"Initial D is a good series. Please give it a try. Don't let it die as a "good meme", it deserves more than that." - some random ass dude in the youtube comments.
Not often does it happen, that the running gag of a series overthrows the show's presence as a whole, but Initial D has done it. The reputation and general popularity it has among the Japanese community couldn't transfer to the West, but it has gained some sort of exposure over the last few years. Exposure that came in form of an unmissable Deja-Vu and car-crashing meme, which was undoubtedly hilarious at first. However, this gain of popularity only marginally increased the number of people actually watching the series, which I think is a grave mistake. It speaks volumes that the YT-comment mentioned above receives only a fiftieth of the amount of likes the top-comments obtain, which only talked about the meme or how hype this song is (which it is, no question about it). Unsurprisingly, having the image of an ultimate joke of a series in my head before starting to watch it out of pure boredom was inevitable for me, but the ride was substantially different to what I expected. Not that it wasn't hilarious and over the top, which was already proven by the time episode 1 ended, but it had more to offer. More to offer in form of solidly implemented character ambitions, naturally developing relations and dynamics, an overall great eye for its audiovisual style and a lovable cast of background characters, which round the experience up by quite a lot.
Each progressive race tends to lessen the overwhelming grip of the meme surrounding your mind and creates a continuously more exciting time as it progresses. Actual thrills and goosebump moments appear, something that was not to be expected, judging by the start of the series. However, the show's style itself doesn't change, the involvement tends to increase drastically as Initial D progresses. It's more than obvious on which aspect the show gradually improves upon and that aspect lies in its character department. Takumi, the resident protagonist and spaced-out teenager, and his dynamics with his friends and love-interest Mogi undergo various simple, but effective little steps. More prominently, his initial rejection of the street-racing scene despite his massive talent promoted by his father doesn't simply change for the better, his mindset gradually develops over time and he naturally grows on each opponent. Of course, that alone isn't an absolute milestone of good writing, but it's a decent foundation and definitely supports the anime's quality. You can really feel through the little interactions he has with his father and Mogi, that a change of mind about a certain aspect influences multiple sides of him and doesn't feel isolated in his character development.
Without Takumi, character development feels a little dry. I'd actually say it's non-existent most of the time. Not that it necessarily has to be a thing, as the rest of the cast and his eventual rivals take a backseat most of the when time their arc ends, they're still prevalent from time to time and it feels good to see them again. Knowing that its source material is a huge long-running manga, one season of an anime adaption can only do so much naturally.
Speaking about its long-running source material and subject at hand, comparing it to long-running sports series like Hajime no Ippo or Haikyuu is inevitable. They share a lot of similarities, but Initial D takes advantage in shifting the focus from school-life to the much more stylish and underused street-racing scene. It actually manages to get the underground racing scene right in terms of style and mentality, which contributes a lot to its visual appeal, mainly through character designs, outfits, and little details at the side. The character designs, in particular, look sick as hell and benefit from it's western influence for sure. Without those and some of its self-aware ridiculousness during its racing scenes, there wouldn't be a way to really defend it from looking horrible at times. The good use of lightning and darker colors during its adrenaline-fueled night races on different mountain passes is accompanied by its CGI, which is barely an optimal display of animation skills and feels more like a PSP game. Thankfully, it was hardly bothering me at the start and it was easy to get used to as time progressed, due to the overall solid directing during climaxes.
What actually makes these racing scenes as thrilling and furious to watch is the soundtrack, which originated the original Initial D meme through its ingenious choice of basically reviving Eurobeat. It's hype as hell and I don't care when anyone says it doesn't fit, as it clearly does complement the series' ridiculousness in that aspect. It's impossible for me to imagine a world without the howls of engines, the squealing of tires overtwisting and flashy headlights going down the streets without cheesy, overblown dance music in the background. It is that memorable, be it in an ironic or unironic way. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like. Don't even @ me.
Conclusion:
Initial D was a solid surprise in quality, but it was more than a solid surprise to me personally. I subscribed to its style in almost an instant. Be it because of its stylish exterior, meme-worthy musical choices, bits and pieces of actually great character development or its wholesome dynamics as a whole, Initial D has managed to get a sweet spot in my favorites. It was almost like it somehow delivered a full-package without me asking for it. For fans of sports anime or avid fans of racing in general, Initial D is a notable thing to look out for. It has its fair share of problems, it tends to lose some momentum from time to time, but it also has a full-package of charm within it, waiting to be unwrapped.
At the end of the day, the main thing I wanted to get out with this review is: Goddamn it, quit memeing with Initial D related stuff and get to frickin' watch it, you might find something that fits your taste perfectly.
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Story (06/10)
Art (09/10), Animation (05/10)
Sound (10/10)
Characters (07/10)
Enjoyment (09/10)
Overall (08/10)
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