Initial D: First Stage – Part Two (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

November 28, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The 1998 anime racing classic, “Initial D: First Stage” receives its uncut release in the US and now the second half of the first season is here! And what a wonderful, adrenaline pumping release the second half of the series turned out to be. Both volumes of “Initial D: First Stage” are definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Initial D: First Stage – Part Two

DURATION: Episode 14-26 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: November 16, 2010

Originally created by Shuuichi Shigeno

Directed by Noboru Mitsusawaa

Scripted by Hiroshi Toda, Nobuaki Kishima

Storyboards by Masami Hata

Episode Director: Masami Hata, Yuzo amada

Character Design and Animation Director: Noboru Furuse

Anime Production by Pastel

Featuring the following voice talent:

Shinichiro Miki/Joel McDonald as Takumi Fujiwara

Ayako Kawasumi/Brina Palencia as Natsuki Mogi

Kazuki Yao/Eric Vale as Koichiro Iketani

Michiko Ney/Bridget Hoffman as Mako “Maya” Sato

Tohru Furusawa/Steven Jay Blum as Papa

Mitsuo Iwata/Josh Grelle as Itsuki Takeuchi

Takehito Koyasu/J. Michael Tatum as Ryosuke Takahashi

Tomokazu Seki/Todd Haberkorn as Keisuke Takahashi

Tomomichi Nishimura/Chuck Huber as Yuuichi Tachibana

Unshou Ishizuka/Kent Williams as Bunta Fujiwara

Takumi’s nights working as delivery boy for his dad’s tofu shop have turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his modified Eight-Six, he’s one with the road – and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice.

Local legend Keisuke, a member of the infamous RedSuns racing team, wants to take Takumi on. He’s not alone; drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. One challenger after the next, Takumi schools the competition with his amazing drifting technique and downhill expertise. But it’s not enough to rack up the victories – Takumi’s out to prove he’s the best.

For over 15 years, “Initial D” has been a favorite anime series for those interested in drag racing and drifting. Originally created by mangaka Shuichi Shigeno and serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine” back in 1995 and still ongoing in Japan, the first season of “Initial D” was shown on television in 1998.

The manga and anime is about Japanese street racing and focuses on a teenager named Takumi Fujiwara, son of Bunta Fujiwara, who owns a tofu shop. Takumi works at a gas station but when he’s at home, he delivers tofu at 4:00 a.m. and is known to speed through the mountain slopes of Mt. Akitna at high speed driving his father’s AE86 Trueno. The purpose of this is that his father Bunta has wanted to develop his driving skills and sure enough, his skill is top notch.

But for Takumi, although he has been riding and delivery tofu for a long time and has sharp driving skills, driving fast and getting from point a to point b was merely doing it for his father and not for the sake of trying to race.

In “Initial D: First Stage – Part Two”, with Takumi having beaten his competitors with the AE86 Trueno, many competitors around the area now want to know more about the mysterious racer who is beating everyone with an AE86, as for many racers, they dismiss the rumors as false as they feel that no one can win with such an old car.

In this latest volume, Takumi takes on a cheating Shingo in a one-hand death race. Takumi takes on the fastest racers of Mt. Usui, Impact Blue and for the conclusion of the first season of “Initial D”, Takumi takes on Ryousuke Takahashi, the #1 racer of Gunma.

“Initial D: First Stage” focuses on the following characters:

Takumi Fujiwara – The son of Bunta Fujiwara, a former racer now tofu shop owner. Takumi delivers tofu for the shop early in the morning and has developed his skill on the road and works with his friends at a local gas station. Not very driven to race, nor does he understand the concept of racing or why people want better and faster cars, because of his skill learned through years of driving, his friends hope he can race Keisuke Takashi of the Red Suns in a race and win for Mt. Akina.

Bunta Fujiwara – The father of Takumi who was the legendary downhill racer of Mt. Akina. He has his son Takumi delivering tofu to deliver his driving skill.

Ryosuke Takahashi – The leader of the Akagi RedSuns. A racing strategist who gives advice to his younger brother Keisuke.

Keisuke Takahashi – The #2 racer of the Akagi RedSuns. Unlike his brother, he has a hot temper and quickly develops a rivalry with Takumi.

Other Characters:

Itsuki Takeuchi – A member of Akina SpeedStars and Takumi’s best friend that works at the local gas station. The comic relief character who talks a big game but is not a great racer.

Kouichiro Iketani – Works with Takumi and Itsuki at the gas station. He is the leader of the Akina SpeedStars.

Kenji - A member of the Akina SpeedStars and Iketani’s best friend. Very hardcore in his interest when it comes to his friends racing.

Natsuki Mogi – The girl who has an interest in Takumi but at the same time, is carrying a major secret in regards to what she does after school.

“Initial D: First Stage – Part Two” comes with episodes 14-26 on two DVD’s. Here is a spoilerless summary of each episode:

DISC 3:

EPISODE 14: Evolving Drift – Takumi takes on Shingo’s challenge for a death match (one hand is duck taped to the gear shift).
EPISODE 15: Takumi’s Fury – When Shingo uses cheating tactics to defeat Takumi, Takumi is driven to beat him.
EPISODE 16: The Angel of Usui – Rumors are going on at that a pair of women known as “Impact Blue” are the fastest racers on Mt. Usui. Meanwhile, Iketani meets a beautiful girl named Mako who is interested in racing and they go out on a date.
EPISODE 17 : Sudden-Death Death Match – Iketani finds out that Mako is part of “Impact Blue” (or Sil-Eighty as the Akina guys call them) and Mako wants to challenge Takumi in his Eight-Six. But will Iketani risk his friendship with Takumi?
EPISODE 18: Hot Winds & Furious Driving! - Takumi races against the female duo on Mt. Usui.
EPISODE 19: Super Drift! – Mako and Sayuki are amazed by Takumi’s skill but both are determined on winning, who will win?
EPISODE 20: The End of Summer – Iketani learns more about Mako’s past and doesn’t know if he wants to pursue her again. As Mako awaits for him, will Iketani go for her or stand her up?

DISC 4:

EPISODE 21: Challenge from a Superstar – The #1 racer in the Gunma area, Ryousuke Takahashi of the RedSuns issues a challenge to Takumi.
EPISODE 22: Fierce Uphill Battle! – Keisuke Takahashi of the RedSuns takes on Takeshi Nakazato of the NightKids.
EPISODE 23: The Rainy Downhill – A member of the RedSuns challenges Takumi to a downhill race in rainy conditions.
EPISODE 24: Akagi’s White Comet – Akagi’s White Comet – Ryousuke Takahashi takes on Akina’s Eight-Six Takumi.
EPISODE 25: The Last Battle – The race between Ryousuke and Takumi continues.
EPISODE 26: The New Downhill Legend - While racing against Ryousuke, Takumi discovers the thrill of streetracing when he meets a racer that pushes him to the limit.

VIDEO:

It’s important to note that “Initial D: First Stage” was aired on television back in April 1998 through November 1998. So, this is an old school anime TV series. Right off the bat, modern anime fans who have not watched older anime series will notice how the animation is not clearer, vibrant and sharper than today’s series are. But with that being said, this is a classic anime series that has its unique character designs, well-painted backgrounds and of course, CG graphics from 1998.

By no means is “Initial D” expected to look like a modern anime series but the fact is that the series is an anime TV series classic and it delivers in storyline and the animation was good for its time. With that being said, picture quality shows the age of the series, there is little artifacting, combing and edge enhancement as well. But if you are a fan of the series and want to know how it all began, the anime series is still very watchable and addictive.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment “Initial D: First Stage is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Japanese 2.0 Stereo. There is an obvious difference in terms of sound volume and more of a presence of the sound effects (such as the cars revving and tires screeching) which come out much more clearer through the English dub track. But if you have a modern home theater receiver, for me, I chose to have my audio set on stereo for all channels.

Dialogue is clear and understandable as well as the eurobeat music and J-Pop music from m.o.v.e which was pretty cool to hear again.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Initial D: First Stage – Part Two” comes with the textless opening and closing themes and the trailers for upcoming FUNimation Entertainment releases.

“Initial D: First Stage” concludes with part two and what an amazing second half this anime series turned out to be.

As the first half of the series focused on Takumi being introduced to the world of street racing despite having the driving and racing skills that many people would love to have, he has looked at racing as just as somewhat of a hobby but not anything to take seriously. By the second half, he starts to learn that there are people who would cheat to win, that there are female racers that are just as talented as the guys but most of all, being put to the test by the #1 racer in the area and now feeling the thrill of street racing.

What I enjoyed about the second half of the series is that we get more races but also more involvement with Takumi and friends, especially with Takumi and Natsuki (it’s important to note that the relationship and drama factor of this series is not a priority but it will be featured and concluded in “Initial D: Third Stage”, the movie).

“Initial D” is an anime classic. I’ve watched this series when it first came out and I still don’t get bored by watching it. I love the humor, the underdog Takumi these over-confident racers and the characters are also fun to watch. And as a big fan of this series, I have to say that the FUNimation Entertainment release was well-done.

With that being said, there are obvious differences between this FUNimation Entertainment release and the Tokyo Pop version that came out back in 2002. For those not familiar with the release, there was a bit of controversy when that series came out on DVD because they wanted to make it accessible to a wider American audience and that included changing the names of the characters and giving it an American hip-hop soundtrack. Granted, Tokyo Pop did release an unedited/subtitled version for the purists courtesy of a box set released by Tokyo Pop but distributed by FUNimation Entertainment.

In 2009, FUNimation Entertainment acquired all home entertainment, broadcast, digital and merchandise rights to all “Initial D” titles from Kodansha and announced that they would be re-releasing “Initial D” but with a new English dub cast and release the series uncut and also utilizing the original music. Staying true to the original Japanese version.

Personally, I’m very happy to see “Initial D” being released again but with a new cast for the English dub and with FUNimation Entertainment in charge, I have to say that I am quite pleased with the English dub. It was well-done, well-acted and if anything, it was great to see FUNimation stay true to the series without having to change things up. I understand that Tokyo Pop was trying to make it accessible for the American Viewers (especially since they covered the racing scene, they had a responsibility to their demographic) but this time around, I am grateful that FUNimation kept things uncut and unchanged and we have the characters with their original names and of course, keeping the soundtrack with the Eurobeat and music by m.o.v.e intact.

As for the DVD release, it’s pretty much a barebones release as there are no special features but the textless opening and ending themes and it is an older anime series, so I’m not going to get picky at all. But it is what it is and for me, “Initial D” is an exciting, addictive anime series and I can never grow tired of it. I know there are some people new to anime who probably can’t stand to watch older anime series and the fact is, this is an older anime series that was made 12-years ago, but despite it not looking as digital and vibrant as today’s anime series, at least give it a chance!

Overall, I’ve actually enjoyed FUNimation Entertainment’s release of “Initial D: First Stage” and both part one and part two volumes rocked. But the fact that the series originally came out back in 1998 and many people probably own some incarnation of it, I will say that FUNimation Entertainment did a great job with the English dub and subtitles as well. If you haven’t owned “Initial D” or have never watched it but are curious… “Initial D: First Stage” (both volumes) are highly recommended!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Initial D: First Stage – Part One (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

October 14, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

The 1998 anime racing classic, “Initial D: First Stage”, is re-released in America but this time by FUNimation Entertainment with a much better English dub soundtrack and uncut and staying true to the original Japanese presentation. If you have never watched “Initial D” and have been curious of it or if you enjoyed it but never bought it before, this is the best version out there of the series on DVD to own. Definitely recommended!

DVD TITLE: Initial D: First State – Part One

DURATION: Episodes 1-13 (300 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: September 21, 2010

Originally created by Shuuichi Shigeno

Directed by Noboru Mitsusawaa

Scripted by Hiroshi Toda, Nobuaki Kishima

Storyboards by Masami Hata

Episode Director: Masami Hata, Yuzo amada

Character Design and Animation Director: Noboru Furuse

Anime Production by Pastel

Featuring the following voice talent:

Shinichiro Miki/Joel McDonald as Takumi Fujiwara

Ayako Kawasumi/Brina Palencia as Natsuki Mogi

Kazuki Yao/Eric Vale as Koichiro Iketani

Michiko Ney/Bridget Hoffman as Mako “Maya” Sato

Tohru Furusawa/Steven Jay Blum as Papa

Mitsuo Iwata/Josh Grelle as Itsuki Takeuchi

Takehito Koyasu/J. Michael Tatum as Ryosuke Takahashi

Tomokazu Seki/Todd Haberkorn as Keisuke Takahashi

Tomomichi Nishimura/Chuck Huber as Yuuichi Tachibana

Unshou Ishizuka/Kent Williams as Bunta Fujiwara

Takumi’s nights working as the delivery boy for his dad’s tofu shop have turned him into one of the most formidable drivers around. Behind the wheel of his modified Eight-Six, he’s one with the road – and his life shifts into high gear when the underground street racing world takes notice.

Local legend Keisuke, a member of the infamous Red Suns racing team, wants to take Takumi on. He’s not alone; drivers from across the region are lining up for a shot at the new guy. One challenger after the next, Takumi schools the competition with his amazing drifting technique and downhill expertise. But it’s not enough to simply rack up the victories – Takumi’s out to prove he’s the best.

But when a well-known group of street racers known as the Akagi Red Suns come to visit Mt. Akina and challenge the Speed Stars. But immediately, the Red Suns realize quickly, there is no one from the Mt. Akina Speed Stars talented enough to beat them, until one day, Keisuke Takashi was driving and practicing his runs through the mountains and someone driving an AE86 beats him.

Now fired up, Keisuke Takashi wants to know who drives the AE86 and wants to race him.

Meanwhile, the Speed Stars are in dire need of a member who exceeds in downhill driving after their team leader Iketani gets involved in an accident. The group hears a rumor about an AE86 speeding through the roads early in the morning. Needless to say, the group finds out that the driver is their friend Takumi, the son of Bunta Fujiwara, the great street racer known as “Ghost of Akina”.

And to their disbelief, despite having the talent to ride the corners, Takumi’s view on street racing is not exactly thrilling as his primary motivation was delivery. He doesn’t know why people would care about racing or cars as he sees them as as just vehicles for transportation.

But in a bind and wanting to defend Mt. Akina from the Akagi Red Suns, Takumi’s friends are hoping he can race Keisuke Takashi downhill in Mt. Akina and win.

“Initial D: First Stage” focuses on the following characters:

Bunta Fujiwara – The father of Takumi who was the legendary downhill racer of Mt. Akina. He has his son Takumi delivering tofu to deliver his driving skill.

Ryosuke Takahashi – The leader of the Akagi RedSuns. A racing strategist who gives advice to his younger brother Keisuke.

Keisuke Takahashi – The #2 racer of the Akagi RedSuns. Unlike his brother, he has a hot temper and quickly develops a rivalry with Takumi.

Other Characters:

Itsuki Takeuchi – A member of Akina SpeedStars and Takumi’s best friend that works at the local gas station. The comic relief character who talks a big game but is not a great racer.

Kouichiro Iketani – Works with Takumi and Itsuki at the gas station. He is the leader of the Akina SpeedStars.

Kenji - A member of the Akina SpeedStars and Iketani’s best friend. Very hardcore in his interest when it comes to his friends racing.

Natsuki Mogi – The girl who has an interest in Takumi but at the same time, is carrying a major secret in regards to what she does after school.

“Initial D: First Stage comes with the first 13 episodes on two DVD’s. Here is a spoilerless summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1: The Ultimate Tofu Store Drift - Introduction to the characters and learning about Takumi, an 18-year-old high school student who is aloof and doesn’t care for fast cars or racing. But his friends of the Speestars are part of the local racing team are passionate about it and also defending Mt. Akina from the Akagi Red Suns.
EPISODE 2: Revenge! The Rumbling Turbo – Keisuke Takashi is looking for the mystery driver of the AE86 who beat him. Iketani looks into it.
EPISODE 3: The Downhill Specialist Appears – The Akina Speedstars vs. the RedSuns but something happens to Iketani that may prevent him from racing.
EPISODE 4: Into the Battle! – Iketani hopes Bunta will race Keisuke Takashi but is surprised when Takumi shows up with the AE86.
EPISODE 5: Dogfight! – Takumi vs. Keisuke in a downhill race.
EPISODE 6: A New Challenger – Iketani wants to learn for himself of how Takumi drives well. Meanwhile, a new challenger has arrived.
EPISODE 7: A Racer’s Pride – Nakazato of the Nightkids challenges Takumi in a race but unknown to Takumi, Itsuki agrees to it without consulting him first.

DISC 2:

EPISODE 8: Time’s Almost Up! - Nakazato and everyone awaits for Takumi and his AE86 to arrive for the race, but why hasn’t he showed up?
EPISODE 9: Battle to the Limit! – Nakazato believes that there is no way an AE86 can beat his GT-R32.
EPISODE 10: The 5 Consecutive Hairpins - The conclusion to the race between Takumi and Nakazato. Meanwhile, Itsuki buys a new car.
EPISODE 11: Shingo Arrives! – A racing team makes fun of Itsuki’s car and Itsuki and Takumi. Upset with how they are treated, Takumi challenges them using Itsuki’s car.
EPISODE 12: The FR Killer - With Iketani learning about how Takumi used Itsuki’s car, now Iketani wants to test his theory and have Takumi drive his car.
EPISODE 13: First Date - Takumi and Natsuki go on a double date with Itsuki and Natsuki’s friend. Meanwhile, there are rumors of a gumtape match.

VIDEO:

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

Dialogue is clear and understandable as well as the eurobeat music and J-Pop music from m.o.v.e which was pretty cool to hear again.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Initial D: First Stage” comes with the textless opening and closing themes from m.o.v.e and the trailers for upcoming FUNimation Entertainment releases.

It’s important to note that earlier in the year, “Initial D: Third Stage” (the movie) and “Initial D: Fourth Stage” were released on DVD from FUNimation Entertainment and now the first and second stage will be released on DVD, beginning with “Initial D: First Stage – Part One”.

It’s important to note that the anime series is focused on street racing and drifting and although there is a drama element to the series, especially between Takumi and Natsumi, it’s a very small part of each episode. But I believe that non-racing enthusiasts can get into the series but for anyone expecting anything deeper, this anime series may not be for you.

Overall, I’ve actually enjoyed FUNimation Entertainment’s release of “Initial D: First Stage”. But the fact that the series originally came out back in 1998 and many people probably own some incarnation of it, I will say that FUNimation Entertainment did a great job with the English dub and subtitles as well. If you haven’t owned “Initial D” or have never watched it but are curious… definitely give “Initial D: First Stage” a chance!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Initial D: Fourth Stage – Part 1 (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

May 11, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

Exciting, enjoyable and downright cool! A brand new start for the characters of “Initial D” as Takumi and his racing partners of newly formed racing team, Project D, take on the best racing groups all over Japan. If you have an interest in racing, definitely give this anime TV series a try!

DVD TITLE: Initial D: Fourth Stage – Part 1

DURATION: 12 Episodes (280 Minutes)

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: May 11, 2010

Originally created by Shuuichi Shigeno

Directed by Tsuneo Tominaga

Music by Atsushi Umebori, Dennis Martin

Character Design by Akira Kano

Art Director: Masayoshi Banno

Mechanical Design: Hideaki Yokoi

Anime Production by Frontline

Featuring the following voice talent:

Shinichiro Miki/Joel McDonald as Takumi Fujiwara

Takehito Koyasu/J. Michael Tatum as Ryosuke Takahashi

Tomokazu Seki/Todd Haberkorn as Keisuke Takahashi

Kazuki Yao/Eric Vale as Koichiro Iketani

Masahiko Tanaka/Christopher R. Sabat as Kyouichi Sudou

Mitsuo Iwata/Josh Grelle as Itsuki Takeuchi

Takumi Yamazaki/Chis Ayres as Miki

Tomomichi Nishimura/Chuck Huber as Yuuichi Tachibana

Unshou Ishizuka/Kent Williams as Bunta Fujiwara

Megumi Toyoguchi/Caitlin Glass as Kyoko Iwase

Nobody drives like Takumi; his instincts, confidence, and downhill expertise make him seem unbeatable. Now that he’s joined the Project D racing crew, his reputation precedes him as the team travels the region, facing the competition on its own turf. Every challenger brings a unique style and each course holds its own dangers, but no matter the obstacle in Takumi’s headlights, he’ll do whatever it takes to put it in the rearview mirror. Because he knows when you’re born to race and driven to be the best, it’s not enough to be fast – Takumi won’t take his eyes off the road until he’s faster than everyone else.

The manga and anime is about Japanese street racing and focuses on a teenager named Takumi Fujiwara, son of Bunta Fujiwara, who owns a tofu shop. Takumi works at a gas station but when he’s at home, he delivers tofu at 4:00 a.m. and is known to speed through the mountain slopes at high speed driving his father’s AE86 Trueno. The purpose of this is that his father Bunta has wanted to develop his driving skills and sure enough, his skill is top notch.

In the first season of “Initial D”, we are introduced to the Japanese racing scene at Mt. Akagi and a racing group known as the Speed Stars who are in dire need of a member who exceeds in downhill driving after their team leader Iketani gets involved in an accident. The group hears a rumor about an AE86 speeding through the roads early in the morning. Needless to say, the group finds out that the driver is the son of Bunta Fuiwara, the great street racer known as “Ghost of Akina” and sure enough, Takumi ends up participating in races and receiving challenges which leads to the battle between Takumi and one of the best, Ryosuke Takashi (the Whte Comet of Akagi).

“Initial D” then continued on with the “Second Stage” continuing Takumi’s development as a racer and developing his technique. The series was then followed by two OVA’s titled “Initial D: Extra Stage” (which focuses on the female racing duo Impact Blue) and “Initial D: Extra Stage 1.5″continuing the storyline from 1.0.

The first animated feature film of “Initial D: Third Stage” was then released in theaters in 2001 and showed us how main protagonist Takumi Fujiwara joined with Ryosuke and Keisuke Takahashi to become part of the team known as Project D.

Three years after the film, “Initial D: Fourth Stage – Part 1″ would air on Japanese television and focus on Project D as they would travel to different cities to take on other racing groups. Ryousuke Takahashi is the mastermind of the team as he plans the strategies for both Takumi and Keisuke.

Takumi shows his maturity as he goes from a young man who didn’t know much about racing, to using his careful observations of the road and learning from his fellow Project D technicians about the technical side of racing and the vehicle as it races uphill or downhill versus opponents. Also, developing strategies against other competitors including the theory of infinite lines and Joushima (one handed driving). As he grows confident about his racing, out of the blue, someone driving a Subaru Impreza WRX STI Type R Version V suddenly beats him on his hometown road. Who is this mysterious racer?

Meanwhile, Ryousuke’s brother Keisuke often wonders why his older brother chooses Takumi for races instead of him. But also meets a female racer named Kyoko who has fallen for him.

“Initial D: Third Stage” focuses on the following characters:

Takumi Fujiwara – The son of Bunta Fujiwara, a former racer now tofu shop owner. Takumi delivers tofu for the shop early in the morning and has developed his skill on the road and works with his friends at a local gas station. After several races and developing his technique, Takumi who drives his father’s AE86 Trueno has become one of the best racers on Akina and has set his goal higher to become the best.

Bunta Fujiwara – The father of Takumi who was the legendary downhill racer of Mt. Akina. He has his son Takumi delivering tofu to deliver his driving skill.

Ryosuke Takahashi – Strategist of Project D. Always focused on the upcoming competition and how his racers: Takumi and Keisuke can win. A former racer who excelled until he lost against Takumi, now focuses on energy in leading the group. D rives a white Mazda RX-7 (FC3S).

Keisuke Takahashi – Younger brother of Ryosuke. Focused on the race, often cocky but ready to win. Drives a yellow Mazda RX-7 (FD3S).

Other Characters:

Itsuki Takeuchi – A member of Akina SpeedStars and Takumi’s best friend that works at the local gas station. The comic relief character who talks a big game but is not a great racer. Drives an AE85 Corolla Levin.

Kouichiro Iketani – Works with Takumi and Itsuki at the gas station. He is the leader of the Akina SpeedStars. Drives a Nissan Silvia K (S13).

Kenji - A member of the Akina SpeedStars and Iketani’s best friend. Very hardcore in his interest when it comes to his friends racing. Always teased by his friends for not having a girlfriend. Drives a Nissan 180SX.

Kyoko Iwase - A member of the Northwest Saitama Alliance racing team. A tomboy who loves to race but when she meets Keisuke, she falls in love with him. Drives an RX-7 Type R (FD3S) single turbo.

Here is a basic summary of each episode on “Initial D: Fourth Stage”:

DISC 1:

EPISODE 1 – Project D – Project D becomes known for their wins and now take on the Seven Star Leaf’s.
EPISODE 2 – Full Throttle! Downhill Battle – Takumi vs. Tohru in a downhill battle.
EPISODE 3 – The Most Powerful Man of the Toudou School – Project D. takes on Daiki of the Toudou Racing School.
EPISODE 4 – Two Pieces of Advice – Takumi takes on Toudo Racing School’s Daiki (EK9).
EPISODE 5 – The Starting Line to Victory – The Toudou Racing School uses a pro racer Tomoyuki to take on Takumi.
EPISODE 6 – Blind Attack - Takumi vs. Tomoyuki

DISC 2:

EPISODE 7 – The 85s Raging Turbo – Takumi realizes that he may not be the best of Akina as a mysterious racer comes out of nowhere and easily beats him.
EPISODE 8 – Fateful Battle of the FD’s – Project D moves on to Saitama to take on a new team. Meanwhile, Kyoko of the Saitama team falls for Keisuke and both race each other in a competition.
EPISODE 9 – Kyoko’s Confession – Kyoko’s emotions for Keisuke reach new heights and struggles if she should tell him how she feels.
EPISODE 10 – The Saitama Area’s Ultimate Weapon – The Saitama team finds a rally racer named Sakamoto to take on Project D.
EPISODE 11 – Rainy Downhill Battle – Both teams strategize about the race due to the rainy weather.
EPISODE 12 – Straightaway of Struggles – Takumi vs. Sakamoto

VIDEO:

It’s important to note that “Initial D: Fourth Stage” came out in Japan back in 2004. For one thing, it’s not going to sport the HD/vibrant visuals of today’s anime but for an anime TV series, “Initial D: Fourth Stage” looks very awesome with its very well-detailed backgrounds. Granted, most of the visuals during the race are on hills and a lot of trees and foliage with the night and starry sky.

But there is a lot emphasis on the details of the cars especially the environment. For example, in episode 12, during the race in the rain, there is a very good amount of detail on water effects as the water is kicked up by the tires. I also enjoyed the focus on the drifting as well. Character designs are well-shaded and Akira Kano did a wonderful job in capturing the soul of Shuuichi Shigeno’s manga series.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment “Initial D: Fourth Stage” is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Japanese 2.0 Stereo. There is an obvious difference in terms of sound volume and more of a presence of the sound effects (such as the cars revving and tires screeching) which come out much more clearer through the English dub track. But if you have a modern home theater receiver, for me, I chose to have my audio set on stereo for all channels. Music courtesy of Japanese record label avex trax is well heard, especially the group m.o.v.e. who do the opening and ending themes. A big part of “Initial D” is its electronic, trance, eurobeat music and that comes out quite clear!

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Initial D: Fourth Stage – Part 1″ does not come with any special features but trailers for upcoming FUNimation Entertainment releases.

“Initial D” is one of those anime series that appeals to those who have an interest in street car racing or drifting. At the time the series first came out, I was actually assisting a Japanese auto fashion magazine covering auto fashion in the US. But each time I received these Japanese auto magazines, I was always intrigued by the trends in Japan and this series was just like icing on the cake. Who would have ever thought that there would be an anime series on street car racing? Especially one that would also incorporate a pretty enjoyable storyline.

For the next few years, although I haven’t seen all episodes, I have been reviewing the “Initial D” and “m.o.v.e.” albums and releases and have waited for the new episodes and the film to be released in the US. And sure enough, FUNimation Entertainment has now released both the film “Initial D: The Third Stage” and the television series “The Fourth Stage”.

If you have an interest in the racing culture or just want to experience an anime series on Japanese racing, “Initial D” is the way to go. The big question for many people who may be interested in “Fourth Stage” is if you need to have previous knowledge of the series to enjoy this. The answer is no, you can start on this series and understand what’s going on. In fact, I recommend purchasing the film “Third Stage” and watching before “Fourth Stage” to learn how Takumi becomes a member of Project D.

Of course, if you want to enjoy this series at its fullest and learn how far the main character Takumi has come to get this far, then you will definitely want to watch the older seasons (which FUNimation Entertainment is planning to release soon).

But essentially, “Fourth Stage” is the next major step into the character Takumi Fujiwara’s life as the previous seasons focused on this teenager’s ability to beat his competition at home, with the assistance of his friends and father. With this series, it goes beyond what he has learned in the past as he now travels with his business partners of Project D and take on the best throughout the Kanto area and continues to develop his skills. So, it’s literally a fresh jumpstart of the series, focusing on an older Takumi and easy for the “Initial D” newbie to jump right in.

Overall, an exciting first part of “Initial D: Fourth Stage” featuring a good number of competitions and tech heads who are hardcore with upgrading and fixing up their cars will also enjoy this latest series as well. If you are a fan of “Initial D”, this is definitely a series worth checking out!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD

Initial D: Third Stage (a J!-ENT Anime DVD Review)

May 4, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“Initial D” makes its return on DVD with the animated film “Initial D: Third Stage”. Featuring three exciting races and also the conclusion of the Takumi/Natsuki storyline, this film sets the pace for the TV series “Initial D: Fourth Stage”. If you are a fan of this racing anime series, street racing or modifying your car, definitely give “Initial D: Third Stage” a try!

DVD TITLE: Initial D: Third Stage

DURATION: 1:44:37

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Japanese 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: FUNimation Entertainment

RATED: 13+

Release Date: May 11, 2010

Originally created by Shuuichi Shigeno

Directed by Noboru Mitsusawa

Anime Production by Pastel

Featuring the following voice talent:

Shinichiro Miki/Joel McDonald as Takumi Fujiwara

Ayako Kawasumi/Brina Palencia as Natsuki Mogi

Kazuki Yao/Eric Vale as Koichiro Iketani

Masahiko Tanaka/Christopher R. Sabat as Kyouichi Sudou

Mitsuo Iwata/Josh Grelle as Itsuki Takeuchi

Takehito Koyasu/J. Michael Tatum as Ryosuke Takahashi

Takumi Yamazaki/Chis Ayres as Miki

Tomokazu Seki/Todd Haberkorn as Keisuke Takahashi

Tomomichi Nishimura/Chuck Huber as Yuuichi Tachibana

Unshou Ishizuka/Kent Williams as Bunta Fujiwara

Anyone can drive fast. Only one driver can be the fastest. It takes nerve, skill, and the right car – and Takumi’s got all three. His rep as a dominating downhill racer is growing, but when he’s invited to drive for an all-star team that could change the face of local racing, Takumi’s got to beat his stiffest competition before he’ll join their ranks: himself.

With graduation approaching, his classmates drift toward uncertain futures. For Takumi, looking ahead means putting as many challengers in his rearview mirror as he can. If he can prove to himself that he’s ready, the next stage is waiting, and it’s all downhill from there.

The manga and anime is about Japanese street racing and focuses on a teenager named Takumi Fujiwara, son of Bunta Fujiwara, who owns a tofu shop. Takumi works at a gas station but when he’s at home, he delivers tofu at 4:00 a.m. and is known to speed through the mountain slopes at high speed driving his father’s AE86 Trueno. The purpose of this is that his father Bunta has wanted to develop his driving skills and sure enough, his skill is top notch.

The first animated feature film of “Initial D: Third Stage” was then released in theaters in 2001 and nearly a decade later, the movie makes its first appearance in the US on DVD courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment.

“Initial D: Third Stage” features three main storylines. The first major storyline deals with Ryosuke who is planning to start a new racing team which consists of the best in the Gunma Prefecture. But Takumi is not interested in making a decision until he beats Team Emperor’s leader Sudou Kyouichi who has made fun of Takumi and his AE86.

The second storyline features the rival of Takumi’s father, Bunta - Kogashiwa Kai is wanting to challenge his rival’s son Takumi. This leads a battle between Takumi’s AE86 vs. Kogashiwa Kai’s Toyouta MR2 (SW20).

The third storyline in the film features the return of Takumi’s former love Natsuki who wants to patch things up with Takumi and her ex-boyfriend Miki has gone crazy since she had broken up with him and poses a major threat to Natsuki.

Can Takumi beat his father’s rival? And can he save Natsuki from Miki? And most of all, will Takumi join Ryosuke’s new racing team?

“Initial D: Third Stage” focuses on the following characters:

Takumi Fujiwara – The son of Bunta Fujiwara, a former racer now tofu shop owner. Takumi delivers tofu for the shop early in the morning and has developed his skill on the road and works with his friends at a local gas station. After several races and developing his technique, Takumi who drives his father’s AE86 Trueno has become one of the best racers on Akina and has set his goal higher to become the best.

Bunta Fujiwara – The father of Takumi who was the legendary downhill racer of Mt. Akina. He has his son Takumi delivering tofu to deliver his driving skill.

Ryosuke Takahashi – The leader of the Akagi RedSuns. A racing strategist and very skilled but loses his first race against Takumi. Known as “Akagi’s White Comet”.

Keisuke Takahashi – The #2 racer of the Akagi RedSuns. Unlike his brother, he has a hot temper and is rivals with Takumi.

Other Characters:

Itsuki Takeuchi – A member of Akina SpeedStars and Takumi’s best friend that works at the local gas station. The comic relief character who talks a big game but is not a great racer.

Kouichiro Iketani – Works with Takumi and Itsuki at the gas station. He is the leader of the Akina SpeedStars. Once dated Saori.

Kenji - A member of the Akina SpeedStars and Iketani’s best friend. Very hardcore in his interest when it comes to his friends racing. Always teased by his friends for not having a girlfriend.

Natsuki Mogi – The love interest of Takumi but somehow ends up in a mess as she makes money via sexual relations with an older man. She has also been with Miki.

Miki - The jock at Takumi’s school who constantly brags about his sexual exploits of Miki and goes even further in “Initial D: Third Stage”.

VIDEO:

It’s important to note that “Initial D: Third Stage” is an older animated film released back in 2001. So, for those used to today’s modern, digital animated films will need to know this is an older animated film. But even though this film is not HD , it still looks great. “Initial D” has always had its own unique style courtesy of Shuuichi Shigeno’s character designs.

A lot of CG work (2001 CG) detail is seen when it comes to the cars, the roads and the trees but the CG actually holds up in certain areas of the film. Artistic background is well-done. The film is full of detail and shading and a lot of the animation like the series takes place during the night and also during the winter. Lighting effects were really well done. Definitely an improvement animation-wise compared to the TV series. I did notice some dust and speckles but they were not numerous and show up a few times throughout the film.

AUDIO & SUBTITLES:

As for the audio, similar to the recent FUNimation Entertainment “Initial D: Third Stage is presented in English 5.1 Dolby Digital and Japanese 2.0 Stereo. There is an obvious difference in terms of sound volume and more of a presence of the sound effects (such as the cars revving and tires screeching) which come out much more clearer through the English dub track. But if you have a modern home theater receiver, for me, I chose to have my audio set on stereo for all channels.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Initial D: Third Stage” does not come with any special features but trailers for upcoming FUNimation Entertainment releases.

When it comes to animated films, most of the time, the films have no connection to the television series. But for “Initial D: Third Stage”, the film is actually quite important to the series and definitely sets the stage for “Initial D: Fourth Stage” (which is being released in the U.S. on DVD at the same time as “Third Stage”).

The film definitely showcases quite a bit of racing, especially Takumi taking on three major competitors including a rematch between Takumi and Ryosuke Takahashi. The races are all exciting but as it is something to expect from “Initial D”, one thing that I was surprised when I first watched this film was that one storyline that has kept people wondering for quite awhile…what will happen between Takumi and Natsuki? For longtime viewers of “Initial D”, for so long people wondered how the relationship between Takumi and Natsuki Mogi would end and if there would be any romantic connection between the two and “Initial D: Third Stage” answers that question.

As for the DVD release, it’s pretty much a barebones release but I have to admit that I’m very grateful for FUNimation Entertainment in picking up the series. Tokyo Pop changed the names of the characters for the first volume (and going back to the Japanese names in volume 2) in order to reflect the changes made by Sega in the “Initial D Arcade Stage” video games. But further edited storylines in the manga release but most noticeable by replacing the Eurobeat tracks with hip hop to capitalize on the import scene.

When Tokyo Pop’s original distributor went bankrupt, there has been a lull and the “Initial D” series went through years of hiatus but fortunately FUNimation Entertainment has rescued this series and re-dubbed the entire series. Also retaining the original Japanese Eurobeat music and will be releasing “Third Stage” and the “Fourth Stage” first but also has plans to re-release the earlier stages.

Overall, I’m pleased with the release of “Initial D: Third Stage”. Again, there is plenty of racing and fans who want to get ready for the “Fourth Stage” will definitely want to purchase this DVD. Definitely recommended for “Initial D” fans!

Filed Under: Anime on DVD