Speed Racer hits Japan

Things have come full circle as the live action movie "Speed Racer", based on the classic Japanese anime, has been released to theaters in Japan this week. To mark the occasion, the Japan Times has a pair of articles, written by Patrick Macias, about the original anime.

'Speed Racer': drawing on an anime legend is an incredible interview with Ippei Kuri, one of the founders of Tatsunoko and creators of "Mahha GoGoGo", and 'Americanizing' a cartoon classic focuses on Peter Fernandez, who adapted the Japanese series into the series known internationally as Speed Racer.

It's interesting to note that Speed Racer was a much bigger hit outside Japan than it was in its own country. And yet, the Speed Racer movie hasn't done very well and is considered to be a box office disappointment. How will Japan accept the film, and what bearing does it have, if any, on the Astro Boy movie?