MACH GOGOGO マッハ ゴーゴーゴー (Speed Racer) | Flexi Disc, Asahi Sonorama (朝日ソノラマ) Japan, 1967
On this occasion, we will explore a piece that will open a new category in the museum, one that will take us through diverse, interesting, and exciting reviews over the months and years to come: vinyl records. They come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, but undoubtedly it was in Japan, during the 60s and 70s in the midst of the television explosion, that one of the most beautiful commercial formats was produced by the publishing house Asahi Shinbun-sha: the Sonorama.
ASAHI SONORAMA
The Sonorama is a format that combines an illustrated booklet, similar to a magazine, which is printed in full color and packaged together with a flexible vinyl record, known globally as a flexi disc, but in this case called a sonosheet (ソノシート), which translates roughly as 'sound sheet'. The latter is the heart of the product, the element that definitively separates the format from a conventional book or magazine to turn it into a Sonorama. Although the disc is called 'flexible vinyl,' it is actually made of PVC, and if you have never seen or handled one in person, imagine a sheet of acetate slightly thicker than normal but just as malleable. Unfortunately, due to its nature, flexi discs have considerably low resistance, which is why they wear out very quickly and their average lifespan was very short—practically disposable.
Thanks to the easy portability and very low production costs of the flexi, compared to a traditional vinyl record, the Sonorama became a great souvenir primarily for children and fans of television shows in Japan. It was an item that allowed them to take home the favorite stories and characters of the era. The boom of the format occurred in the late 60s and early 70s, with a large number of new TV shows airing, and other already classic ones, which had a large and solid fan base. The Sonorama served as a medium to publish the most classic and memorable adventures of each series, and unreleased episodes were also published, offering a bonus to fans who could enjoy stories never seen on television.
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| One of the many styles of the Asahi Sonorama logo. |
Thus, the Asahi publishing house, taking advantage of this commercial effervescence, launched a product—under an editorial division—that would not only make them the niche monopolizers but also the creators and consolidators of a format that became a popular cultural icon of those times. It is worth mentioning that the Sonorama shaped and saw the growth of a whole generation of voice actors, narrators, and announcers who would become great seiyū stars over the years. Many of the preserved audio recordings of rare television series from the era come from the high-quality recordings made by Asahi Sonorama for their discs. It is impressive how such a popular and very low-cost product would become an invaluable piece for consultation and preservation of phonographic material today.
DETAILING THE EDITION
It goes without saying the monumental relevance that Tatsuo Yoshida's work had for manga and anime. This artist was not only a sculptor of characters, stories, and universes but also the founder, along with his two brothers, of the legendary animation studio Tatsunoko Production (株式会社タツノコプロ). Yoshida was the creator of legendary works, such as: Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman (better known in Spanish-speaking countries as Fuerza G or G-Force), Shinzō Ningen Casshan, the memorable Hakushon Daimaō (known in Mexico as Yam Yam & El Genio), Time Bokan, Space Ace, among many others. However, it is undeniable that his most transcendental work, Mach GoGoGo (better known as Meteoro in Mexico and Speed Racer in the United States) is the opus that carries his legacy.
The original manga began serialization in Japan in June 1966 in Shueisha's Shonen Book magazine, and the animated series premiered on April 2, 1967, on Fuji TV. Therefore, this Sonorama, with a publication date of April 5, 1967, can be considered a direct promotional piece of the newly aired anime. Let's move on, without further ado, to the appreciation of the piece:
A truly beautiful edition, don't you think? Twelve pages of pure speed and automotive power. The art in its entirety seems to me of exceptional quality and grandiosity; there are truly breathtaking panels. Unfortunately, I have not been able to confirm who was responsible for such wonderful art. The credits of the edition simply credit Yoshida (redundantly) as the 'creator', and since it is a commercial product, I highly doubt he carried out the artwork himself, although of course, it's not impossible. Moving on to the cover, I would like to comment that I find it superb; few other images appeal to me as much as the cover of this edition: aggressive, hyper-saturated, and loaded with powerful phrases like:
- 少年スピード王 (Shōnen Supīdo Ō) | Young Speed King
- 世紀の魔のレース (Seiki no Ma no Rēsu) | The Devilish Race of the Century
- 時速300キロのスピードはすごい! (Jisoku 300 kiro no supīdo wa sugoi!) | The speed of 300 km/h is incredible!
- 恐るべき殺人ハンドルさばきの真実! (Osorubeki Satsujin Handoru Sabaki no Shinjitsu!) | The truth of the fearsome killer steering handling! (or something like that...)
The story in this Sonorama appears to be unreleased and exclusive to this edition: It's the start of the Eastern Alps Trial Race! It's a race of terrible rivalry because Go participates despite his father's opposition to him entering, competing against the Acrobat Clan! | However, I have found a great similarity to the premise of the original manga episode titled in English This Is A Racer's Soul. Unfortunately, I do not possess the material to corroborate and confirm that it is the same story, so if anyone wants and can shed light to clarify this detail, it will be of great help.
And since a worthy review of an audio piece cannot be done without the audio, at the KIKAI Bijutsukan museum, we have taken on the task of digitizing our copy of the sonosheet to share it with all of you below. Accompanying this digitization, we include a PDF file (which you can download here) with the full audio transcription of the disc translated into Spanish and English. Please note that this transcription is preliminary and needs corrections and polishing by language experts. We used AI tools to extract the transcription and then translate it. Either way, I think this is something that has never been done before and results in a pretty decent guide to follow the audio and enjoy the story:
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- 三船 剛 (Go Mifune / Spped Racer): | 田中雪弥 (Yukiya Tanaka)
- 三船クリ夫 (Kurio Mifune / Spritle): | 堀 絢子 (Junko Hori)
- 志村美智 (Michi Shimura / Trixie): | 野村道子 (Michiko Nomura)
- サブ (Sab / Sparky): | 富山 敬 (Kei Tomiyama)
- 覆面レーサー (Fukumen Rēsā / X Racer): | 愛川欽也 (Kinya Aikawa)
- スネーク (Snake): | 朝戸正明 (Masaaki Asato)
- アナウンサー (Anouncer / Narrator): | 矢田耕司 (Kōji Yada)
During the compilation and corroboration of data for this review, I found that our copy appears to be incomplete. It is not a reprint, as everything suggests it is the only edition that was published; it is simply a missing detail that, most likely, the original Japanese owner separated to use and enjoy. It is an additional card that, according to the edition itself, is a perpetual calendar. I did not find any images other than the following, which demonstrates the inclusion of this missing item. The work of a collector rarely ends; as soon as we manage to get our hands on that missing piece or a complete copy, we will be updating this same entry.
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