Ranked #252

Initial D Fifth Stage

Initial D Fifth Stage: After waiting 6 long years, longtime fans of the series have been eagerly awaiting the triumph return of this explosive racer. Fifth Stage stays truly faithful to the series with its story, art/animation, characters, and sound. Fans will be happy to see that this anime keeps everything that is great about Initial D intact.

====Story====

The storyline of Fifth Stage is based off the manga of the same name and takes place directly after the events of Fourth Stage. Here we see Project D is setting up to take on the rest of Kanagawa in its final phase to become the king of the downhill/uphill outside of their prefecture. The name of the game is still to capture every single time attack record in Japan and Project D is inching ever so closer to that reality. Project D faces its hardest challengers yet, and must use all of the skills they have acquired to overcome their rivals.

One thing about this storyline is that it’s very easy to follow. Newcomers to the series are strongly encouraged to at least watch the Fourth Stage to see how things got started. Series veterans will see that it fits right into what happened previously. Rivals continue to affect the overall plot and love interest are still here.

Fifth Stage has great progression. A viewer will get so immersed in an episode that they won’t even realize how much time has passed by. It never gets boring, or stale. Also it is always a fun and interesting watch. Foreshadowing on certain plot points is done okay. However, one negative is that the since the storyline is relatively simple and straightforward it does become predictable, but that’s to be expected. Although there’s not a lot to talk about, Fifth Stage’s storyline is another solid pillar in the world of Initial D. Fans of the series will be happy that it stays spot on.

+ Still Easy to follow
+ Great Immersion
+/- Foreshadowing
- Predictable

====Art/Animation====

With the anime industry’s leap to high definition back in late 2006, Initial D hasn’t had the chance to utilize this new standard. Fifth Stage is the first to step into the realm of HD, and it has had a good overall effect. Fans of the series already know that Initial D has used CGI to showcase its cars, and racing scenes since day one. The new high definition graphics make everything look quite sharp. Car models are superbly detailed, and look even more like their real life counterparts. Any kind of modification done to the exterior or interior of a car can easily stand up to close examination. Fifth Stage wants a viewer to see this by providing many close ups of them. This means that a viewer can truly appreciate every crease, bulge, or modified part on these great machines. To put it simply the car models in Fifth Stage look the best out of the entire series.

Environments are also given this special treatment. In previous installments, the environment was often fairly dark and grim. However, with Fifth Stage they are now much brighter, and have added contrast to bring out greater detail in objects. Things like roads, rock faces, and trees look much better because of this. A viewer is bound to notice the simpler details, like leaves being forced off the ground as cars whiz by, or the subtleness of fog or smoke enveloping the mountain passes and city. It is a real treat.

Character models are somewhat tweaked from fourth stage. They are given a bit more color to work with so now it is more pronounced. On the other hand, character models also lack shadow detail. They may not look as pleasing to the eyes compared to Fourth Stage’s models, but Fifth Stage’s character models still stay true to the series.

Finally, Fifth Stage’s animation quality is excellent. There weren’t any frame rate issues even when things get intense on the track, and things just ran smoothly without any hiccups at all. Overall, Fifth Stage’s art/animation has some good additions, and keeps in line with the rest the series. Viewers will be happy to know that there aren’t any drastic changes, which is welcomed.

+ Car Models (nice and sharp)
+ Environments
+ Smooth Animation
+/- Character Models

====Sound ====

Just like the rest of the series, Fifth Stage has fantastic sound. Cars sound very accurate compared to their real life counterparts as well. It’s very great to hear the sound of a rotary engine as it revs up to its peak. Tire screeching is also satisfying as a viewer hears them going around a corner in a sick drift. Sound staging and imaging is also very good in Fifth Stage. A viewer will feel that they are actually their racing or watching for a distance.

Fans of the series also already know that it wouldn’t be Initial D without the energetic music. Even after 6 years since the last episode of Initial D aired, the creators still brings it when it comes to the music. Viewers will feel the joy of nostalgia when listening to all the tracks featured in the Fifth Stage. Each track gets a viewer pumped and makes them feel even more alive as they watch. Fans of the series rejoice because m.o.v.e is back! They created the opening song “Raise Up” and it is a very great fit to the Initial D universe. They are also responsible for many of the soundtracks used just like beforehand. The ending theme "Flyleaf" by CLUTCHO is again energetic rock themed song. It sounds so awesome. The final ending theme is "Yuushuusouka” by you guessed it m.o.v.e . It’s a pretty slow paced song, and it has a reminiscing feeling .

Lastly, character’s VAs sound just as great as a viewer remembers them. Each person comes back to reprise the roles, and they do an admiral job. In short, Fifth Stage does everything right when it comes to sounds. From the frantic race music to the sound effects and character voices, Fifth Stage strikes all chords in the perfect manor.

+ Sound effects
+ Music
+ Character Voice Acting

====Characters====

Initial D characters are once again the strong point in this series. Almost everyone fans know and love is here in some way, shape or form. Interactions between characters are still great. They feel natural and always had a great flow to them. When emotions run high, characters show it with convincing facial expressions. Conversations are filled with talk on car tech, and discussion strategies on beating rival teams. Characters often get into debates with each other, which leads to a wealth of information given to the viewer. This also helps to break up battles into many interesting chunks to see what other people are thinking besides the racers. It is great stuff and very gratifying to listen too.

Our main protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara and driver of the Hachi-roku, hasn’t changed much since Fourth Stage. He still, is stubborn, strong willed, and thinks on his feet as he races. Also he is still capable of learning even more. Everyone is out to beat this man because of his legendary skills. Keisuke Takahashi, driver of the RX-7 Type R (FD3S), has learned from his experiences in Fourth Stage. Now he thinks about things more realistic, and approaches races with some thought. However, he is still hot headed, but this actually helps him concentrate even more. Finally, Ryosuke Takahashi, driver of RX-7 Infinite III (FC3S), and leader of Project D, still shows how intelligent he really is without being cocky and realizing that his competition is formidable. He actually, has a much bigger role in fifth stage than just being the brains of the operation. However, it would be a spoiler to say what is going on.

Many other supporting characters, both old and new, are also given some time to prove their worth. All have certain traits that viewers will like about them. Furthermore, these supporting characters also affect what’s going on in the main plot whether they are rivals or friends. The only negative I can see is that Fifth Stage is pretty scarce with character development. Many of them just aren’t explored enough.

Although, Fifth Stage doesn’t do much in character development, it still stays true to what Initial D is. It’s great that fans will still be familiar with their favorites, and be at ease that newer characters blend in well with the old ones.

+ Character Interactions
+ Conversations
- Lack of character development

====Enjoyment====

There’s really nothing much to say here. Fifth Stage is an enthralling watch for long time fans, and viewers who are interested in racing. There are many high octane moments that will get a viewer pumped as I said before, and everything just feels right. So sit down and enjoy these extreme battles.

====Overall====

After 6 years Initial D is just how we left it. Fans will be pleased that it is still an exciting, fast paced racer full of action, and suspense. Fifth Stage is just as entertaining as any other installment in the series. It’s kind of sad to see that Initial D isn’t as popular anymore do to changing times, but the creators have managed to keep the series faithful to its core. read more