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Initial D is one of the most influential car animes any car enthusiast can watch.

This is technically a follow-up to a review I wrote back in 2022, so this will not be an insightful review of the Initial D Second Stage itself.
| If you have any interest in cars, I think this anime is a must; if you don't, watch this anime if you only particularly want to. |

My life has changed a lot since my first review. In 2022, I deleted the first sentence that I was going to end up wrapped around a tree in five years because of Initial D. ... I'm now 19, and I'm a freshman at Northeastern University. While at Northeastern Oakland for a semester, I finally recognized how impactful Initial D is on my life and the car community as a whole. Ten minutes away from campus lies a road that hosts a diverse group of car enthusiasts. Driving a variety of cars and motorcycles, this community is bonded by one thing and one thing only: the road. With numerous curves and bends, the Touge community lives on through a dedicated group of people who race on the "track." Ask any of these people if they have watched Initial D, and 90% of enthusiasts would say yes. Initial D was the inspiration for many of the people at the Touge and is what pushed people to race their cars. Initial D is not a story about somebody with the fastest car; it is about a boy with skills and ambition. For these enthusiasts, Initial D was more than a story they watched or read, it has integrated itself as an occasional soundtrack in the background while racing.

I would argue that Initial D is one of the most influential animes, but I don't care for all the drama that comes with it. Initial D is important for car enthusiasts is what helped introduce many kids like me to Touge, and I can't express my gratitude for that enough in my life. hope to see myself in two years in something with 300 tw and on the track.

I can't believe I'm writing this. I watched this show in May of 2015. Spurred by a now desolate website called CarThrottle, my interest in vehicles pushed me to watch this show. Initial D was one of the few animes that were not on Crunchyroll and I watched it on Hulu. It's almost seven years since I've watched this show. I've aged and grown significantly over the years. I've met new people, went to different schools, and had many different experiences that would forever change me for my life. Despite the fact that I watched this show a long time ago, I can safely say ... that this has been my safety net throughout my life. The song choices, background music, and plot has stuck to me over the years. Even before I had spotify, I would be listening to clips of Running in 90's or Rage Your Dream using the bluetooth in my parents 2012 Honda CRV. I'm now 17. I currently drive (safeish), and I still love vehicles. Right now, I'm about to take an SAT, which will determine the college I get into. Despite the stress and fears I have about this test, I feel as if I have failed if I don't pay homage to an anime that has changed my life. Initial D might not change your life. It's boring plot, poor animation, and slow pacing may worsen your opinion on this anime. It's just an anime about some 90's cars. I completely understand. And I respect that. But if you're a fan of cars, or know a fan of cars, this anime will be the most impactful show you can watch throughout the years. It doesn't matter if you see this review this Friday, or in ten years. Initial D is an excellent representation of how it feels to be a car enthusiast.