Customer Reviews

Initial D - Battle 2 - Challenge, Red Suns

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Okay, so my friend starts telling me about Initial D, and gets me curious about it. I'm a big fan of imports to begin with, I have both Tokyo Extreme Racer 0 and Three, and I own two sport compacts, so it's only natural I get into the series, no? Vol. 2 was the first DVD I bought, as I had bought Vol. 1 of the manga first. I watched it, both Japanese sub and the American dub versions.

American dub : crap. I was not impressed with the dialog very much(Itsuki's voice gets... irritating). It actually amuses me that the American dub had more harsh language, though minor, than the original(Didn't have to Americanize it with cussing). The "Tricked Out" camera work is all hype and silly, not to mention distracting, and the music... well, let's just say it does NOT fit the scenes. Americanizing is a bad thing, and it's sad. Can you tell I'm bitter?

Japanese dub : much, much better. Sure, they don't call the 86 the Hachi-Roku, like it's supposed to be, and the subtitles aren't as accurate as they could be otherwise, but... original score, no silly camera angles, and it just feels right. It seems a lot cleaner-cut. And I prefer a deep-voiced Ryosuke. ^.~

I also have #3, and if you can deal with the story-eps that show the story between Takumi and Mogi and other elements, it all comes together for a great anime, so long as one avoids the Tricked Out viewing, my own personal opinion. It's the only reason I'm not rating it higher.

Personally, as well... I'm sticking to the manga. Less money to spend, and much more worthwhile, IMO. 11 out so far, now for another 15. Ha ha ha. But if you like good anime and yer a car freak, domestic or import, give this series a look. =o)

"Inertia drift?!"

I absolutely love Initial D, however, my love for the show is the only thing that is keeping this DVD's rating at 3 stars. The American liscenced version is just plain bad. The three best things about the japanese version of this show are: character interaction, music, and race scenes, all of which have been altered. If you've never seen it I'd say stay away unless you have an interest in cars, then it still MAY be worth your while.

When I first viewed initial d this wasn't like any type of anime that I've seen before. I'm normally into stuff like inuyasha, tenchi muyo etc, but i decided to give initial d a chance. My first review about the akina downhill specialist will tell you a little bit about what I saw and after that dvd I was kinda hooked on the story line. After Tak was on his way to akina I wanted to see the race even though I already knew the result of the race. It's just kinda funny how a old beat up 86' can beat the latest mazda rx-7 fd. I mean the graphics on the character weren't like all of my other anime choices, but I mainly watch this one because of the story line. I just want to see how far they will take this series. So if you want my opinion If you have seen the first dvd and was kinda interested then this dvd is just right for you!!!

In Battle 01 of the Initial D series, we were introduced to Tak who is a skilled race driver without even knowing it. He drives the classic Eight-Six down Mt. Akina during nighttime delivery runs for his father's tofu shop. During one of these runs, he beats out the second best driver for the rival racing team the Redsuns, KT Takahashi. KT can't get the mysterious Eight-Six out of his mind. Tak is not a fan of street racing that has captivated his best friend, Iggy, and the cool kids in his town, but his father (a racing legend, himself) convinces him to participate in an official race with KT for a tank of gas to use on a date with future girlfriend Natalie. That is where the first DVD leaves off. I didn't think I was that big a fan of the show but, I just had to find out what happens, so I sought out Disc 2 of the 14-disc series.

The first of the three episodes builds up the suspense waiting for Tak to arrive. KT wants to race the driver of the Eight-Six again, not another member of the Akina Speed Stars who he could easily smoke. The actual racing in the second episode is surprisingly exciting and interesting. There is a trick that Tak uses to gain the upper hand on one of the corners where he appears to drive faster than his tires' grip that both KT's brother Ry and a top driver for the Miogi Night Kids, Zak Nakasoto, figure out. Don't worry, Ry shares with his brother (and us) what the trick is. Needless to say, Tak gets a free tank of gas to go to the beach with big-eyed Natalie, a boring diversion.

Surprisingly, the most interesting episode to me was the third one "A New Challenger." Here, Tak explains how he learned to drive starting at age 13 (yes, that is illegal in Japan, too). He explains the point of the water cup his father made him use while taking the corners. In a restaurant, Ry and KT discuss why the less powerful Eight-Six is best on the downhill, how more power hinders a car with many corners. Zak (the new challenger) changed his vehicle to a Three-Two GT-R with four-wheel drive. KT's turbo is FR transmitting power to the road's surface using only the rear tires. They think Zak's four-wheel drive ride can take full advantage of his horse power. A funny part is when Tak's friend Kol rides with him on his usual downhill run and, Tak gets so close to the guardrail on corner 3, Kol passes out. Tak's friend Iggy is the comedy relief of the show and is way over animated in the typical Japanese anime style. You can watch this with Japanese or English dialogue and in the classic or enhanced video. If you get Battle 01, you will definitely want to see Battle 02. If you haven't seen the first DVD and if any of this review sounds interesting, then check them out.

TOKYOPOP doesn't know anime and transform it into uglyness (change score, characters' names, cut scenes, etc...). Pioneer at least keep the original score and characters' names for their animes.

I LIKE INITIAL D SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!! It's so cool watching them race. Although, if you don't know what this is about, I'll tell you. 17 year-old Takumi Fujiwara was tought very good racing skills by his dad so he could deliver tofu at 4:00 a.m. every day on Mt. Akina. But one day one of gunma's fastest drivers, Keisuke Takahashi of the Akagi Red Suns, happened to be driving on Mt. Akina that early. Let's just say Takumi "passed" Keisuke and Keisuke "spun out". Well, Keisuke already challenged the Akina Speed Stars to a race on Mt. Akina. With the top dog of the Speed Stars injured Takumi is the Speed Stars last hope. One of the only reasons Takumi races is because he wants to go to the beach with his girlfriend Natsuki. I'm not telling you who wins but I will tell you this, the race of the Akina Speed Stars and the Akagi Red Suns is on this battle. And Takumi is NOT on the Speed Stars but on a team called Plan D.-_-

Okay so maybe I was overexaggerating on my first review on the first volume. Truth to be told, Initial D is just plain disappointing when it's dubbed. First they used some recycled teen or street slang which sounds annoying, and it doesn't fit any of the characters in my opinion.

For example:

Itsuki (or Iggy for you dubbers out there) - "Wow ! You're representin' man ! This is "cool and a half" ! I'll be rootin' for you bro !"

And plus instead of using the estimate of yen, they would use the estimate in US dollars (70,000 yen to 700 bucks) and they would call Beam Jam Buns/Hot Spring Bun (Onsen Manjuu) a muffin. So it's clear that they COMPLETELY Americanized it on the dub instead of sticking with originality like most dubbed anime. So if you're gonna watch Initial D, watch it subbed.

Speaking of which, of course, theres always that option to switch the dialogue to Japanese and display subtitles. The subtitles to this one are, of course, pretty good, but altered on some parts like...

Instead of:

HK/regular subtitle: "We'll get our revenge with my FC"
Tokyopop subtitle: "We'll even the score with my FC"

HK/regular subtitle: "His clutch meet is perfect"
Tokyopop subtitle: "His shifting is perfect"

HK/regular subtitle: "A gutter ?"
Tokyopop subtitle: "A drainage ditch ?"

Yeah, I'll admit that Tokyopop, like all anime dubbing communities, have a way of using accurate subtitles without misspelling words or bad timing like some HK's, but sometimes they can really screw up in terms of translating.

This is where the positive points are mentioned. These episodes are far more entertaining than in the first volume, which only had one measely racing scene. This covers the battle between Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 Trueno and Keisuke Takahashi's RX-7 Enfini FD3S. You still get the usual heart-pounding racing scenes, real cars (we're not talking about those fake ones you see on videogames or other anime), and a bright cast of characters. People might think that they're strange or boring, but once you get to understand the characters more, you would understand the value they bring to the series. And as for Itsuki's annoyance, dont worry guys. You'll learn to appreciate him later in the long run.

Oh, and the "Tricked Out" video version is awesome !

However, despite saying that, this series is still butchered. They should've stuck with the original character names, a good script, and most importantly...the EUROBEAT music ! Instead we get these odd names like "Iggy", "Tak", "Ry", "K.T.", "Cole", "Kent", "Maya & Simone", "Zack", etc. Not to mention, all this undergroud music that give hip-hop and punk rock a bad name. It sounds soooo awful, you have no idea. The minute the music plays, or when someone busts out a rhyme, you would probably get the urge to put on your earplugs or waste money on some.

At that point, I sold both my Tokyopop Initial D DVDs because

1) I perfer the ORIGINAL subtitled versions, which I already own. I had enough of hearing the dubbed version !

2) I'm tired of waiting for each volume to come out...yes I'm that impatient.

3) There is no 3 ! 1 and 2 are my main reasons !

But anyway, if you want to, go ahead and buy the Tokyopop DVDs ! I'm just speaking as a seasoned fan of the series. The Tokyopop DVDs are a good start if you're into racing or cars in general. But to the people who already saw the show subbed, I wouldn't go as far as purchasing it. But other than that, a great anime experience overall !

I love Intital D. The storyline gets even better on the second. I can live without Iggy but I guess hes suppose to be the comic relief of the Anime. Anyway this is a must have for car lovers!

I bought this and the previous Tokyopop DVD. And I must admit the 'American' version on any of these DVDs is horrible and pathetic at very best. But the Japanese version is probably what everyone bought it for. Contrary to any of the naysayers. This Tokyopop version has refined, cleared up quality compared to the original Japanese one. I know, because I bought it (the whole 1st Season). In comparrison to this Tokyopop version, the original Japanese seems grainy, dark, and out of focus. So I do recommend this Tokyopop version. Although it is a real pain and shame to pay so much for only 3 episodes and then wait forever for the next 3 to be available. Thats the only reason it gets 4 stars and not 5.

I saw a Hong Kong version of the series some time ago. It was Japanese sound track and English sub-title. I really like the show. Once I started, I couldn't stop, and ended up spending the entire weekend watching all the episodes and the movies. I felt the urge to go buy a little Japanese pocket racer after watching the show.

However, I was surprised by the changes Tokyopop made to the US version. I can't decide it's better or worse, but it is different. The music is different (I didn't like it) and some of the races were modified. Some of the English tranlation are different. I guess Tokyopop tried to westernize the show for the US viewers.

Overall, Initial D is a great show. I highly recommend. But I prefer the Hong Kong version better.