Rating: 
Summary: "Here comes Speed Racer
Review: Speed Racer is the kind of cartoon that can make a deep and lasting impression. Though it had been nearly thirty years since I had last seen it, the memory of the characters and basic storylines, remained very much intact. Watching these episodes, and hearing the music and sound effects again, the memories quickly came flooding back. And while I didn't remember exactly what each button on Speed's steering wheel did, viewing the cartoon again was still a pleasant trip down memory lane. The action adventure cartoon from Japan, follows the exploits of Speed Racer, an ambitious and sometimes headstrong, 18-year old racecar driver. His automobile, the Mach 5, is equipped with numerous high tech features that enable Speed to deal with a variety of hazardous situations. The concept of a super slick racing car, driven by a squeaky clean hero type is a good one. The Mach Five, is probably the coolest, most famous, animated racecar ever. Though the car itself has great appeal, it is the interaction between Speed, and his family and friends, that holds your interest. Sure, the plots don't always make too much sense, and level of realism isn't very high, but this is after all, only a cartoon. Though done in a light-hearted manner, like many cartoons of the time, Speed Racer is pretty violent, with lots of action, fights, explosions, gunplay, car chases and fatal crashes. And while it may be tame compared to the animated features currently on TV, this still may not suitable for little children. In one episode (The Secret Engine), though in self-defense, Speed even appears to cause a death in a rockslide. The credits list only three people as providing the voices, and that seems entirely possible, as listening to the cartoon, similar sounding voices frequently reoccur among the various characters. This tends to make the cartoon a little monotonous aurally. The music however, is quite stimulating, and is used effectively to complement the action, especially in the episodes featuring the Mammoth Car, and The Most Dangerous Race. Visually, the transfer to DVD is excellent. The images are sharp, and the colors are solid and clear. There is minimal evidence of flaws or deterioration in the images. The DVD, is an excellent value, as it contains the first eleven episodes of the show, and clocks in at around 262 minutes. The "Limited Edition" has a sleeve that slides over the DVD case. The sleeve has glued to it an image of Speed set against the background of a tire tread, made of real rubber. The presentation is not without flaws however. For some unfathomable reason, there are no chapter stops, and without them, jumping around the disc is no easy task. Design of the menu is poor as well. The "extras" on the DVD are not very noteworthy either. So while the DVD comes up short in the "gravy" department, the "meat" is all there. For fans of Speed and the gang, this disc is definitely a must have, and is available at a very reasonable price. Get your copy today. "Adventure's waiting just ahead."
Rating: 
Summary: He's a Demon On Wheels...
Review: Speed Racer, though a bit cheesy thanks to Chim-Chim and Spritle, is a top-notch classic series. No disrespect to those 2 characters though, it wouldnt be Speed Racer without them. Fans of the show can now own the first 11 episodes, which are great in setting up the rest of the series. How Speed is such a good racer, how Racer X came to be are some of the questions answered in these first episodes. The rubber tire packaging was a great touch and for what you are buying this is a great price. This is a series adults and kids alike will enjoy so I recommend picking it up. Who can resist the antics of the Racer family and Speed's great races? As far as extras there is nothing great here. There is a trailer for the 90's series, and it looks terrible. It is an abomination to animation. This series will seem even better after you see that so enjoy episodes 1-11 of Speed Racer, then buy Volume 2 with episodes 12-23. Episodes on this set are:
The Great Plan (1&2)
Challenge of the Masked Racer (1&2)
The Secret Engine (1&2)
The Race Against the Mammoth Car (1&2)
The Most Dangerous Race (1,2&3)
Rating:
Summary: Oh the memories....
Review: The DVD I received has the "real rubber tire" and colorful rubber Speed close up portrait on the box. It was a real pleasure to hear the sound of the Mach V engine reving up! Don't expect THX sound quality since the series originated in 1966. The 11 episodes play through one at a time and each plays the intro and exit music themes. Watching Speed Racer after school in the 70's with my sister was one of the few things we could enjoy together. I still have the hots for Trixie!
Rating:
Summary: Adventure's Waitin' Just Aheaaaaaaaad!
Review: The eleven episodes of Speed Racer on this DVD are a surefire way to bring nostalgic parents and their wide-eyed children closer together. I just got this and my four-year-old has barely watched anything else since it went in the DVD player. I'm not the world's biggest Chim-Chim and Spritle fan, but my son can't get enough.
All I remember of the show from my childhood is the catchy refrain in the theme song and that I loved watching it. Personally, the problems people have had with the opening and closing titles being different aren't a big issue for me. And I'm not watching with a stopwatch, so time compression isn't a big deal either. The shows themselves are what I got the DVD for and as far as I'm concerned, they're great.
That's not to say the DVD is perfect. I've noticed an occasional audio "chirping" glitch here and there, but not enough to be a problem. My biggest problem is that your viewing choices are limited to "play all" or each episode individually, and that you can't chapter advance while "playing all." So if I want to watch the three-part "The Most Dangerous Race" I can sit through the first 8 episodes or after watching episode 9, I have to push "play" again for ep. 10 and then again for #11. Not the biggest of deals, but along with the fact that the episodes aren't broken into chapters, either (if you stop watching 2/3rds of the way through, be sure to set a bookmark, or be ready to fast-forward forever), it makes it difficult to watch the DVD the way you want to watch it.
The extras are nice, but nothing incredible (although the footage of the mid-90s remake makes you appreciate the original even more). A trivia section, explaining things like why Speed has a "G" on his shirt, or why cars change colors halfway through the big turn in the opening sequence, would have been nice. Granted, most of that is available on the Internet, but having it on the disk would have been better than pictures of a few items of Speed memorabilia with no context attached to them.
I know this review has been mostly drawing attention to the DVD's flaws, but I still stand by my 5-star rating. The individual episodes are wonderful. The stories, while occasionally hokey, are engaging and fun. The artwork and sound are great. And then there's that theme song ... whoa Nellie! Minor gripes aside, this is a great DVD for young and old. Don't miss it.
Rating: 
Summary: OK; Should be Better
Review: The quality of the video and audio is great -- much better than I've seen on video tapes (most of which were recorded at EP speed). But it's pretty [bad] that they changed the graphics for the opening, and even [worse]that some of the episodes are recorded at the wrong speed -- they play a little fast (you can tell because the voices on those episodes are higher pitched, as is the theme song). That's bad. Also bad is the misspelling of Jack Grimes' name as one of the voices. On the videotapes, it is correctly spelled Grimes; on the DVD it is Crimes. That, along with the fast playback on some of the episodes shows that little care was used in putting this DVD together. Family Home Entertainment should be ashamed. I expect more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Release for Fans
Review: This is a nifty little package at a great price, complete with rubber front case. There really isn't much to say outside of the DVD contains the first 11 episodes (all paired, so basically, it's the first 5 stories). I am strongly hoping there will be a future release box set that will contain all the episodes. I was a big fan of this series when I was a kid, and probably will be for life.
The DVD mastering is great, the picture is sharp and clear and looks great. The sound is good too. There aren't a heap of extras on the DVD, but there really doesn't need to be.
Great cartoon, great DVD - buy it today and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: 'Bout Time!
Review: 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:
Summary: Adventure's Lying Just Ahead...
Review: What a blast from the past! Speed Racer still holds up after all these years because of the boldness of the vision and the humorous dialog. Looking back as an adult, it occurs to me now that the U.S. voice production took place in New York, hence the Brooklyn accents, especially for the villians like Snake Oiler. "I'm not fallin for that trick!" The 3-part "The Most Dangerous Race" alone is worth the price of this DVD. It's the epic signature piece with the Car Acrobatic Team (as a kid I bought the whole idea of putting a small wing on a car to make it glide) going against Racer X and Speed who loses his sight temporarily for some reason after falling into a chasm. Literally a cliff-hanger! The cinematic gestures of this "cartoon" (the "M" mark on the hood of the Mach 5 dissolves into the next scene) were lightyears ahead of its time and had no counterpart in American TV animation. And the music: the relentless "Mammoth Car" theme and the sound of the horns will surely bring a smile to your face (notice how the front of that car kinda looks a lot like the Cylons from "Battlestar Galactica," which came after Speed Racer. The "features" on this CD are a bit lame, though. The liner notes don't have photos or interviews with the voice actors. Would have loved to hear what Corrine "Trixie" Orr has to say about her characterizations now. She also did the voice for "Sprittle". But I suppose space is limited on a DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Go Speed Go!
Review: When I stumbled upon this DVD in the Amazon Gold Box promotions... I was instantly hooked to buy! I remembered watching Speed Racer in the 70's as a kid and loving every minut, but dreading the cliff hanger endings because you couldn't always be sure to see the second part (without VCR's to record a week in advance we missed a lot!) Now, not only could I watch the first 11 episodes at once if I chose, but I could share Speed Racer with my kids (aged 7 and 4). I had a hunch they would be hooked... and you know, I was right! Speed Racer is like the precursor to Pokemon... without the monsters. In fact a lot of the poses Speed makes are like Ash Ketchum... The action... quick and cut away is similar at times. But that is beside the point, my kids were mesmerized by the story lines and the cliffhangers (perhaps it was cruel, but I forced them to watch only one episode a day...not the whole DVD as they would have gladly done... afterall, that is actually part of the experience.. that delayed gratification of seeing Speed beat the odds.) If you remember watching Speed Racer as a kid.. don't hesitate to buy this for your own and your kid's enjoyment... Speed Racer is awesome!
Rating:
Summary: Go Speed Go!
Review: When I stumbled upon this DVD in the Amazon Gold Box promotions... I was instantly hooked to buy! I remembered watching Speed Racer in the 70's as a kid and loving every minut, but dreading the cliff hanger endings because you couldn't always be sure to see the second part (without VCR's to record a week in advance we missed a lot!) Now, not only could I watch the first 11 episodes at once if I chose, but I could share Speed Racer with my kids (aged 7 and 4). I had a hunch they would be hooked... and you know, I was right! Speed Racer is like the precursor to Pokemon... without the monsters. In fact a lot of the poses Speed makes are like Ash Ketchum... The action... quick and cut away is similar at times. But that is beside the point, my kids were mesmerized by the story lines and the cliffhangers (perhaps it was cruel, but I forced them to watch only one episode a day...not the whole DVD as they would have gladly done... afterall, that is actually part of the experience.. that delayed gratification of seeing Speed beat the odds.) If you remember watching Speed Racer as a kid.. don't hesitate to buy this for your own and your kid's enjoyment... Speed Racer is awesome!
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