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In a Nutshell
First off, Initial D is geared towards people who like cars and racing. Specifically Japanese cars. However, beneath a very type-cast exterior is a surprisingly good anime that slowly grows on any otaku. Initial D is about a young man who is drawn into the world of racing and the life that surrounds him and how one car can change his life.
The Review
Takumi
Fujiwara is a high school student getting ready for college. However, his
friend convinces him to attend 'gatherings' up on top of Mt. Akina. This
is where the Akina Speedstars practice and gather to race their cars.
However, the Akagi Redsuns wish to make a name for themselves as the best
team in Japan by beating all other teams outside Akagi. They challenge
Akina to a battle and Akina knows for sure that they have no chance.
However, when the Redsuns' number two driver Keisuke Takahashi witnesses a
mysterious old Toyota Trueno out drive his Mazda RX-7 on Mt. Akina, he
changes his challenge from Kouichirou Iketani of the Speedstars to the
nameless driver of the Trueno.
This is more or less how the series goes, there are a series of battles
throughout the series mostly involving the Toyota Trueno (you'll figure
out the driver later). But as the story progresses, each episode becomes
more and more addicting. The white-knuckle use of CG is incredible for the
race sequences as you see beautifully modeled cars slide around sharp
mountain bends. However, the character design lacks, although it gets
better as the story continues. While I'm not particularly fond of the
creator's style for his characters, his attention to detail on each of the
cars is phenomenal. Only Kenichi Sonoda has ever been able to pull it off
perfectly, and Initial D's cars are near perfection.
While the story is fairly straightforward, there are a few side stories,
mostly revolving around Takumi. There's his relationship with his best
friend Itsuki, the Speedstars, his father Bunta and a girl Mogi. Not to
mention the story around the Redsuns, Myogi Night Kids and the amazing Sil-Eighty
team of Mt. Usui. Each character has their own reasons for racing, and it
does a good job of leading up to the reasons why people race. This is
especially true for Mako Satou, the driver of Usui's Sil-Eighty, who you
don't find much about until Initial D Extra Stage, where it's entirely
about her.
Animation in CG is great, while the animation of the people gets the job
done. It's difficult to go from the crisp pretty CG graphics to hand drawn
cells that look a little half-ass. But again, for some reason, the art
gets much better as the series progresses. Combining the CG car sequences
and cell art at first looks awkward, with hand drawn people sitting in CG
cars, kind of like if Parappa the Rapper where to walk around and sit in a
real car. At first, tint is used to hide the drivers, but they slowly
start showing their skill and pull off the combination rather well.
Finally,
the sound of Initial D is superb. Squealing tires and revving engines
combined with a fantastic soundtrack are exactly what this series needs to
keep the octane pumping. The soundtrack is a series of songs that are done
to a fast Euro beat. Some songs are slower for the dramatic moments, while
most are simply fast paced for the racing scenes. And whoever did the
sound effects gets a round of applause for keeping the sounds very true to
form and while not all of the engines sound like they're represented, the
feel of it is still there, and that's what counts.
All in all, I love Initial D, despite its imperfections. That's not only
the racer in me speaking, that's the otaku in me as well. The characters
begin to latch on to you as the story progresses, especially characters
that seem minor like Iketani. But even if you don't believe me, I have a
friend who can barely drive herself, and she absolutely loves Initial D.
While it may start off dry and dull, it evolves into a deep story with
secrets beneath each character.
Slacker's Final Thoughts
Race sequences are absolutely amazing as is the sound
effects and soundtrack. While the story starts off slow and ends with a
bang, I do wish it expanded more on a few characters. I dislike the
character design a little, but still love the technical look of the cities
and cars. Recommended to anybody, but especially any racer.
Story: 8/10
Design: 7/10
Animation: 10/10 (For CG use)
Sound & Music: 10/10
Overall: 8/10
Awards:
