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Funimation's Speed Racer BDs/DVDs Include English Audio Only

North American anime distributor Funimation responded on Wednesday to reports of a listing for Japanese audio on the Blu-ray Disc packaging for its release of the Speed Racer (Mach Go Go Go) anime. The company confirmed that the listing on the Blu-ray Disc packaging is incorrect, and the release does not include Japanese audio with English subtitles.

Both the Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases include all 52 episodes of the series with English audio from the American television broadcast in 1967. Funimation will correct future prints of the packaging for the Blu-ray Disc but will release some copies that incorrectly list Japanese audio. The DVD release's packaging correctly lists English audio.

Funimation also stated that it will release a "collectors' edition including both Speed Racer and Mach Go Go Go" later this year.

The Blu-ray Disc and DVD releases shipped on Tuesday. The company asked fans to contact its customer service for concerns about the releases.

Funimation announced its license of the series in 2015. At that time, the company announced that it would release the anime for the first time on Blu-ray Disc and in Japanese with English subtitles. The collection includes episodes that have not yet been released in North America.

The 1967-68 car-racing anime Mach Go Go Go was licensed by Trans-Lux and released in the United States in 1967 as Speed Racer. The worldwide rights for the Speed Racer property reverted to Tatsunoko Production from American licensing company Speed Racer Enterprises (SRE) in 2011, though Tatsunoko filed lawsuits against SRE to uphold the reversion, and they were not dismissed until 2014.

Tatsunoko announced in 2015 that it was planning a new license program to reintroduce the property and make the episodes available in high definition for the first time. Tatsunoko also announced it was developing a new Speed Racer (Mach Go Go Go) series with a "modern audience" in mind.