Initial D: First Stage

It's a bit strange being a car freak and NOT having seen much of Initial D until recently. Still, I already knew quite a lot of it, thanks to the manga issues I scrounged up. Really amazing what one can achieve with my old car. That's right, I've been a lucky sod who drove a "Hachi-Roku". The car was a Red and Black Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, badged as Corolla GT-S. I acquired it in Belgium. Actually, I was looking fer the Sedan version, which was quite common there. But I just HAD to try out that little souped up hatchback and I was won over immediately. As I live in a region with a lot of twisty backroads and hills, (alas, no mountain pass here :( ) I had a lot of fun with it for a few years. Then a friend came over with a tape he bought (yes we're talking nineties here folks) "Isn't that your car?" he said, while showing me a vicious race between a Honda Civic (beg ya pardon, an EG6) and Takumi's AE86. The CGI action, the races, the music by M.o.v.e. All excellent! "Then how could you be so stupid and FORGET ALL ABOUT IT!?" Itsuki would ask in his overacting voice. I really don't know that. But after I coïncidentially saw the reasonable Chinese live-adaptation, I decided ter go look for it again. As with Zipang, one of my other favorite Manga/Anime's, I got lucky: I found First, Second and Extra Stage in Japanese language with English subs and that fantastic Eurobeat soundtrack. I'm still looking for the rest, which is a bit harder, because I'm trying to avoid all the dub overs with those slipshod hip-hop-songs DJ Milkyway (or something' like it ) cooked up. It might be a bit older now, but First Stage is still a lot better then all the F&F movies together.

Oh, and what did I do with my "Hachi-Roku?" After 5 years of service it was traded for a black front-wheel driven Corolla AE92 GTS, which also was a lot of fun, but I'll always have fond memories of that little red and black hatchback. Even now, while I drive a MINI Cooper.

I like the series ever since I was a freshman at college. Students involved in anime stuff brought different series every week to my college's student center, and one evening I was studying for some exam until I heard some J-pop music; then I peeked at the big screen there and saw some anime figures and then a super-realistic image of a 1983 Toyota Corolla GTS liftback. I thought to myself: What is this thing about? Then I saw further into the series and saw drifting cars. But the most outstanding thing was that the cars appeared photo-realistic, when I then realizes they were relying on 3D graphics to simulate the cars. That's what got me into Initial D. I attempted to rent it at my nearest Blockbuster but found it always missing (or rented out), so I never got a chance to rent it on my own until I went to Dallas TX on some coop practice and subscribed to Netflix. Then I really got my chance to rent Initial D.

But then I discovered an awful thing: The English dub by Tokyopop got rid of the series' Eurobeat-style music by m.o.v.e and instead inserted its own local crappy hip-hop by some unknown DJ Milky with no known album on the market. Solution: Whenever you start playing any episode, set it to Japanese audio to listen to m.o.v.e's awesome opening; then when the opening's over, switch back to English if you want to listen to the dialogs without having to read subtitles. Then when the episode's over and the credits are about to start rolling, switch again to Japanese to listen to m.o.v.e (eps 1-13) or Galla (14-26), then back to English to listen the next ep's preview, then repeat the same cycle for the next episode(s).

"Initial D: First Stage," which first aired in Japan in 1998, is a consistently exciting and compelling anime series based on Shuichi Shigeno's popular manga (comic book) about downhill mountain road racing in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. The protagonist is high school boy Takumi who, unbeknownst to his classmates and buddies at the gas station where he works, has been honing his downhill driving skills for the past five years by speeding up and down Mt. Akina making early morning deliveries for his father's tofu shop. When Takumi just matter-of-factly beats an area road racing star on an impromptu downhill race, he finds himself thrust, somewhat reluctantly, into the world of "touge" (mountain) racing and the various teams from neighboring mountains. His close buddies, Iketani and Itsuki, who are tied to the local Akina Speed Stars, are stunned to learn of Takumi's secret skills and are somewhat infuriated by his nonchalant attitude. Takumi's single father, once a downhill champ himself, has made a point of nurturing this attitude by guiding his son, not by example or instruction, but by letting him find his own way.

Once the secret is out, as quick as you can say, "Draw!," Takumi finds himself challenged by an increasingly sophisticated group of rivals and also finds himself attracting the attentions of Natsuki, a girl at school who has secretly been involved in a bit of "subsidized dating" with an older man. Much attention in this series is paid to the characters, their development, and their sometimes turbulent interaction with each other. We care for these kids because, quite simply, they're believable human beings.

The look of the series draws closely on that of the manga with somewhat simple, almost cartoonish (but surprisingly effective) design for the characters, created in 2-D animation, contrasting noticeably with the technically detailed look of the cars and races, which are recreated with 3-D CGI for the anime. While the integration of 2-D and 3-D is somewhat awkward in the early episodes, it improves greatly as the series progresses. The character design gets better also, with more detailed, expressive facial features becoming quite evident by the fifth volume in the series (eps. 16-18).

The races are edited and designed with great skill and thought. These sequences are genuinely exciting even to those of us who never followed any kind of auto racing outside of "Speed Racer" and action movie car chases. And, besides, the technical aspects of this form of racing, particularly the all-important practice of "drifting," are adequately spelled out for novices--to the point where the series might even be called educational.

The music track deserves singling out for its lively collection of pulsating, catchy songs in the "Eurobeat" style popular in Japan (a mix of rock, hip hop, and techno). The songs come into play in the opening and closing credit sequences and during the racing sequences (where they work perfectly). The instrumental tracks during the quieter scenes are expertly done as well. (Warning: the English dubbed tracks on the U.S. DVD releases have completely new music soundtracks. Stick with the "Classic" version option.)

As anime series go, at least for fans in the U.S., this one is quite unlike any other this reviewer has come across in the U.S. (after a decade of reviewing anime) and has proved to be among the most rewarding. This review covers the first season (First Stage), which was followed by a second series (Second Stage), a movie (Third Stage), and yet a third series (Fourth Stage). There are also video games based on the series. Let's hope it all continues.

Yes it is an anime with a lot of cars in it BUT don't get fooled by that (especially if you are a person who doesn't care much about cars, drives Vauxhall or likes) and give this anime a try. If you watched Death Note, Shingeki no Kyojin, Psycho Pass, Silver Spoon and other anime like them you will probably like Initial D. Only connection with before mentioned anime is originality, and that should be enough to give it a try.

Initial D has funny, interesting and original storyline with specific soundtrack that will change your perspective on cars, and make you wanna own some of the cars that are shown in the series. Also series are full of interesting trivia. Most valuable thing about Initial D is that petrol-heads will love it, but it is not exclusive for them, so they can share and watch it with non petrol-heads friends :D

Negative side, part of the animation that is in "3D"

p.s. Just in case you are in dilemma: don't watch English dubbed version, watch original in Japanese language

If you like jdm cars and anime then this is the perfect anime for you