Jonathan L. Switzer
Feb 14, 2004, 04:23 am
<a href="http://robotechcomics.50megs.com/_blog/initiald-10.jpg"><img src="http://robotechcomics.50megs.com/_blog/initiald-10t.jpg" align=left alt="Initial D Vol. 10"></a>Reviewer: Jonathan L. Switzer, captainjls@animejanai.com
Quick Rating: Great!
Takumi blows his top, with mixed results ...
Story & Art: Shuichi Shigeno
A few weeks back, during one of my usual prowls across the internet, I came across a review of the first DVD of the Initial D TV series that stuck with me. I don't even remember where it was or who wrote it, but what I do recall was a remark about how the reviewer was surprised that TokyoPop bothered to license this show when it has such a limited appeal, only to fans of the Japanese street racing scene.
The notion struck me as odd because I'm an American with a strong aversion towards cars; I don't own one, I haven't been behind the wheel since my sophomore year of high school, and racing just doesn't do anything for me. Yet still, here I am reading and reviewing the tenth--that's right, tenth--volume of Shuichi Shigeno's highly popular street racing manga. Given the way Naota's dad in an episode of FLCL goes on and on about how Initial D surpassed his precious Neon Genesis Evangelion in popularity, something tells me there are lots more people like me out there, people who ordinarly wouldn't give a toss about street racing who, nonetheless, keep on following Initial D. Considering what an enthralling, magnetic work it is, this doesn't surprise me, and if you keep on reading, I'll tell you why I think so highly of the series.
The series concerns one Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student who just got his driver's license, yet since junior high has been making tofu deliveries for his dad's shop. In the interest of getting the work done as quickly as possible without spilling the water the tofu is immersed in, Takumi has become an exceptional driver, especially on the downhill mountain roads of Mt. Akina. In fact, he's gotten so good that his dad's old AE86 Toyota Trueno has become the stuff of legend among the street racers on Akina; it is known as the "Phantom Eight-Six," and the racers of the Gunma prefecture all yearn to face it on the road.
So naturally, thanks largely to prodding by his auto geek friend Itsuki and his coworkers at the gas station, a reluctant Takumi gets dragged into the world of street racing, where he quickly rises to the top of the field, and even starts looking at this thing he once considered boring work as something he truly enjoys. As the latest volume opens, he still hasn't lost a race, but all those races were done with a clear head. This time, something is troubling Takumi, so much so that he jumps into a race he shouldn't just as an outlet for his rage.
That's not the only reason this volume is a turning point. Takumi's dad Bunta, a former street racer himself, has picked up a shiny new engine for the Eight-Six to turn it into a real racing machine. Meanwhile, Takumi wants to take his relationship with his good friend Natsuki Mogi a step further, but he gets a mysterious phone call telling him to stay away from her, that she's been secretly sleeping with a much older man for money. And to make matters worse, the latest challengers entering the street racing field in Gunma are the arrogant Team Emperor, who feel that only true racing cars should be used for racing, and seek to crush the best Gunma has to offer--Ryosuke Takahashi's Akagi Red Suns and the "Phantom Eight-Six" of Akina. Last volume Takumi shamed their number two man, Seiji Iwaki, so team leader Kyoichi Sudoh has stepped forward to challenge him to an impromptu match. Wisely, Takumi turns him down, but by the time the night is over Takumi won't be thinking that straight ...
Two key strengths of Initial D keep me coming back for more. The first is the realistic characterization. Shigeno is equally adept at writing the sometimes impulsive, sometimes terribly overcautious teens who take to the streets in their racing machines and the tired old dogs who wish they were still out there burning rubber. Most of all, though, Shigeno works magic with Takumi in this volume, showing not only the way he's grown as a racer with his sound analysis of his prospects in a match between himself and Sudoh and the attachment he shows towards the Eight-Six, but presenting a look at what an utterly broken Takumi looks like--silent, with fiery, dead eyes, and a dangerous edge to his already stunning skills on the road.
The second of these strengths is the blend of detail and passion that is so evident in the work. Shigeno seems to really know his stuff. With every deft maneuver, there's a detailed explanation of how it works, how Takumi and his challgengers planned and executed their moves. Sometimes the meticulous Ryosuke Takahashi will chime in from the sidelines, explaining to his teammates what's going on and providing the reader with further commentary to the blistering action. To be sure, this is a manga series crafted by a real nuts'n'bolts kinda guy, and when the team Takumi unofficially races for starts going on and on about some new model of car or some modifications they want to do, the enthusiasm they have is infectious. I know this feeling. It's the feeling I get when a truly terrific artist plans on moving to a comic series I read, or when a manga series I've been wanting to read for a while gets slated for a domestic release. It's that tingle of anticipation and joy you only get when you're immersed in your hobby, and Shigeno has captured it flawlessly on the printed page. If I was a car guy, I'm sure hanging out with these guys would be a lot of fun. As is, I enjoy reading about them having fun with their hobby. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Shigeno's art is, in a lot of ways, a mixed bag. He certainly draws a damn good automobile, inside and out. Everything is detailed to the extreme; again, the man knows his stuff. Atop the super-real cars, he layers on different sorts of speedlines to give the impression of movement: subtle vertical lines on the cars suggest their slight vibrations as the engines churn, while big streaking ones on the landscape convey the sense of the racers zipping by. It gives an excellent sense of motion. As I thumb through the races, I can almost hear the thumping sound of the TV series's Eurobeat soundtrack, punctuating the tension of every turn.
On the other hand, we have his characters, which are drawn in an unconventional style, albeit one that's grown on me like a fungus after twenty-six TV episodes and these ten volumes of manga. Some people find his characters to be ugly as sin, but I think the style actually conveys a better sense of nationality to the characters, and certainly lends a better sense of drama to the work than some stock cute "off the shelf" style would. One needs only look at Shigeno's linework to see how technically proficient he is at drawing; obviously this look was a decision he made, and while it might not be to everyone's taste, I think it adds a certain flavor to the series that I can't imagine it without.
I believe I would be remiss if I didn't address the hardcore anime and manga fans' big quibble with TokyoPop's release of the Initial D manga. For the U.S. release, TokyoPop shortened some of the characters' given names and gave others silly nicknames. Then, defeating their own purpose, they put all the right names in the two-page "character profiles" section of the book, along with their given nicknames. Kind of an oafish move, if you ask me; it accomplishes nothing more than raising the ire of the hardcore fan base. I so enjoy the series that at this late date it's ceased to bother me outside of the sheer idiocy of the move, but if you're a big purist this might be enough of a knock against this release of the series that you might not want to pick it up.
Oh, and have you noticed what a boring, "let's color some interior art and see if anyone notices," piece they used for the cover art? I think TokyoPop is ashamed of Shigeno's character design, which is a terrible shame, since he did some really stunning color work for the covers of the Japanese releases.
All in all, despite TokyoPop's blundersome meddling, Initial D is a fun, tremendously dramatic, gripping (no pun intended) work. This volume might not be a very good jumping on point, but it is one of the best volumes yet. I'd recommend starting from the beginning if you're interested, but you can do so secure in the knowledge that you've got one hell of a thing awaiting you in this volume. Excellent stuff, folks.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tphalf.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
Check out TokyoPop's website to see where to buy this and other volumes online! (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?page=product&productid=1599)
Quick Rating: Great!
Takumi blows his top, with mixed results ...
Story & Art: Shuichi Shigeno
A few weeks back, during one of my usual prowls across the internet, I came across a review of the first DVD of the Initial D TV series that stuck with me. I don't even remember where it was or who wrote it, but what I do recall was a remark about how the reviewer was surprised that TokyoPop bothered to license this show when it has such a limited appeal, only to fans of the Japanese street racing scene.
The notion struck me as odd because I'm an American with a strong aversion towards cars; I don't own one, I haven't been behind the wheel since my sophomore year of high school, and racing just doesn't do anything for me. Yet still, here I am reading and reviewing the tenth--that's right, tenth--volume of Shuichi Shigeno's highly popular street racing manga. Given the way Naota's dad in an episode of FLCL goes on and on about how Initial D surpassed his precious Neon Genesis Evangelion in popularity, something tells me there are lots more people like me out there, people who ordinarly wouldn't give a toss about street racing who, nonetheless, keep on following Initial D. Considering what an enthralling, magnetic work it is, this doesn't surprise me, and if you keep on reading, I'll tell you why I think so highly of the series.
The series concerns one Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student who just got his driver's license, yet since junior high has been making tofu deliveries for his dad's shop. In the interest of getting the work done as quickly as possible without spilling the water the tofu is immersed in, Takumi has become an exceptional driver, especially on the downhill mountain roads of Mt. Akina. In fact, he's gotten so good that his dad's old AE86 Toyota Trueno has become the stuff of legend among the street racers on Akina; it is known as the "Phantom Eight-Six," and the racers of the Gunma prefecture all yearn to face it on the road.
So naturally, thanks largely to prodding by his auto geek friend Itsuki and his coworkers at the gas station, a reluctant Takumi gets dragged into the world of street racing, where he quickly rises to the top of the field, and even starts looking at this thing he once considered boring work as something he truly enjoys. As the latest volume opens, he still hasn't lost a race, but all those races were done with a clear head. This time, something is troubling Takumi, so much so that he jumps into a race he shouldn't just as an outlet for his rage.
That's not the only reason this volume is a turning point. Takumi's dad Bunta, a former street racer himself, has picked up a shiny new engine for the Eight-Six to turn it into a real racing machine. Meanwhile, Takumi wants to take his relationship with his good friend Natsuki Mogi a step further, but he gets a mysterious phone call telling him to stay away from her, that she's been secretly sleeping with a much older man for money. And to make matters worse, the latest challengers entering the street racing field in Gunma are the arrogant Team Emperor, who feel that only true racing cars should be used for racing, and seek to crush the best Gunma has to offer--Ryosuke Takahashi's Akagi Red Suns and the "Phantom Eight-Six" of Akina. Last volume Takumi shamed their number two man, Seiji Iwaki, so team leader Kyoichi Sudoh has stepped forward to challenge him to an impromptu match. Wisely, Takumi turns him down, but by the time the night is over Takumi won't be thinking that straight ...
Two key strengths of Initial D keep me coming back for more. The first is the realistic characterization. Shigeno is equally adept at writing the sometimes impulsive, sometimes terribly overcautious teens who take to the streets in their racing machines and the tired old dogs who wish they were still out there burning rubber. Most of all, though, Shigeno works magic with Takumi in this volume, showing not only the way he's grown as a racer with his sound analysis of his prospects in a match between himself and Sudoh and the attachment he shows towards the Eight-Six, but presenting a look at what an utterly broken Takumi looks like--silent, with fiery, dead eyes, and a dangerous edge to his already stunning skills on the road.
The second of these strengths is the blend of detail and passion that is so evident in the work. Shigeno seems to really know his stuff. With every deft maneuver, there's a detailed explanation of how it works, how Takumi and his challgengers planned and executed their moves. Sometimes the meticulous Ryosuke Takahashi will chime in from the sidelines, explaining to his teammates what's going on and providing the reader with further commentary to the blistering action. To be sure, this is a manga series crafted by a real nuts'n'bolts kinda guy, and when the team Takumi unofficially races for starts going on and on about some new model of car or some modifications they want to do, the enthusiasm they have is infectious. I know this feeling. It's the feeling I get when a truly terrific artist plans on moving to a comic series I read, or when a manga series I've been wanting to read for a while gets slated for a domestic release. It's that tingle of anticipation and joy you only get when you're immersed in your hobby, and Shigeno has captured it flawlessly on the printed page. If I was a car guy, I'm sure hanging out with these guys would be a lot of fun. As is, I enjoy reading about them having fun with their hobby. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Shigeno's art is, in a lot of ways, a mixed bag. He certainly draws a damn good automobile, inside and out. Everything is detailed to the extreme; again, the man knows his stuff. Atop the super-real cars, he layers on different sorts of speedlines to give the impression of movement: subtle vertical lines on the cars suggest their slight vibrations as the engines churn, while big streaking ones on the landscape convey the sense of the racers zipping by. It gives an excellent sense of motion. As I thumb through the races, I can almost hear the thumping sound of the TV series's Eurobeat soundtrack, punctuating the tension of every turn.
On the other hand, we have his characters, which are drawn in an unconventional style, albeit one that's grown on me like a fungus after twenty-six TV episodes and these ten volumes of manga. Some people find his characters to be ugly as sin, but I think the style actually conveys a better sense of nationality to the characters, and certainly lends a better sense of drama to the work than some stock cute "off the shelf" style would. One needs only look at Shigeno's linework to see how technically proficient he is at drawing; obviously this look was a decision he made, and while it might not be to everyone's taste, I think it adds a certain flavor to the series that I can't imagine it without.
I believe I would be remiss if I didn't address the hardcore anime and manga fans' big quibble with TokyoPop's release of the Initial D manga. For the U.S. release, TokyoPop shortened some of the characters' given names and gave others silly nicknames. Then, defeating their own purpose, they put all the right names in the two-page "character profiles" section of the book, along with their given nicknames. Kind of an oafish move, if you ask me; it accomplishes nothing more than raising the ire of the hardcore fan base. I so enjoy the series that at this late date it's ceased to bother me outside of the sheer idiocy of the move, but if you're a big purist this might be enough of a knock against this release of the series that you might not want to pick it up.
Oh, and have you noticed what a boring, "let's color some interior art and see if anyone notices," piece they used for the cover art? I think TokyoPop is ashamed of Shigeno's character design, which is a terrible shame, since he did some really stunning color work for the covers of the Japanese releases.
All in all, despite TokyoPop's blundersome meddling, Initial D is a fun, tremendously dramatic, gripping (no pun intended) work. This volume might not be a very good jumping on point, but it is one of the best volumes yet. I'd recommend starting from the beginning if you're interested, but you can do so secure in the knowledge that you've got one hell of a thing awaiting you in this volume. Excellent stuff, folks.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tphalf.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpfull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/tpnone.jpg
Check out TokyoPop's website to see where to buy this and other volumes online! (http://www.tokyopop.com/dbpage.php?page=product&productid=1599)