Initial D First Stage

Wow. I can't believe I've had this series in my PTW for so long and just now managed to watch it. I don't really want to get too technical so I will just list the things I like and then hit my minor "grievances".

The sound is amazing. The eurobeats of this series are incredible. I dare say Initial D is my favorite soundtrack of all time. I can't help but bop my head when the races kick off. It's like I enter a trance! Superb.

The characters are all goofy in their own way. I absolutely love Takumi as an MC. Seeing someone go from feeling ... mundane about something to passionate really hits home bc of the time in my life I am in - grasping for motivation. It makes me want to rev my engine, shift my gears, and get in the race. Itsuki is pretty comical and I absolutely LOVED the "girl drama" this show added. Sure... it a was a little much and over the top at points (looking at you Mako)... but i feel like the aspects really helped the series feel fun.

The story is fun and energetic. Kid gradually learns he's good at racing and enjoys it, then he smokes the pants off of every established street racer in the area. Not a complex plot at all but damn fun to partake in.

The show also has spurred my interest in racing, and I plan on downloading Forza again to tear of some asphalt lol.

The only negatives of this show are its art/animation. The races are 99% CGI. The crowds don't move at all. There are a TON of still frames. So this series looks pretty bad on a surface level. That being said... it didn't hamper my enjoyment of the series at all. Substance over style I suppose (even though this show has tons of spunk).

So should you watch Initial D first stage? Hell yeah. Do you like sports anime? Hard to imagine you won't like the atmosphere the show sets. Do you appreciate the soundtrack in different anime? This show will stick out like a sore thumb in the most amazing way imaginable.

I'm excited to watch the rest of this series as I know there are many more installments. Season one has already cemented itself in my top ten. I hope that Initial D gives you the same impression it did to me.

(This Review ONLY talks about First Stage)

The story in Initial D is great. Many would say that it's dull and it only focuses on Takumi just winning, but I'd disagree. The story doesn't just focus on Takumi; and there's plenty of times where the supporting cast are the reasons the race is happening. The drama that happens between races gives Takumi a reason to go race. The story feels more like it focuses on the racing scene, and what Takumi is racing for more so than just winning or losing. The story is much more enjoyable when it's viewed less as being about just ... Takumi.

The art is obviously quite dated in Initial D, but I think that the art is still fine. Even with the help of Keiichi Tsuchiya (known as 'drift king' for those hat don't know), the drifting scenes in the first stage suffered a little from the limitations of what they could do. Initial D still does have good art which sets the tone for episodes quite well sometimes, although it's greatly hindered by the CG at times.

Honestly, the sound is amazing. All the cars sound like they would in real life, and how the engine noise gets quieter or louder depending on where the perspective is at is a really nice detail too. Another thing is the soundtrack. Initial D used eurobeat as its main genre of music for the battles. It sounds great, and really gets you to start associating that type of music with street racing, so every time you hear eurobeat in the anime, you already know it's about to go down. Even if the music that's playing isn't eurobeat, it sets the proper mood in whatever scene it's used it.

Character:8/10
The characters in Initial D are good. Although many tend to kind of just 'exist' after a certain point and don't really bring much more than exposition, they actually feel like a person. Most of the more prominent characters have some sort of backstory, and also are given a reason to race. Faces are shown A LOT during races, mostly the drivers' faces. You get to hear their thoughts, and start to understand how they react to certain situations while driving. Even other much less important characters can sometimes have one little piece of information about them that makes them seem less like filler. They all have pretty obvious flaws, but really no human has absolutely no flaws at all.

When I watched Initial D, I enjoyed very much. The races felt amazing to watch despite the pretty bad graphics that took place during them. They were thrilling and made me want to experience a race such as that. Whether people will like this anime or not, watching it for the first time, depends on how much they get invested into the story and drama. I've rewatched this season at least 5 times already, and I still enjoy the anime. Rewatching this anime with more knowledge about cars each time also makes it seem more interesting (because you understand what they're talking about).

Initial D Is set in Mount Akina during the mid 90's. The basic outline of the story follows Takumi Fuikawa and his delve into the drift race scene. After a while of thinking driving was just driving he begins to enjoy racing and begins to get excited by the rush. This is one series that I particularly enjoyed. The characters are interesting and there are moments where the storyline delves into some issues that mot teenagers go through. Most people ho have watched the series will say it's awesome because of the racing sequences. The integration of anime and CG graphics are amazing and the ... music is cool too. (especially in the Subbed/Japanese version)
This series drew me to it by the incredible visuals and heart racing action scenes.
In conclusion, it's worthy of watching and it's enjoyable to watch but it may not be for people who dislike street racing. I give it 8.5/10.

Story:
Its a show about street racing. All the parts are there, the show makes it work. Good pacing, you never feel rushed through the story or that its dragging.

Animation:
I personally love the old school animation, but its admittedly dated. The races specifically didn't age great, but the rest of the show makes up for it and carries the weight.

Sound:
Good God, if you aren't a fan of eurobeat now, you will be after watching this.

Characters:
... The main cast is easy to love and get invested in. I found no trouble believing any of them.

Overall Enjoyment:
Its old. Its dated. Somehow it still holds up and is awesome. If you want to put on the nostalgia goggles and purposefully blind yourself, this is the show. Even if you aren't into cars, at the very least you'll be jamming out to the soundtrack.

Short Review: (click "Overall Rating" for scores)

Overall: The best racing/ car anime. I think people who are not into cars and racing will enjoy it too. Definitely worth to watch!

The show starts slow but after a few episodes when the racing starts you are instantly hooked. The story is good, and is like an introduction to the later seasons.
This anime is from the late 90's so the art style is not high quality, and probably the worst aspect of this season (art style becomes better in later seasons). Sound is ok, nothing notable negative.
Caracters have development, but might not seem very deep (in ... first season).
I really enjoyed this anime and the way the races are presented really keeps you on edge and your eyes glued to the screen. This anime has made a number of people interessted in carculture and racing for a reason.

Sorta spoilers but not really because you learn about it within the first 3 episodes.

I’ve been looking forward to watching this for a while, I love street racing shows and movies but after seeing the scene with mogi in the car with her “papa” it ruined the show for me. I thought there was gonna be some sweet high school romance but after searching further in to the relationship between her and “papa” I was disgusted and couldn’t watch anymore. I have a problem with seeing shows that have characters related to the service industry, many will think I’m immature for it but I just ... can’t see the show the same anymore hence my 5/10 rating. my score isn’t very well backed with reason outside of my hate and disgust for the prostitution part of the story. But outside of my hate and disgust, the show seemed good with cool racing, it’s just sad that it was ruined for watchers who share the same feelings as me and could not continue watching.

Do you like cars? Do you like street racing? Do you like drifting, 90's music, nostalgia, or even tofu? You're so stupid, go watch this show.

Yes, the first season's cars cgi (yes there is cgi), looks like a playstation 1 had a stroke, but they were limited by the technology of their time, possibly also funding, don't worry though, it gets way way better during the seasons after.
Apart from the awesome and hype 90's eurobeat music that's very fitting, there are also ending songs ranging from hilarious to horrendous.
Which might've had something to do with the fact that the company providing the funding for this ... anime at the time was a J-POP talent agency, which unfortunately (or for maybe fortunately for us) had more funding than talent.

Even if you don't like cars, it will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the nostalgia is just an added bonus.
So the next time you wonder which generic isekai some forlorn production company is going to vomit onto your screen this time, just go watch Initial D, from a time when originality, storyline, and hype still mattered, you won't regret it.

The only criticism of Initial D I have, is that it didn't keep going on forever.

Honestly this feels more realistic than "Tokyo Drift" and this is one of those anime that is a bit closer to reality and has no fantasy and unrealistic plot. Very wholesome and Funny as hell, you don't have to be too cautious with family and is an anime that pretty much anyone can enjoy.
The series follows a High School teen, pretty average and uninteresting in the beginning, with a seemingly normal life. His friends are very obsessed with cars and underground racing, yet our MC "Takumi" is not interested in those things. Paradoxically he's been driving at night doing deliveries for his father's Tofu ... shop for a couple years and became an expert in drifting and driving fast in the Akina hills.
Takumi decides to race for the first time as his father convinced him with the condition that if he wins, he can use the car for a date in the weekend. That's when Takumi starts taking over in underground racing and humiliating many racers with their new cars. He becomes known as he drives an old Toyota AE86.
All the races are awesome and the build up to each race is just intense. The music is so iconic. The art is just flawless, the drip from the characters is so reminiscing of the 90s. The art is very iconic and aesthetic, it just shows how great the 90s where. Definitely recommend this anime, don't miss up on this gem 😎

Amazing anime in every aspect! The story is about Takumi Fujiwara, a boy who delievers tofu and initially hates driving, then he progressively gets into the world of street racing and cars. The story itself is cool, even though it does not contain many unexpected twists, the characters are well written and each one has a unique personality that reflects their car and their driving style.

The anime is filled with awesome JDM cars, accurate technical details and an iconic soundtrack!

The best part are obviously the racing scenes. They will take your breath away and make you cheer for Takumi (or other characters), the drift ... scenes are amazing and the tension is to the stars! The racing is quite realistic except for a few stunts that are just beyond reality.

If this does not get you into JDM, I don't know what will!

Recommended 10/10

From my notes after watching the first episode: "Not crazy about some of the character designs, and wasn't too keen about watching a racing anime to begin with, but by the end it interested me enough to keep going." Which turned out to be a very good thing indeed since it produced hours of tense race-watching pleasure. And that's saying a lot from someone who has never been interested in cars, let alone racing.

My biggest qualms are mostly qualms with the sports genre in general. Such as the cliched story of taking an underdog (or someone completely new to a sport) and turning him ... into a sort of wunderkind who remains an underdog throughout by continually stacking the deck against him even as he levels up (so to speak). But it was executed well and, unlike most other sports series, you have the added suspense of the very real possibility of someone you've come to like getting seriously injured or even killed.

How realistic this anime is compared to real street racing who knows, but of course it's a given that things will be exaggerated to keep viewers entertained and so won't quibble too much there. However, it was a bit bewildering seeing spectators lining up IN FRONT of guardrails at different curves along the road. Surely they wouldn't do that in real life, right? Also couldn't help but wonder whether they have any highway patrol in this fictionalized Gunma or if they simply turn a blind eye to street racing. Hmm...maybe the police chief was a street racer growing up?

At times though, especially in the 2nd half of the season, the things done to keep upping the ante seemed a little too blatant. But again, given the genre, that's pretty much to be expected.

CHARACTERS
Takumi was fine although it's hard to imagine someone remaining basically the same personality-wise (low key, seemingly without ego) despite skyrocketing to fame within a relatively short time. But that wasn't what the series wanted to deal with and it's probably better that it didn't (racing is what people were tuning in for, not psychological insights). Some people dislike Itsuki, but I thought he was okay even if at times I couldn't help wondering why Takumi would have him as his best friend. Still, he has his moments and is basically a good guy. There were issues with a couple of the secondary characters in one or two episodes, but overall it didn't detract from the series.

MUSIC
This anime introduced me to the Eurobeat genre, which is pretty awesome. So great music and great sound effects too from what I recall.

GRAPHICS
While some have complained about the CG graphics it never bothered me. Well, actually, to be perfectly honest I thought they were quite good and was surprised by the criticisms. But then again I'm not one who focuses on visuals very much.

Ahh, but wait, would you look at that? It appears we've finally made it to...

THE FINISH LINE
Despite some shortcomings, Initial D First Stage almost always delivered in a big way on the emotional side of things and that's the main reason why it has earned itself a very high score here as we cross the finish line.

Rev your engines and blare the eurobeat, it's time for an Initial D review by yours truly (minor spoilers might be ahead):


Story-

The story of Initial D as a whole is definitely nothing revolutionary, character who is naturally skilled at drifting finds his desire to win races over the course of the 26 episode span. The technical speak will shine with car enthusiasts, while not being overbearing on newcomers of the interest. Overall, it's a straightforward premise that meets out what it set out to do.


Art-

...
This part of the series this early on is 100% its weak point. The animation itself is also pretty muddied and dark in a way that doesn't benefit the look of the anime. Shuuichi Shigeno's character design isn't very pristine or distinguishable at times, where as multiple male characters tend to look rather similar, from their build to even their hairstyles. Takumi, Ryosuke and Kenji look like the same character template at first glance. The priority here absolutely were the cars and boy he did a good job on making them look slick. Now for the big ol' elephant with stage 1 and 2. That CGI, man. Booooooy, it has not aged well. I'll at least give it credit for not being a choppy 10 frames or less nightmare like shit we seem to get now. I get they were running on a limited budget and this season is over 20 years old now, but it did take getting used to.



Sound-


Best anime soundtrack ever. This kind of enhancement the music gave the series is incredibly rare. The only other series that pops to my head that performed on this kind of level is Cowboy Bebop with its symbiotic relationship to Bebop itself. Competing with Yoko Kanno is no small feat and I applaud whoever decided that eurobeat would fit Initial D, because my god, it did.

I only got one word necessary to describe the songs used in this show: Hype




Characters-

Mainly focusing on Takumi, and Takumi's friends, I highly enjoyed most of them and their development. Stage 1 is easily the most narrative driven for Takumi's friends and Stage 4 is where we get to see more of that. Takumi is an air head who really doesn't care for much of anything until he discovers his burning desire to win. Over the course of Stage 1 and 2 we get to see him take the steps into becoming a serious driver while overcoming several obstacles along his way wether it be, well known highly skilled drivers or drivers who'd do basically anything to win. Itsuki is a self-proclaimed member of Iketani's squad and more or less serves as the side-kick, best friend "racer" to Takumi. He comes off as a goober or a dolt a lot of the times, however it's usually in the interest for the best for his friends. Iketani is the coworker of Takumi and Itsuki, whom brings in a lot of the technical jargen to help his juniors understand their cars more. He's somewhat brash and thick headed over Takumi's abilities, but he plays a driving force into Takumi's first steps into a better racer. The Takahashi brothers are great as well, but get most of their development in Stage 4 and beyond. Keisuke is more or less Takumi's rival who's always trying to better himself throughout series, meanwhile Ryosuke the older brother is a cool-headed student of the game type. Always taking hours on end to study the courses and racers under his wing to improve them.



Bonus:

Voice acting-

Both the sub and dub VA were great, I prefer versions of characters in each. Both of Ryosuke's VA's are standouts. Takehito Koyasu and J. Michael Tatum are superb at their jobs.






Pros:
Likeable story and characters
Races are entertaining as hell
Soundtrack is the damn GOAT

Cons:
Animation and CG are clearly dated at this point



Thanks again for taking the time for reading my reviews again everybody. Hope you gained some interest into one of my favorite series.

"Initial D" is a good sports anime about racing and definitely worth watching. The high school story is rather boring as it has been done many times and much better, but the racing aspect of this show is unique, pulls in watchers, and will get your heart racing. The animation is an older style and not as fluid as it is from 1998, however the older character designs are a refreshing change from the near identical character designs of many current anime. Also the racing scenes are in CG so that may be off putting to some. As I have not watched ... the subbed version I cannot comment on it. However Funimation's re-dub of Initial D is the same good quality that Funimation provides and uses some voice actors that aren't in many other anime. The sound track of "Initial D" is different as it is mostly comprised of Eurobeat (Eurobeat is either a form of the British dance-pop variant of Italo disco or Hi-NRG-driven Italo disco music that both developed in the late 1980s tracks.-Wikipedia) which fit near perfectly for the racing scenes and the rest is the average filler mood music. The characters in "Initial D" are generally likable and the sportsmanship is an important aspect of each character. However most of the side characters do the equivalent of nothing in the show. The show itself is quite enjoyable, but to enjoy it fully you must invest in it, for example if you come in expected to be bored to death you will be. On the other hand if you come in expecting to see a good underdog story you will. "Initial D" is overall a good sports story about a less know sport, racing, with a bit older looking art and animation. The fact that this show was re-dubbed gives it a higher sound quality than others of it's time period. Personally I think its a good show for people new to anime as it's not as wacky as some anime, there isn't excess fan service, and it has a good underdog story that almost anyone would enjoy. "Initial D" is currently on netflix so if you have netflix you should definitely check it out.

It's been awhile since i have watched this anime so my review may be rough but imma try :D, and the Rating i give it is for the WHOLE series not just part one, unfortunatly this site is handicapped and made me pick one. SOOOO... Your so called adventure starts with a killed called Takami Fujiwara, he is just your average kid who works for his dad at the Tofu shop, and he has a job at the local Gas Station. His best friend is all antsy pantsy about car racing but Takami doesnt seem to be interested. It fades into him talking to his ... dad bout making his tofu deliveries. Takami explains that he has done this dangerous race rout on his job for many years and that is a piece of cake. He doesnt know it but his dad is teaching him to race. The series has a Fast and Furious Adrenaline type, yet its nothing like fast and furious. This show will get you into street racing weither you like it or not, and if you like street racing then this is a must see anime! Takami barrells past his foes on some of the hardest downhill races in Japan, and eventually joins a car club, who goes around racing. And the so called fastest downhill racer(TAKAMI) is racing in his dads delivery car! Its a story with not to many characters too count and enough for you to fall in love with. Takami struggles with juggling, school, racing, his best friend and the woman who loves him. A MUST SEE FOR ALL!!!!
DOWNHILL RACE!

(This review was written after viewing both First & Second Stage)
Following our introduction to the setting of Initial D we understand that everything about this world is pivotal to its characters sense of pride and their desire to drive sideways; for everyone except Takumi Fujiwara.

Takumi is largely ignorant towards anything related to cars, and for the most part he has no desire to learn about them; to him they are just a way to help out his fathers business of tofu delivery, as well as a means to get from ‘point A’ to ‘point B’. While his recently licensed friends talk among themselves about the ... basic details of driving, and later drifting, Takumi consistently and subtly responds with remarks that show an advanced understanding, and even boredom, of the concepts they bring up. We know he has been genuine up to this point about his complete disinterest in the technicality’s of drifting, but that’s exactly what makes his understanding of it unusual, even if he cant properly put it to words. Revealed in a way which is shocking to the rest of the cast, Takumi is a highly advanced driver. Despite having only gotten his licence the previous month, his actual driving experience extends throughout the last 5 years of his life, having taken care of the morning and late night tofu delivers since the 7th grade at the request of his father; a genius street racer of the past generation. In an effort to train his son, his father places a glass of water in the cup holder telling Takumi that he can drive as fast as he wants so long as he doesn’t spill the contents of the glass, ostensibly to prevent breaking the tofu in the back of the car, but at the same time forcing him to drive smoothly. This provides the foundation for Takumi’s self taught technique; learning entirely through the feel of the car over years of experience. Takumi is an innately blank and directionless character, but he is reinforced by the idea which represents everything the show is built on; passion, albeit slow burning, Takumi changes from someone who has to be coerced into anything remotely related to street racing, into someone with a genuinely burning desire to be the best at what he does. Of course, Takumi isn’t the only interesting character in Initial D.

Bunta Fujiwara is easily one of the coolest father figures in the entire medium. I mean that not only in the sense that he is an old man who can light a cigarette in the middle of a drift, but also by the way he subtly guides Takumi from childhood into discovering the passion the defined his own youth. Bunta has a complete confidence in his sons abilitys, rarely even bothering to ask the end results, and offers unconditionally support; providing tools for growth, yet he holds out on providing the answers. He makes sure Takumi has to work hard for everything he receives in life, while still standing behind him to give a push in the right direction. This is what I found to be one of the most emotionally satisfying Father/Son relationships in Anime.

To accurately portray Street Racing in writing is something that requires a thorough understanding of many highly complex elements; these range from driving technique and mechanics, to road conditions and there effect on vehicles. It’s because of this complexity that Initial D has a heavily reliance on expository dialog between characters to convey these details to the audience. This system works well here because the protagonist is skilled enough to be competitive, yet ignorant on specific details and technical terminology to the extent that others have to provide a complete explanation as to what is happening. For audience members like myself who went into the anime without any prior knowledge about cars, its a great form of exposition that doesn’t come off as ham-fisted.

The appeal of Initial D isn’t through the presentation of advanced thematic concepts that drown the audience in how deep and intelligent it is, it never attempt’s to explore psychological ideas, or showcase highly complex character interaction, it’s appeal is in its simplicity. All initial D wants to be is a fun and exciting show about fast cars driving downhill sideways, and it executes this brilliantly. There is never anything tangible bet on a race; only the pride and reputation of the individuals involved, but the value of that pride is conveyed well enough that when added to the element of danger involved with street racing it builds an immense feeling of tension that sucks you in. The basic structure of the races themselves can sometimes be repetitive, but many have their own unique gimmicks, pushing Takumi to develop as a driver, as well as keeping things interesting for the audience; these gimmicks range from racing with one hand duck taped to the wheel, to drifting in rainy conditions. I would say there isn’t a single boring race within the first two seasons.

None of this is to say that Initial D is without its themes, they just aren’t so overt that they detract from what the show is trying to achieve. They sparingly appear, most often in tandem with romance; unfortunately for the first season this is its weakest aspect, coming off as needlessly melodramatic at points. In the early episodes of the first season, Itsuki, Takumi’s best friend was given a completely unnecessary and meaningless romance element, this relationship and its resulting failure felt disingenuous and forced, it had no impact in changing Itsuki’s character from a substanceless provider of comic relief; if anything this contributed to it, by introducing his irritating ‘lonely driver’ shtick. Through the romantic endeavors of Iketani, another member of Takumi’s group, we finally get a semblance of an idea as to what the show is trying to tell us, but while improved, the execution still suffers from similar flaws. Initial D finally hits the nail on the head in Second Stage, where drama has an underlying presence throughout its later half. In the final arc of the season Itsuki is actually humanized; placed in a position where I could genuinely feel sympathetic towards him, because unlike before in his previous relationship he is legitimately affected emotionally by the circumstances around him. Through comparison to Iketani’s situation, the theme is finally becomes apparent; Do everything you can to preserve what you care about, giving in to self doubt will only leave you with regrets.

Initial D’s soundtrack is famous for its Eurobeat tracks that serve as themes specific to an individual character or race. For each piece the tone will vaguely mirror the general mood of the race, but all share the common trait of being very kinetic and rapidly paced; perfectly fitting the nature of Initial D. Outside of race themes there is another selection of music, but they use some particular songs way to often; the emotional songs especially were run into the ground.

The animation definitely shows its age, but that late 90’s look coupled with the unique design style has its charms. The switch to CGI for the racing scenes are surprisingly well done compared to what I expected from the Japanese in that time period.

Initial D remains to be the sole example of a well executed street racing manga. Since the release of the first chapter in 1995 it’s maintained the popularity necessary to run for 719 chapters, eventually ending in 2013. It has spawned an anime adaption divided through 5 seasons, a movie (3rd stage), and various extras; looking into other mediums there has been a variety of video game adaptions and a live action film.

Do you like JDM 90's cars, a bit of trash talk and watching Hondas get destroyed...? Well than this car themed anime is definitely for you, one of the first anime's I ever watched and it still one of my favorites to this day.

The anime story overall is about a school boy who street races at night in the mountains of Japan, while still trying to balance his life with friends and family.

The anime's art style is great for such an old 90's anime, the art style does change a bit later seasons of the anime (personally I prefer the early stage's art style). ...

The sound/effects are pretty exceptional for a 90's anime (especially the different car engine noises and turbo sounds :D) The soundtracks are definitely something that you'll take away from this anime after watching it, it's almost worth watching even just for that!.

Overall if you like cars, a bit of good "runin in the 90's", some good car memes and are looking to watch your first anime as a car guy. I can't express to you enough that this is definitely a MUST WATCH for you!

I never know how to begin something like Reviews so I’m going to start right in.
This is going to be a very long text, so put on your seatbelts and enjoy the ride.
( I haven’t seen any other sequel, prequel, OVA, Special or Movie of Initial D at this point in time)

To kind of give a conclusion of the whole Review right at the beginning: Initial D as an anime is really not for everyone. I will soon enlighten you why that could be the case, but to take your suspicions of me not liking the anime away I will say that I absolutely adore ... this anime.
Somehow it drifted elegantly into my heart and raced its way to the 1# spot of my favorite anime of all time. I really did not expect this to happen when I started to watch it.
The simple reason I was giving it a shot was: the Memes.
As a Meme expert and certified Edgelord, as well as a burning anime consumer and defender, it was my royal duty to dive into the past and evaluate the one, the only, the glorious Meme source that was Initial D.
Now, I wasn’t prepared for anything that was about to drift into my life. I was expecting a race car anime with brilliant and hyped music - true - but a decent one at best, concerning that I wasn’t interested in cars or races in Formula 1 -style in the slightest. I’m kind of hot for the bad boy attitude though, what gave me the thought that Initial D could catch my interest with the concept of (very much illegal) street races.
Watching the first episode, I was baffled. It looked ugly as hell.
Now, I knew that Initial D was as old as I was being released in 1998 and rowing itself in the glorious times of the late 90s anime like Sailor Moon and early episodes of One Piece, I was expecting the old way of drawing - but not this.
On the first look it seemed very cheap produced, parts of the face, especially the mouth, were disproportionate all together as well as in scenes that were meant to be serious. In the first episode I had to laugh a few times out loud because of how ridiculous the characters looked.
BUT: It is very, very important that you keep watching! Don’t let the masquerade of a poor production fool you! Because this ‘bad style’ of drawing, I realized later, is Initial D’s very own and unique thing. It gives the whole story and concept a special kind of charm that gives you the mood of light heartedness and childish silliness - the key to an image of a world that is hold together and peaceful from within.
Me, being a person that is never greatly bothered by ‘bad style’, naturally continued watching.
And by the time I finished the second episode I was completely hooked. What makes Initial D so unique and different in comparison to some other anime is that it has not only one, but multiple factors that make it absolutely enjoyable. First of all there are the races. Oh, the races. I tell you, and it’s the absolute truth, that I never had so physical reactions in front of the PC screen than ever before. The races make your heart beat fast, your blood filled with adrenaline and your head nod in the rhythm of glorious Eurodance songs like ‘Running in the 90s’ or ‘Nights of Fire’.
First and a half-ish: When I heard that this ‘primary rock’ anime had 3D-animations in it, I was worried. Most 3D-animations, even today, are a pure disaster and poorly executed, so how bad would it be with this old 90s anime? The answer I found out pretty fast while watching: the 3D-animations were solely used in battles and it made it absolutely amazing. It fit in so well with the tacky style of the show that it enhanced the watching experience greatly.
Second: The main character. Unlike most main characters I’ve seen that are simply stupid, loud and just have a lot of courage and feeling for friendship to make up for it, these character traits are pushed to the side on the protagonist's best friend. Initial D’s main character is quite, spacey and in the beginning lacks in interest for anything. ‘Don’t know’ is probably his favourite phrase. I don’t want to spoil too much here. What happens with Fujiwara Takumi over the course of the anime you have to see for yourself.

I’m Luxbecca. I’m picky, judging and the worst to discuss anime with, but somehow this silly, old anime with topics against all my interests had made its way to my heart.
And it will probably stay there forever.

- Luxbecca

(Excuse grammar and spelling mistakes in this Review or generally when a sentence is built weird, English is not my first language)

THIS IS SPOILERLESS
The reason this is one of my favorite anime is because of the drifting. Any car enthusiast will like this anime. Its not about the art, its about the drifting. The drifting shown here is art in its purest form. When a car misses a guardrail by a couple of centimetres, a chill runs down our spines. When a car stays on the optimal lane while drifting, we have an orgasm. Another reason is the information given on the show about cars. Its very true. The physics are spot on and you can see that the drifts are real, by real i mean ... that its possible to do that in real life. The way we know this is by seeing in which lane the car is and when drifting, how its tail moves. The story is engaging and good. The humor is good. Only thing i hate about it is that it has too many thots. You will understand what i mean once you will see the anime. I dont think people who are not car enthusiasts will love this anime because the art is total shit compared to other anime but like i mentioned, its not about the art for us.

[NO SPOILER REVIEW]
I'm not an expert and this is my opinion on this anime.
Initial D has made me loves sport car especially JDM and i will tell you why.

Long story short, "Initial D First Stage" is the first season of the Initial D anime franchise. The story tells us the progress of Takumi, the street racer prodigy races throughout many local areas facing the most feared high skilled local racer.

1. Story : 6
Honestly, the story are not that amazing, it was decent. I didnt see it as a unique story concept. What i like about this anime is that it brings us the illegal street ... racing theme, JDM sport cars, and drifting. It tells us the experience of an illegal street racing back then in 90s era on the mountain of Japan that we can't see very often with our own eyes on days like this.

2. Art : 7
I actually love the art, its unique. I always love anime that brings some unique aspect in it. Not like the usual anime style, it brings us a style of its own that suits the theme of the story of illegal street racing. The CG is not that bad for an anime from 1998. The CG didnt completely destroy the aesthetic aspect of this anime, because the only thing thats CG is the racing section and the cars. CG suits perfectly for dead objects, but not living things like humans and animals.

3. Sound : 6
Sound is decent. Nothing amazing about it EXCEPT the drifting part. i really love the sound when a drifting scene came up, its so loud yet still beautiful. Its one of the thing that hooked me up into drifting.

4. Character : 8
Most of the characters in this anime are great. They kept each of their own personality the same till the end of the show. Isn't that bad? No, its not. What has changed within them is their perspective on new things throughout the series without changing their personality.

5. Voice Acting : 5
Decent. Nothing amazing about this one.

6. Enjoyment : 10
A 10? Are you serious? Yes, i enjoy this show so much until the end. I could rewatch this show for several times without getting bored. The excitement,the thrills, the intensity, and the unexpected were very very well done. You could always watch the most intense scene in the series for 100 times.

7. Overall : 9
Great anime, still could watch this in this era and still recommended. The classic in this anime is strong. I didn't regret watching this show, it hooked me up into the world of JDM sports car.

I hope you find this review helpful and took you interest to watch this anime. Thank you so much, enjoy the show.

The story that Initial D has to give, its motor mechanic teachings, racing thrills and legacy upon a story about mountain racing has near enough detail to fill a dissertation easy.


This is simply a great series. While I do love cars I am not one to go to for mechanical advice. Creator, Shuuichi Shigeno does a great job in gradually introducing the realm of car racing, mechanics, downhill strategies and even racing physics for each type of car. Its shown in a way that the viewer is not thrown into the deep end where we are expected to know everything there is ... about cars. So he makes Takumi a very relatable character who we follow for his lack of knowledge of the sport is set as a bench mark for rookie automative enthusiasts. The europop music brings great excitement and tension in adjacent to the unique 3D visuals that was shown for the actual design work...pretty impressive considering this is the late 1990's.
The supporting characters are likeable and each has a unique trait to suit the series well. Takumi's close friend's tend to serve as a comic relief to the show being dedicated enthusiastic street racers despite only having that to think of while they drive. The rival racers each have their own sense of dealing with pressure and thoughts on strategy, from a short tempered rich boy and his analytical older brother to a reckless driver with a 'friend' who doesn't mind trading paint to get the win. While there is romance in series (c'mon...highschool life, of course there is going to be!) its something that is only brushed upon when the mood comes round to it.
Only minor issue I would give it would be that if your someone who likes to see the action, not read the subtitles and isn't fluent in Japanese then you may have to sway to the Funimation english dub for it has the rights to use the europop music and clearer sound effects in comparison to Tokyopop...seriously, don't go for the Tokyopop version; the music is bad and the dated voice acting is a little cringing to listen to. The Japanese voice acting is just as appealing though if you want to stay loyal to the native thrive of its home sport.


Overall, if you are someone who even has a small interest in automotive hobbies or has a bit of a racing passion then by all means check this series out. Following Takumi's journey may even teach you more there is to know in cars.

initial d is one of my favorites anime,that why I write a review.This anime is not a 12 episode anime who sexualize flat chest girls and is caried by fanservice,no this anime have plot and is not bad,in my opinion this anime is a very good starter because is a claasic.I like the music who can hear in races,like deja vu or running in the 90s,who become memes.I like how dumbs are characters but in the same time are smart.Dont let aspects like is old,dont have good grafich let you stop watch this anime,is one of the best I seen and I think all the ... weebs need to try this anime.