The Series (4/5)

    I wanted Speed Racer on Blu-ray more as a curiosity than anything else. I watched the series on TV syndication in the late 80's and 90's and enjoyed it then as something to watch, but really nothing more, however looking back on it, I assumed it would just be a cheesy affair that would have badly dated, but offer some minor fun elements.  As I popped the 5 discs and 52 episodes into my Blu-ray player I would find that not only was that perspective not only just a little wrong, but it was very wrong. Speed Racer as a show holds up wonderfully, and not only did I enjoy it, but my 7 year old son frequently joined me for the ride.

    Speed Racer is deceptively simple, as it should be. The series follows Speed Racer, an 18 year old boy, who wants do to nothing more with his life than be a race car driver, much to the chagrin of his father Pops Racer, who built Speed's car the Mach 5. The Mach 5 is not only the fastest car in the world, but also the most technologically advanced, with built in elements that would make Q from the James Bond franchise flip out. We watch as Speed enters the racing circuit, and take on a series of rotating villains and bizarre and exciting situations.

   The animation is dated by today's standards, but still is colorful and cool looking. The show is simply, but well written and its stories, especially for an open minded younger set are sure to still work nicely. As they are largely action packed, and feature interesting quirky elements to them. 

    If a viewer coming into the show has seen the Wachowski's 2008 adaptation of the show, it turns out that they did a marvelous job depicting the vibe and atmosphere of Speed Racer. They just happened to make it faster and flashier for a post-millennium audience. The show itself is obviously animated in a more simple manner, but still has the same overall tone as the modern film, and there are certain story beats from that film that were pulled directly from the show.

Audio/Video (4/5)

    Funimation presents Speed Racer in a solid 1:33:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer. The Blu-ray looks and sounds quite solid, line detail is excellent and colors pop. There is some dust specks, and scratching, but that should be expected.

    Audio is presented in English True HD 2.0, and sounds quite solid with dialogue and score coming through nicely.

Extras (0/5)

    Nothing as far as extras are concerned.

Overall

    Speed Racer is a pop culture touchstone, that actually holds up quite well as an entertaining show in its own right. The Blu-ray looks and sounds excellent, but is lacking in extra features.  RECOMMENDED.