Movies - Initial D

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	Movies - Initial D

Initial D (頭文字D Kashiramoji D or イニシャルD Inisharu Dī, pronounced i-'ni-sh&l 'dE) is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno which has been serialized in Kodansha's Young since 1995. It has been adapted into an anime series by Avex and a live-action film by Avex and Media Asia.

The anime and manga focus on the world of illegal Japanese street racing, where all the action is concentrated in the mountain passes (called Tōge) and never in cities nor urban areas, and the drift racing style is emphasized in particular. Keiichi Tsuchiya helps with editorial supervision. The story is centered around the Japanese prefecture of Gunma, more specifically on several mountains in the prefecture and in and their surrounding cities and towns.

List of Releases

Manga

Initial D Manga Japanese Release - 32 Volumes (1995 - new volume released every 5 months)
Initial D Manga Tokyopop Release - 21 Volumes (2002 - new volume released every 2 months)

Anime

Avex has released the anime in several parts called Stages. One noticeable feature is that it uses Eurobeat music as background music in race scenes.

Initial D First Stage - 26 episodes (1998)
Initial D Second Stage - 13 episodes (1999)
Initial D Extra Stage OVA - 2 episodes side-story focusing on Impact Blue(2000)
Initial D Third Stage - a 2 hour movie (2001)
Initial D Battle Stage - a 50 minute movie.(2002)
Initial D Fourth Stage - 24 episodes

http://avexmode.jp/animation/initial/initial.html] (2004—2006).

Movie

Initial D: The Movie - a 2005 Japanese/Hong Kong film that features Taiwanese star Jay Chou as Takumi and Edison Chen
as Ryosuke.

Games

Numerous arcade and other platforms video games have been released.

Initial D Arcade Stage Version 1 (Arcade)
Initial D Arcade Stage Version 2 (Arcade)
Initial D Arcade Stage Version 3 (Arcade)
Initial D (PS1)
Initial D Special Stage (PS2)
Initial D Mountain Vengeance (PC)
Initial D Street Stage (PSP)
Initial D Gaiden (Game Boy)
Initial D Another Stage (GBA)

Mountain racers' code

"Code of Touge:" (aka "Initial D style") has been explained in Best Motoring International. Power isn't everything, one mistake can prove fatal. Races occur in all weather conditions, with street-legal all weather tires, following the best driving lines, and often with dangerous hazards present on the roadways. Usually a tail-to-bumper start. In one method the front car wins if lead is spread, the rear car winning if gap is decreased; in another the front car must "lose" the rear car to win, and the rear car must overtake to win. If neither condition is satisfied the cars switch places and go again. The car is to be tuned best for the streets, and the interior should be mostly intact. The cars used in Touge should still be drivable for daily transportation and comfort. A heavily modified car which is not fun to drive or has no comfort for its driver and its passengers is not generally accepted within the Touge code. It may be made for street racing, but the importance of fun and comfort are not present. Nitrous Oxide is also not used as there are very few straightaways on mountain roads, and it does not speak to the driver's skill.

TOKYOPOP alterations

The manga and anime have also been licensed by TOKYOPOP for an English release. Many fans questioned TOKYOPOP's intent when it changed some characters' names and gave others Americanized nicknames while not changing other names. For instance, the main character, Takumi, became Tak (this is a nickname many Japanese-American change their names to), and his best friend Itsuki became Iggy; Takumi's father Bunta retained his name though, and so did an opponent by the name of Shingo. Viewers are able to view the episodes with the original Japanese 5.1 track should they wish. In addition, TOKYOPOP cut out a character's enjo kōsai relationship with another character and edited sex scenes in manga. In addition, "street slang" has been interlaced in translations, and there have been accusations that Tokyopop has put out wrong spec sheets on the characters' cars in the manga. The company also changed the music to originally developed tracks of rap and hip-hop via an in-house DJ called DJ Milky from the series' staple eurobeat tracks. Here a complete listing of the Initial D Eurobeat Song Selection is available. The massive editing has been attributed to rumors that TOKYOPOP was hoping to cash in on the growing Import Scene brought about by The Fast and the Furious with edits that would conform to American broadcasting standards (Americanization) on TV.

For the most part, it is accepted that "hardcore" or devoted Initial D and anime fans prefer the original versions. This is due in part to the renaming of the characters. As a result fans have accused both TOKYOPOP and Avex of "selling out" and betraying classic anime fans in favor of money. Fans reacted negatively, feeling that the changes in story line were done in bad faith, for the purpose of "dumbing it down" for a broader casual audience. Most fans have also voiced that they feel that the name changes were unnecessary and were upset by the storyline alterations. TOKYOPOP even altered the storyline when the episodes are viewed with the original Japanese soundtrack. The subtitles are intentionaly mistranslated to preserve the same storyline changes that were made for the English language version.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Initial D ]

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