Last Updated on by
IGPX IMMORTAL GRAND PRIX
Two years after the TIE/pilot aired on Toonami, the block would air its first original series on November 5th, 2005. According to Jason Demarco (one of the creatives behind IGPX and Toonami) on the 2023 Blu Ray release of IGPX, it came about because when working on the microseries they all had a good time working with each other and it was their partners who approached them about making that idea into a full series. I also assume that due to Williams Street’s previous partnership with Sunrise and The Big O season two, it made it easy for Bandai Entertainment to continue working with them as The Big O second season only existed because there was demand in the west for it. This series would be a team up of three different parties, Cartoon Network, Production IG (Ghost in The Shell), and the previously mentioned Bandai Entertainment (Former license holders for Cowboy Bebop, Gundam, etc.). The full series would be directed by Mitsuru Hongo, who Toonami fans may be familiar with as he was the director for the anime adaptation of Outlaw Star. To break down what IGPX is is both simple and complicated. Simple because on the surface it’s a sports anime. The sport of IGPX is basically a mix between F1 style racing and roller derby. A weirdly unique combination that could’ve been a mess but ends up working as the races feel intense and the fight sequences are a spectacle to look at. Beyond that is where breaking down IGPX gets more complicated. The first season of the show, which covers an entire in-series racing season, is primarily about family and the bonds between teammates. At the start of the series, Team Satomi are a mess, with a spread of characters we’re introduced to: protagonist Takeshi Jin, forward for Team Satomi, is full of himself and tends to not be a team player. Miss Satomi, the manager of the team, is unable to secure funding which almost leads to the team being sold off. Team coach Andrei Rublev, soft-spoken and more distant in his coaching style but behind that may be more than meets the eye. Mark, the team’s mechanic and son of a wealthy corporate businessman who didn’t want to take over his family business but wanted to work on repairs in the IG-1. And last, River Marque, Liz Ricarro, and Amy Stapleton, Takeshi’s teammates. River is Satomi’s backup pilot with aspirations to be the forward, resenting Takeshi as a result. Liz and Amy, meanwhile, both come from different-yet-similar backgrounds, with Liz as an orphan who finds that the team she’s on is the only family she’s got, and Amy, who comes from a wealthy background but has fairly neglectful parents that makes her feel rather alone in the world until she finds comfort in Team Satomi. During the entire course of IGPX season one, we see these characters grow and learn to be a better team, eventually becoming top dogs in the league. However, the road to get there wasn’t easy as they had to face various other IG-1 pilots and overcome various drama throughout the season. They start off facing small teams like Black Egg as they work their way up to face the lead team in the IG-1, Team Velshtein. Despite me having some vague memories with IGPX back when it premiered, I can’t remember the last time I sat down and watched it in full. I don’t think I saw the reruns, or at least all of the episodes when it came back to Toonami in 2013 which, I guess this technically makes it my first actual watch and it amazes me how much of IGPX works as a show. I like the team dynamic of Satomi and how they grow over the course of the season and learn more about each other. It can be melodramatic, but it never gets overbearing. If I have any minor nitpicks, I do wish they better showed the growth of Takeshi from a self-absorbed racer who goes in alone to a team player by the end of the season. You could maybe say that change came when he ended up dating another IG-1 racer, Fantine Valjean from Team Skylark, but it’s never specifically clear how Takeshi learned to be more of a team player over the course of the season. IGPX’s first season is a fun sports show that does predictably keep the viewer at the edge of their seats wondering what’ll happen during every IG-1 race. The art direction is also a massive step up from the TIE, with everything popping with color and still having great lighting and setups for the more dramatic elements the show throws at the viewer. It’s also animated very well, with very dynamic camera angles and jaw-dropping fight direction during the IG-1 races. The CGI used on the mechs is also incredible, with shots that were made and rendered in 2005 that still hold up today. 
You can tell a lot of love and effort went into not only the design of the mechs but also the character designs. Every character is distinct and stands out. I think my favorite design is Liz because I just like her tomboyish design and her personality fits her character. 
The voice acting is also top notch, utilizing not only some of the best voiceover talents in the industry but also using a lot of celebrity talent as well. In this series we have Steve Blum, Michelle Ruff, Haley Joel Osment, Mark Hamill, Michelle Rodriguez, Tom Kenny, and Hynden Walch just to name a few. That’s a stacked cast of talent and the voice direction is top notch in the series. Everyone does a great job portraying their characters and no one feels miscasted or poorly utilized.
The music used in IGPX, at least the US Toonami cut, is mostly licensed music from the UK music distributor Ninja Tune. According to an old Toonami Preflight episode, Jason made that call because he wasn’t a fan of the use of standard orchestral music or guitars to emote action or drama scenes. I think that for the most part, it does offer a unique listening experience and makes it feel close to what a fully Toonami-made series would be. However, with that said, I can’t always say I’m in love with the use of it in the series. I think for more dramatic scenes it would’ve been nice to have some sort of orchestral score to set the mood better than hearing the licensed songs used. Granted, it never becomes distracting or annoying but it’s a personal preference. After season one, IGPX took a brief break but would return a year later with…
