Is it better than Initial D? Not even close.
Is it bad? Not in my opinion, but I feel I should lay out the problems and let you be the judge.
Since MF Ghost is the successor to Initial D, it makes sense to compare the two. Initial D is one of my all-time favorite anime, and it sets a high bar.
Let’s break this down, starting with the negatives before moving to the positives.
(Note: It’s far easier to explain this anime’s faults than its strengths, so expect more detail in the negatives.)
The Negatives:
Where’s the Maturity?:
One thing that made Initial D stand out was its raw, mature vibe, even as a PG-13 show. It didn’t shy away from edgy humor, innuendos, or showing characters doing things like smoking or cracking jokes about relationships. This gritty realism made the world feel grounded. You believed these were real teens and adults living their lives, making dumb decisions, and thriving in a world of street racing.
MF Ghost? It feels like it’s aimed at 8-year-olds who just watched Skibidi Toilet. Its attempts at “mature” humor are embarrassing. You have the MFG girls parading in tight outfits, which feels more stupid than an actual addition to the story since they are only there for fan service. Then there’s a driver whose entire personality revolves around dating minors—yes, you read that right. It’s creepy, unnecessary, and gross. Instead of enhancing the story, these moments derail it and distract from the racing, which should be the focus of this anime.
Flat Characters, Flat Story:
Let’s talk about Kanata. He’s supposed to be the next Takumi Fujiwara, but he’s boring. Unlike Takumi, who started as an uninterested delivery boy and grew through grit and unexpected challenges, Kanata starts off as a pro. Why? Because Takumi trained him off-screen. That’s it. He’s overpowered from the start, and the only thing holding him back is his car. The writers skipped character development entirely, slapping on a generic “driving school backstory” instead of giving him a meaningful arc to gain his own experiences.
Takumi was compelling because he was human. He didn’t care about racing initially—it was something he got dragged into. Watching him grow as a driver and person was half the fun. Kanata, on the other hand, feels like he’s just there to win races, making his journey feel empty.
The supporting cast doesn’t fare any better. Most of the characters are bland cardboard cutouts without unique personalities or motivations. Initial D’s rivals stood out—Ryosuke was the calm tactician, Keisuke had fiery determination, and even side characters brought unique energy to their races. In MF Ghost, rival drivers barely register; they’re just there to lose to Kanata in increasingly predictable ways.
And the supporting cast? The girls exist solely to cheer Kanata on or serve as eye candy. They have no depth, no personality, and no real purpose. You realize quickly that most of these characters are boring, shallow, and forgettable.
Racing Is Heavily Drawn Out:
I touched on this in my Season 1 review, but it bears repeating. Each race in MF Ghost drags on endlessly. Whether it’s a qualification lap, a test lap, or a full race, you’re looking at anywhere from 2 to 6 episodes per race. Compare that to Initial D, where most races wrapped up in 1–3 episodes. The pacing in MF Ghost is atrocious. Scenes are bloated with filler, stretching races unnecessarily. While some argue the different style of racing justifies this, I think it’s more about producers milking the source material. More episodes = more seasons = more money.
Here’s how episodes break down:
40%: Filler racing where nothing happens.
20%: Meaningful racing where a racer’s position changes.
40%: Announcers providing pointless commentary or MFG Girls updating the leaderboard while tossing out random, unneeded facts about themselves (usually sexual or date-related).
The focus on fan service over racing is frustrating for a car racing anime.
The Racing Is Super Unrealistic:
Kanata’s Toyota GR86 is supposedly “modified” to make it competitive, but the anime doesn’t bother explaining these modifications in detail. There’s vague talk about “suspension changes,” but no real details. Later (tiny spoiler), a turbo upgrade gives it 100 extra horsepower, but even then, it’s absurd to believe this car can keep up with Ferraris or Lamborghinis, which have far superior horsepower, advanced ABS systems, and expert drivers.
In Initial D, when Bunta upgraded Takumi’s AE86, he explained the changes (such as changing the engine in the AE86), grounding the story in a sense of realism. MF Ghost skips all of that and asks us to believe a GR86 with minimal horsepower can magically compete with modern supercars.
Adding to this is the unrealistic depiction of the cars. Tight corners at ~60mph (~90kph) in the rain without sliding? Even with good tires, that’s impossible.
Lastly, the Romance:
The romance is awful. Ren, the supposed love interest, is a bland, basic tsundere stereotype. Her entire personality revolves around being jealous while secretly wanting Kanata. Every scene with her feels like filler, especially when her inner monologues interrupt the races.
Even Initial D handled romance better. Mogi and Takumi’s relationship took a backseat to the racing, which was the right call. Nobody watches these shows for romance, so why waste time on half-baked love stories?
The Positives:
Better Than Season 1:
This season is a significant improvement over the first. The races in the latter half of the season are much better and feel closer to the latter seasons of Initial D (Stage 5 and Final Stage). While I still dislike the announcers, romance, and Ogata's worries, these issues are less frequent in the latter half of the season.
Eurobeat:
The Eurobeat is solid—nothing more, nothing less. Some tracks are from Initial D, while others are new. The older tracks are still fantastic, and the newer ones, though less memorable, are decent.
Character Improvements:
The characters have improved somewhat since Season 1. Kanata feels more notable and realistic, particularly in the latter portion of Season 2, where his aggressive driving contrasts nicely with his kind demeanor outside of races. Even Ogata is more tolerable this season, showing some character growth and understanding of the GR86’s faults and has a desire to actually rectify them.
7/10 – Definitely watchable, but you’re better off re-watching Initial D, at-least in my opinion.
A good step up from MF Ghost Season 1, but still not beating any of the Initial D Stages.
