You probably started watching MF Ghost because you liked Initial D, and you might be here to understand why it's not holding a candle to its predecessor. Well, it's evident that MF Ghost is not Initial D, but why is it lagging so far behind? Is it intentionally holding back, or is this the best the car genre can offer? Let's dissect what we've learned from the first season of the anime adaptation.

Of course, it's challenging to discuss MF Ghost without mentioning Initial D or drawing comparisons between the two. Let's address that first. MF Ghost is not Initial D; you'll only find disappointment if you expect the two to be similar. While having its own strengths, MF Ghost lacks almost everything that made Initial D special. Despite coming from the same mangaka and sharing many elements, the two diverge in a pretty radical way.

Kanata Rivington, or with his father's family name, Kanata Katagiri, is a newcomer to the world-renowned fictional racing series MFG, which is held in near-future Japan, where internal combustion vehicles are used exclusively for racing. He comes to Japan not to race but to find his father, who disappeared after his mother's death. Kanata moves in with his mother's acquaintances, and in that house lives the daughter of the family Ren Saionji, a high school student and the main female lead of the series. Ren is also an "angel" of MFG, but we'll come back to that later. Kanata aims to achieve his goal by utilizing his talent in MFG and establishing his name. Now you know Kanata has a very specific talent honed by someone we know, and MFG has one specific rule that makes it unique: your car's power output must have a one-to-one ratio to its grip. That's the only rule that matters and is conceptualized by Ryosuke Takahashi, the main antagonist from Initial D. Takahashi is not the only familiar name you'll encounter throughout the series; MF Ghost features or mentions a handful of key figures from Initial D, with Takumi Fujiwara, the protagonist of Initial D, serving as Kanata's racing instructor and mentor.

This provides a perfect segue into MF Ghost's problems. You'll often feel that the story is heavily relying on Initial D, making it exponentially difficult to separate them. It's a blessing but primarily a curse. Initial D had immense charm, and that charm, in my opinion, stemmed from the setting and characters being genuine, believable, and relatable. The protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara, was a high school student who had to drive his dad's "shitbox" to deliver tofu to nearby hotels late at night. Through this, he developed his driving skills, grew familiar with the car he drove, but never had an interest in cars, let alone racing. He got mixed in racing by startling the street racers on his way and through the people he knew. Along the way, the heaps of experience behind the wheel and the subtle training he received from his ex-racer father made him a formidable force, defying every expectation. On the other hand, Kanata, the protagonist of MF Ghost, has a photographic memory inherited from his late mother. He is a pro racer who was instructed by the now-legendary Takumi Fujiwara, racing in a league coined by Ryosuke Takahashi that has a very specific rule, making Kanata essentially the master of meta. See where I'm going?

However, as you might already know, great characters can make a forced and unoriginal world enjoyable. Unfortunately, this is where MF Ghost crashes the hardest. Everyone is a representation of a stereotype in this story, and on top of that, bad ones. The main girl, Ren, who's a bit tsundere, falls instantly for the ikemen Kanata, she's also an undercover sex object for the sweaty racers. Ren's father, who not only does not care her daughter being a sex object, but also watches her butt close-ups. There's Ogata, the comic relief, and Aiba Shun, the big brother who is also in love with MFG angel Ren, aka Number 7-chan. But the rest, oh boy, buckle up. We have a literal racist star of the MFG, Beckenbauer, who looks down upon everyone else, especially the Japanese drivers, driving German-made cars. He happens to be German himself, big surprise, eh? We also have a self-proclaimed "17con" guy who only dates girls who are 17 years old and dumps them as soon as they turn 18. The MFG presenter is an obnoxious guy who keeps salivating over MFG angels' close-up butt shots with everyone else whenever he finds a chance while commentating on races. Believe me when I say this, everyone in this show is insane.

"But Jerkov," you say, "this is a car racing show, and it's not surprising that everything not related to racing is weak." Unfortunately, you, my friend, are very right. You'll witness the cringiest dialogues, weirdest takes, and the most awkward behavior from the characters when they are not in a car and racing. Hell, they are like that even when they are racing too. The only thing saving you and the story from itself is the racing. And, maybe angels... Oh no, I'm one of them!

The racing in this series, I must admit, is great. It's exciting, technical, and the lord and savior Eurobeat genre of music returns to salvage the series' reputation. Cars look detailed, animations are smooth, the scenery is poetic, and sounds are realistic. This combination makes up the strongest point of MF Ghost. The only thing holding back the strongest aspect of the show is the pacing of the episodes. I can't be too harsh about this since I feel like the studio did their best to present the races in an exciting pace. But that does not change the fact that not much really moved forward in the entirety of the first season.

In conclusion, MF Ghost unfortunately falls face-first with nearly everything it throws at you. I can't imagine you can enjoy the show as a newcomer, as someone who does not know what Initial D is. Because, while being a separate entry, the story heavily relies on its much-beloved predecessor. With that said, just like Initial D, MF Ghost's intergender relationships feel like they're written by someone who has no idea about them. It's pretty hard to watch the stiff personalities of the characters. However, the art style is pretty unique; it's a new take on the classic art style of Initial D, and I must say, it's one of the better art styles that I've seen so far, portraying facial features of Japanese people and people of other ethnicities. Other than that, it's pretty hard to recommend MF Ghost. I have to admit the fact that I had to endure the season to pay homage, and that says something.

Best regards,

Jerkov.