Customer Reviews
Speed Racer the first volume 
2008-05-31
I guess I have always been into Japanese anime, since I was a little kid and now I am into the new anime. Speed Racer is an adventurous cartoon that my whole family grew up with and is glad we found the DVD. The new Speed Racer does not match up to the old, sorry to say.
Speed Racer 2008-05-29
Can't go wrong with a Speed Racer DVD in your collection. If you're a Speed fan, this will bring back the memories.
A few issues but decent 
2008-05-29
Those of us who grew up with Speed Racer know the theme music for both the start and end of the show. The episodes are of good quality and faithful to it's era. However The opening sequence is different. It appears during the remastering process they superimposed a new logo that is digitized. It is noticably different and sloppy a bit. Also the same thing was done with the ending credits. New Credits were digitized over what appears to be a copy of the animation at the end. The animation sequence at the end looks like a 3rd or 4th generation copy. My feeling is that they lost the originals for this. Also the Trans Lux original logo in the beginning is absent as well.
Still at this price it is worth checking out.
A (Speedy) Drive Down Memory Lane 2008-05-27
First of all, the dvd I recieved didn't have the collector's rubber dvd case, that having been said I was still very happy for being able to see these old episodes again.
As a huge fan of the series in my youth, and still being quite the kid now, I was very happy these episodes made it to dvd.
A must for fans of the old series, or anyone curious to see where the Wachowski's new movie all started from!
He's a demon on wheels 2008-05-14
"Here he comes, here comes Speed Racer
He's a demon on wheels
He's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someone
He's gaining on you, so you better look alive
He's busy revving up his powerful Mach 5"
(From theme song: US Version, by Peter Fernandez)
Since I'd never heard of Speed Racer before seeing the preview for the movie, and because my child is an avid race car fan, I thought it best to do some homework so that I could at least hold my own during son/mother interrogation sessions.
The questions begin simply enough.
"Which character are you from Speed Racer?"
But then it develops into the type of car, how fast it goes, who are the bad guys, and then he gets to the really hard stuff. It's fortunate therefore that this DVD exists, as we were able to watch it together many times (him)/ad nauseam (me), and I managed to survive the grilling, at least until we go see the movie.
Originally from the Japanese anime Mach GoGoGo, the series was "Americanized" and aired in the USA from 1967. It features the young racing car driver of the title, plus assorted family members, female romantic love interest, the mysterious Racer X, and tons of villains. The star however, is the Mach 5 itself - a secret agent car if there ever was one, complete with gadgets which are activated by pressing the seven buttons on the steering wheel and another on the console.
This DVD has the first eleven episodes of the 1967 television cartoon, plus production notes; words and music of the theme song; a brief glimpse of the Mach 5; a Villain's Gallery of eight featured bad guys (complete with clips), a preview of the sequels and spinoff commercial, and a list of available merchandise.
The episodes are:
1. The Great Plan (Part 1)
2. The Great Plan (Part 2)
3. Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 1)
4. Challenge of the Masked Racer (Part 2)
5. The Secret Engine (Part 1)
6. The Secret Engine (Part 2)
7. The Race Against the Mammoth Car (Part 1)
8. The Race Against the Mammoth Car (Part 2)
9. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 1)
10. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 2)
11. The Most Dangerous Race (Part 3)
Recommended for those who need to brush up their Speed Racer knowledge prior to watching the movie, people who remember watching the series in the sixties, and people who are too young to have heard about it before now.
Amanda Richards, May 13, 2008
The Real Speed Racer 2008-07-06
Purchased for my 7 yo son and he loved the show. It left him wanting more, he could not get enough.
what a trip 2008-07-03
this is a great dvd! i bought it for my six year old and we watched it together. it was awesome. it was more like two kids sitting on the couch. brings back the memories.
Such A Treat! 2008-06-29
When I saw the DVD for the first time, all the images came roaring back to me! I'd forgotten how much I loved this show until the movie came out and I've seen that 5 times now!
So glad I got all five volumns, the picture quality is so much better than the old VHS tapes my brother has and the price is very resonable!
My only complaint was that I had to buy a new DVD player to watch these on because they are so compact my DVD recorder which is only 2 years old can't play them...but still worth it to see my old friend Speed at it again!
Go, Speed Racer, Gooooooooooooooooooo! 2008-06-10
My only complaint is the original Trans-Lux credits and Speed Racer logo replaced with that uninspired '80s logo. Otherwise, the DVD plays fine and seeing one of my childhood pleasures again is of so good! :)
Speed Racer episodes 1-11 2008-05-31
Those of you who have been enjoying Speed Racer The Next Generation on Nick Toons network are sure to love the these classic origin adventures of the original Speed Racer with the first appearance of such characters as Crusher Block and the car acrobatic team. Also interesting to learn how the true origin of Speed brother Rex and Speed's beginning as a racer compared to the live movie that hit theatres in 2008. Though I don't recall the original Speed actually ever doing the 180 reverse thrust car move that his son does people are sure to enjoy the secrets of the Mach 5 being reveal to a new generation of viewers. For those who do enjoy the special features on this disk I also suggest Speed Racer The Movie DVD which came out in 1993 and has a wonderful commentary track with the voice actors.
