Image via WikipediaYou can't talk about Initial D without going back to the source material... the Manga (comic books / graphic novels), and the very well done anime. I started on Initial D late, as I got into it at Fourth Stage back in about 2003 or so. Then I worked backwards from there. I remember I was looking forward to new fansubs, checking forums for new releases, and so on, so forgive me as I go on a tangeant, and how Japanese anime is sometimes butchered by companies to make it more appealing to Western Markets. Initial D is a prime example.
RANT ON
The Western publisher of Initial D, TokyoPop, changed most of the names (Takumi became Tak, Itsuki became iggy), changed all the soundtrack (from the Eurobeat of the original to hip-hop rap) and tried to treat the releases as major movies commanding huge prices. Fitting only 3 22-minute episodes per disc, TokyoPop managed to inflate the disc count to 9 DVDs for "complete first season", and MSRP for this set is $99.99. At least they included the original non-dubbed version on the DVD as well. Consider there are a few seasons, and not even CSI charge this much for "completely first season" (it's about $30-40), TokyoPop is basically trying desperately to justify their high prices, and essentially forcing fans to resort to alternate means. Not to mention TokyPop's release schedule is horrendous. Initial D fourth stage came out in 2004, but it only appeared in English in 2010. By this time, all the interest have evaporated.
Robotech is yet another example of Westernization of Japanime. Robotech is a bastardization of several Japanese anime series: Macross, Super Dimensional Calvary Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospaeda. The story was mixed up, enemies renamed and combined, and a somewhat coherent overall arc was created, never mind it's three separate series with the only thing in common being some transforming mecha.
Any way, TokyoPop is closing down their North American publishing business, because they basically outpaced themselves as the bookstore route dried up.
RANT OFF
So pardon me if you don't recognize what I was talking about. I will be discussing the original JAPANESE version (with fansub) not the TokyoPop version.
Initial D actually is comprised of several seasons worth of material. A few minor plot points were borrowed for the live action movie, but the overall source is much more beyond that one movie, which is somewhat faithful. The first season is relatively crude compared to the latest "Fourth Stage", but it is a curious mix between a pure hand-drawn anime look vs. computer generated animation for the car racing scenes. Later, as the resolution increased, and computer render improved, the two are harder and harder to tell apart.
The characters are deeper than you first expect. Takumi is one of those possessing talent and skill that does not realize it, and Bunta is completely unassuming chain-smoking drunk that was a racing genius. Even the villains (Sudou of Team Emperor) and the sidekicks like Iketani and so on show a bit more depth when you have a dozen episodes to work with.
The problem with the format is often it takes an episode or three to cover ONE race, with a lot of setup time, and you often still get the typical Japanese action... screaming out the move before actually doing it. It's sometimes quite hilarious.
Music... you should stick with the original Eurobeat soundtrack. The fast-paced beats makes far more sense than the hip-hop soundtrack TokyoPop tried to dub in.
All in all, Initial D is not just about street racing. It also teaches you quite a bit about car handling, physics, weight transfer, tactics, along with obsessions, relations, friendship, and more. It does "drag" somewhat at certain points, but once the race starts, you will be at the edge of your seat. And that is the measure of all videos, right?
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