Audio/Visual:
Considering that the Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection Limited Edition was released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Speed Racer, the visual quality for the 52 episodes included on this DVD are quite old. Lions Gate did an incredibly nice job of cleaning these episodes up. Sure, the actual animation looks quite retro, but that’s a major part of the show’s charm. Each episode is bright, clean, clear and it looks like there have been quite a few touch ups to make the cartoon suitable for today’s audience, who is used to highly digitalized animation.
I did notice occasional instances of noise, fuzz, specks and dirt, but that’s quite common with older cartoons. Still, this is minimal considering the age of these episodes and is hardly worth mentioning. It didn’t bother me much, if at all. Each episode is presented at a 1.33:1 aspect ratio in Full Frames.
The audio for the episodes in the Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection box set, is presented in an English Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo track. This is a step up from the usual mono track, but still isn’t quite as dynamic as a surround track would have been. The volume doesn’t need to be adjusted, which is always a plus, once you’ve set it, during the first episode. The music, dialogue, and sound effects come through sounding clear and no sound overrides the other. So, despite not being excessively dynamic, this track is a good one!
Visual: 
Audio:
Bonus Features:
There are quite a few bonuses included in the Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection tin. There is an entire sixth disc filled with bonuses. There is also something available on most of the individual discs. I’m going to go through each disc and list the specific bonus and then list the bonuses available on the sixth DVD in this box set.
I was really impressed by how well put together the Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection Limited Edition tin is. We all have Lions Gate to thank for this!
DVD ONE
The Speed Files: Set up like a file folder, some of the sections contain written information, while others contain music, scenes from the show, and pictures.
-Production-
1. Tatsunoko Productions: A biography of the Production Company
2. U.S. Translation: Information about the U.S. translation and how Speed Racer became a U.S. success after its run in Japan.
3. Theme Song: Information on the Speed Racer theme song and the ability to hear it.
4. U.S. Cast: Biographies for Peter Fernandez, Corinne Orr, Jack Grimes, and Jack Curtis
-Mach 5-
This looks at all of the buttons on the Mach 5 steering wheel.
1. A - Autojacks
2. B - Grip Tires
3. C - Rotary Saws
4. D - Deflector
5. E - Illumination
6. F - Underwater Oxygen & Periscope
7. G - Homing Robot
-Villains Gallery-
See the character on the show, read a bio of them and check out their picture.
1. Ace Ducey
2. Mr. Fixer
3. Tongue Blaggard
4. Cruncher Block
5. Captain Terror
6. Mr. Van Ruffle
7. Mr. Wiley
8. Snake Oiler
-Speed Lives On-
Check out the following sequels:
1. “The New Adventures of Speed Racer” (1993)
2. “Volkswagen Commercial Campaign” (1996) featuring Speed Racer
Check out Speed Racer Merchandise including the Mach 5 - 35th Anniversary Commemorative Replica.
DVD TWO
These bonuses aren’t right out there in the open. There are little circles with information on both the main DVD Menu and the DVD Episodes List.
-Main DVD Menu-
The top circle contains information on the Tatsunoko Production Company. It features the Tatsunoko Seahorse logo and a Seahorse Clip.
The middle circle is about the M on Speed’s helmet. This stands for the original name of Speed in the Japanese cartoon, Go Mifune or M for Mifune. It is not an M for Mach 5. The M on Trixie’s shirt also stands for her original name, Michi!
The last circle looks at the G on Speed’s shirt. It’s for his name, but also for “Go” which means 5 in Japanese, like Mach 5.
-DVD Episodes List-
See the character/car on the show, read a bio of them/it and check out their picture.
The circles sometimes reveal facts, too like “Now you see it now you don’t” about continuity errors in the “Kabala” episode.
1. Slash Marker Jr.
2. Three Roses Club
3. The Melange X3
4. Ali Ben Schemer
5. The Black Tiger
6. Kabala
7. Mr. Kadar
8. Cornpone Brotch
9. Twinkle Banks’ Acrobatic Car
10. Oriana Flub
11. The GRX
12. Dr. Nightcall
13. Professor Cumulus
14. The Fake Mach 5
Every episode section on this DVD has a quick scene featuring Spritle and Chim-Chim.
DVD FOUR
This disc has a totally new menu from the first three DVDs in the set.
There are trailers for Ultimate Avengers: The Movie, Dragons: Metal Ages, Inspector Gadget’s Biggest Caper Ever and Pinocchio 3000k on this DVD, before the main menu comes up.
DVD FIVE
There are trailers for Ultimate Avengers 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Dragons: Metal Ages (again!), and Arthur’s Missing Pal
DVD SIX
This is the main bonus disc for Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection. The bonuses on this disc are listed and have brief descriptions below.
Note: This DVD Menu is different from all the others. It plays the theme song on a loop as it flashes pictures from the show along the side of the page.
“The History of Speed Racer” - James Rocknowski, the president of Speed Racer Enterprise starts this feature off by talking about how Speed Racer debuted in Japan. A lot of the information I’ve written in this review is presented in this featurette. This looks at the Mach GoGoGo Manga (comic book) series. A year later, Mach GoGoGo became a television series. The origin of “Go” is discussed (it means 5 in Japanese, it means Go as in move, and that’s Speed’s Japanese name). Peter Fernandez talks about his role in this. He wrote Speed Racer’s adaption, produced it, was the main voices, and had a major investment in this.
Peter Fernandez talks about how he cast the three other voice actors; Corinne Orr, Jack Grimes and Jack Curtis. He does his “Speed” voice for this featurette, which is fun to see/hear. Fernandez got to name all of the villains and he loved doing this. There is a discussion on the challenges of adaptation. They had to have long run-on sentences to keep up with the movement of the Japanese animation mouths. The Mach 5 is discussed, as is the amount of violence. A few minutes per episode had to be edited out. Other features discussed in this featurette are the theme song, the 20+ years syndication of the show, the human elements to the show, the vehicles, the story, the possibility of the cartoon returning to TV, merchandising, and the influence of the series!
“Making the New Speed Racer: The Next Generation” - This looks at the new series, which features the son of Speed Racer, Speed Jr. The creators talk about keeping the element that made the original famous, but still modernizing this new series. From here, they look briefly into the past of this original show. It was really the first anime to be successful in the United States. The same people from the last featurette also make an appearance in this bonus featurette.
This is made for a new generation who may not know classic Speed Racer, but have parents who might just watch it with them because they do. This isn’t a “new” series. It’s a continuation of the past one. Things touched on include the Mach 6, the revolutionary, gasless engine, the virtual tracks, the characters, the academy, the villains, and a lot more. There is also a very nice dedication to Peter Fernandez, who plays the voice of the adult Spritle. He is a major reason the creators have made this show.
“Speed Racer: The Next Generation Episode 4: “Low Price of Fame” - This is an episode from season one of the new Speed Racer series. This is written by Gerry Duggan. Speed Jr. has just learned that Speed Racer is his father. He has found the parts to build the new Mach 6 with the help of Conor. Speed is having trouble dealing with the fame of being the son of Speed Racer. X tries to help him out by giving him advice, but trouble brews when Mitch, a creepy stalker kid, spreads the lie that Speed and X will be racing. This, of course, turns into a real race. This wouldn’t be a real race without some sabotage, on the part of Annalise.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
I hadn’t seen a single episode of Speed Racer since I was a child. I know I liked the series then, but I’m pretty much addicted to the series now. If you enjoy cartoons, you need to check out Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection. This was the first successful anime in the United States. It has paved the way for many other, popular anime cartoons that are big in the U.S. today. I don’t care if you’re not a parent, buy the Speed Racer: The Complete Classic Series Collection DVD tin anyway. It offers a touch of nostalgia and an intensely entertaining series all in one package! Since this is a Limited Edition set, I’d buy it while you can!
Overall Rating: 
Technorati Tags: Speed Racer, The Complete Classic Series Collection, DVD Review, TV show, Limited Edition, Lions Gate, Japanese Anime, Peter Fernandez
Written by Dominick Evans - Visit Website
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Dominick is in his late 20s. He lives in Michigan with his life partner, Ashtyn, their 14 year old son Robert, and their Shih-Tzu, Oliver. Dominick is a writer and the head editor for both LI Kids and Literary Illusions. He enjoys composing music and is an aspiring director/screenwriter. In his free time he enjoys spending time with his family, playing and watching sports, playing video games, watching movies, and singing.
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