Speed Racer: The Complete Series

Speed Racer is a Japanese "Manga" that was created in 1966. In 1967, the 52 episodes of the show were dubbed into English, and syndicated across the U.S., where they were watched by millions of young people who carried the cartoon in their hearts all the way to today! Speed Racer is the story of a young racecar driver who experiences excitement and danger around the world, both on the racecourse and off. Even though the show is now some 38 years old, the cars are still fantastic to look at and the story has lost none of its fascination!Recently, the first eleven episodes of the show have been released in this DVD. The eleven episodes cover five stories: The Great Plan, Challenge of the Masked Racer, The Secret Engine, The Race Against the Mammoth Car, and The Most Dangerous Race. Not only that, this DVD is crammed with extras, the best of which are and interactive look at the Mach 5 (Speed's car) and a gallery of villains - each with a clip showing the villain in action!This is a great DVD! My ten-year-old son has been a fan of Speed Racer since he was quite young (a chip off the old block!), and he is very glad to have some of the episodes on DVD. So, now he and I can sit and watch this great cartoon together. If you know a young boy who likes racecars, then get him this DVD, and he will love you for it!One extra thing: the limited-edition "rubber tire" packaging is a nice touch. It is so well done that it is really a work of art. Get this DVD!

"Here he comes, here comes Speed RacerHe's a demon on wheelsHe's a demon and he's gonna be chasing after someoneHe's gaining on you, so you better look aliveHe'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