IGPX is a speck of gold ore in the seemingly automated production of Shounen muck. Whether this charms you or Bleach does, there`s very little room to argue which Anime has the better pacing and scene direction. IGPX is a quality Shounen work that can easily appeal to people who aren't fans of the genre.
As a racing Anime infused with martial arts, its closest relatives are not Naruto or DBZ, but instead Hajime no Ippo, Kenichi, and Slam Dunk. Structured competition is the core of IGPX. In that list, and including any anime I have ever seen, IGPX contains the best representation of both athletics and martial arts. That seems to be a strange claim given that the show`s premise is not a real sport, and the physical aspects of martial arts are never elaborated upon. Instead of a typical Shounen formula where the main character brings out his latent potential, IGPX has much more focus on the intricacies of athletic competition: from psych outs to how athletes slump into self doubt, get big headed with overconfidence, or attain that magical balance that many refer to as "being in the zone."
Story + Characters:
Takeshi is the up and coming phenom protagonist. He has basically reached his peak, and with his talent and skill, has helped his team earn a spot in the most prestigious professional league in his sport (racing robots): the IG1. The focus of character development isn`t Takeshi improving his skills, but improving as an athlete. In other words, his attitude and his competitive spirit. Takeshi`s mood shifts between Laissez-fair, cockiness, and self-doubt lends him some complexity that the rest of the cast doesn`t have. Simple and predictable as the rest of them are, their personalities aren`t totally off the wall exaggerated and they function perfectly well in the usual race-a-week framework.
The story amounts to little more than detailing the progression of Takeshi and his team through the IG1 league. Even the side conflicts like romance, or other character specific issues seem to stay within the league. Everything is related back to racing.
Animation + Sound:
In more technical aspects, both the traditional and CG animations look full and smooth. IGPX never cuts any glaring corners. The music is fitting, and of a general high quality. Fully orchestrated pieces usually play during the races while an upbeat hip hop influenced techno soundtrack fills the rest of the gap. The script is the biggest fault in IGPX. The characters have very little subtlety in their words, especially the main characters. Everyone is painfully blunt or overt. Perhaps its a problem that plagues the whole genre, but every detail of the emotions characters feel have to be spelled out for the viewer. The script has too many unnecessary frills. The excessive explanations I mentioned already, but another example is just pointless banter. Characters will shout each others names as they attack, for no reason really, more times than you will be able to count.
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Through the heart-pounding excitement of the characters, the viewer catches a little bit of the thrill of competition. This is the basis behind every formulaic underdog sports movie, and it is also behind every sports Anime. In this aspect, IGPX delivers not only in quantity of races, but also quality. The races are concise and fast paced, never dragging out tension longer than its breaking point. There are no standstills. If nothing else, chances are, the action will keep you interested in IGPX. Some of the common Shounen pitfalls are present, but they`re not difficult to overlook when the meat of the series is so well done.
