Product Details

• Format: Animated, Box set, Color, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English, Japanese
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 9
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Funimation Prod
• DVD Release Date: March 13, 2007
• Run Time: 650 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000J10F7I
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #105,907 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The teenage street-racing adventure Initial D (1998) is set in a flyspeck town north of Tokyo, where the only thrill the local teens have is racing on the winding road up Mt. Akina. Takumi "Tak" Fujiwara isn't exited by racing like his friends Iggy and Cole. He doesn't realize that his ex-racer father has taught him all the tricks of driving by making him deliver tofu up and down Mt. Akina without spilling the water in a cup. The technical difficulties of performing various maneuvers and the challenges from members of racing gangs lure Tak into competition. Despite his skills, Tak isn't a terribly interesting character; as his friends note, when he's not racing, it's hard to tell if he's asleep or awake. Iggy and Cole feel like stock anime sidekicks, and the girls in the cast are little more than adjuncts to the boys. Initial D mythologizes street racing as if it were a martial art: Tak drives with a "powerful aura," and the road races become duels of honor.

Initial D scored a huge hit in Japan, generating two sequels, two spin-offs, numerous video games, a theatrical feature, and a live-action film. But the computer animation of the races that looked cutting edge in 1998 now feels passé: any video game offers flashier car races. The Complete First Season set includes all 26 episodes of the original series and first installment of the first sequel, Initial D: Second Stage (1999). Although each episode is presented in both "classic" (original video, Japanese dialogue, original music) and "tricked out" (enhanced video, English dialogue, hip-hop soundtrack) versions, including only three per disc seems stingy. (Rated TV PG, suitable for ages 14 and older: minor violence, tobacco and alcohol use, street racing, profanity) --Charles Solomon

Product Description

INITIAL D COMPLETE SEASON 1 BOX SET - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like cars, like anime? This may be the one for you..., February 10, 2008

By 

B. Nguyen "Otaking AE86" (CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Initial D: First Stage - The Complete First Season (DVD)

Wow, I have not seen this one for more than ten years ago. Time sure flies. When I see this product in stores, I was a bit hesitating because I have seen the trailer in english dubbed and music changed. Once I have heard from friends who rented or owned it, they said the japanese versions were kept in tact. You know, they were right!. That made me happy. I tried to give english version a chance, but I cannot surpass the music, the new given names, and the new special effects during the race. It just not the same! Just to be fair, I will only review only the original japanese version. The picture and the sound are really clean for a first season TV series. The contents are kept intact. I do not recall any scenes have been edited out. I recommend who enjoys classic sport cars do battle and remind how good the cars in their time.

9 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Series! Great Collection!, March 13, 2007

By 

EvolutionIX (Tallahassee, Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Initial D: First Stage - The Complete First Season (DVD)

Now that Funimation has the rights to Initial D its even better! The DVDs contain both the original Japanese production (for the fans) and the English TokyoPop version (for those who dont want to read). Ive been a fan of the series for years now, and for those that are new to Initial D, I highly recommend picking this collection up. Plus its much cheaper that buying each single DVD, which would cost around $150.

I just hope Funimation continues to release all of the stages in collections like this...

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Initial D is the best auto-racing themed Anime series ever., December 5, 2009

By 

N. Tillett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Initial D: First Stage - The Complete First Season (DVD)

I grew up watching Initial D and it is completely awesome. The characters are engaging and every episode will drop some useful knowledge about automobiles and racing technique. I highly recommend the Tricked Out version with hip hop and pop electronic soundtrack and some CGI animations. The original version is very nice as well and you can watch it with English sub-titles if you do not understand Japanese.