Average Rating: 
Rating:  - 'Bout Time!
Well, well, it's about time! The BEST Japanese anime show of its time, and loved by every one of us who watched it religiously while growing up, "Speed Racer" FINALLY comes to DVD with the first 11 episodes!! If done right and in order, as various websites say, this is what the disks should include:1. The Great Plan pt. 1
2. The Great Plan pt. 2
3. Challenge of the Masked Racer pt. 1
4. Challenge of the Masked Racer pt. 2
5. The Secret Engine pt. 1
6. The Secret Engine pt. 2
7. The Race Against the Mammoth Car pt. 1
8. The Race Against the Mammoth Car pt. 2
9. The Most Dangerous Race pt. 1
10. The Most Dangerous Race pt. 2
11. The Most Dangerous Race pt. 3 "Mach V vs. Mach V" is one of my very favorites, but this is a great start, and will buy every DVD "Speed Racer" set that comes out. What a great addition to the collection of anyone who likes anime, nostalgic tv, and the dangerous adventures of Speed, Racer X, Pops, Trixie, Sparky, and of course Spritle and Chim Chim. Some sites say there are 55 episodes total, from what I have checked there are 52, but either way can't wait to own them all! Trivia: Do you know what the "M" on Speed's helmet and the "G" on his shirt were for? I never did, until recently, but here's the DL: in the original Japanese version of the cartoon, titled "Mach Go Go," Speed's name is Go Mifune - so the "G" stands for Go (his first name), the "M" on the helmet for Mifune (his last name). Finally, THAT riddle from childhood solved! GET THIS SET! Unless they really mess up the transfer, this is the best DVD animation news in years! Go Speed Racer, Go!!
Rating: - One of the all-time greats on DVD at last
Certainly a bit dated in a number of ways, Speed Racer is still an excellent and highly enjoyable cartoon from the early days of Japanese cartoons.The first 11 episodes (which include my personal favorite arc, "The Most Dangerous Race") have been crammed onto one disc, and with pretty good results. The opening credits and end credits look pretty bad, but the episodes, for the most part, look better than they have in years. (The intros and some of the eps seem slightly blurry when the camera is moving, but as far as I can tell, the episodes haven't been time-compressed or any other garbage like that. More than likely, it's a sign of shoving so much data onto a single disc.) The special features are a bit basic (cast bios, production info, etc.), but aren't entirely unwelcome, just not as plentiful as one would expect. All in all, though, this set is a fine start to the series on DVD.
Rating: - A GREAT start on the entire Speed Racer collection!
I can't tell you if every episode of Speed Racer will be released as a box set sometime in the future, but there is no reason to wait! This DVD is a GREAT start, and at a terrific price too. The first 11 episodes will do for now. (Hey - they could have given us just two or four episodes!)The picture quality looks great, very bright colors, and the audio is fine too. I didn't notice any soundtrack noise or picture scratches. There is a "play all episodes" features which allows you several uninterrupted hours of Speed, or you can just play individual episodes. I found the episode menu easy to use. It breaks down each complete episode on a separate page, two or three parts each, making it easy to select just the episode you want. On the negative side, there are no USEFUL chapter markings. I don't know that you really need them for a short episode, but the chapters that do exist are fairly nonsensical. Some episodes have several chapters while others have none. It appears the chapters actually correspond to the bonus material. For example, track 1, chapter 4 is the same as track 3, (yet it is track 3 which is used for the bonus material.) I can't understand why the main episodes (on track 1) need these chapter markings. Perhaps those who understand such technical things can explain! The bonus features are nice, but there is nothing that is particularly enlightening or new. You can see the Mach 5's control panel in action via clips from the episodes, but you're going to see that anyway when you watch the episode! I would like to have seen the 1996 Volkswagen commercial - it is mentioned but not included on the disc. Likewise, biographies but no photos of the voice cast. I guess you can check out the official 30th Anniversary Guide by Elizabeth Moran if you really want all the details. I give this DVD 5 stars for the episodes and fine quality. Buy it for the episodes, not the bonus materials.
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