Speed Racer - 'The Ultimate Collection' Blu-ray/DVD in 'Speed-Head' Packaging! Funimation's collectible item will be available in early November
Posted by David Lambert	8/18/2017
Less than three months ago, at the end of May, Funimation released Speed Racer - The Complete Series: Episodes 1-52 on both DVD and high-def Blu-ray Disc. Now the studio - just weeks after Sony Pictures Television Networks purchased a substantial majority of Funimation - has announced a further Speed Racer title. And it's a BIG one! Speed Racer - The Ultimate Collection is a Blu-ray Disc and DVD combo set packaged in a giant bust (head) of Speed himself. Priced at $299.98 SRP, this collector edition will be available on November 7th. Amazon.com has a listing for the title, but it isn't accepting pre-orders just yet; our thanks to reader John O'Brien for pointing that out to us.Here's what Funimation has to say about the item, which sports 10 Blu-rays and 16 DVDs, followed by several pics of the packaging: READY SET, GO! GO! GO! Speed Racer dreams of becoming a professional racer. When meddling crooks keep him from the finish line, he finds a way to make it through. An endearing classic since 1967, Speed Racer has captivated audiences from every corner of the globe. Preserve one of the most beloved racing shows of all time and share it with generations to come. Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the series, the Collector's Edition will come complete with Speed Racer, Mach Go Go Go, and Mach Go Go Go: Restart in the first-ever official U.S. release of the Japanese audio. Collector's Edition includes the following: Collectible Speed Racer Bust with Sound Effects Complete 1967 Speed Racer Collection on DVD and Blu-ray Complete 1967 Mach GoGoGo Collection on DVD and Blu-ray Complete 1997 Mach GoGoGo Restart Collection on DVD Collectible Speed Racer Key Chain Bonus: 2017 Interview with "Trixie" voice actor Connie Orr (30 mins)

Speed Racer - Date, Info, Art for 'The Complete Series: Episodes 1-52' on DVD, Blu Funimation informs retailers to expect it to hit the streets on May 30th
Posted by David Lambert	2/20/2017
Speed Racer is an 18-year-old boy who dreams of driving his car, the incredible Mach 5, in professional races around the world. When the going gets tough and meddling crooks keep him from the finish line, he always finds a way to make it through! Join Trixie, Pops, Spritle, Chim Chim, and the whole gang as they root for Speed in the most nail-biting, death-defying races in history! Speed Racer The Complete Series contains episodes 1-52. Almost a month ago we reported that Funimation was working on a Blu-ray Disc release with every episode of the original 1967 show. Now the studio has sent out official word, including artwork (see below), for Speed Racer - The Complete Series: Episodes 1-52. Funimation has informed sellers to expect this on high-def Blu-ray Disc ($29.98 SRP) and standard DVD format ($24.98 SRP) beginning May 30th...which is the date we passed along to you last month. Sellers were informed that both formats will contain English soundtrack on the episodes, and without subtitles. A first look at possible cover art can be seen below, but this is not yet finalized and could be extremely subject to change:

Speed Racer - Could This Date (and Price) Be Correct for 'The Complete Series' Blu-ray? A major U.S. retailer is showing a spring date for Funimation's upcoming high-def release
Posted by David Lambert	1/24/2017
Back at the end of this past July, Funimation announced that they had acquired the North American home video rights to Speed Racer and its original Japanese counterpart, Mach GoGoGo, the late-'60s cartoon which introduced the world to its namesake hero, "Speed Racer," his girl "Trixie," brother "Spritle" and his pet monkey "Chim-Chim," parents "Mom" and "Pops" Racer, friend "Sparky," and the mysterious "Racer X"...as well as introducing us to that awesome automobile, the "Mach 5" racecar! Here's what Funimation said at the time: Coming Soon for the first time on Blu-ray! The definitive collection includes episodes never released in North America, as well as Mach GoGoGo! This release will be available in Japanese (w/ English subtitles) for the first time - stay tuned for more details! We've been patiently waiting since last summer for an official announcement of the title, with date and details and pricing. And for now, we're still waiting on that; we've had no word from the studio on this item. However, thanks to reader Tony Adamopoulos, we've become aware that the Best Buy chain of stores (and their website, too) has listings showing that Speed Racer - The Complete Series on Blu-ray Disc will be available for just $22.99 (we're not sure if that's an SRP, or a discounted cost), starting Tuesday, May 30th. Again, we'll emphasize that we do NOT have official studio-provided word from Funimation so far on that title, date or price, and therefore it may not be finalized yet and could be extremely subject to change. For example, Funimation's announcement quoted above says to expect "Japanese (w/ English Subtitles)"...yet other parties say that the English soundtrack with the familiar American-language audio will be included, too. We'll have to wait and see if Funimation's eventual official announcement will agree with that info, though. Stay tuned, of course, and we'll update you further on this item, as further developments occur!