good sounding show. It's
too bad the show itself isn't better.
Video:
The widescreen anamorphic image (1.78:1) looks excellent. The
lines are tight and the colors are very bright and solid. Movement
is very fluid and natural looking too. Digital defects are absent,
and even aliasing isn't noticeable. A top-notch looking transfer.
Extras:
IGPX first appeared on Toonami a few years ago as a series of
five 5-minute shorts that they played during a cartoon marathon.
The first one is presented on this disc and though the animation is rougher
than the show, the content looks much more interesting. The show
was had a lot more humor and the characters were more interesting.
There is also an interview with Haley Joel Osment (Takashi) that runs
about seven minutes. In addition to showing off his atrocious sideburns,
the actor talks about his character, how he started in voice acting, and
how voice acting is different from acting in films.
The American co-producers give a 15-minute interview where they talk
about the genesis of the show, working with the Japanese, and how the show
is put together. This was pretty interesting and worth watching.
The third episode has a commentary track with a trio of people (one
who introduces themselves as "nobody at Production I. G." and another who
just says "I'm Sean. I'm in here too.") who really don't have a lot
to say about the show. They tell you what's happening on the screen,
in case you have trouble following the action. I wasn't really impressed
with it.
Final Thoughts:
Though the animation and soundtrack to this show are both very good,
IGPX doesn't live up to its promise. The show lacks interesting characters
and the race that the show is centered around makes no sense. While
there are some fun action scenes, they don't make up for the plodding story
the rest of the time. Even my children weren't enthused by the show.
The sound and animation quality are very good though, and they make this
disc worth a rental if you don't have anything better to watch.
Buy: