If you’re tired of seeing the drone of five handsome guys or not in the mood for mecha, or any cutesy anime with absolutely sugary characters that can give you a serious case of the diabetes. And want to return to something mundane and real that gets your adrenaline coursing through your veins as if you can feel that wheel skidding on the pavement and managing to get through that corner, then this anime’s definitely for you.Base on the Manga by Shigeno Shuichi, published by Kodansha under the YANMA GA KC titles. Initial D is a ‘car’ anime that centers on the sometimes silly sometimes serious ‘duels’ that Takumi (The lead anime character) faces as he tries to finish his senior high school year and on the side, work at a local gas station. Which isn’t his fault at all, if his dump of a Hachi-Roku (AE86) can beat the gas off any highly-tune engine car that his opponents possess.
The Anime takes a perspective look into the life of a street racer (although I would rather call them downhill racers, where more likely their forte lie). The anime doesn’t contain the high tech customizations as in Maha Go Go (Street Racer). Where you see such gadgets as balloon tires or jet engines or any other sort of technological trickery. The customization you can see is much as ordinary as in daily life, a highly tuned 16-valve engine, front-wheel drive suspension, slick tires, fog lights; the usual refinements you see in a car— a car that is meant to drift through dangerous mountain corners that is.
The Character designs have a comic-strip sort of style with a variety of looks from funny-looking big-lip sort of people to average looking ones and not to mention some bishonen types and your typical street punks. The anime is rich in a variety of characters each with own persona. And does not follow the formulated bishonen and bishoujo formulas of today, which gives the anime a down-to-earth appeal which audiences can readily sympathize to.
The computer graphics that were utilize for the ‘duels’ in the series were quit
e superb. You can admire the detail they put in to make the cars as realistic as possible from the glint of the car’s body to the light emitted from the headlights, even up to the reflection on therearview mirror and side view mirror. Also the way they use shifting camera angles to show the race as it goes. Especially on the cornering as the cars go through those mountain passes and 'drift’ their way out of it. Not cutting it from one position to another, but showing good close-ups on the cars as they go through the corners.
Another plus factor for this anime is its sound track which is way cool; from its crisp techno-rap opening song “Around the World” to its equally hip and pop end song “Rage your Dream”. If that’s not enough for you, then the BGM songs during its duels are definitely something, something to add to your j-pop collection. Upbeat and fast tempoed pop songs with a dash of techno and a disco sort of feel, a worth listening to soundtrack.
A highly recommended anime not only for those car-crazy loving otakus out there, or out on a highway, but also for all anime otakus. Good action, Hip music, hilariously funny scenes, and some very solemn ones as well, plus a bunch of characters you’ll love, Initial D is definitely an anime to watch.
Initial D: First Stage contains 26-episodes, followed by a 13-episode Second Stage, there’s also an OAV, and a Movie.
Pics courtesy of: D-Initial World – www.geocities.com/dickerson08/index.html
Info on Creator from: around the world – www.atw2.cjb.net/
