If you ever wondered what the big deal was with all these modified Japanese
cars out there, you need to check out Initial D. Not only does it
chronicle the details of what makes for a car-crazy teenager in Japan, but
it gives readers a chance to tap into the excitement without putting their
life on the line behind the wheel of some revved-up racer. This manga is
scheduled to go on for over 20 issues, so the first installment mostly
introduces us to some key characters and the world they live in, but it
still manages to spin a great yarn. In addition to fine graphics, the
presentation of this book is right-to-left on the page and in the binding.
So, without any adaptation beyond translation, we now have this manga the
way it was intended to be read.
Initial D is about cars. The art
for anything else can look somewhat unsophisticated, but when Shuichi
Shigeno puts pencil to paper to depict a Skyline GT-R or Nissan Silvia
sliding around a mountain corner, his talent shines. There is no question
that the cars sometimes seem more animated than the boys behind the wheel,
but Takumi, the main character, has plenty of appeal. He is a real
anti-hero, someone who doesn't quite buy into the racing frenzy his friends
are caught up in, preferring instead to worry about the advances of an
interesting girl in school. But, Takumi does have some connection to the
mystery racer who has made a name for himself flying down the hard curves of
Mount Akina, shaming a group of racers from another area trying to make a
name for themselves against the locals. Initial D takes us right up
to the big moment and leaves us gasping for Part 2.
