Initial D

Director
Shin Mizawa
Production
Fuji TV, Pastel, Prime Direction
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
1998

Initial D

By KRis
19th May 04

I watched this series when I first started watching anime. One of my friends told me about it and said it was good, so I decided to watch it. I watched the first episodes, not really knowing that most anime shows have a slow starting at the time, didn't like the series very much. But still I watched more and more. Having finished the series, I am very impressed. Initial D is about a street racing team that challenges other teams all over Tokyo. I don't really know any other way to explain Initial D, but street racing is only half the story. There is more of a side plot to it.

The series takes place in Tokyo and is about a high school student named Takumi that has been delivering tofu in his father's 86 since he was a junior high student. Five years have passed and there is a racing team named the Speedstars that has formed on the same route that Takumi has driven on the past 5 years. Takumi doesn't seem to take much interest in the team, but continues to improve his skills. Around that time another racing team comes to challenge the Speedstars to a downhill mountain race on Akina Mountain. Takumi haven met one of the challengers while delivering tofu, decides to take part in the race. Tension builds up as the series progresses and Takumi earns respect and gains honor from defending the Speedstars. Saying anything else would be ruining the series. The sideplot shows more about the life of Takumi and how he comes more and more into street racing. It also shows his relations to other racers and his relationship to a girl named Mogi that has a side job of being an *ahem* escort service.

Initial D is a bit longer than most anime, having 39 episodes 1 special and a movie. Initial D is broken up into stages, having certain number of episodes per stage. Each stage has a bit different story line from each other. The movie is great, but is more about the sideplot. The music is really good, some of the best tracks I have heard in an anime. The drawing is subpar but when it comes time to race, the animation is really fantastic. Initial D is half racing half romance story so there is different types of genre here. I recommend Initial D to most viewers but if you are not into cars at all, it might not appeal to you.

8/10

-- KRis 19th May 04

Initial D Images