Yoroshiku Mechadock

When it aired, I was only 10 years old, but I had already read the manga series and owned all the volumes. I didn't have any doubts about the transition from manga to anime; I was excited to see it come to life. Decades later, rewatching it in its entirety, the ending theme brought back memories, and I felt a wave of nostalgia. I used to hold a tape recorder close to the TV speaker to record and listen to it repeatedly.

This anime, which predates Initial D by over 10 years, was the only manga at the time that portrayed the allure of cars. The ... idea of using "Nitro" as fuel was mind-blowing. The animation and script might not be as refined as in modern anime, but for us kids in 1984, it was more than enough, and we eagerly looked forward to watching it every week. It became a standard Japanese anime for me. In that sense, it deserves a solid 5 out of 10 as a baseline score.

However, the anime doesn't delve deeply into cars or provide detailed explanations of driving techniques like Initial D does. But if you're interested in experiencing the vibrant atmosphere of 1980s Japan, I recommend giving it a go.