Product Details

• Directors: *
• Format: Animated, Color, DVD, Enhanced, NTSC, Subtitled
• Language: Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Tokyopop Pictures
• DVD Release Date: January 11, 2005
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000667GUK
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,745 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The downhill battle between Tak and Ry heats up as Ry matches every move Tak makes. But Tak ultimately manages to regain his calmness by executing a final "inner drop" to win the race. Tak's infamy however brings a new team to Gunma and team Emperor isn't about to be defeated.System Requirements: Running Time 150 MinFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM Rating: NR Age: 13+ UPC: 645573018924 Manufacturer No: TPDV-01892

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lives up to the hype, and then some, January 17, 2005

By 

Enes Memic "enman70" (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Initial D - Battle 9 - Akina's Superstar Challenge (DVD)

The climactic final battle between street racing god Ryosuke Takahashi and driving prodigy Takumi Fujiwara is finally here. It's a shame that the descriptive blurb just above this review gives the ending away, but it's still a hell of a match to watch-the best race in a season of great races. We get to see just how great a driver Ryosuke is. We also see that Takumi isn't invincible, even on his home course. This disc also contains the first episode of Initial D's second season. It's a pretty quiet intro to an absolutely phenomenal season (yes, I've seen it, and in my opinion, it's even better than the first).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The big race with Takahashi and the start of a new season, July 10, 2005

By 

Brian Camp (Bronx, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Initial D - Battle 9 - Akina's Superstar Challenge (DVD)

This volume is the big one, containing the last two episodes of Season One (First Stage), with Takumi's climactic race against his most formidable challenger, Ryosuke Takahashi, team leader of the Akagi Red Suns, and the first episode of Season Two (Second Stage), which introduces a formidable new set of challengers for Tak in the persons of Team Emperor. The race with Ryosuke (taking up two episodes, nos. 25-26) is the event to which all the previous 24 episodes have been building. And an exciting race it is, accompanied by phoned-in commentary from Tak's unflappable father, Bunta, and featuring what appear to be the first instances of self-doubt on Tak's part. We also get to glimpse a lot of the spectators, including several characters we've met before, such as the two attractive female racers from Usui Pass, Mako and Sayuki, from Volume 7. Tak's girlfriend, Natsuki, shows up as well for this all-star gathering. If I have any criticism of the series conclusion it's that the most decisive moment in the race is handled too matter-of-factly, resulting in something of an anti-climax. Even so, it's been a great series and leads us directly into Season Two (Second Stage), first episode (listed as Act 27 onscreen in the English version, and Act 1 in the Japanese version), where we meet an older, rougher crew of racers who are eager to challenge any and all locals including Tak and his Trueno Eight-Six. It should be pointed out that the character design in Second Stage is noticeably more detailed than it was in First Stage.

The Super Eurobeat soundtrack continues to pump away on all cylinders, keeping the proceedings musically stimulating throughout. One of the songs heard during the race, "Blackout," in ep. 25, appears on the "Initial D: Vocal Battle" import CD. I should remind fans that this music is heard only via the "Classic" option (Japanese track) and not in the "Tricked Out" (English track) version, which has its own newly-appended score. The only mention that a new season of the show starts on this disc is a tag line in small letters on the back of the DVD case that reads, "Includes Episode 1 of Initial D's Exciting Second Season."

5.0 out of 5 stars good, June 23, 2008

By 

Alexander P. Lee "alex" (CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Initial D - Battle 9 - Akina's Superstar Challenge (DVD)

Arrived fast. Plays fine. Good vendor.
I like the FC cars so Battle 9 is a very good 1 for me.
Other than that, it's pretty much on par with most other initial-D... very enjoyable.