The Most Delicious Anime Reviews On The Planet: Initial D: First Stage

author: Shuichi Shigeno
director: Noburu Mitsusawa
review type: anime
status: completed
genre: Shonen, Racing
studio: Studio Gallop, Pastel
original run: April 18, 1998- November 28, 1998
episodes: 26

Synopsis

In the dark of the night, there is an event with cult like following. Many flock to the hills to watch by the railings; speed demons blazing down the hills with ghastly speeds. Displaying a series of intense skills, they race to be the king of the hill.

The story begins with street racers called the Red Suns; a champion street racing team from Mt.Akagi challenging the local Mt.Akina's Speed Stars to a friendly race. The Speed Stars begin doing their homework to only find out that they have a serious job to do in maintaining their pride when they go up against the Red Suns. It becomes a race for pride. However, fate decides to take a twist when the Speed Stars main man and primary downhill racer; Iketani is injured during a practice run. They are left in a bind and desperately search for a replacement.

Iketani learns from Yuuchi; manager of the gas station Iketani works at, that the fastest downhill car at Mt.Akina is a black and white Trueno AE86. And during Yuuchi's younger days that driver was known as the "Ghost of Mt.Akina". And surprisingly the racer who rode the AE86 was none other than tofu seller Bunta Fujiwara. Iketani begs Bunta to race for him; despite knowing that he has passed his prime. Without a confident answer, Iketani remains hopeful that Bunta will come to save the day.

On the race day, the Trueno appears. The Speed Stars sigh and rejoice with relief that their savior has arrived. Only to findout that the driver was not Bunta but his son; the lack luster, slack and boring Takumi! Iketani is reluctant to let Takumi race, but allows him to when he learns that during the Red Sun's downhill practice run, it was none other than Takumi that defeated him; a mere accident as Takumi was just running his daily errands of delivering tofu on time. Takumi wins the downhill battle against the same man he outran previously, Keisuke Takahashi and his Mazda RX-7.

The story continues with others challenging Takumi, the "Ghost of Mt.Akina" and follows the growth of Takumi from an apathetic, goaless driver who succeeds by mere talent to a passionate and skilled street racer.

Rempit's Vrooming Comment

Initial D, if placed on a scale, would be evenly balanced by positive and negative points that would leave this anime a mediocre one. But this is one of the most decent racing titles that we've come to watch and love, besides Dash Yonkuro (Remember them Tamiya's?).

There's not much to character development. And the only thing you'd probably get is the growing of Takumi from noob to professional. But the character portrayal of Takumi is such, that he learns more about driving and his car with a poker face, lazy attitude. So you don't see that hard working feel of Takumi in pursuing his passion. Here is a character that is lazy, remains lazy but yet succeeds somehow through skill and talent. But at least that's counter balanced by his dilemma and urge to race and keep racing in the later episodes; which you can say it's a sign of working hard, but his face still remains expressionless. So that's actually a fresh take to a shonen character. Which in any case is a good thing to celebrate!

but his other contemporaries would make you go "Owh...right..hmmm". Typical, straight up characters. Nothing to it.

The races now, that's something. You'd feel like pulling off drifts and stunts once watching it! It never fails to depict the races with high speeds and tons of adrenaline. Knowing of course as with any anime, there's the commonsense exaggerated moments being pulled off here and there. But hey, it's action packed. And with that techno, euro beats that keep you suspended in racing world, I would have to say this anime can be a great and inspiring watch.

I also have to add that even though, looking at it we'd laugh at the 3-d attempt to make cars looks real, and real cool during motion. But I'd say it's a brave and fair attempt to utilize 3D motion graphics in it. So applause to a brave move! and not necessarily a bad one too.

But beware if you'd begin to realize that Takumi's winning streak is out of hand. That's the sad part. And I think it would be the biggest mistake the Initial D franchise would have to offer. Win after win after win. I was begging for Takumi to lose, but he kept on winning and winning. In that sense, this anime really blew it by having a ridiculous concept of wins. Even Ippo from HNI had to lose? I mean what's wrong with that?

There is some argument going on if this is a shonen or seinen title. I would say that this would be a shonen title. It can't be seinen simply because of a peek-a-boo tease or a short spout of adult talk in a few episodes. Taking this with everything in it, this remains a shonen title and follows orthodoxly the rules of the shonen world.

Well I liked the anime for it's simply straightforward idea of bringing that rush of adrenaline into you which kept me balanced in my diet for anime/mangas. So I would say, go for it if you're looking for a no brainer.

BTW! I think Jay Chou SUCKED BIG TIME in the Initial D movie. Comeon, what were they thinking. Tsk Tsk Tsk. and to Andrew Lau and Alan Mak; the directors, Congrats! you've successful directed the movie to ruins. Reminds me of Hollywood's take of DragonBall.