The Real Ghostbusters: Complete Collection

LOVED this series as a kid and have waited a long time for it. Got this set when I first saw it, and was lucky enough to get it from Amazon at 50% off. Worth it? Oh, yeah!Now, when I say I loved this, what I loved was The Real Ghostbusters, not Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters, and certainly NOT Slimer. I remember the show changing, but had no idea at the time what was going on or why. This boxed set collects everything (or at least, everything that I remember) and PLENTY that I don't. The cool thing is that I can see the transition of the show as it went from prime time to kiddy time. The commentary by the actors, writers, and staff really help to illuminate a bit what those folks felt was going on. And just watching the episodes is tale enough.One of the reasons that I loved TRG so much was that it wasn't a kid show, at least, not at first. The jokes were deadpan, dry, and what kiddy humor was there was exercised more in the situations or in the ghosts (yup, Slimer was the ectoplasmic bugger joke). The series, of course, changed, but with all the episodes you can really SEE it. That's just cool.There were plenty of mysteries in the show for me as a kid. I remember when Janine changed, not just her voice but her look. WHAT happened? Well, you get the actual skinny from the folks, but IN the series you actually get an episode that not only recognizes the change but makes it WORK! How cool is that? Even with the whole series in my hands (and now completely watched over the past few weeks), there are still a few mysteries to go with all the nostalgia (Sandman! Samhein! Boogeyman!), pleasant surprises (The return of ghosts! Continuity between episodes! Great references to the movie!), and great discoveries(authentic Japanese language when the Ghostbusters go to Japan!)--like, did anyone else notice the Japanese on the technical drawings?For people that enjoyed this series, I highly recommend this set. Just seeing it all again brought back so much, and seeing the people behind it bravely keeping the show going as best as they could gives the show an added humanity that, as a kid, I could only really see in the episodes that changed.Now, details of the disks. Almost every episode has special features of some kind. Some are odd (everything but dialogue) and some got the royal treatment (commentaries both pre and during). No subtitles anywhere, but I didn't expect them. The video is good--at least, as good as I remember it being on my ratty TV. The sound is also nice (interesting to see how the music changed as they left prime time). Note, however, that there was some music slowdown in the first disk of my volume 3 or 4 (can't remember which). Dialogue is completely unaffected, but all of the music is slowed, as are the intro and end animations, but the epsidoes themselves are fine (music during the episodes are slowed too, though). The cases are metal, and I'm concerned about scratching (DEFINITELY keeping these!). The box is solid. The booklet has lots of great trivia. The bonus disk gives fans even MORE time with the cast and staff of the show--excellent.I highly recommend this collection for old fans. I'm sure there's plenty here to make new fans as well! Enjoy!

The Real Ghostbusters was to many kids and adults the pinnacle of 1980's television cartoons. With usually impressive animation and the winning combination of horror, comedy and action-adventure that the made original movie a classic, "The Real Ghostbusters" flew in the face of standard Saturday morning shows.Although the quality dropped with the third network season re-branding to: "Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters," the set doesn't leave anything out, for better or worse, even including Slimer's solo animated shorts which originally played between normal episodes during the show's final seasons.Still, thanks to its lengthy syndicated run which operated free of network control, the majority of the set contains quality entertainment that still entertains today.The episodes aren't all you get, with several episode commentaries from writers, directors and artists and several making-of features and extended interviews. For the true die-hard fan all of the background trivia is a real treat. A full-color episode guide book is included to help manage the 134 episodes and 13 Slimer shorts and contains additional bits of trivia.At its worst, The Real Ghostbusters is a decent cartoon with too much focus on Slimer to the point of making the character extremely annoying. However, when the show is at its best it's the best written and produced cartoon of its time with mature writing that doesn't talk down to its younger viewers.There is nothing more I could ask for short of a complete remastering which is unlikely to happen with a cartoon of this age and length. If you are a fan of The Real Ghostbusters, this is the total package.

The Ghostbusters franchise is one of my favorite movie, TV, and media ones out there. I've been a big fan since I was a kid. When I saw this collection I absolutely knew I had to have it. When I got it I was not disappointed.The firehouse box is so cool and fun. It's well constructed and sturdy. The top isn't too tight or difficult to place on or remove. It looks great sitting on the shelf. It truly is the complete collection and it loaded with all the episodes and more.If you are a fan of the Ghostbusters movies and cartoon, you'll probably want this. The cartoon series has some issues, which some fans of the franchise will complain about. Things like giving each Ghostbuster their own color of uniform so kids could more easily tell them apart, in essence insulting their intelligence and giving Slimer too much focus, especially in the later seasons. While there is some merit to both criticisms, they stayed true to the characters, and the established feel of the movies. There are some outstanding and memorable additions to the ghostly catalog of the franchise. They carried on for those fans left wanting more after the movie was released. I never saw all the episodes as a kid, so this was and excellent opportunity to see them in their entirety.Sadly I don't believe there is currently any way to get the entire collection on DVD and this set now sells for ridiculous prices when it can be found. While I won't say it is worth the high collectors prices, it is worth having in your collection if you can find it at a reasonable price.