Initial D Final Stage

I'll be the first to review this, which brings me to my first point. Initial D is not as popular among people on the mal community (probably everyone outside of japan) as it used to be. I can't be sure how popular it is in japan now, but the subs for the final stage took a very long time to come out. As of now it has a little over 2,000 members. Initial D never was extremely popular (I'm generally speaking for the mal community, Its seems to be more popular in Japan) but as it has been airing through about 15 or so years ... it has lost some of its members. So to start of I want to say that I don't think this is because the series has been declining. I also don't believe that the reason it is rated 8,24 (as of now) is because only the people who really like it are still watching.

Initial D has always been a very straightforward series that is mainly focused on racing. The main character, Takumi, has always been somewhat shallow. He doesn't have any strong moral convictions, or anything like that, but regardless he develops in a different way than what is done in other anime. I am not saying it is bad or good as it is more of an opinion thing. In Takumi's final battle not much character development is seen. I know your thinking "Well its four episodes long and he's in a car the entire time". Well that is true for the most part, but the problem I had is that I feel that they didn't convey takumi's feelings as to the results of his greatest challenge yet and didn't show how this effected him. This isn't necessarily a big deal and alot of people wont be bothered by it but as it is the last adaptation of initial D and essentially its end it is something I would have liked to see.

In terms of the race, I can't give spoilers, but overall I was pleased with how it all ended. It wasn't really what I was expecting and that made it all the better.

OVERALL I enjoyed this as the ending of initial d and feel as if this was stepped up a small notch from the rest of the series. I am disjointed that is the end, but I believe a decent job was done in wrapping it all up. Personally I believe that large series have a lot to wrap up and should spend more time doing so, but initial D isn't really that kind of anime. It's all about the racing, not a strong story line, simple plot, but strong races, and that's how they finished it.

Taking place where fifth stage leaves off, Takumi will have the his final race as a street racer. His opponent this time is like no other opponent he has ever faced. He is now racing a fellow AE86 Trueno model driver, Inui Shinji. Not only that, he happens to be younger than Takumi who usually tends to be the youngest in his social circle. Also, the difference between their cars is that Takumi is the hatchback model while Shinji has the sedan model. And as the race progresses, we will also learn about Shinji and his background and many characters return to see if Project ... D can become the greatest street racing team in Japan.

The last volume of the manga came out in November 2013 which is why this part was delayed for awhile. I have never bothered reading the manga for reasons which I will get into as my review progresses. Since it was only 4 episodes long, I think it could have served better as a movie though the reboot movie I assume ruined that.

So this series is what it is. It is mostly concentrated on the race between Takumi and Shinji and how they compare and contrast as people along with their cars. It is also a great way to demonstrate Takumi’s development as a racer and also gives Shinji some fleshing out. The relationships have come full circe as well. Many of the characters that return give their input in what can happen giving them some kind of contribution.

Some parts of the series may seem ridiculous, but the series does an excellent job of making it make sense. Though some people prefer the story telling method of showing over telling, this series does a great job of making them go hand in hand. The explanations are technical but very necessary. The explanations does a very, very, very excellent job of making everything make sense and not seem ridiculous. Mostly from Ryosuke and his team. The series does a very effective job on how Takumi and Shinji’s hachi-roku models are different and are effective in rally racing (the sedan model) and circuit racing (the hatchback model).

Shinji is a very interesting character and I think he isn’t exactly an anti-Takumi, but like Takumi was before but just needed the development that Takumi needs. He has very interesting similar qualities to him but some things that are different which make him distinct. Granted it is very focused on the race, a lot is given and the series comes full circle in its own way, but can be open to a potential sequel. Also, the series finally explains what the D in Project D means and the meaning is what a good fraction of the fans have speculated since the beginning.

The quality of the cg of the races and the resolution and design is unchanged from 5th stage. I pretty much call this series the last 4 episodes of 5th stage anyway. Ryosuke’s hair is still long and a little shaggy which is my only issue. This sole race is very long paced but also shows the patience and concentration necessary to do this. It’s night time, the weather could change, and their could potentially be oncoming traffic. As the series progresses, the series does have an increase danger factor which I thought was the most underused quality needed to make this series complete. Takumi uses many of the techniques he has been developing since 4th stage and they finally develop the line attack that he was trying to learn since the end of 4th stage to some degree.

The drifting is pretty cool and the techniques and the performances of the car are very believable when it is explained. The way it ends is pretty exciting and ballsy. It will seem ridiculous the first time but they do find a perfect way to explain how it ends the way it does.

Well anything I can say about the music has already been said in previous reviews of Initial D (with the exception of Legend). The Eurobeat tracks and MOVE makes up most of the reasons why I love this anime and why I got into it and is a crazy reason why I don’t read the manga because the music isn’t just there. MOVE’s opening song, Outsoar the Rainbow is very intense and the first 3 episodes using Gamble Rumble, the opening theme from 3rd stage. And the ending theme of the 4th episodes perfectly gives the series full circle and explains what the D stands for. The voice actors are back and give great performances as they always do.

Still, I think this installment could have worked fine as a movie. I think the length would have worked perfectly with it. But as I said, the reboot movie which I reviewed a couple of weeks prior to this installment I think got in the way of that. But anyway, I love the consistency that this anime installment of Initial D has to this point despite changes to the character designs, specifically Ryosuke here and there but Takumi, especially from 4th stage, demonstrates that development and so does Keisuke in this series. All other characters are there but they do contribute in their own way. I hope Shigeno-sensei somewhere down the line continues the series in some way.

*SPOILER-FREE Short and Cute ^_^ Review for the Initial D series*
(If you haven't watched fifth stage you should! just to get to these four episodes!! >_<)
Also pardon my Exclamation marks use but that's how much I liked this season!!

Fifth Stage left me a little demotivated and I had to force myself to begin Final Stage. And Thank God! If you love the Initial D series, please sit through Fifth Stage just to get to this one.

+++This race is unlike any other I've seen and that's all I will say about it! Just when Fifth season made me forget about Takumi, he entered from a corner ... and made me remember what I had missed and showed me how much he has changed!
For two episodes my heartbeat got so weird - it literally beat fast but kept sending so much chills throughout my torso I had to clutch myself the whole hour!
+The emotional ups and downs that both drivers go through within the most unpredictable race's span is shown very nicely.
Even though Takumi is the one we root for, you still feel for the kid cause both are so alike. (Also I wished he would've been the main character cause he is so much cuter! and Takumi is like...meh)
- I guess the only part I dislike was how the characters spoke as if they were conversing for the first time just in order to give the viewers exposition.

Did I enjoy this show? It's been two hour since I finished watching and I'm still feeling cold in a 33 degree environment...sooo....pretty much a lot more than any thing I've ever watched!!!
(Also I think a health check-up is due now....

Over half of this season (4 episodes ~ 1 HOUR) was some Karen trying to justify their whiny teenager's driving style that ironically lacks any, after his balls suddenly dropped looking at some legs. Other than his need to compensate for said lack of technique by ramming other cars out of the way, this was the worst season of Initial D.

SPOILERS AHEAD

SPOILERS AHEAD

Then there's the other side of the story Takumi, who didn't show much of what he learned throughout the series in his final battle, other than his blind attack, after spending half of the previous season talking about how he was ... working on the one-handed driving technique from Purple Shadow. He won by successfully blowing up his engine and spinning out in front of Shinji in order to win.

The whole premise was a mess, trying to find out a way to beat the MC without showing too much Plot Armor, but it was just ridiculous pitting a squeaker against someone who "evolves with every race" but doesn't really. Takumi's catch phrase should be "HE'S FAST, VERY FAST".

I'd rather watch the worst Fast and Furious movies for my car fix, and there wasn't even any good Eurobeat in this season.

INITIAL D

Truly a piece of art, a masterpiece, I'm crying 😭😭😭, I got recommended this by someone who was with me in the uni, honestly I had no idea how this is going to turn out, it's just top from start to finish, you're literally going in for a ride each race, the hype, the intensity of the races, the emotions!!, I'm speechless, I doubt anyone would want to make a car racing anime after this, it has everythinggg, story is awesome, characters and their development is also so gooood, OST? idk all of them are masterpieces, yes allll!!, I'm glad I'm riding a bicycle ... nowadays ( a lot safer to use than my scooter bike xD after watching this xD ).

I don't want to talk specifics, everyone should give this a shot and see for themselves.

Simply a Masterpiece, easy 10/10

Definitely recommended, Definitely rewatchable, WATCH JOJO I I mean Intial D.

As far as character development and depth, Initial D has been sorely lacking these qualities since Second Stage. The story arc with Ryosuke in Fifth Stage covered some ground, but the characters in the anime failed to entice. Understably, the manga fits a lot more details and character nuances into the story, the anime has not been so successful in translating that into action.

With that said, Final Stage provides viewers with much needed closure. The ending was expected, to a certain degree. The final race was full of suspense and a rather unpredictable sequence. The story itself didn't provide much closure as the action ... was going on. The later stages have a genuine focus on racing, which, for fellow automotive enthusiasts, is fantastic. From the perspective of a fan, Final Stage will leave you wanting more. Based on the sequence in the closing credits, there could have been another four to six episodes to really bring the series home.

Nonetheless, Final Stage provides action-packed racing, moral dilemmas on the road, and continues Project D's racing ethos of being street specialists who excel during a dogfight. Some familiar players were revisited and there was a certain passing of the torch from Takumi to Shinji. Their lack of face to face interaction upon the conclusion of their race was a bit of a moral letdown, but the evolution of Shinji's team made up for that loss.

All in all, while the storyline and character development still was not able to meet the high standard of Second Stage, Final Stage remains a visual treat with stunning, captivating, real-world sounds. Fun fact, the races were all well choreographed and filmed at the Gunma Sports complex. There is a certain element of realism that the first few stages didn't have due to lack of technology, at the time, and lack of budget.

Any Initial D fan will appreciate Final Stage for what it is and look forward to other Initial D media that is set to be released over the next few years. For now, however, the story of Takumi and his AE86 has come to a predictable, but satisfactory end.

IMO This anime had great potential, but imo it needs a graphics / art overhaul. Comparing this anime to some of the old animes like DBZ or Naruto which continued to improve their art overtime, you can see it. Whereas Initial D's art becomes stale as I felt the artist got lazy and decided not to improve on the overall graphic quality of the manga / anime. The original is a good standard to set, but comparing it to today's anime / art, it's just not appealing and won't cut it.

Story Telling: 7/10

The story telling is amazing. The plot pace moves along well when it ... comes the main character and his car racing days. The character develops very quickly when it comes to the art of racing with his innate talent for it. However when it comes to expressing how the the character feels, I feel like he's matured very slowly in learning how to express himself.

One of the biggest issues I have with this manga/anime and multiple mangas/anime are when romance is introduced. The story focuses more heavily on action, but drops the romance in very suddenly and left hanging from time to time. I feel like there is a lack of balance and development in that area. I feel like there are 2 options when it comes to the romance department and that's to either go in-depth and not half-ass it, or to entirely not even put it in there. It's basically like Naruto where Hinata tells Naruto she loves him out of nowhere, and then many chapters or episodes later, not even mention it.

I consider Initial D to have great potential to be a well known classic like Spirited Away, Totoro, or Kotachi no koe with balanced elements of storytelling, soundtracks, and animation.

TLDR: Romance department is seriously lacking, character development on how he expresses himself can immensely improve.

Soundtrack: 10/10

I really can't complain much about the soundtrack. I think it's amazing and fits the theme of the anime well, it compliments the story, but the art doesn't do it as much justice as it could have.

Art: 5/10

My issue is that the art becomes stale. There are no improvements and quality stream hasn't improved much despite being a huge fan of the manga. I feel like a movie or anime is like a puzzle. You need all the right pieces of the puzzle for it to fit together. If the art continued to improve overtime, I'd be very happy for it to do the soundtrack and storytelling justice. I just felt like the artist got lazy and did not bother while being stubborn with its style.

If you're selling this anime to the older generation, it's considered a classic. I understand where they're coming from as I was born in the 90's as well going for game design and CG programming. If I were to advertise this anime to the audiences of newer generations, it won't be as appealing compared to the likes of Sword Art Online (1st Half of Season 1) or Fate Stay: Unlimited Blade Works where the art, music, and storytelling is stunning.

If Initial D is looking to become a known classic, I really feel like a reboot would really do the anime justice if the romance is taken out or rewritten and also better character development. Art is outdated and won't appeal to newer audiences. It's been almost 2 decades. Even Detective Conan, which is a year older, looks a lot better visually.

Enjoyment: Good for a first time watch, but leaves you hanging wanting more because you can see the potential it has and that makes it a little depressing. It's not worth watching a 2nd time for the quality it was produced as.

This, was, awesome, even if this "SEASON" is just 4 episodes long, it definitely was the best one, and I would rank seasons this way:
God: final stage,
1st: first stage, second stage,
2nd: fifth stage,
3rd: fourth stage.

Although first and second might be my favorites, the final stage just take them down, easily. Sadly it was short, and we needed to wait 2 years after fifth stage just to see it's continuation, the wait was worth it (gladly I didn't wait long since I started watching it when mf ghost came out and "Initial D" is just way better than that new one).

This season just shows the best ... downhill drivers and the strongest type of bond, you can have with your car. It's not just a car, it's part of them, extension of their limbs, their soul, their love and life, something that carries them not just physically, but spiritually and how the loss of such part of their life, affects them...

It's a decent conclusion to the series. It's a bit disappointing that Tak's friends literally never race, and are still stuck working at the gas station, but it appears that the members of Project D get to move on to bigger and better things at least. Ryosuke's development over the series still feels odd to me, but the end result is fine I guess. Shinji worked well as the final opponent. He helped emphasize just how much Takumi has grown, both as a racer and a person, since first stage. I didn't find the race itself that interesting though. Much of the same as ... far techniques go, and Tak benefiting from what would've resulted in a loss for his previous opponents was kind of annoying. The focus seemed to be more on the growth of the drivers though rather than the race.

The art is the same as fifth stage; solid relative to the series but dated in comparison to its peers. Don't remember much of the soundtrack other than the song at the very end, which was just the fuller version of one of the openings.

It was fairly enjoyable overall. I wish the series would concluded around fourth stage instead lugging along like it did, but ending we received was serviceable.

This review is very late. I don't write many reviews, but I seem to write reviews on the series that I enjoyed or were impactful on me as a viewer.

Obviously, Initial D has been referenced widely in other shows. I did not pick up this series until a few years ago, starting with the original, working my way to Final Stage. I do recommend Initial D: Final Stage, if you can make it through some of the earlier seasons.

Final Stages takes all of the events leading up to it, delivers it at full throttle (I watched this all non-stop and barely took ... a break after Fifth Stage).

I will try to keep the content about Final Stage, but in a way, it's difficult to not at least talk about Fifth Stage or some of the other series leading up to this.

Story 7/10

Note: It's not about a perverted average 15 year old with newfound superpowers that finds himself in a new high school environment - thank god. This is a show about racing cars, and stays about racing cars (unlike that other American franchise that everyone knows about). And most dudes like cars, right? So a great deal of viewers can appreciate the premise.

In fact, it's the kind of world that you can see yourself in, whether on the sidelines, or behind the wheel. And as such, it has inspired so many to get behind the wheel. I've personally added driving down a Japanese mountain pass in a Silvia to my bucket list.

At first, the earlier seasons introduced the characters and the plot and moved rather slow, using several episodes to cover a single race. I remember it taking me long periods of time, though the series had all finished airing to get through some of the earlier seasons. What they do is establish a background.

However, the plot has been slowly dripped into the series in Fifth Stage and coming to its climax in Final Stage. In Fifth and Final Stage, we now get to see some critical back story and into the lives of some of the characters we've been seeing for years. I cannot speak for how important this is. When I watch something, I want to KNOW these "people."

Many of the really well done shows are the ones that don't neglect the characters while they move along the main story arc.

Ending: There shouldn't really be any spoilers covered, but the ending seemed like a proper way to wrap everything up, something that very few show's I've seen have done well. I do wish that they spent a bit more time on it though, as I wouldn't mind seeing what has become of everyone in a year, or two, or even further down the line.

Art 7/10

World

In short, it looks great. Initial D would not be Initial D without the mountain passes. The winding mountain road, the trees, the mountain itself, all of this looks spot on, very realistic. Going back a few series, these have all been captured pretty well.

Cars

Before we talk about the art of some of the characters, we'll talk about one of the most important aspects of the series, the cars themselves. I watched all of Initial D over the last few years and at first, they started out with some pretty awfully thrown in 3D cars in a 2-dimensional world, and they've been rather slow in changing that over the years. But welcome to 2014.
Now, the cars look like they belong in the world instead of some foreign object slapped in. The textures, the way light affects them, now fit perfectly in the rest of the world. Yes! For decades, the cars in Initial D have been legendary. Now, they look the part too.

Characters

The characters have a very bold Shounen look consistent with the art style of the original series. Emphasized lines, contrast, shadows. These characters are dudes, heroes in the eyes of many. Earlier, this seemed to clash and seemed pretty disruptive. In Final Stage, they have stuck with this art style, but refined it. It doesn't seem to clash as much. The characters are "remastered," if you will. One complaint still, is that Ryousuke's superlight complexion makes him look "mickey mousey," where as he looked more alive in the earlier seasons. The animations though, emphasize the reactions in somewhat comical ways, but as art should do, help to tell the story, highlighting the environment and the character's thoughts and emotions.

Sound 8/10

Sounds: The cars sound real, and they sound good. Turn up the volume, let the engines whine, the exhaust roar and the tires screech at every corner.
Music: What would Initial D without the glorious Eurobeat Tracks? They are quite good, they're upbeat and the tracks are similar to what I listen to when I feel like going out for a drive.

Apart from that, the placement of "Rage Your Dream" at the end of the series was phenomenal. You'll know when you see it.

Char 6/10

I can't cover all of them here, but the collaboration of individuals behind it, the members of Project D, their opponents, side characters, audience were all critical in contributing to the success of Initial D. However, the reason I have to rate it a 6/10 is because of the length of time it took to get the characters to this point.

Alright... Takumi, our main protagonist. Fujiwara was, is and always will be an aloof young man who happens to have great instinct and natural driving skills. I was glad to at least see him become progressively more reactive as the seasons progressed. During the race with Shinji, when the battle became challenging, you could see the "what is happening here?!" in his eyes.

Takahashi Brothers - rich kids who are good at driving. Thankfully, there's more to it than that.

Ryousuke - The racing sage, offering just enough feedback to his drivers. A good manager asks himself if his intervention will improve the situation or if it will simply interfere. He definitely does this throughout. But what we see in Fifth and Final Stage is more about him, his backstory with Hojo Rin, and Kaori. Finally. This is what we need. Leading up to this, Ryousuke has been the calm, analytical type who speaks when he needs to. Out of all the characters in Initial D, he probably demonstrates the best emotional control.
Honestly, the moments where he reflects on his past and reflects on the meaning behind Project "D" are nothing short of touching.

Keisuke - He's a "Pilot" type, a "Maverick," hot-headed, bold and extremely confident type that carries out the mission and gets some tail on the side (well, he could anyway.) Quite honestly, would you want someone operating a $38 million dollar piece of equipment if he didn't have confidence?
As expected, his attitude has gotten him in trouble a few times, but this hot head has learned to learn. Throughout the later seasons, you could see development in Keisuke. He gains some emotional control and utilizes his skills to develop his strengths, which have brought him his victories.

Shinji - To be honest, what immediately came to mind was this transaction:
Hojo: "Get in the car Shinji!"
Shinji: "but I don't want to!!!"

LOL! Anyway, we've met him briefly in Fifth Stage, and barely at that. But he's another driver who his familiar with his native mountain pass and is naturally skilled at driving due to his spatial recognition skills. Humming while he leisurely coasts down the mountain pass, he comes off as even more aloof than Takumi, which is consistent with his youth relative to Fujiwara, who has always been notably young himself. Not trying to be insensitive here, but I think Shinji might actually be a bit autistic. Nonetheless, Shinji will come out of this race having developed, and that is important to the story of Initial D.

Impact Blue

Mako and Sayuki - a good pairing, Sayuki is definitely Mako's foil.
Mako: Thank you for gracing us with your presence. It's always nice to see you.

Iketani: Poor guy with bad luck and unfortunate circumstances, but still just a really good dude at the core.

Itsuki: Because we've all got to have an annoying friend... I suppose.

Conclusion

A show about racing, and actually is. But it's also about living life, growing with the people around you, and friendship. Just like when we go about our day to day, it all seems mundane, but we look back reminiscing on our glory days, only after you finish all of Initial D can you appreciate all of this.
I still get chills rewatching the finish at episode 4, and every time I hear "Rage your Dream." The feels... I was thoroughly moved. Sadly, even if not for the title, this show has come to its bittersweet end. But the Dream will always move on.

Overall Rating: 9/10

Initial D Final Stage, if it was part of the Fifth Stage, it would've carried the season.
(Some Spoilers ahead, but shouldn't be anything major)

This season had a great end, or should I say a great conclusion to the series.
(Until MF Ghost releases (Hype)).

The aspects (Fifth Stage) that lead up to the race could've been done in like 6 episodes instead of 13, those races really didn't add anything to the character of Takumi, other than him just improving very slightly, and the races taking more than one episode.
But with this last season of the show it feels more energetic in the racing ... attitudes for each the characters, and they also feel more adapted to the circumstances, making good use of each episode for each part of the race, not to mention has excellent visuals for the high octane drifting and high speed straightaways.

The comeback of classic characters draws back the feeling of earlier stages that are nostalgic to many, and these characters make comments about the race (Sometimes really obvious...) and give their input to the races' events and circumstances.

The Bad: I HATE the characters constantly praising Ryousuke, he may be smart but I don't need it repeated 2 times an episode for minor things he accomplished.
I personally dislike the character design after Stage Four, seems to not follow the same type of look to the characters, especially Ryousuke and Takumi.

(Personal Thoughts)
I dislike the ending I would've loved to see a tie happen between the racers, not only to show that Takumi is not a 110% expert, but that Shinji is worthy of being beside Project D in a great race that did not lead to a loss or a win, and won't be used as a stepping stone.
To Be Honest- Shinji should've had his own success story as a continuation from Initial D as a side story, but as a different type of racer compared to Takumi, with his own aspects and characteristics of driving, guess I can only wish.

Conclusion
Great ending to the series, but I would've liked to see one more episode concluding the series and telling us what happens after Project D.

8.8/10 Overall

Don't be afraid to say the review is helpful if you agreed with my points or opinions!

I have rated all of the previous seasons as 8s, and the reasons for that is that there isn't really anything to dislike in the show. You can argue that the visual part of the show is not the best by todays standards, however it's something that can easily be forgiven by the other aspects of the show, like characters.

So why did I decide to rate this as a 9 then you may ask? Even though I can't say with 100% confidence that the final battle was the best one, I can say that the closure to the whole Project D was very satisfying, ... as getting a good ending to a show isn't that common anymore, I think.

Even though I can't rank the races of the series in terms of which one was the best, I can atleast say that the ending to this race was the most amazing one, since it was the biggest (maybe not unpredictable) suprise moment by far and it made me feel like "man Takumi sure is amazing!"

I also said this was a good ending to a show for once and so that also includes the potential for the sequels. I'm really excited to see how things turn out in the future, even though I just discovered the manga is finished and everything is adapted, such a shame.

The last Vroom Vroom

This was a decent final and a really fun journey trough all the stages of Initial D. I never enjoy a lot since I've watched all Naruto in one month.

To be fair this isn't the final I want it but I'll take it.
Most of the race we seen Takumi struggling with his 16 years old rival and it's kinda hilarious because this rival is like a counterpart of Takumi and they both are connected by the fact of "why am I racing?" and both are amazingly good drivers. But the rival is an asshole (in my humble opinion).

Yes, Takumi face of his ... "most difficult" race and was really good. All the disrespect to Takumi happens and he's going in beast mode.
I really like how he scares this child to a point is embarrassing but I get it, he's 16. Also reminds me the feels of the First Stage when all the rivals compares Takumi with a ghost and giving the name of "Ghost of Akina". This is something trough all the stages is disappearing but I like how he revives that old feeling.

I cannot say too much about this Final Stage because it's just the Fifth Stage with hype.
Ill say something I've said in the review of the Fifth Stage, I wish they recycle some songs like Deja Vu, Space Boy or No One Sleep in Tokyo. Deja Vu fits perfectly because it's Hachi Roku vs Hachi Roku and Space Boy for the climax of the last section of the race could be amazing.

Overall it's was a good final but not the final I wanted and here happens a lot things that are inconsistently with the story or maybe are explain in the manga and they skipped. I'm talking to you Iketani and Mako.

This was a good journey and I'll recommend watch this anime besides the flops here and there and the Hachi Roku will live in our memories.

Liked it. Like, this thing is awsome, the final of it(with i wount spoiler here) is breath takin, i literaly became pog while watching, the cars are very well desingned and the musci complements it all. The race is so fun and the events leading to it(all the other stages of the initial d) are so great(besides the 4 stage
thatr i dont find that good, at least for me -.-).

This is my first review so probably bad and dont explain that much about the expecific about things like audio, caracter design and some other bullshit that you would probably care about to change ... opinion about after you watched the anime... for some reason, see you next time.

Rating: 8/10

This season was short and sweet. I was first caught off guard at how young Shinji was when he learned how to drive, I think it would have been better if he and Takumi were the same age, but I think that it's something that could be gotten over with. The ending suited the anime nicely. I loved how they decided to retire the AE86 and how it signified the opening of a new chapter in Takumi's life. The narrative of the AE86 giving it's last breath to let Takumi win was on point.

The art style is basically the same as the past season. ... Intensity was a tad more than the last season, which would make sense because this is the final race of the series. The music and the sound kind of grew on me.

I also enjoyed the car descriptions and the technical aspects were better explained here as compared to the 5th season, where it felt a bit dragging. Overall, I really enjoyed this anime and it has inspired me to resurrect my 90s Honda Civic. I won't be racing it like in the anime but it has made me appreciate old cars a little more.