If you like other competition/battle anime because of:
* Tension of who is going to win/stakes
* Strategy/technique/application of abilities
* Visuals/audio/spectacle
* A passionate, interesting main character or team
There is nothing for you here. Turn back while you can.
In a normal sport/battle show, you might have the main character be good at *one* or *two* things at the start. Just a couple advantages that let them really shine under the right conditions. Takumi, the main character, is not like that. He is a god of racing, ordained to always win no matter how stacked the odds are against him. He never has to practice or ask for help. A perfect driver, incapable of failure or struggle.
There's no tension there.
That could be excusable if the *how* of him winning was interesting. Slowing down the race, moment by moment, and showing his thought process and how both himself and his competitor were thinking and what techniques they were using. Really keying us in to how they're both using the differences in their vehicles to get whatever advantage they can. Using the quirks of their respective vehicles in interesting ways we can appreciate. It has none of those sorts of things you might see in a show like Hajime no Ippo or Hunter X Hunter - but for driving.
Regarding visuals - they're OK but ultimately hurt the show too. The 3D and 3D animation is solid enough considering the time period. However, it heavily re-uses shots, and doesn't ever seem to get creative with the camera - which is unfortunate as it's the most major advantage of 3D. Unlike 2D, the animation can't "bend" to make things appear fast or exciting, so a lot of the shots feel really stale and slow even if the cars are moving at high speed.
Finally, Takumi is a passive character. The story happens *to* him, not as a result of his own ambition or drive. He's a boring, laid-back character and it sucks a lot of the life out of it. Why should I root for this guy?
I don't see how this show is as popular as it is. Yes, Takumi is an underdog that wins. But that on its own does not a story make. There needs to be suspension of disbelief, a gradual improvement in the character's abilities and their application, something. *Anything*.
Music is cool though, so it's got that I guess.
