Why Initial D is still such a Big Hit in the Car Community

All he did was made Takumi drive up to the restaurant at the top of Mount Akina, with a boot full of Tofu, literally.

Initial D is, without a doubt, one of the most well-known animes in the car community. But why? To find out, I’ve watched the entire series, and came out with the 6 reasons below, which might solve the question.

But before I start, maybe I should briefly introduce the story to you all, in case you didn’t already know.

Fujiwara Takumi, who is a very talented driver. He drove since the age of 13, which is of course illegal, but hey there doesn’t seem to be any police in the game so that’s all good. And no, he didn’t borne with the interest of cars, he sees cars as a method of going about at first. It was his father, Fujiwara Bunta, that half-forced, half-encouraged Takumi to drive. All he did was made Takumi drive up to the restaurant at the top of Mount Akina, with a boot full of Tofu, literally. And after the delivery, naturally, he would drive the nuts off of that car in order to return home as soon as possible. To make sure the Tofu would not break into pieces, Bunta would put a full cup of water in the cup-holder, and tell his son that if the cup of water didn’t spill, the Tofu would be alright. And that, intentionally, would make Takumi nail the weight transfer of the car while going downhill on Mount Akina. And this is just the start of the story, then came the Takahashi brothers and other competitors, which made him stronger, more capable, and in turns, love cars from the bottom of his heart.

So after that, let me show you why I think the anime is so popular in the car community.

#1. The cars

Then there’s the RX-7. FC and FD, MX-5s, Altezzas, Evos, Imprezas, S2000s, Cappucianos, even NSXs. Oh and GTRs as well.

Based in Japan, of course, we would have all JDM cars. AE86, being the main car, as this is the Fujiwara family’s company car. Then there’s the RX-7. FC and FD, MX-5s, Altezzas, Evos, Imprezas, S2000s, Cappucianos, even NSXs. Oh and GTRs as well. This is only the shortlist of the cars that I could think of as of now. But wouldn’t you just instantly want to watch the anime when you see the cars that we all know and love in the anime? Plus, people who live in the US, don’t see JDM cars that often. Tell me, when did you last see an AE86 rolling down the road? Even me, who live in a city very close to Japan, and the majority of cars here are JDM, I seldom see one actually being used on the road. That’s why we would adore the film, as all the cars are somewhat distant to us, yet it’s what we would want in our life.

#2. Fujiwara Takumi

Trust me if I can drive at the age of 13, I would.

A story won’t be a good story without a cool main character. Fujiwara Takumi is, no question, one of the coolest dudes in the story. Tell me honestly, who wouldn’t want to drive since the age of 13, and have a Dad as cool as Bunta? Trust me if I can drive at the age of 13, I would. Plus, his skills is truly amazing. He could drift a car while being absurdly fast at it, and he can direct copy others skills simply by following the opponent, because why not. And the funny thing about Takumi is, his personal life and his driving is the polar opposite. He might be an absolutely monster in driving cars really fast, yet his personal life is normal as a teenager can be. Dating, playing, studying, the lot. What the hell, if you can be a teen as cool as him, you’d be him no doubt, right?

#3. The Environment

The atmosphere of the whole anime is truly marvellous, and you would loathe to live there when you get the chance to.

The atmosphere of the whole anime is truly marvellous, and you would loathe to live there when you get the chance to. Get this, no police, fun mountain roads everywhere, cool car scenes anywhere, best bit of all, petrol stations with people that would wipe your windscreen, for free, and bow at you when you leave. The whole atmosphere is truly incredible and it’s something that you would dream to live in.

#4. Eurobeat

What the hell, it’s made in the 90s, Eurobeat is the only suitable music, plus it’s made in Japan, it’s based in Japan, you can’t really fault the fact that Eurobeat is in there and it suits it, very well.

#5. Keiichi Tsuchiya

If you don’t already know, which you should, all your drifty sideways stuff are originated from this man.

If you don’t already know, which you should, all your drifty sideways stuff are originated from this man. Also known as the one and only Drift King, his distinct jade green racing suit is his signature. So is his driving, he first invented drifting because he was bored of winning. Yes, you read that right, he was so fast in his class that in order to entertain the crowd, he would drift at the hairpin of the old Fuji Speedway. However, there’s a theory behind that, the less steering angle you need in a corner, the faster you can step on the throttle, to maximise your straight line speed. And his skills are perfect for that, neatly controlling the car within the fine line of limit, hence making his racing skills so unique and so effective. He was in the first team that represented Japan to win the 24 hours of Le Man back in the mid 90s, that says something.

Why is he involved you may ask. Well, he is the chief advisor of the movie, which in turns means that all the technical stuff that you see, originates from this guy. And that alone, makes this worth watching.

#6. How in-depth the technical stuff is

The technical stuff is, in my opinion, what sets it apart from the mainstream anime.

The technical stuff is, in my opinion, what sets it apart from the mainstream anime. Not only do you get cars, do you get the Touge, you also get an in-depth explanation of what is happening at that exact moment of time. How did the 86 pass the Cappuciano, how did Fujiwara use the gutter to help the car get turn, why is the RX-7 faster than the GT-R on the hillclimb course of the Touge, it’s all explained in a very in-depth way. Because someone in the anime is always asking the same question that you have asked secretly, and someone in there would always have the answer of the question, hence why you would feel more educated and a better driver overall after watching the anime. It makes you more mature, that’s how good this is.

There you have it, why Initial D is still, and will be, a big hit in the car community.