Feb 6, 2021
(This Review ONLY talks about First Stage)
The story in Initial D is great. Many would say that it's dull and it only focuses on Takumi just winning, but I'd disagree. The story doesn't just focus on Takumi; and there's plenty of times where the supporting cast are the reasons the race is happening. The drama that happens between races gives Takumi a reason to go race. The story feels more like it focuses on the racing scene, and what Takumi is racing for more so than just winning or losing. The story is much more enjoyable when it's viewed less as being about just
...
Takumi.
The art is obviously quite dated in Initial D, but I think that the art is still fine. Even with the help of Keiichi Tsuchiya (known as 'drift king' for those hat don't know), the drifting scenes in the first stage suffered a little from the limitations of what they could do. Initial D still does have good art which sets the tone for episodes quite well sometimes, although it's greatly hindered by the CG at times.
Honestly, the sound is amazing. All the cars sound like they would in real life, and how the engine noise gets quieter or louder depending on where the perspective is at is a really nice detail too. Another thing is the soundtrack. Initial D used eurobeat as its main genre of music for the battles. It sounds great, and really gets you to start associating that type of music with street racing, so every time you hear eurobeat in the anime, you already know it's about to go down. Even if the music that's playing isn't eurobeat, it sets the proper mood in whatever scene it's used it.
Character:8/10
The characters in Initial D are good. Although many tend to kind of just 'exist' after a certain point and don't really bring much more than exposition, they actually feel like a person. Most of the more prominent characters have some sort of backstory, and also are given a reason to race. Faces are shown A LOT during races, mostly the drivers' faces. You get to hear their thoughts, and start to understand how they react to certain situations while driving. Even other much less important characters can sometimes have one little piece of information about them that makes them seem less like filler. They all have pretty obvious flaws, but really no human has absolutely no flaws at all.
When I watched Initial D, I enjoyed very much. The races felt amazing to watch despite the pretty bad graphics that took place during them. They were thrilling and made me want to experience a race such as that. Whether people will like this anime or not, watching it for the first time, depends on how much they get invested into the story and drama. I've rewatched this season at least 5 times already, and I still enjoy the anime. Rewatching this anime with more knowledge about cars each time also makes it seem more interesting (because you understand what they're talking about).
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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