Mako & Sayuki Cosplay

「もう、サンダルなんか履かない」"I won't wear heels anymore..." Mako said to herself with pain before leaving the... parking lot where she met Iketani for the first time. That episode left an impression in many people's mind and it continues to.

Take Japanese Initial D fans Maya and Yuki for example, they have been fans of the series for a long time. Recently, they got together and cosplay as Mako and Sayuki in an Initial D festival hosted by D`z Garage Racing Cafe.

This is one of the best Mako & Sayuki cosplay I've ever seen. From the Sileighty, to the clothing style in the manga / anime, you can tell the passion they have for Initial D.

Even though Initial D ended several years ago, it continues to inspire generations of people. Here's to hope we get to see more and more of these events, so Initial D continues to live on in spirit.


| Editor's Note |
The Sileighty Maya and Yuki pose in front of belongs to a friendly Initial D fans named Akemi, who is a car enthusiast. She is also a huge Initial D fans. Yuki is a car show model and does anime cosplay on the side. One day, Yuki asks Maya to try cosplaying as Mako, and it totally worked. Back in November 2017, a photo of them posing in front of the Sileighty went viral on social media platforms. It received so much praise, it gives them the confidence to continue doing similar cosplay like this. Check out the source links below to follow them.

| Bonus Images |
» Mako checking the S13 | https://i.imgur.com/oxpek4J.jpg
» Mako posing next to S13 | https://i.imgur.com/0Fwb6oR.jpg
» Mako reenact the scene from First Stage | https://i.imgur.com/EeW9Ov3.jpg
» Sayuki hanging out with Mako | https://i.imgur.com/BMpSTYL.jpg
» Impact Blue glamour shot | https://i.imgur.com/Lh0HQPq.jpg

| Sources |
» akemiのプロフィール - みんカラ | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/228508
» Impact Blue Cosplay (@_y0410) | Instagram | https://instagram.com/p/BdwLQ2WBbkn
» yuki (@BIGBONG) | Twitter | https://twitter.com/BIGBONG
» 碓冰最快“姐妹花” — 佐藤真子&沙雪 | http://www.sohu.com/a/207189348_99972688
» RacingCafe D`z-garage | http://dzgarage.com


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Happy New Year 2018

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2018 !!! Celebrate with us in our Discord channel today: https://discord.gg/XVaf3bM

| Credits |
» Free 2018 New Year Flyer | ... href='https://goo.gl/eyU3Sh' target='_blank'>https://goo.gl/eyU3Sh

| Source |
» 頭文字D画集(Young Magazine Special Edition)


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Merry Christmas!

The season's upon us. it's that time of year. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year to all from Initial D World.

| Credits |
» Creative typography Merry Christmas | ... href='http://goo.gl/wF4MFZ' target='_blank'>http://goo.gl/wF4MFZ

| Source |
» 頭文字D画集(Young Magazine Special Edition) page 177


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Initial D Reminisce

Summer is almost here. One can't help but reminiscing about the beginning of Initial D. The story began roughly at the same time of the year as it is right now. One day, the Akagi RedSuns challenge the Akina Speedstars for a... race. Takumi, our protagonist, step up to the game and defeated the Redsuns' Keisuke.

Takumi was so reluctant to drive when he didn't have to. Driving was a hassle and chore for him at the time. As soon as Keisuke's yellow FD pulled ahead at the starting line and Takumi gave chase, Takumi felt something deep down. It was a sense of excitement, an unconscious urge to pass the car in front.

Takumi rationalize it by telling himself he just want to get this over with and then he can drive with no hesitation with a full tank of gas the day after. One can't help but wonder, what if Natsuki didn't ask Takumi out on a date that time? Would Takumi still want to drive up to Mt. Akina for a battle with the RedSuns? There would be no incentives for him to drive.

Without a doubt, this was a plot device by the author to advance the storyline. In other words, this had to happen. There is no what-if. That makes Natsuki a very important figure in the First Stage storyline. She was the romance and drama. Oh yes, drama. She was directly responsible for some of Takumi's behaviors throughout the series. You can even say without her, Takumi would not have gotten a new engine for the 86 in Second Stage.

It's really a love hate emotion when it comes to Natsuki. She was such a sweet girl. One would almost question, why must the author cause such conflicting feelings in us. Well, I guess that's what makes Initial D, Initial D.

| Editor's Note |
» This picture is a composite from a panning shot. It was painstakingly stitched together from multiple screenshots and color corrected. Do you have something similar from Initial D? Share with us in the comments.

| Sources |
» Screenshot from Initial D First Stage ACT.23「雨のダウンヒルバトル!」"Downhill Battle in Rain!"


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Happy New Year 2017

We would like to wish everyone a great start in the year 2017 !!
HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

| Credits |
» Happy New Year 2017 3D Vector | ... target='_blank'>https://goo.gl/PRXj3S

| Source |
» 頭文字D画集(Young Magazine Special Edition) page 206~207


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AE86 Tofu Shop Model

A model car enthusiast goes by the name of qingcheqifan (清澈启凡) has recreated tofu shop storefront in miniature scale, complete with the Project.D AE86. This is honestly the coolest thing... ever.

The 1:18 scale AE86 is by AUTOart and is readily available on the official website and Amazon. What made this stand out is the efforts and attention to details he put in it. Rigging the model car with LED is no small feat. Creating the storefront with accurate signage from scratch is probably the most difficult part. Many hours were spent on researching movie stills from the Live Action movie and cross referencing frames from manga. The end result is truly impressive.

Qingcheqifan also recorded a video showcasing this. Don't forget to check it out!

| AUTOart 1/18 Project.D AE86 |
» Official Website | http://www.autoartmodels.com/web/product/en/2151
» Amazon | http://amazon.com/dp/B00CSETZRK

| Video Link |
» Initial D Toyota Sprinter Trueno(AE86) | http://youku.com/v_show/id_XMTYzODAzOTEwMA==

| Sources |
» AE86豆腐店 模型 场景 还原 | http://tieba.baidu.com/p/4662870584
» 清澈启凡 微博 | http://weibo.com/2107089614/DE7NMF9lv
» AUTOart 1:18 Scale Project.D AE86 | https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46541


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Initial D Art Style 1998 vs 2016

Have you had a chance to check out the Initial D Legend 3 movie? For those of you who've seen the final installment of the trilogy, be honest, how do you like it? Did you like the new graphics? How about the new character... design?

Do you prefer the art style in First Stage from 1998 or this very detailed character design in Legend 3 from 2016? Take Mako and Sayuki for example, they showed up in the last episode of First Stage to watch the final battle between Takumi and Ryosuke.

For me personally, it feels more "lively" in the old style. There is a "robotic" feel to this new style. Maybe it just takes some time to get used to it. The racing sequence is purposely "choppy" or "laggy" to convey the impact and shock it gives off. However, it doesn't do it for me.

When I compare racing sequence from First Stage and the Legend series, I prefer First Stage for its fluid and fast-pace sequence. Never mind the out-of-date 3DCG, First Stage as a whole just outshine the Legend series in almost every aspect. Do you agree? Leave your comments below!

| Source |
» Screenshot from Initial D First Stage ACT.26「新ダウンヒル伝説!」"The New Downhill Legend!"
» Screenshot from Initial D Legend 3: Dream


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Initial D First Stage Trivia

Remember that scene from First Stage when Bunta used a full tank of gas as incentve for Takumi to race Redsun's Keisuke? It's such a big deal for Takumi that he got all serious considering it. (laughs)

Base on the... dialog, we learned that a full summer of working as a gas station attendant earn them ¥120,000 (~$1,400 USD with 1995 exchange rate) From the research we did in this post (http://goo.gl/oTVhxV), on average a liter of gasoline costs anywhere from $1.02 to $1.25. AE86 has a 50-liter gas tank. A full tank of gas will cost about $50 or about 1.5 days worth of work.

So, imagine buying a full tank of gas will cost you how much you make in one day, I think it'll put a smile on anyone's face when someone say they will cover that cost for you.

The more you know!

| Sources |
» Cheap Initial D Gasoline? | http://goo.gl/oTVhxV
» Screenshots from Initial D First Stage ACT.1「究極のとうふ屋ドリフト」"The Ultimate Tofu Store Drift"
» Screenshots from Initial D First Stage ACT.3「ダウンヒルスペシャリスト登場」"The Downhill Specialist Appears"


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Initial D Mako Figurine

Do you collect figurines? How about figurines base on characters from Initial D? We stumbled upon this Mako figurine while checking for new Initial D merchandise. Apparently, this is a promo product for Initial D Legend 3. Yup,... sex sells.

They even got race queen Nanami Tsukamoto（塚本奈々美）to cosplay as Mako in their latest promotion effort for the new movie. Take a guess at how much they are selling the figurine for. Go ahead, take a guess. I don't know about you, but I don't have that kind of cash, check out the order links below if you do!

| Order Links |
https://goo.gl/NbyAzi

| Bonus Images |
http://nana-jkb.com/topimg/s2.jpg
http://nana-jkb.com/topimg/s3.jpg
http://nana-jkb.com/topimg/s4.jpg

| Source |
http://nana-jkb.com
http://profile.ameba.jp/773n
https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=48194


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Initial D New Movie Legend 3 Raw Available

新劇場版「頭文字D」Legend 3《夢現》Initial D New Movie Legend 3 "Dream" is now available in raw. Check out the links in the discussion... thread here: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=48105 English subs will come, please be considerate and don't ask for it. It'll be available soon. With that said, check out the amazing blu-ray quality of Legend 3 now!


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