Ask John: What is Initial D?

Question:
I keep hearing about this anime called Initial D. What is it about exactly and is it really that good? Is it going to be released in the US anytime soon?

Answer:
Based on a manga series by Shuichi Shigeno that encompassed 18 collected tankouban volumes, Initial D is the story of a teenage boy named Takumi Fujiwara who discovers an innate talent for driving and an affinity with cars. The anime premiered with a 26 episode TV series broadcast in 1998. The story from the first TV series was continued in a side-story OAV entitled Initial D Extra Stage and a second 13 episode TV series titled Initial D Second Stage. The animation concluded with the early 2001 release of the Initial D Third Stage motion picture.

The Initial D animation is a relatively straightforward and simple story that’s strength lies in interesting character development. The son of a famous but largely forgotten street racer, Takumi’s years of experience driving up and down Mt. Akina to deliver tofu for his father’s tofu delivery company have given him years of experience and training in driving on mountainous roads at high speeds, making him an expert street racer without his even realizing it. When Takumi is challenged to get involved with the local teen culture of late night drag racing, he gradually discovers a passion for driving that he never realized before and gradually immerses himself more and more into a hobby of drag racing and automobile maintenance while carving out his own legend as an unbeatable racer facing ever increasing skilled competitors.

Initial D is partially famous for two things: its combination of traditional cel animation with computer rendered CG graphics, and its extensive use of “Eurobeat” music. The character animation and daily life backgrounds of the Initial D animation are painted in traditional anime style; the cars and racing scenes are animated entirely with CG graphics. The blending of cel art with CG is not exactly smooth, nor is the CG quality even near state of the art. This relatively poor CG may be distracting to some viewers and, combined with the lanky, awkward character design, convince some viewers to avoid the show. However, there’s a very good reason for the inclusion of CG in the show. CG is simply much, much more effective than traditional cel animation at presenting a sense of speed and momentum, especially to the “drift” of the cars around bends in the road. A comparison of the race scenes in Initial D to other car racing anime including eX-Driver and Cyber Formula reveals a very significant difference in visual impact. The CG in Initial D is simply much more immediate and convincing than traditional 2D animation. (In a seeming concession to this fact, the upcoming eX-Driver movie has opted to replace its traditional cel animation races with “cel-shaded” CG- combining the realistic physics of Initial D with the visual look of traditional anime.)

The other significant characteristic of Initial D is its extensive use of “Eurobeat” music. The show is simply filled with disco/techno/dance-pop style European dance music performed mainly be Japanese artists and best selling J-pop acts including Move and Dream. The music, combined with the realistic cars whipping around corners and the viewer constantly wondering what new driving technique Takumi will employ or what unexpected show of skill he will display to again pull ahead in an underdog victory, or if the next race will finally be the one Takumi looses, makes for utterly captivating and addicting viewing. Furthermore, in a subtle way, the same characteristics that make Dragonball Z so entertaining are also at work in Initial D. Just as Son Goku and Piccolo have their own unorthodox training methods, Takumi’s father uses subtle methods to prepare his son for “battle.” And in the same way that the Dragonball warriors can recognize strength and skill from subtle clues that normal people don’t notice, the car enthusiasts of Initial D recognize a driver’s “strength” and “driving aura” just from the way the car moves and “corners.” Clearly the Initial D story doesn’t have the exaggerated action or spectacle often associated with anime. It’s a relatively simple, realistic story that succeeds and becomes surprisingly addictive for both automobile racing fans and casual viewers due to strong writing and characterization, appealing light drama, and its frequent tense, exciting and suspenseful car racing scenes.

For several years now, Initial D has been one of best kept and most under appreciated secrets of hardcore American anime fandom. However, mainstream viewers will soon get to see what so many fans already know and love. TOKYOPOP has acquired the American distribution rights to both the manga and animation and will be releasing it soon. They are also hoping to see the animation broadcast on American television, although only time will tell if any American television network will show any interest in optioning the series.