F - Motori on the track - The anime series of 1988

April 6 2022

F - Engines on the track (original title エフ And it was) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Noboru Rokuda that tells the story of a country boy, who makes his dream come true by racing in a Formula 1 car. It was serialized in Big Comic Spirits between June 15, 1985 and 1992 from the fourteenth to the thirty-fifth issue of the magazine. F - Engines on the track received the 1991 Shogakukan Manga Award for seinen / general manga.

The manga comic story was adapted into an anime series by Fuji TV and Kitty Film and aired on Fuji TV between March 9, 1988 and December 23, 1988. Ranma ½'s Atsuko Nakajima was an animation director for the series. The anime series was also broadcast in Italy with the title F - Engines on the track; the protagonist, Gunma Akagi, was renamed "Patrick" in this version. Even the anime version of the previous manga by Rokuda Dash Kappei, made by Tatsunoko Production in 1981-1982, had been successful in Italy.

The following, F Regeneration Ruri, was published by Shueisha in 12 bunkobon volumes from 2002 to June 2006.

History

Gunma Akagi is one of the three children of Soichiro Akagi, founder of a rich and powerful Japanese family. Unlike the Gunma brothers, he is the result of an extra-marital relationship and for this reason his father in the past had abandoned him and his mother to themselves in order to avoid being involved in journalistic scandals that could have damaged the prestige of the family. and its political ambitions. The boy therefore despises him deeply even though he was eventually welcomed into the family and adopts a rude and boastful attitude.

The only people with whom he has a good relationship are his younger brother Yuma, Yuki (the Akagi house maid) and his mechanic friend Tamotsu, with whom he manages to express a great (albeit crude) talent for being a pilot.

The manga begins with Gunma leaving his father's house and tells of his vicissitudes and his career in the world of motor racing, starting from the Japanese semi-amateur categories (FJ1600) to quickly move up to higher categories. The protagonist, although he has an unbearable and childlike character, is endowed with a crystalline talent that allows him to get in tune with the car and the circuit and will allow him, amid alternating fortunes, to forge ahead in the ascent to Formula 1.

The automotive events of Gunma and Tamotsu run parallel to those of the Gunma family, consisting of political and family intrigues, which lead the story to be developed and told on two fronts with completely different themes and which come into contact when the relationships between the characters they impose it. For this reason, although the series has a sporting imprint, the story focuses in some chapters on other characters in contexts other than racing, dealing with deeper and more articulated themes that can be approached more to the Seinen genre.

Characters

Gunma Akagi (赤木軍馬 Akagi Gunba ?, Patrick Ross in the Italian edition of the anime)

Gunma is a cheeky, boastful, aggressive, rebellious, violent young boy with an often unbearable and childish character. The result of an extra-marital relationship between Soichiro Akagi (rich Japanese businessman) and Shizue, a girl saved by Soichiro himself 17 years earlier, when she was still a child, immediately after the defeat of Japan in the Second World War. After the death of his mother, Gunma will be adopted by his father's family who will treat him with contempt, especially his stepmother and brother Shoma, against him he will behave by combining damage and stunts that will give problems to the Akagi family. He has good physical endurance (probably used to fighting having lived as a child on the street and excellent reflexes with which he can see the writing on a moving train even at long distances and learns to drive very quickly, soon understanding the functioning of the cars)

Tamotsu Oishi (大石タモツ Ōishi Tamotsu ?, Peter in the Italian edition of the anime)

Tamotsu is Gunma's best friend. He grew up in the countryside where he was divided between working in the fields, in which he helped his mother, and the passion for engines transmitted by his father before he abandoned them. Occasionally he works as a mechanic. With the arrival of Gunma, the two soon become best friends and enjoy frolicking with cars Tamotsu has to work on and a heavily crafted tractor that Gunma soon begins to practice driving with. He has a great passion and a great talent for engines, his dream is to become a Formula 1 mechanic. Physically he is small in stature and temperamentally the opposite of Gunma appears: shy, polite, generous, he always tries to help others are kind and respectful to everyone. He works to save his friend from trouble and help others, showing him as Gunma a great fortitude.

Soichiro Akagi (赤木総一郎 Akagi Sōichirō ?, Joseph Ross in the Italian edition of the anime)

He is Gunma's father. Soichiro is a very successful entrepreneur who tries to climb the political world. To prevent Gunma from tarnishing his image due to his constant stunts, he repudiates him and throws him out of the house. In an episode of the manga, part of his past is told, when he was a young soldier returning from World War II and felt guilt for having returned defeated and having survived his dead comrades. At this juncture he meets little Shizue for the first time (who will be Gunma's mother), and has a meeting / clash with Kasai who, after the end of the war, will become his driver and personal adviser for a long time. Authoritarian, at times macho and intransigent, he always tries to flaunt his strength and his virility despite being partially lame, he will have to face tough struggles in the world of politics and business with much more subtle opponents than him who will not hesitate to organize diabolical plans for oppose it, defame it and ruin it. On the other hand, he also shows a certain charisma and a good business sense that will allow him to successfully run the company and then to present himself in politics.

Yuki (ユキ? Mary in the Italian edition of the anime)

Yuki is the waitress of the Akagi house, who was welcomed when the girl was left without parents. With a sweet and fragile character, she is the person who most respects Gunma in the Akagi house and with whom she will have an intimate relationship. She is also the object of Shoma's desire, (Gunma's older brother and a man she despises). Shoma will abuse her and get her pregnant, but she will be forced to have an abortion of her. Being in love with Gunma, to allow him to become a professional pilot she will agree to become Shoma's partner, she will open a boutique and use her money to secretly finance Team Kuroi. When Shoma begins to have suspicions about her conduct, he will begin to use physical and psychological violence against her. In the meantime she will be stalked and harassed by a mysterious guy who later turns out to be Jiro Kada, a restaurateur with a criminal past who, against Tatsu Tagawa (uncle of Soichiro Akagi's wife), intended to kidnap Yuki to damage Shoma and blackmail the head of the family, in how much it was Soichiro who ousted him from the entrepreneurial group. Yuki, after the violence suffered and after realizing that Gunma will not be able to reciprocate her love for her in the same way, she will commit suicide by throwing herself from a building of the Akagi Group, but it is not clear if she was instead killed by Jiro Kada.

Shoma Akagi (赤木将馬 Akagi Shōma ?, Philip Ross in the Italian edition of the anime)

Gunma's elder brother, arrogant and authoritarian, hates and mistreats his brother but envies his great willpower and determination. When his father enters politics he will begin to make his way through the companies to take his place. He harasses and abuses the maid Yuki, whom he is in love with, gets her pregnant and then forces her to have an abortion. To try to win her back and make her an exemplary wife, he will give her more money to spend but he will never be able to win her over. He will become the lover and subsequently the husband of Ayako Tsukino, a scion, belonging to a rich and noble family connected to Tatsu Tagawa, who organized the thing to plot against the Akagi family and obstruct the political campaign of Soichiro Akagi.

Yuma Akagi (赤木雄馬 Akagi Yuma ?, Carl Ross in the Italian edition of the anime)

Gunma's younger brother, he is the only one in the family who respects him and tries to understand him. Later, precisely because he admires him, he decides to challenge him by sponsoring the driver Otoya Yamaguchi and subsequently joining the management of his team. Thanks to the new economic means available, Yamaguchi becomes one of Gunma's most fearsome rivals on the track in Formula 3 and later in F3000. He has a heart problem that he keeps hidden from everyone.

Kazuto Hijiri (聖一人 Hijiri Kazuto ?, James in the Italian edition of the anime)

The son of a doctor and a wealthy family, he is a formidable FJ1600 (first) and Formula 3 (later) driver and will prove to be a tough but loyal opponent for Gunma. A loyal man, he is condemned by an incurable disease that will lead him to die during the last race of the championship in one of the most intense and dramatic moments of the manga. He is the first opponent that Gunma admires. For some time Tamotsu will be Hijiri's personal mechanic, honing his experience and colliding in the last race with his father, an established racing car mechanic, who had abandoned his family long ago to devote himself to Team Kuroi .

Kazuo Kuroi (黒井和夫 Kuroi Kazuo)

Team director Kuroi and a former Formula 1 test driver for Honda, he had previously aspired to become the racing driver, but apparently did not believe in him because he was Japanese. He will put Gunma through a tough test, tying him to a racing car and making him endure the acceleration and stress of high-speed braking. The young driver will show his incredible endurance and win the trust of the team, of which Tamotsu's father is a mechanic. The team at that time was in decline but thanks to Gunma and Yuki's secret funding will be able to climb the top and achieve good results. From the beginning Kuroi teaches Gunma to fight against his own limits, reminding him that to win a race a driver must give an extra 20% that goes beyond the 100% that a perfectly tuned car can give, and that 20% it is going beyond one's limits, crossing one's own personal wall.

Junko Komori (小森純子 Komori Junko, Helen in the Italian edition of the anime)

A little older girl than Gunma, in her spare time she works with the Morioka team to assist Gunma in racing in the F1600. At first there is friction between the two, but over time a mutual sympathy will develop. Driving school instructor, she is the one who will help Gumna get her A and B licenses to be able to race. She lost her fiancé Ryuju (whose shadow persists in her relationship with Gunma) in an F3 crash, but there are other secrets behind her. She will subsequently join the Kuroi team and then she will follow Gunma to England, where she will initially work as an interpreter knowing the English language well. She has an older brother who would like to see her married.

Mrs. Komori (小森さゆり Komori Sayuri ?, Helen's grandmother in the Italian edition of the anime)

Junko's aunt, elderly widow and sprightly owner of the pension where Gunma, Tamotsu and friends Matsuura and Kinoshita stay. Gunma meets her for the first time at her driving school where she too, despite her age, tries to get her driver's license. She often lavishes advice on life, and is always ready to cheer up others thanks to her great vitality. She physically she remembers the young Kappei by Dash Kappei (in Italy Gigi the spinning top), a popular work by Rokuda himself, with a very different theme than F - Motori on the track.

Eijiro Oishi (英二郎 Eijirō?)

Tamotsu's father, who inherited his passion for engines from his parent, abandons his family years before the beginning of the story. When he discovers that his son wants to take the same path, he first tries to dissuade him, but when father and son collide respectively as mechanics of the Kuroi and Hijiri teams (Ejiro as Gunma's mechanic, Tamotsu as Kazuto Hijiri's mechanic), Eijiro himself will recognize talent and skill. He appears to be an unfriendly, rude and alcoholic person, but after he returns to live with his wife he will show intent to redeem himself and a respectful attitude.

Matsuura (松浦?) and Kinoshita (木下?)

Professional designers, longtime friends of Junko, also live at Villa Komori and participate in amateur racing from time to time. They will not initially accept Gunma's insufferable character but will later become supporters of him. Thanks to their expertise, they will paint the car that Gunma will use in the FJ1600.

Mr. Morioka (森岡Morioka?)

Mechanic, owner of the Morioka Motors workshop where at the beginning of the story Gunma and Tamotsu will work to earn some money and gain experience on engines and cars. He will support Gunma when he starts racing in FJ1600.
Calm and ironic person, sometimes gruff but wise, on more than one occasion he will give advice on important decisions. Her physiognomy partly recalls that of Kappei, the protagonist of Gigi la top, another well-known work of the author.
In one chapter it is revealed that he has lost his wife to an incurable disease.

Ruiko (ルイ子?)

Kazuto Hijiri's girlfriend, she is a very attractive ex-model and nightclub dancer, born in Hokkaido. After Hijiri's death she will try to commit suicide by swallowing some pills but she will be saved by Tamotsu in extremis and consoled by Junko, to whom she will tell her sad story about her revealing some details hitherto unknown. Between her and Tamotsu there seems to be something more than friendship and in fact Hijiri, knowing that he is condemned by her illness, will try to push her into her arms. A few years later she learns through her Junko that she has returned to Hokkaido and she has married a schoolmate with whom she will manage a farm and form a family.

Hideo Kishida (岸田秀夫 Kishida Hideo?)

From a good family, he is a young psychology student suffering from myopia, with a passion for painting and car racing. Kishida will be one of the first true supporters of Gunma, to whom he refers with the nickname "Senpai". He will run some amateur races, then he will just cheer. After Gunma destroys the first car, she will give it to him, as he is not very inclined to race. In the manga he appears for a few numbers, while in the anime (which however only fits 8 volumes of the manga out of 28) he has much more space and is seen more than once accompanying Patrick / Gunma to the tests. shoulder of the protagonist.

Kasai (笠井?)
Former fellow soldier of Soichiro Akagi during the Second World War, at the end of the conflict he will manage a small trafficking of prostitutes with the help of the occupation army. After losing a dangerous bet with a very young Soichiro Akagi, the young Kasai will try in vain to kill him. After being beaten to death he will be saved only thanks to Shizue, then only a child, who begs Soichiro to pardon him. To thank Soichiro for having spared him and show that he wants to redeem himself, he will first become a servant, then a personal driver and finally a collaborator of the Akagi family.

Sako (サコ?)
Japanese singer who emigrated to London in search of fortune, she always dresses in punk style complete with a star drawn on her face with make-up. After an unpleasant meeting with Gunma in the London suburbs, the two will start a relationship that will help Gunma to start running again after her crisis, and to her to break into the world of music. You will later have trouble with the justice system. She is often seen in the company of little Popi, an orphaned child.

Popi (ピーボー Pībō?)
Little orphan who lives with Sako, very soon he will become attached to Gunma, in which he sees a father figure, and as he grows up he will become passionate about the world of Formula 1. He too will become a very young driver and will begin to feel attraction for Junko. It is not known who his biological parents are, probably Chinese immigrants to England.

Goro
First driver of the Kuroi team in F3, with good reflexes, but his good driving skills will not be enough to win a race in F3. He is subjected to a severe test together with Gunma, both in turn being tied up front on the nose of an old Formula 1 Honda to feel the effects of acceleration and deceleration on corners. Gunma will be able to pass the test, Goro will lose consciousness and from that moment he will leave racing and start a new career as a sports photographer of the Kuroi team.

Otoya Yamaguchi
Rival driver of Gunma, initially he runs only on the circuit of his city and is supported by the family team, later he will join the Metamorphose team financed by Yuma Akagi brother of Gunma. He will give the protagonist a lot of trouble by revealing himself to be a reckless driver with a certain talent who will be able to win the F3 championship in front of Gunma even if aided by a certain amount of luck. He will continue to be a tricky opponent when they find themselves in F3000.

Tatsuo Tagawa
Relative of Soichiro Akagi's wife and defined by him as "Uncle Tatsu", he is initially a member of the board of the Akagi Group before being estranged by Soichiro himself. From that moment he will try in every way to re-enter the group and take revenge by hindering the political projects of Soichiro and the Akagi family. He is partly responsible for Shizue's estrangement from Soichiro after Gunma's birth. He will manipulate the treacherous Shoma into marrying Ayako Tsukino.

Technical data

Manga

Author Noboru Rokuda
Editor Shogakukan
Magazine Big comic spirits
Target seinen
Date 1st edition 15 June 1985 - 1992
Tankōbon 28 (complete)
Italian publisher Star comics
Series 1st Italian edition Mythical
Date 1st Italian edition June 1, 2002 - September 16, 2004
Italian periodicity monthly
Italian volumes 28 (complete)
Italian texts Massimo Semerano

Anime TV series

Regia Koichi Mashimo
Producer Yoshinobu Nakao (Fuji TV), Yoko Matsushita (Kitty Film), Satoru Suzuki (Kitty Film), Makoto Kubo (Studio Deen)
Composition series Hideo Takayashiki
Mechanical design Tomohiko Sato
Music Katz Hoshi, Wataru Yahagi
Studio Deen study
Network Fuji TV
Date 1st TV March 9 - December 23, 1988
Episodes 31 (complete)
Relationship 4:3
Episode duration 24 min
Italian publisher Yamato Video (VHS and DVD)
Italian network Italia 7
Date 1st Italian TV October 1991
Italian episodes 31 (complete)
Duration of Italian episodes 22 min
Italian dialogues Daniela Raugi (translation), Enrica Minini (adaptation)
Italian dubbing studio PV studio
Italian dubbing director Marinella Armagni