IGPX [Anime Series] (2005)

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The title of this Japanese anime series was an acronym for the Immortal Grand Prix, the most celebrated robot tournament of the year A.D. 2049. The human contestants in this tournament were obliged to maneuver their giant robots along a 60-mile track, racing and battling at top speed. Having won the IG-2 championship, the rookies of Team Satomi had earned the right to compete in the coveted IG-1. Managed by Mitsuko Satomi, granddaughter of the chairman of the once-mighty but now floundering Satomi Heavy Industries, the team was led by "forward" pilot Takeshi, a stubborn and rebellious youth. Other team members included Liz Riccardo, the obnoxious, hoydenish "defender" pilot to whom winning was the only thing that mattered; and child prodigy Amy, the team's "midfielder" and "tactician," who was able to merge her personality with that of her cybernetically enhanced cat Luca. The current IGPX champions were the members of Team Velshtein, coached by Sir Hamgra, who was Takeshi's mentor despite the fact that they were technically rivals. Providing the menaces were the foul-playing Yamma, Timma, and Dimma of Team Sledge Mama. Rounding out the cast were IGPX mechanic Mark Ramsey, who kept secret the fact that he was heir to a fortune, and announcer Benjamin Bright, the fabled "Voice of IGPX." In America, IGPX was sneak-previewed by Cartoon Network in "microseries" form in the fall of 2003 (presented in 5-minute serialized fragments), returning as a half-hour series by popular demand on November 15, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi