Takeshi's team is broke, outgunned, and fighting pilots who've trained their whole lives, and somehow that makes every single race feel like the only thing that matters. Five episodes is barely enough time to breathe, but the show compresses more character into a glance and a decision than most series manage in a full arc. It's a proof of concept that understands mecha sports aren't about the robots, they're about the desperation of people who have nothing left to lose except each other.

The year is 2035, and Team Suzaku is getting ready to face Team Sledge Mamma in the final round of the 12th Immortal Grand Prix, known as IGPX. Takeshi heads Suzaku, a squad of young amateur pilots. They have to stretch their small budget and modest weaponry as far as it will go to prepare for a tournament built for professionals. This short sci-fi sports series has episodes of five minutes or less and served as the pilot for the full IGPX: Immortal Grand Prix. Unlike that later series, the competition here is combat between mecha rather than mecha racing.