Welcome to the 15th week of our anime recommendation series. This week, I have something special for you. It is one of my all-time favorite anime that I was recently rewatching. Really though, more people need to watch this anime. If you like cars or racing this anime is basically perfect for you.
You have read the title; you know this week we are talking about Initial D. Aside from being the best car racing anime, Initial D also has one of the best anime soundtrack collections of all time. Initial D OST has countless bangers and they sound so damn good with the races.
Before we begin; a quick reminder that this is a recommendation and not a review. Hence, there will be no scores and I won’t be pointing out any negatives. So let’s start.
Introduction
Initial D is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name. It has 6 seasons and a total of 81 episodes and a cannon movie. The first season was also rebooted into 3 movies called “Initial D: Legends” but, I suggest you watch Legends after finishing the main series because Legends skips a lot of stuff from the first season. Despite having great visuals, Legends does not have the same vibe as the original series because of the absence of iconic soundtracks and change of character voices.
Despite not technically being a sports anime, Initial D does follow a pattern of one. It is fast-paced and all the races are extremely hyped. So much so that you will find yourself skipping some of the stuff that happens before the races. Almost all of the races manage to live up to this hype.
Plot
Initial D has a very simple plot. In seasons 1 through 3, it is about the protagonist learning to love cars and races. Seasons 4 through 6 become more about pride and not losing. There really isn’t much need for a plot in anime like this. I will say this though; it is interesting to see how many different ways the opponents come up to beat the protagonist. It is always fun to see the protagonist grow.
Characters
Initial D does have a lot of characters in the beginning but, eventually, it boils down to 3 main characters. There are quite a few great side characters too. Like the protagonist, Takumi’s dad is one of the best characters in the anime. My personal favorite has to be Takahashi Ryousuke probably because he is voiced by one of my favorite VAs.
As I said earlier, it is fun to watch Takumi grow. In the first season, he hated cars as he saw driving as work. Eventually, he comes to like cars and racing and he starts learning about them. He may be the typical nice guy protagonist but, it is fun to see how the small discoveries he makes contribute to his overall growth.
Animations and Soundtrack
Do keep in mind that the first 4 seasons of Initial D are really old. With that said though, they have some really good animations for the time. The first season animations look funny now but, back in the day, they were considered god-tier. The animation quality of the later seasons though still holds up today and is just a treat to the eyes.
And of course, the iconic Initial D soundtrack. I can’t praise Initial D’s soundtrack enough. It is one of the best anime soundtracks of all time for sure. There are such banger pieces in Initial D soundtrack and listening to them while the race is going on, makes you wanna race yourself. They are just perfect for the hype-y theme of Initial D.
Why you should watch Initial D?
Quick pointers on why you should check out this anime:
- A straightforward plot
- Awesome animations
- Awesome races
- Loads of hype
- One of the best Anime soundtracks ever
Conclusion
That is it for this week. Let me know your thoughts down in the comments and also put your anime recommendations there. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!
