Future GPX Cyber Formula
| Future GPX Cyber Formula | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Original Manga | N/A |
| Director/Artist | Mitsuo Fukuda |
| Format | Anime (TV) |
| Made By | Sunrise |
| Episode Length | 24 minutes |
| # of Eps/Volumes | 37 |
Contents
Genre
Sum it up in a Sentence
A young boy, Hayato Kazami, enters into the futuristic Cyber Formula races with the assistance of his father’s custom-built race car, which includes a special super-AI known as the Asurada.
Main Description
Look up at the director. Did you start to groan in disgust? Well, stop it. This isn’t Gundam SEED Fukuda. This is GEAR Fighter Dendoh Fukuda. In fact, this show was what put him on the map, and why the idea of a Gundam series directed by Fukuda should have been awesome not crappy. The story follows Hayato Kazami, a young boy whose father is the top designer for Cyber Systems. Cyber Systems are special AIs built into cars to allow the drivers to perform at maximum efficiency. They don’t drive or anything like that, they just assist. Hayato’s father is developing a system for the Sugo Corporation when he is attacked by a group looking to steal his newest AI, the Asurada, for use in a war machine. Despite his disinterest in Cyber Formula racing, Hayato is forced to take the wheel of the GSX Asurada, a car with the Asurada AI installed on it, in order to keep it out of the bad guy’s hands. Unfortunately, this locks in Hayato’s driving data and so nobody else can drive the Asurada. Since this leaves the Sugo Corporation without a car, they’re forced to enter Hayato into the qualifying race instead.
It’s a pretty cliché setup, but it ends up paying off pretty well. Hayato is far from the best racer in the world. In fact, the earliest races don’t even give him a chance of winning. Instead, the major question is if he will actually be able to qualify to be in the race at all. However, as the series progresses, you see Hayato start to develop and enjoy Cyber Formula racing, due in no small part to the other racers he meets along the way. He’s assisted by his pit crew, the most notable of which is Asuka Sugo, owner of the team and his love interest. At the same time, he has to compete with the dangerous organization who seeks to take him out and steal the Asurada AI, often by trying to rig races in their favor. His only help is a mysterious masked racer (and gigantic Racer X homage) named Knight Schumacher. In a twist that is a shock to nobody, Knight Schumacher is actually Asuka’s estranged older brother Osamu.
The real stars of the show are not just Hayato, but his incredibly strong supporting cast. He makes a number of friends on the track, the most notable of which is Bleed Kaga. Bleed Kaga is basically Chibodee Crocket before Chibodee Crocket existed, right down to the multicolored hair, and is probably the most popular character to come out of the show. Hayato’s primary rivals are Naoki Shinjyo and Karl Lichter Von Randoll. Shinjyo is a talented racer who is arrogant, but also determined and hot-blooded, and ends up going back and forth with Hayato for the lead. Karl Lichter Von Randoll is a super-genius who is good at literally everything. In fact, he’s so good that he joins a sport, masters it, and then quits, saying it is no longer worth his time. He joins the Cyber Formula after Hayato comes close to beating him in a test race, impressed at the unexpected challenge available in the Cyber Formula circuit. The fact that he wants to win Asuka away from Hayato contributes in no small part to this.
There are also a series of OAVs that take place after the series, each one covering a new Grand Prix. Cyber Formula Double One (11) is about Knight Schumacher’s return to Cyber Formula after Hayato begins slacking off and growing arrogant about his skills. Cyber Formula ZERO is about Hayato having to learn to master the “Zero Zone,” a mysterious state he enters into that allows him unparalleled reaction time, but at a dangerous cost. Yes, it is literally identical to SEED mode from Gundam SEED. Cyber Formula SAGA is focused around Kyoshiro Nagumo, who introduces a new car that seems unbeatable. Yes, Kyoshiro Nagumo is literally the exact same character as Gundam SEED’s Gilbert Durandal, but much better written. Cyber Formula SIN is about Bleed Kaga stepping up to become a true rival to Hayato, and is to date the last of the OAVs. A series of video games also continue the plot, but mostly with new characters.
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Personal Opinions
ImpAtom
The main series is a lot of fun. It’s one part Speed Racer and one part Gundam, but the mix works together fairly well. The races are interesting and exciting, due in no large part to the very strong supporting cast. While Hayato is the main character, he’s just one of a number of plot threads going on throughout the races. He doesn’t win every race, and a lot of the time he isn’t even the most important thing on the track. Future GPX Cyber Formula has a really amazing way of making potentially unlikable characters be fun and interesting. Randoll in particular is a great example of this, as he somehow manages to avoid the annoying factor that comes with arrogant geniuses and instead ends up one of the most likable and amusing characters in the cast. Bleed Kaga is a great supporting cast member and a fun foil to Hayato. It’s not a mind-blowing show, but it is extremely well executed and a lot of fun to watch, even if you’re not a racing fan.
The OAVs, on the other hand, are of mixed quality. SAGA is easily the strongest of the lot. It has the least focus on out-of-nowhere bullshit and the strongest character writing. It’s also the best about not forgetting the supporting cast, including some incredibly hilarious moments featuring Randoll and Osamu making fun of the ‘masked man’ trope. It’s as good, if not better, then the series. Zero is good, but of lesser quality. The introduction of the Zero Zone is a big leap, and while the actual payoff is interesting, it’s hard to get over Hayato suddenly acquiring magical powers. 11 is pretty much a standard “you want to see more of the characters” OAV and it shows. It’s worth watching once, but promptly becomes forgettable. Even the video games tend to forget it exists. SIN is the finale, and is just not very good. It forgets why characters were likable and focuses too much on angst and drama.
One of the most notable things about Future GPX Cyber Formula is that it is where Fukuda took most of his ideas from Gundam SEED from, except he did them much better in Cyber Formula. These homages are so blatant that at least one of the openings from Gundam SEED Destiny is shot-for-shot a clone of the Cyber Formula SAGA OP, and one character (Gilbert Durandal) has the same voice actor and character design, and a very similar role in the story. However, the similarities don’t stop there. Even things like SEED Mode began their life in Cyber Formula, only much less ineptly. Even beyond being a good show, it’s an interesting watch if you want to see what Gundam SEED’s ideas would be like with less crappy execution.
