Uploaded July 2020 | Updated September 2026, 24 minutes ago
Though I’ve never had an interest in actual racing, I’ve always loved racing media, particularly the ones that take things to an over the top extreme, from animations both old and new like Wacky Races and Appare-Ranman to gaming classics like Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing to even the more obscure and sometimes infamous oddities like Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 and, yes, the Speed Racer movie, because it being kinda good is a hill I will gladly die on *static* There’s something about the high octane action and impossible stunts that hits the right spot for me, and I just can’t get enough of the ridiculous designs and larger than life personalities that come with them. And I can trace my interest for this oddly specific sub-genre back to a little show from the mid-2000s called Oban Star Racers.
It’s a show that, for the longest time, I could only remember as a fever dream of zany aliens, impossible technologies and worlds, and an emotionally, if paradoxically, grounded story. And the strangest thing of all is how, after returning to it all these years later, I think it still holds up pretty damn well. So, I want to talk about all the weird details of this intergalactic narrative and why, for me, they make it worth coming back to.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Introduction
- 01:13 - Part I: Starting Line
- 11:21 - Part II: Moving Like Molly
- 19:32 - Part III: Loss Like Nothing Else
- 28:15 - Conclusion & Outro
LINKZ!
====================
♣| Come Fly With Me! |♣
- On This Channel: bit.ly/2n4xEJi
- On Twitter: bit.ly/322Uq77
♣| Watch More: bit.ly/2NVDQyg |♣
♣| MUSIC USED |♣
- Open The Box - Geographer
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2oCQTrE
- Thème de Molly - Action - Taku Iwasaki
Part of Oban Star Racers' soundtrack
- Atmospheria - Francis Preve
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2WtAu8S
- Lights Out - Jimmy Fontanez / Doug Maxwell
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/3dYoW4U
- Shibuya - Bad Snacks
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2NlzmSY
- Dark Toys - SYBS
Check out the Artist: spoti.fi/35MN4EP
- Space Racer - Bad Snacks
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2NlzmSY
- Sound of Aging - Max McFerren
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2YZ759H
- They Might Not - Puddle of Infinity
Check out the Artist - spoti.fi/31iaLTr
- Dark Times - Kevin Macleod
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/1MyqBJz
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (bit.ly/1rMF155)
- Call The Shots - Slynk
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/3iwsPS4
♣| FOOTAGE / MEDIA USED |♣
- Oban Star Racers (Anime - 2006)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Game - 2017)
- Appare-Ranman! (Anime - 2020)
- Redline (Animated Film - 2009)
- Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 (Animated Series - 2009)
- Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (Game - 2019)
- Wacky Races (Animated Series - 1968)
- Speed Racer (Film - 2008)
- The Making of Oban Star Racers (Oban Star Racers BTS)
- Future Boy Conan (Anime - 1978)
- Candy Candy (Anime - 1976)
- Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Anime - 1978)
- The Castle of Cagliostro (Animated Film - 1979)
- Molly Star Racer (Animated Short - 2001)
- Princess Tutu (Anime - 2002)
- Aria the Animation (Anime - 2005)
- Code Lyoko (Animated Series - 2003)
- Get Ed (Animated Series - 2005)
- Galactik Football (Animated Series - 2006)
- Storm Hawks (Animated Series - 2007)
- Pacific Rim (Film - 2013)
♣| SOURCES / FURTHER READING / ETC |♣
Articles
- Oban Star Racers - Newtype USA (WebArchive) - bit.ly/2VMChXU
- CGI On TV: Not Just A Feature Animation Game - AWN - bit.ly/2BvNpSa
Interviews
- w/ Thomas Romain - bit.ly/2YXBuVP
Etc
Oban Star Racers Official Site
- Main Artists - bit.ly/2YZb5qX
- Road to Tokyo - bit.ly/3f1w5ml
#obanstarracers #anime #racing #animation #2000sanime
#traventalks #videoessay
Though I’ve never had an interest in actual racing, I’ve always loved racing media, particularly the ones that take things to an over the top extreme, from animations both old and new like Wacky Races and Appare-Ranman to gaming classics like Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing to even the more obscure and sometimes infamous oddities like Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 and, yes, the Speed Racer movie, because it being kinda good is a hill I will gladly die on *static* There’s something about the high octane action and impossible stunts that hits the right spot for me, and I just can’t get enough of the ridiculous designs and larger than life personalities that come with them. And I can trace my interest for this oddly specific sub-genre back to a little show from the mid-2000s called Oban Star Racers.
It’s a show that, for the longest time, I could only remember as a fever dream of zany aliens, impossible technologies and worlds, and an emotionally, if paradoxically, grounded story. And the strangest thing of all is how, after returning to it all these years later, I think it still holds up pretty damn well. So, I want to talk about all the weird details of this intergalactic narrative and why, for me, they make it worth coming back to.
Timestamps:
- 00:00 - Introduction
- 01:13 - Part I: Starting Line
- 11:21 - Part II: Moving Like Molly
- 19:32 - Part III: Loss Like Nothing Else
- 28:15 - Conclusion & Outro
LINKZ!
====================
♣| Come Fly With Me! |♣
- On This Channel: bit.ly/2n4xEJi
- On Twitter: bit.ly/322Uq77
♣| Watch More: bit.ly/2NVDQyg |♣
♣| MUSIC USED |♣
- Open The Box - Geographer
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2oCQTrE
- Thème de Molly - Action - Taku Iwasaki
Part of Oban Star Racers' soundtrack
- Atmospheria - Francis Preve
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2WtAu8S
- Lights Out - Jimmy Fontanez / Doug Maxwell
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/3dYoW4U
- Shibuya - Bad Snacks
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2NlzmSY
- Dark Toys - SYBS
Check out the Artist: spoti.fi/35MN4EP
- Space Racer - Bad Snacks
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2NlzmSY
- Sound of Aging - Max McFerren
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/2YZ759H
- They Might Not - Puddle of Infinity
Check out the Artist - spoti.fi/31iaLTr
- Dark Times - Kevin Macleod
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/1MyqBJz
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (bit.ly/1rMF155)
- Call The Shots - Slynk
Check out the Artist: bit.ly/3iwsPS4
♣| FOOTAGE / MEDIA USED |♣
- Oban Star Racers (Anime - 2006)
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Game - 2017)
- Appare-Ranman! (Anime - 2020)
- Redline (Animated Film - 2009)
- Hot Wheels Battle Force 5 (Animated Series - 2009)
- Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled (Game - 2019)
- Wacky Races (Animated Series - 1968)
- Speed Racer (Film - 2008)
- The Making of Oban Star Racers (Oban Star Racers BTS)
- Future Boy Conan (Anime - 1978)
- Candy Candy (Anime - 1976)
- Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Anime - 1978)
- The Castle of Cagliostro (Animated Film - 1979)
- Molly Star Racer (Animated Short - 2001)
- Princess Tutu (Anime - 2002)
- Aria the Animation (Anime - 2005)
- Code Lyoko (Animated Series - 2003)
- Get Ed (Animated Series - 2005)
- Galactik Football (Animated Series - 2006)
- Storm Hawks (Animated Series - 2007)
- Pacific Rim (Film - 2013)
♣| SOURCES / FURTHER READING / ETC |♣
Articles
- Oban Star Racers - Newtype USA (WebArchive) - bit.ly/2VMChXU
- CGI On TV: Not Just A Feature Animation Game - AWN - bit.ly/2BvNpSa
Interviews
- w/ Thomas Romain - bit.ly/2YXBuVP
Etc
Oban Star Racers Official Site
- Main Artists - bit.ly/2YZb5qX
- Road to Tokyo - bit.ly/3f1w5ml
#obanstarracers #anime #racing #animation #2000sanime
#traventalks #videoessay
