New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - Kakusei

One foggy morning, a black and white Toyota AE86 flies past Keisuke Takahashi's Mazda RX7 on Mount Akina, making him believe he has seen the ghost of a racer who died on the mountain. Resolving to defeat this phantom, Keisuke mobilizes the Akagi Red Suns to take on the local Akina Speed Stars racing team in an exchange race. He anticipates that the competition will lure the elusive "Ghost of Akina" out into the open and give him the opportunity to exact revenge for his previous defeat.

While his friend Itsuki Takeuchi is obsessed with cars and racing, Takumi Fujiwara is not. He fails to understand the "rush" that racers experience and any talk of cars reminds him of the tofu deliveries he makes for his father in an old AE86. His early morning routine takes him up and down Mount Akina, where he has memorized every hairpin, brake point, and turn better than anyone else.

When the Akagi team appears one night to challenge the Speed Stars to an exchange race, they accept the challenge only to find out that they are completely outclassed. The only way the Speed Stars can stand a chance against them is if they can get the panda-colored AE86 to join their team. With a bit of coercion, Takumi takes the wheel of the AE86 and heads off to Mount Akina to defend the pride of all racers in Akina.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Fujiwara, Takumi Main

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Fujiwara, Bunta Supporting

Hirata, Hiroaki Japanese

Takahashi, Ryousuke Supporting

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Takahashi, Keisuke Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Takeuchi, Itsuki Supporting

Shiraishi, Minoru Japanese

Nakazato, Takeshi Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Iketani, Kouichirou Supporting

Tsuchida, Hiroshi Japanese

Mogi, Natsuki Supporting

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Tachibana, Yuuichi Supporting

Shimura, Tomoyuki Japanese

Kenji Supporting

Katsu, Anri Japanese

Hidaka, Masamitsu Director

Sekijima, Mayori Script

Kawamura, Ryuuichi Theme Song Performance, Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Composition

Shigeno, Shuuichi Original Creator

Reviews

Mar 6, 2015

D1N0M1NAT0R

Recommended

So i watched this Anime, i already liked Initial D years ago. But what i can tell is, that the Producers try with this new Movie to find more Fans maybe some who never Watched it before because the graphics where absolutly bad in past. What i liked is that some Details changed, changed maybe in the better way.

The Characters changed a bit, but they see like they are more Mature. Also the drawing Style is super, thats why i think that Initial D will have new Fans. The old ones most of them probably will stay.

What i didnt like is that there ... is no more Eurobeat, they changed it too. What for me was bad is that the time was a little bit short.

Also what i can say for people who want to watch this Movie but didnt watch the first stage, watch the first stage you will really enjoy it. Watch all the stages before and than this movie, than you can better relate is this movie better or not.

What i like at most is that they still go on with this Serie and i hope they dont stop with it!

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Apr 15, 2015

Veronin

Mixed Feelings

The anime industry sure likes to reuse content, huh?

Initial D's movie retelling- itself an adaptation of an adaptation- is not one that aims to reinvent the series it is based on. It is yet another sort of compilation movie, an inferior version of the TV series that came before. Does that mean the movie itself sucks? Not necessarily, though it is beyond any doubt a disappointment.

I'm not entirely sure why Initial D is being remade since 1998 isn't exactly what I would consider to be 'old'. I suppose it exists as a way for anime fans who detest anything from before the 2000's ... (you have my condolences) to get into the series with its pretty new visuals. And look nice it does, although the movie has lost far more than it has gained.

Let me first mention the positives before I start complaining: Initial D Kakusei looks fantastic. First Stage was admittedly pretty rough-looking with its cheap CG during the races, which often detracted from the experience and made it resemble some sort of weird PS2 game. The CG in Kakusei, on the other hand, is thankfully kept to the bare minimum. I can hardly fault the original series for its CG considering the money situation is very different between TV series and movies, but it is still an upgrade nonetheless. Speedlines are far more effective than bouncy bouncy CG cars rolling around.

Takumi's new voice actor is also a far better fit. Takumi sounded like a 40-year-old man in the original series (really, what the hell was up with that?), whereas here he actually sounds like a teenager. Miyano Mamoru makes Takumi seem more alive and human, less lethargic, especially when you consider the same voice actor also played Okabe from Steins;Gate. It's a nice change, since in the original series it was like Takumi just didn't give a damn about much of anything. It is a bit strange to hear such a popular voice actor in his role, though. I've heard him in so many different anime now that I just can't identify him with Takumi.

Others do not fare nearly as well, with Keisuke being robbed of all personality by his new seiyuu. Depending on your tastes, you might also find the story to be lacking in emotion or humanity. And you would be correct, as this has been (at least for me) the main issue with the franchise. There's a lot of cool moments to satisfy both action and racing fans, but there's nothing to really make you care about the characters. The romance here feels even more tacked on and superficial than usual, considering the movie removes important scenes like an enraged Takumi punching Mogi's ex-boyfriend. Here, Mogi is just eye-candy and Takumi a quiet badass. Yawn.

The decision to use (generic) rock music rather than Eurobeat, the series' staple, is beyond disappointing-- it's actually baffling. There is a major lack of intensity during the races as a result of this stupid decision. Whereas tracks like 'Heartbeat' or 'Don't Stop The Music' blasting would often make the entire race, here the songs merely accompany it. The rock music has its place in anime, but Initial D is not where it belongs; it feels like something you'd find in a show like Kuroko no Basket instead. I don't necessarily wish the same tracks from First Stage were reused here ad-nauseum (the entire thing would reek of laziness), but certainly it could have at least tried to preserve the same mood and atmosphere from the original series. Maybe people new to the series won't care all that much, but it's a bummer to see the Eurobeat gone. It was by far the best thing about the series. Initial D was the music.

The pacing is also very strange since it's trying to tell a story in movie format while moving at the speed of a TV series. If the bigwigs behind the anime wanted to go for the movie approach, they should have tightened up the pacing and covered a much larger amount of content. It doesn't use the medium to its advantage; it just feels like a compilation with pretty visuals rather than an actual movie.

People new to Initial D should be aware that, like the original series, there's a bit of car and racing terminology that is pretty much gibberish to anyone who doesn't follow the scene. It doesn't really impede the enjoyment, though, since the spectacle is still more than enough. Most of it simply boils down to Takumi being a drifting god, anyway.

Should you watch Initial D Kakusei? I can't say I recommend it. It's simply an inferior version of the original series with prettier visuals. If visuals are all that matter to you, then hey, I suppose you'll have a pretty good time. But if you value characters, music and mood to any extent, you would be better off just watching (or rewatching) First Stage instead. There are much better things you could spend the hour with instead. You could watch three episodes of Aikatsu, for example!

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Apr 10, 2018

Hulio

Not Recommended

This shall be my first review, and I'll try to keep it short.

I was expecting on watching a "recap" movie of the series, and that was what I got. Yet I was still disappointed.

Story - 6
Can't say that it felt rushed, but the pacing of the first half and the usual "explaining everything" just reduced the immersion even more compared to the original.

Art - 6
For better and worse, updated and reworked graphics. Personally I prefer the old version.
The CGI cars here are definitely level-upped, but still in the middle ground of Good and Bad.
I could say the old CGI was so "bad" that it actually ... was slightly good. No feelings here.

Sound - 3
No Eurobeat = No Hype = Not Good (driving)

Character - 3
They changed all Seiyûs
I actually even missed Itsuki's stupid sound. It really was a part of his character.

Enjoyement - 4
I noticed getting slightly bored and aiming my attention somewhere else during the movie.
Considering the 2 above sections, and especially due to the change in Seiyûs, I sadly won't be watching the sequels.

Overall - 5
If you liked the TV series, and want to try recapping, you can try.
It won't be the same.
If you're new to Initial D, watch the TV series, seriously. This movie is a lie

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: New Initial D Movie: Legend 1 - Kakusei Episode 1 Discussion Stark700 - Jan 8, 2015	28 replies	by deg »» Nov 17, 9:07 PM
	Should i watch this movie trilogy or the series Hasindu_ - Mar 21, 2022	8 replies	by a0i-kun »» Mar 27, 2022 2:00 AM
	Which Episode do this remake resume ? Yukito-Atari - Jul 16, 2016	1 replies	by Trickster5_ »» Sep 29, 2020 6:40 AM
	Eurobeat edition! SamJN - Sep 6, 2015	1 replies	by Rrecool »» Feb 22, 2016 7:37 PM
	The BD/DVD will come out on 26 December. rederoin - Oct 10, 2014	1 replies	by MyNameJepp »» Dec 31, 2014 2:54 AM

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