Initial D: First Stage

This show takes place in a more rural area which has a very popular street racing culture. This isn't an ordinary bunch of guys who like cars, these guys very knowledgeable when it comes to cars and racing. YOU KNOW the directors or some people who made the show has lived that Street Racing lifestyle because it is depicted dead on. It is a little old but the fundamentals and ideas are all the same and you'll learn a thing or two.

After watching this show and already being into cars (I own a DSM Eclipse but drives a DC5 Base model) I can't even get behind the wheel of my car at night without wanting to get into a street race. This show has also fueled my love of old street racing cars like the FC3S and others.

OVERALL! Its a MUST WATCH FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES CARS AND STREET RACING!!!

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

What an amazing Anime, Great characters, great story, great voice talents and completely unique animation blending 2D and 3D elements; it's really neat. "Initial D : First stage" is everything that a first season should be, it introduces all the main characters, you watch the main character Takumi develop as the season progresses. the racing is obviously a highlight, using the aforementioned 3D animation, the fast paced movement, the heavy hum of the engines, the pulsing euro-beats in the back ground, IT'S TO DIE FOR! This is one great Anime, whether or not you like cars or even Anime in general, it's worth it just for the story and the memes. but nothing is perfect, so It's still getting 9 out of 10 stars.

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).