New Initial D Movie: Legend 3 - Mugen

This portion of initial D focuses mostly on the battle between Ryousuke in his Mazda Savanna RX-7 FC3S, and Takumi in the AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX. Nothing is changed in the major story arcs.

(Small spoilers from here, mostly consisting of what is changed from the original arc)

The real only removals from the series consist of many side battles, with much less focus on them, and the removal of much of the Mogi arc. In all a large portion is removed from the First Stage of Initial D to fit in this film.

Takumi in this arc is racing "Akagi's White Comet" also known as Ryousuke ... Takahashi. This focuses on the main battle between the two on the Mountain named Akina, which is Takumi's homeground.


Review of Initial D Movie: Legend 3 (minor spoilers, none involving big plot-points)

Starting with the Bad:
1. Huge parts of the Initial D First stage was taken out, with some of what happens story wise would be difficult to analyze if one wouldn't have watched the First Stage of Initial D.
2. Pacing is very quick, obviously for time constraints to the movie, but it cuts between scenes very quickly
3. The actual place where Project D starts out is after the credits, hidden to those who do not wait or skip to see them. A possible teaser for the MF Ghost series that was before that scene would've been a better choice as an after the credits scene.

The Great:
1. Awesome graphics that really show off the cars, not to mention add a flair to the styling to keep in line with the original Initial D Manga. This art-style looks 5-10X better than Initial D 5th and Final Stage, especially in character design.
2. Although shortened arcs, you still see what is intended throughout the movie, maybe with different ideas to what makes the characters feel the way they do though.
3. Full 1st Stage in all takes 3 hours.
4. I wouldn't feel embarrassed to show this to family with the show cut down this much, it takes not too much time and gets points across and doesn't take too long. Especially if your family has a short attention span (Tip: Alcohol might help though).

In all a great show to watch during an event like being on a vacation in a hotel after a long day or if you are on a hunting trip.

If you agree with me at all or like the review, don't feel shy to hit the Helpful button!

To be honest I'm just happy to see more of Initial D. I can't say that it's better than just sit down and watch the first season sadly but it can't be helped since the movie need to cut down some details for limited run time.

Well first things first, the art style and animation is in my opinion definitely improved. The characters got modern touch as well (especially the girls, they got more moe factor) which is subtle but noticeable.
They really followed the manga for the visual instead of going the realistic route that season 5 and 6 went for. The smokes are drawn instead ... of using CG FX, the cars have jagged lines which gives off the "this is a manga" feel.

Other thing that is miles better than the TV series are the sounds of the cars, specifically the engines and tires. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the soundtracks and BGM, it's not bad per se but definitely not great either because somehow they decided not to use Eurobeats or even having M.O.V.E. to sing the theme at all (which at this point, has shaped Initial D as an anime).

The story is basically a recap of the first season highlighting the races taking place in Akina, following our underdog Tofu delivery boy Fujiwara Takumi. In this movie however, the characters have slight difference from their anime counterpart (probably due to the changes of voice actors). Personally I find these change to be quite interesting, although it does breaks the characters I already knew from the anime, it's not exactly as bad as it sounds.

TL;DR: If you have the time, just watch the tv series. This movie is a nice alternative if you don't have the time to watch the first season or if you didn't like the dated visuals.

Ok, this was a bit of a dissapointment coming off hot from the first movie. The first movie had so much energy and flowing of characters. This one served less purpose. Also ill talk about something later.

The story: Same as Legend 1 + 2 but way worse than 2. I felt a bit better than 1 but then again its apples to apples.

The animation: Was it worse this time around?!??! Maybe my eyes are bad but I swear the roads felt empty. the background felt soulless, I am not sure. It was something all right.

Characters: Ill be honest at this point im just exhausted from ... the Initial D multiverse so it is what it is. They have no soul again and man Takumi oh Takumi please dont be a stiff cardboard character.

The music: No eurobeat again so 2/10. Worse than last movie even.

Dont bother I say.

Final Score: 2/10

Thanks!
-CyanCheetah