Review of Initial D Second Stage

Quick take: If you like cars, you'll like the story of Takumi Fujiwara and his Trueno 86. While in the First Stage, you'll find a simple plot, the plot become more complex in Second Stage and the battles become much more entertaining. I would say the manga and anime are similar in quality. Rewatch value: high, despite memorable plot, the details become fuzzy as the plot become more complex, making a second watch enjoyable. The Second Stage treats us to a quicker paced plot where the sub-plots don’t feel like they're necessary to help prevent the story from stalling. The storyline is genuinely more entertainingand a tad bit more complex. As such, a second watch means it's rather enjoyable as it isn’t quite as memorable. While I remembered the characters and races, the details were fuzzy and it kept my attention much more easily than the First Stage.

If you had asked me 10 years ago when I first saw InitialD, I would've said I liked the art. Part of me still has a warm fuzz for the style, but as my anime palate expands, it’s clear that the art just feels a tad bit outdated. That being said, it is a huge improvement over the First Stage. Drawn art is much cleaner and I would put it on par with some of the more popular anime’s of the late 1990’s. CGI is a huge improvement as well. We no longer have awkward physics and the cars seem to handle more naturally. We're treated to complex engine renderings, which is a treat visually. Still by no means a home run, but vastly improved.

Sound quality is good, both acting languages (English, Japanese) are well done and comprehensible. The Eurobeat is great and really helps propel the excitement of the races. OST music outside of the Eurobeat is hit-or-miss but seems to have been improved over First Stage. Car sounds are improved, but still seem a bit on the lackluster side.

Characters are well developed and thought out. There is forward development from Takumi, Mogi and Bunta. We're also treated to character development in Itsuki, which is a nice change because he's no longer as annoying.

If you like street racing, drifting or cars in general, you'll get a ton of enjoyment out of InitialD like I did. You may even get enjoyment out of a rewatch if it has been a number of years. For me, I haven't seen InitialD in nearly a decade and haven't read the manga in seven years. All that being said, Second Stage and the manga are equal in quality and design, so either is a good choice.