The Legend of Zelda is based on the Nintendo video game of the same. The game debuted in Japan in 1986, and in the US in 1987 and quickly gathered a cult following. The sequel, "The Adventure of Link" was released a year later, and in 1989 the adventures of Link and Zelda appeared on TV. The show was part of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, and aired every Friday, while Mario and Luigi aired Monday - Thursday mornings. Each week viewers would tune in to follow the adventures of Link as he battled the evil forces of Ganon and defend the kingdom of Hyrule.
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! aired very early where I lived, so I only caught a few episodes of the show while it was airing. The Zelda episodes were my favorite; I loved the games, and it seemed to be a bit more adult (at least at the time). There's nothing like combining video games and cartoons to suck the kids in.
Shout! Factory has put the 13 Zelda episodes on 3 DVDs:
Disc 1 (1:12:09)
The Ringer (16:55)
Cold Spells (16:54)
The White Knight (16:54)
The White Knight - with Mario/Luigi segment "Wild Thing" (21:28)
Kiss 'N Tell (16:52)
Disc 2 (1:16:36)
Sing for the Unicorn (16:53)
Sing for the Unicorn - with Mario/Luigi segment "Fred Van Winkle" (21:28)
That Sinking Feeling (16:53)
Doppelganger (16:52)
Underworld Connections (16:51)
Underworld Connections - with Mario/Luigi segment "Defective Gadgetry" (21:23)
Disc 3 (1:33:23)
Stinging a Stinger (16:53)
Stinging a Stinger - with Mario/Luigi segment "The Great Hereafter" (21:24)
A Hitch in the Works (16:52)
Fairies in the Spring (16:51)
Fairies in the Spring - with Mario/Luigi segment "Pizza Crush Segment" (21:25)
The Missing Link (16:50)
The Moblins are Revolting (16:52)
Video
Zelda is presented in Full Frame (1.33:1), but the quality is a mixed bag. First, let's address the format of the show. Each episode began with the Mario opening, followed by a live-action bit with Mario and Luigi. Then they would cut to the Zelda opening and the cartoon, then jump back to Mario and Luigi before running the closing credits. Most of the live-action bits have been stripped from the show, though there are a couple that remain intact (see the list above for the episodes). I as never a fan of the live-action bits, but I would have liked them on the set since they were part of the episodes.
The quality of the content is fair to good. Some of the episodes contain a lot of noise, which I found pretty distracting. There are a few tape flaws that pop up every once and awhile, and you'll notice dust specs on the prints. If you expect this to look like a new cartoon then you'll be disappointed in the quality. There's a "play all" option on the discs, but chapter placement is a bit screwy. They've placed one after the Mario opening, but not after the Zelda one so you have to fast-forward that to get to the content.
Audio
I don't have any complaints with the audio for the release. The dialog and music sound fine, but the audio is limited by the mono soundtrack (at least I didn't notice anything to indicate it's in stereo). There aren't any subtitles or captions.
Live-Action Segments (31:32)
Wild Thing (6:19)
Fred Van Winkle (6:20)
Defective Gadgetry (6:17)
The Great Hereafter (6:17)
Pizza Crush Segment (6:19)
The Legend of Zelda Match Game
This game is HARD! 10 cards are revealed, then hidden and you have to pick the card that corresponds to a question. Answer 5 right to win, or answer 2 wrong to lose.
Legend of Zelda Trivia Game
A fun trivia game. Answer the questions to defeat Ganon.
Character Sketch Gallery Slide Show (16)
16 slides featuring character line art.
Download Usable Art Files
This is very misleading; you aren't downloading anything because the files are on the DVD. They also claim it won't work in a Mac, which is silly because it's just a PDF file that's being accessed, and anyone with a DVD-ROM drive can get to the file. These are the same sketches you'll find in the slide show.
Summary
I enjoyed watching these episodes, especially since I'd only seen a few of them before (and that was a long time ago). It's a shame the full episodes weren't included; I can't see any legal reasons why the live-action scenes would have to be cut, unless there was a problem with the guest stars. An interview with Andy Heyward, or someone else associated with the production of the show, would have been a good extra for the set.
I'm so happy that DiC has opened their vaults; I can't wait to see what other shows are being worked on.
While writing this review I came across the Zelda page on Wikipedia and read many of the entries. If you're interested in knowing more about the games then I'd suggest giving it a read, but be prepared to spend an hour or so going through the material.
