Initial D

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Man Oh Man, this Manga, probably the best Iv'e read, if you're not a TRUE JDM, or Japanese car lover, turn away, because this anime is set in the 90s, when Touge racing was BIG.


Story; 10/10 It's generic, some teen who likes cars races to become the best in Japan, who started driving at a young age, and is a blood born racer.

Art; 10/10 Spot on! Cars have lots of detail and the characters look really nice and well drawn!

Character 6/10, it doesn't really progress throughout the anime, but I did give it the 6 points because the main character goes from a bloke who ... doesn't even know what his own car is to a expert driver

Now, personally if you were to read a part where people are racing, I'd recommend turning on Eurobeat, for that 90s feel!

I really recommend this Anime/Manga to any car geek.

Initial D. Cars at their limits, drifting, dangerous mountain passes.
This manga starts off as a comedy/sports car manga, with jokes and being focused on characters and the story. My favorite parts are mostly in volumes 1-5. After that the manga focuses more on the sport in itself rather than the story, the cast becomes a stable roster with only oponents being exchanged every battle. That being said the art is like no other car manga and the battles are executed very well, but the story hops in the backseat and is along for the ride for the most part after the first fourth of the ... series. Still even with the story being a little janky, this series has no competition and stands as the undefeated king of car manga.

I don't recommend for newcomers to this series to start with the manga, because of the format you sacrifice the best thing about Initial D; high adrenaline eurobeat fueled battles with masterful sound design present in the anime. Read the manga after if you really like Initial D and care about the characters and want to know more (there isn't really that much) about them. If you still really want to read a manga about cars i'd recommend series like Over Rev!, Dricam or Wangan Midnight, with first of the two being more story driven than Initial D.

Quick take: If you like drifting or cars, this is a great Manga to read. Well drawn and easy to follow, the story tells of the infamous panda Trueno.

At the time I picked up this manga, the anime was only partially licensed in the states. I had finished watching the anime, but didn't know where the story would end. So I restarted the story with the manga.

If you always wondered why the panda Trueno was famous in pop culture, you'll find it here. There's a legend about the Trueno and InitialD tells that legend.

The story line is fantastic, you see the rise of a ... legend and where it ends. The writing gives you insight into what the characters are thinking and feeling, which really engrosses you and makes the story that much more enjoyable.

The art is next level. The cars are drawn with incredible precision and accuracy, making the images one of the best parts of the entire manga.

Character development is great throughout the book.

Highly recommended for automotive fans and those curious about the pop culture references to this story.