Initial D First Stage

Unlike his friends, Takumi Fujiwara is not particularly interested in cars, with little to no knowledge about the world of car enthusiasts and street racers. The son of a tofu shop owner, he is tasked to deliver tofu every morning without fail, driving along the mountain of Akina. Thus, conversations regarding cars or driving in general would only remind Takumi of the tiring daily routine forced upon him.

One night, the Akagi Red Suns, an infamous team of street racers, visit the town of Akina to challenge the local mountain pass. Led by their two aces, Ryousuke and Keisuke Takahashi, the Red Suns plan to conquer every racing course in Kanto, establishing themselves as the fastest crew in the region. However, much to their disbelief, one of their aces is overtaken by an old Toyota AE86 during a drive back home from Akina. After the incident, the Takahashi brothers are cautious of a mysterious driver geared with remarkable technique and experience in the local roads—the AE86 of Mount Akina.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Fujiwara, Takumi Main

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Fujiwara, Bunta Supporting

Ishizuka, Unshou Japanese

Takahashi, Ryousuke Supporting

Koyasu, Takehito Japanese

Takahashi, Keisuke Supporting

Seki, Tomokazu Japanese

Takeuchi, Itsuki Supporting

Iwata, Mitsuo Japanese

Satou, Mako Supporting

Neya, Michiko Japanese

Nakazato, Takeshi Supporting

Hiyama, Nobuyuki Japanese

Shouji, Shingo Supporting

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Iketani, Kouichirou Supporting

Yao, Kazuki Japanese

Mogi, Natsuki Supporting

Kawasumi, Ayako Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer

Misawa, Shin Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Mima, Masafumi Sound Director

Reviews

Jan 30, 2025

HoneyBees91

Recommended

I really recommend everyone to watch this! The story and characters are amazing!
I got to find new songs/music from it and they are BANGERS.

As a car mechanic my friend recommended me to watch it and since I and my friend are working at a Toyota dealership, I like JDM and Japan cars, racing, Japan itself, Anime etc. I and my friend are working in there total for 5-6 months and I will leave working in there in 2025 summer because I am still a student finishing 12th grade(I need to complete the car mechanic exam). So I thought why wouldn't I start watching it, ... and I did start watching it.

I watched almost everyday at least 1 ep a day of Initial D stage 1. Sometimes I was just so excited when very interesting moments came and it put a smile on my face when I watched it. There were sometimes cliffhangers so I had to watch more than 1 ep a day.
Overall 10/10 from me.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jun 25, 2020

cameronrb24

Mixed Feelings

Funny

Initial D is a bit of a mixed bag. When it's actually focused on the races, the drivers, and Takumi's developing interest in the sport, it becomes clear as to why its THE anime you go to for racing. It's enjoyable to see how Tak manages to outmaneuver his opponents in a slower car. The soundtrack is unique and iconic, and it complements the racing well. However, these highlights only comprise about half the show, and its the frequent detours into the slice-of-life/romance genre that really drag the show down for me.

This is mainly referring to Itsuki and Iketani, two of Tak's friends and ... "teammates" in the show. There interactions in the show are bearable at best, and painfully annoying at worst. Won't spoil too heavily, but Iketani's romance arc is easily one of the most confusing I've seen in all the anime I've watched. There's also fact that neither of them ever participate in a race; or anyone on their team for that matter. It's only Tak, everyone other member is relegated to a cheerleading role.

The other side characters, like Bunta and the other competitors, were mostly fine. It was interesting to see their motivations behind racing and their gameplans against Tak.

To reiterate, this is basically the only relevant racing anime. The only other I've seen at this point is Redline, and that's more of an action movie than anything. It's unfortunate the parts I found enjoyable don't make up the majority of the runtime, but regardless, I'd still heavily recommend Initial D if your looking for a racing anime.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Mar 20, 2021

Night_Thastus

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (19/26 eps)

To be as brief as possible:

If you like other competition/battle anime because of:

* Tension of who is going to win/stakes
* Strategy/technique/application of abilities
* Visuals/audio/spectacle
* A passionate, interesting main character or team

There is nothing for you here. Turn back while you can.
...
In a normal sport/battle show, you might have the main character be good at *one* or *two* things at the start. Just a couple advantages that let them really shine under the right conditions. Takumi, the main character, is not like that. He is a god of racing, ordained to always win no matter how stacked the odds are against him. He never has to practice or ask for help. A perfect driver, incapable of failure or struggle.

There's no tension there.

That could be excusable if the *how* of him winning was interesting. Slowing down the race, moment by moment, and showing his thought process and how both himself and his competitor were thinking and what techniques they were using. Really keying us in to how they're both using the differences in their vehicles to get whatever advantage they can. Using the quirks of their respective vehicles in interesting ways we can appreciate. It has none of those sorts of things you might see in a show like Hajime no Ippo or Hunter X Hunter - but for driving.

Regarding visuals - they're OK but ultimately hurt the show too. The 3D and 3D animation is solid enough considering the time period. However, it heavily re-uses shots, and doesn't ever seem to get creative with the camera - which is unfortunate as it's the most major advantage of 3D. Unlike 2D, the animation can't "bend" to make things appear fast or exciting, so a lot of the shots feel really stale and slow even if the cars are moving at high speed.

Finally, Takumi is a passive character. The story happens *to* him, not as a result of his own ambition or drive. He's a boring, laid-back character and it sucks a lot of the life out of it. Why should I root for this guy?

I don't see how this show is as popular as it is. Yes, Takumi is an underdog that wins. But that on its own does not a story make. There needs to be suspension of disbelief, a gradual improvement in the character's abilities and their application, something. *Anything*.

Music is cool though, so it's got that I guess.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	Poll: Initial D First Stage Episode 26 Discussion ( 1 2 ) cheerioz - Sep 28, 2010	93 replies	by HoneyBees91 »» Jan 28, 9:38 AM
	Poll: Initial D First Stage Episode 25 Discussion Tiago97 - Feb 11, 2012	31 replies	by HoneyBees91 »» Jan 28, 8:58 AM
	Poll: Initial D First Stage Episode 24 Discussion jacobpaige - May 2, 2010	35 replies	by HoneyBees91 »» Jan 28, 8:15 AM
	Poll: Initial D First Stage Episode 23 Discussion Monad - May 8, 2012	31 replies	by HoneyBees91 »» Jan 27, 10:21 AM

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