Initial D: First Stage Online

Greg Ayres Christopher Bevins Steve Blum

Original Title :: Initial D: First Stage
Genre :: TV Series / Animation / Action / Comedy / Sport
Cast :: Greg Ayres,Christopher Bevins,Steve Blum
Type :: TV Series
Time :: 25min
Rating :: 8.4/10

The story of a young delivery boy who becomes a drift-racing legend.

Initial D: First Stage Online

Takumi Fujiwara is an average 18-year old high school student with an average job as a gas station attendant, and a not-so-average hand in the family business. To help his father's tofu shop, Takumi has been delivering tofu in his father's 'Eight-Six' Trueno (known as the Toyota Corolla GT-S in the US) to a hotel at the peak of Mt. Akina (the local mountain), every night at 4 a.m. In doing so, Takumi has been unknowingly training to be the greatest mountain-pass drift-racer in all of Japan. After a freak late-night encounter with Keisuke Takahashi, the number two driver of the infamous RedSuns team, Takumi is quickly, and unwillingly plunged into a high-speed world of white-knuckle contests on the most dangerous mountain passes in the Gunma prefecture. Assisted by the local Akina Speedstars team, his slightly obnoxious friend Itsuki, his somewhat shady girlfriend Natsuke and the sage-like words of his chain-smoking, ex-racer father Bunta, he'll need all the help he can get to outwit ...

Series cast summary:
	Greg Ayres	-	Kenta Nakamura 26 episodes, 1998

	Christopher Bevins	-	Kenji 26 episodes, 1998

	Steve Blum	-	Keisuke 'K.T.' Takahashi 26 episodes, 1998

	Z. Charles Bolton	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Jonathan Brooks	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Charles C. Campbell	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Richard Cansino	-	Hiromichi 26 episodes, 1998

	Chris Cason	-	Hiroshi Fumihiro / - 26 episodes, 1998

	Colleen Clinkenbeard	-	Mako Sato 26 episodes, 1998

	Cynthia Cranz	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Roland Angelo Crisolo	-	Itsuki 26 episodes, 1998

	Terri Doty	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Quinton Flynn	-	Shingo Shoji 26 episodes, 1998

	Crispin Freeman	-	Kouichiro 'Cole' Iketani 26 episodes, 1998

	Cris George	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Grant George	-	Hawk / - 26 episodes, 1998

	Josh Grelle	-	Itsuki Takeuchi 26 episodes, 1998

	Todd Haberkorn	-	Keisuke Takahashi 26 episodes, 1998

	Kyle Hebert	-	Additional Voices / - 26 episodes, 1998

	Kate Higgins	-	Natalie 26 episodes, 1998

	Bridget Hoffman	-	Maya 26 episodes, 1998

	Chuck Huber	-	Yuichi Tachibana 26 episodes, 1998

	Jeremy Inman	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Lex Lang	-	Ryosuke 'Ry' Takahashi 26 episodes, 1998

	Kerrigan Mahan	-	Bunta Fujiwara 26 episodes, 1998

	Michael McConnohie	-	Yuichi 'Boss' Tachibana 26 episodes, 1998

	Joel McDonald	-	Takumi Fujiwara 26 episodes, 1998

	Scott Menville	-	Goro / - 26 episodes, 1998

	Vic Mignogna	-	Shingo Shoji 26 episodes, 1998

	Anastasia Munoz	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Colleen O'Shaughnessey	-	Saori 26 episodes, 1998

	Brina Palencia	-	Natsuki Mogi 26 episodes, 1998

	Ben Phillips	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Orion Pitts	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Derek Stephen Prince	-	Hayao 26 episodes, 1998

	David Rasner	-	Kenta Nakamura / - 26 episodes, 1998

	Monica Rial	-	Sayuki 26 episodes, 1998

	Tyson Rinehart	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Robbie Rist	-	Itsuki 'Iggy' Takeuchi 26 episodes, 1998

	Ian Sinclair	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Jason Spisak	-	Kenji 26 episodes, 1998

	J. Michael Tatum	-	Ryosuke Takahashi 26 episodes, 1998

	Elias Taylorson	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Austin Tindle	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Eric Vale	-	Koichiro Iketani 26 episodes, 1998

	Laurent Vernin	-	Takumi Fujiwara 26 episodes, 1998

	Maxey Whitehead	-	Additional Voices 26 episodes, 1998

	Kent Williams	-	Bunta Fujiwara 26 episodes, 1998

	Wally Wingert	-	Takeshi 'Zack' Nakazato 26 episodes, 1998

	Dave Wittenberg	-	Takumi 'Tak' Fujiwara 26 episodes, 1998

	Barry Yandell	-	Narrator 26 episodes, 1998

The Fujiwara Tofu Shop actually exists in Shibukawa, Gunma prefecture. It does not, however, have a driveway or an AE86.

Throughout the series, the characters use chassis codes to refer to cars rather than actually saying the name of the car. This is a common Japanese auto industry term to easily refer to a car and its year without having to give a drawn out explanation. The S13 refers to the RPS13 SR20DET Nissan Silvia (Japan only) made from 1989-1994. The Silvia made between 1995 and 1998 was an S14, and 1999 to present is the S15. R32 refers to the BNR32 Nissan Skyline (Japan only) made from 1989-1994. FC refers to the FC3S Mazda RX-7 made from 1986-1992. FD refers to the FD3S Mazda RX-7 made from 1992-2002. EG6 refers to the EG6 Honda Civic 3-door hatchback made from 1992-1995. And most importantly, 86 (or 'Eight-Six') refers to the AE86 Toyota Sprinter Trueno, known in the U.S. as the Toyota Corolla GTS, made from 1983-1986 (the Trueno is also known as the hachi-roku, however 'hachi' and 'roku' are just the literal Japanese words for 'eight' and 'six').

Keiichi Tsuchiya, well known as the 'Drift King' of Japan and a pioneer in the field of drifting, was on-hand as an advisor to the show. He also makes a brief cameo in episode 24 during a phone call to Bunta Fujiwara

Akina Mountain, the primary downhill course of the series, is actually based off Haruna Mountain in Gunma prefecture.

Although the show never mentions it, Takumi and his friends live in Shibukawa City, Gunma prefecture. The Takahashi Brothers live in Takasaki City, Gunma's largest city.

The Nissan 180SX, which Kenji drives, is a hatchback variation on the Nissan Silvia (both Japanese only cars). These cars are known in the U.S., however when the Silvia and the 180SX came to the states, they lost their turbocharged 2.0 liter SR20DET engine and became the Nissan 240SX, which was given a non-turbo 2.4 liter engine known as the KA24E. Despite the fact that the Silvia (a coupe) came with fixed projector headlights, the 240SX coupe was given pop-up lights like the 180SX due to U.S headlight regulation permitting cars with certain headlight height to be sold (for this reason, the American 240SX is also known as the Onevia, a combination of a 180SX front onto a Silvia, whereas Mako and Sayuki's Sil-Eighty is a combination of a Silvia front onto a 180SX).

The original comic had brand stickers on the racers' driver doors (Bomex, Greddy, HKS, etc). The animation studio could not obtain licenses for the brand names, and replaced them with generic stickers instead (Max Speed, Shift Down, etc).

Ryosuke drives an Infini RX-7 in the comic. In the cartoon, he drives a Savannah RX-7.

Haruna Mountain was renamed "Akina" in the comic/series because creator Shuichi Shigeno originally intended all places in the series to be fictional/based of actual places. However, he does away with this practice on later courses, but the name "Akina" sticks for Haruna Mountain.

Early in the TV series, many of the cars are either missing the proper badging for their cars, or the badging has been significantly altered (the most notable are the "Trueno" on the front of Takumi's AE86, and Nakazato's missing "Skyline" on the rear bumper and altered GT-R badge). This is due to the animation studio not having licenses from the car manufacturers at the time. Later on in the series, the badging is fixed and all the cars have their proper badging. However, correct badging appears in flashback scenes of episodes that originally didn't have badging on their cars.

When the series first aired in America, the popularity of imported JDM cars skyrocketed. Vehicles like the Mazda RX-7 and the Nissan Silvia became extremely popular with tuners and drifters alike. Most JDM vehicles gained in price, and nowadays this is called "Drift Tax".

Impact Blue's SilEighty was originally just a simple body kit fix for the 180SX to have the fixed headlights of a Silvia S13. Nissan, noticing how popular the body fix was becoming among tuners, ran a limited edition "official" SilEighty. These are numbered and highly collectible.

Initial D creator Shuichi Shigeno is an avid motorcycle enthusiast and is famous for his motorcycle comics. However, he had a difficult time in the transition of writing a comic about cars instead.

Mount Myogi, where Keisuke and Nakazato have their hillclimb battle, is actually famous for its motorcycle riders (not really for its drifters). An official motorcycle race is held on Myogi annually.

User reviews

Winawel

"Initial D: First Stage," which first aired in Japan in 1998, is a consistently exciting and compelling anime series based on Shuichi Shigeno's popular manga (comic book) about downhill mountain road racing in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. The protagonist is high school boy Takumi who, unbeknownst to his classmates and buddies at the gas station where he works, has been honing his downhill driving skills for the past five years by speeding up and down Mt. Akina making early morning deliveries for his father's tofu shop. When Takumi just matter-of-factly beats an area road racing star on an impromptu downhill race, he finds himself thrust, somewhat reluctantly, into the world of "touge" (mountain) racing and the various teams from neighboring mountains. His close buddies, Iketani and Itsuki, who are tied to the local Akina Speed Stars, are stunned to learn of Takumi's secret skills and are somewhat infuriated by his nonchalant attitude. Takumi's single father, once a downhill champ himself, has made a point of nurturing this attitude by guiding his son, not by example or instruction, but by letting him find his own way.

Once the secret is out, as quick as you can say, "Draw!," Takumi finds himself challenged by an increasingly sophisticated group of rivals and also finds himself attracting the attentions of Natsuki, a girl at school who has secretly been involved in a bit of "subsidized dating" with an older man. Much attention in this series is paid to the characters, their development, and their sometimes turbulent interaction with each other. We care for these kids because, quite simply, they're believable human beings.

The look of the series draws closely on that of the manga with somewhat simple, almost cartoonish (but surprisingly effective) design for the characters, created in 2-D animation, contrasting noticeably with the technically detailed look of the cars and races, which are recreated with 3-D CGI for the anime. While the integration of 2-D and 3-D is somewhat awkward in the early episodes, it improves greatly as the series progresses. The character design gets better also, with more detailed, expressive facial features becoming quite evident by the fifth volume in the series (eps. 16-18).

The races are edited and designed with great skill and thought. These sequences are genuinely exciting even to those of us who never followed any kind of auto racing outside of "Speed Racer" and action movie car chases. And, besides, the technical aspects of this form of racing, particularly the all-important practice of "drifting," are adequately spelled out for novices--to the point where the series might even be called educational.

The music track deserves singling out for its lively collection of pulsating, catchy songs in the "Eurobeat" style popular in Japan (a mix of rock, hip hop, and techno). The songs come into play in the opening and closing credit sequences and during the racing sequences (where they work perfectly). The instrumental tracks during the quieter scenes are expertly done as well. (Warning: the English dubbed tracks on the U.S. DVD releases have completely new music soundtracks. Stick with the "Classic" version option.)

As anime series go, at least for fans in the U.S., this one is quite unlike any other this reviewer has come across in the U.S. (after a decade of reviewing anime) and has proved to be among the most rewarding. This review covers the first season (First Stage), which was followed by a second series (Second Stage), a movie (Third Stage), and yet a third series (Fourth Stage). There are also video games based on the series. Let's hope it all continues.

Modar

Yes it is an anime with a lot of cars in it BUT don't get fooled by that (especially if you are a person who doesn't care much about cars, drives Vauxhall or likes) and give this anime a try. If you watched Death Note, Shingeki no Kyojin, Psycho Pass, Silver Spoon and other anime like them you will probably like Initial D. Only connection with before mentioned anime is originality, and that should be enough to give it a try.

Initial D has funny, interesting and original storyline with specific soundtrack that will change your perspective on cars, and make you wanna own some of the cars that are shown in the series. Also series are full of interesting trivia. Most valuable thing about Initial D is that petrol-heads will love it, but it is not exclusive for them, so they can share and watch it with non petrol-heads friends :D

Negative side, part of the animation that is in "3D"

p.s. Just in case you are in dilemma: don't watch English dubbed version, watch original in Japanese language

Windforge

It's a bit strange being a car freak and NOT having seen much of Initial D until recently. Still, I already knew quite a lot of it, thanks to the manga issues I scrounged up. Really amazing what one can achieve with my old car. That's right, I've been a lucky sod who drove a "Hachi-Roku". The car was a Red and Black Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, badged as Corolla GT-S. I acquired it in Belgium. Actually, I was looking fer the Sedan version, which was quite common there. But I just HAD to try out that little souped up hatchback and I was won over immediately. As I live in a region with a lot of twisty backroads and hills, (alas, no mountain pass here :( ) I had a lot of fun with it for a few years. Then a friend came over with a tape he bought (yes we're talking nineties here folks) "Isn't that your car?" he said, while showing me a vicious race between a Honda Civic (beg ya pardon, an EG6) and Takumi's AE86. The CGI action, the races, the music by M.o.v.e. All excellent! "Then how could you be so stupid and FORGET ALL ABOUT IT!?" Itsuki would ask in his overacting voice. I really don't know that. But after I coïncidentially saw the reasonable Chinese live-adaptation, I decided ter go look for it again. As with Zipang, one of my other favorite Manga/Anime's, I got lucky: I found First, Second and Extra Stage in Japanese language with English subs and that fantastic Eurobeat soundtrack. I'm still looking for the rest, which is a bit harder, because I'm trying to avoid all the dub overs with those slipshod hip-hop-songs DJ Milkyway (or something' like it ) cooked up. It might be a bit older now, but First Stage is still a lot better then all the F&F movies together.

Oh, and what did I do with my "Hachi-Roku?" After 5 years of service it was traded for a black front-wheel driven Corolla AE92 GTS, which also was a lot of fun, but I'll always have fond memories of that little red and black hatchback. Even now, while I drive a MINI Cooper.

Xava

It's the story of a high school student, Takumi Fujiwara who works as a delivery boy in his father's Tofu Shop. Every morning he makes his deliveries, in his father's Ae86 ( Toyota Corolla ) passing through Mt. Akina's full of hairpins track. In the process of making his deliveries, he becomes a skilled driver and Mt. Akina his turf. Those who see him call him the ghost of Akina. When racers from other regions make an expedition to Mt. Akina, they come to know about this ghost. The Racers start to challenge Takumi and how he deals with each challenge and in the process becomes a legend is what Initial D is about.

Visuals/Graphics: 10/10

Apart from the races it's just like what you'd expect an anime to be. The races have been done in 3D which really adds to the thrill. With each and every season the graphics have gotten better, stage Four being the best.

Story: 9/10

The story is simply about the journey of Takumi from an ordinary High school kid to a legendary street racer and how he meets other racers who help him achieve it in the process.

Screenplay: 9/10

There are a few flashbacks but apart from that the anime proceeds in one direction only. Nothing unnecessary has been done, making it an easy to watch experience.

Initial D is a must watch, even if you're not an anime freak. You don't have to be ! It's much better than the Fast 'n Furious movie series, where they pull off stunts defying the laws of physics. This anime actually bothers to explain how the machines are working. Trust me, if you watch this you wouldn't be disappointed. The best thing is it has also been dubbed in English so you won't have to stress reading subtitles.

Overall: It's a 10/10. Watch it !

Xal

I like the series ever since I was a freshman at college. Students involved in anime stuff brought different series every week to my college's student center, and one evening I was studying for some exam until I heard some J-pop music; then I peeked at the big screen there and saw some anime figures and then a super-realistic image of a 1983 Toyota Corolla GTS liftback. I thought to myself: What is this thing about? Then I saw further into the series and saw drifting cars. But the most outstanding thing was that the cars appeared photo-realistic, when I then realizes they were relying on 3D graphics to simulate the cars. That's what got me into Initial D. I attempted to rent it at my nearest Blockbuster but found it always missing (or rented out), so I never got a chance to rent it on my own until I went to Dallas TX on some coop practice and subscribed to Netflix. Then I really got my chance to rent Initial D.

But then I discovered an awful thing: The English dub by Tokyopop got rid of the series' Eurobeat-style music by m.o.v.e and instead inserted its own local crappy hip-hop by some unknown DJ Milky with no known album on the market. Solution: Whenever you start playing any episode, set it to Japanese audio to listen to m.o.v.e's awesome opening; then when the opening's over, switch back to English if you want to listen to the dialogs without having to read subtitles. Then when the episode's over and the credits are about to start rolling, switch again to Japanese to listen to m.o.v.e (eps 1-13) or Galla (14-26), then back to English to listen the next ep's preview, then repeat the same cycle for the next episode(s).

Velellan

IMO This anime had great potential, but imo it needs a graphics / art overhaul. Comparing this anime to some of the old animes like DBZ or Naruto which continued to improve their art overtime, you can see it. Whereas Initial D's art becomes stale as I felt the artist got lazy and decided not to improve on the overall graphic quality of the manga / anime. The original is a good standard to set, but comparing it to today's anime / art, it's just not appealing and won't cut it.

Story Telling: 7/10

The story telling is amazing. The plot pace moves along well when it comes the main character and his car racing days. The character develops very quickly when it comes to the art of racing with his innate talent for it. However when it comes to expressing how the the character feels, I feel like he's matured very slowly in learning how to express himself.

One of the biggest issues I have with this manga/anime and multiple mangas/anime are when romance is introduced. The story focuses more heavily on action, but drops the romance in very suddenly and left hanging from time to time. I feel like there is a lack of balance and development in that area. I feel like there are 2 options when it comes to the romance department and that's to either go in-depth and not half-ass it, or to entirely not even put it in there. It's basically like Naruto where Hinata tells Naruto she loves him out of nowhere, and then many chapters or episodes later, not even mention it.

I consider Initial D to have great potential to be a well known classic like Spirited Away, Totoro, or Kotachi no koe with balanced elements of storytelling, soundtracks, and animation.

TLDR: Romance department is seriously lacking, character development on how he expresses himself can immensely improve.

Soundtrack: 10/10

I really can't complain much about the soundtrack. I think it's amazing and fits the theme of the anime well, it compliments the story, but the art doesn't do it as much justice as it could have.

Art: 5/10

My issue is that the art becomes stale. There are no improvements and quality stream hasn't improved much despite being a huge fan of the manga. I feel like a movie or anime is like a puzzle. You need all the right pieces of the puzzle for it to fit together. If the art continued to improve overtime, I'd be very happy for it to do the soundtrack and storytelling justice. I just felt like the artist got lazy and did not bother while being stubborn with its style.

If you're selling this anime to the older generation, it's considered a classic. I understand where they're coming from as I was born in the 90's as well going for game design and CG programming. If I were to advertise this anime to the audiences of newer generations, it won't be as appealing compared to the likes of Sword Art Online (1st Half of Season 1) or Fate Stay: Unlimited Blade Works where the art, music, and storytelling is stunning.

If Initial D is looking to become a known classic, I really feel like a reboot would really do the anime justice if the romance is taken out or rewritten and also better character development. Art is outdated and won't appeal to newer audiences. It's been almost 2 decades. Even Detective Conan, which is a year older, looks a lot better visually.

Gnng

This show takes place in a more rural area which has a very popular street racing culture. This isn't an ordinary bunch of guys who like cars, these guys very knowledgeable when it comes to cars and racing. YOU KNOW the directors or some people who made the show has lived that Street Racing lifestyle because it is depicted dead on. It is a little old but the fundamentals and ideas are all the same and you'll learn a thing or two.

After watching this show and already being into cars (I own a DSM Eclipse but drives a DC5 Base model) I can't even get behind the wheel of my car at night without wanting to get into a street race. This show has also fueled my love of old street racing cars like the FC3S and others.

OVERALL! Its a MUST WATCH FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES CARS AND STREET RACING!!!

Hucama

In the Anime, 17 year old Takumi Fujiwara has to race against 6 opponents. Akina is where it happens. I started watching the anime in 9th grade. 2 episodes a month. 26 episodes. I like The story, the epic races, the incredibly well made arcade games (which I have one of them on the PSP), the use of eurobeat, etc. Most eurobeat (including Seventies) is not tied to Initial D, if you didn't know. But this is the BEST ANIME EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rayli

I know it was the late 90s and the early days of CGI but my god, it just looked literally terrible . The cars looked like hot wheels toys on drugs rather then them looking like real 90s cars! I would've continued on watching more of the anime without hesitation, if the animation wasn't so distasteful and blinding enough. Instead of watching the whole anime, I played all of its pumped up music on YouTube and had them on full blast! Man they were effing lit, I LOVE listening to them!

I want to give a shoutout to the great Bongo Cat meme for playing "Deja Vu" and made me watch this classic anime! Even if I'm not fan of it, I'm glad to give it a try regardless!

Manesenci

The show is poorly animated and most of it's budget looked like it was spent only on the CG. I have seen better animation in Hentai that was released earlier than this show. I only enjoy the show for the memes and the music from Eurobeat. The only two things that make the show worth watching. Making fun of this show is fun because all of the memes that originated from this show. Basically the entire show is Shifting Gears and Drifting. The only good quotable line has to be "The setup point is in the next five consecutive hairpin curves!" I have personally made poorly created fan art to represent the poor quality in this anime. Would recommend to others.

Gaudiker

I started this series years ago with my brothers and I mean all of them. My oldest brother would come by the house every time a new DVD would be available. We all started this show like right when it hit the American market. So glad we did!! I remember waiting in sun coast videos waiting for my pre order when these dropped.

The story is great, at the character are interesting and the story evolves. Any anime fan should give this a chance if you haven't yet. It is definitely worth a watch and you will rewatch it so many times as well.

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