The Impreza getting a sticker?!

Some of you have wondered why Bunta didn't put the tofu shop sticker on his brand new Impreza. Well, perhaps it's because there is already the 86 that does delivery and the Impreza is not a full time delivery vehicle. It... is also Bunta's own personal vehicle.

But what if.. (this is going to be hard to say it) What if the 86 is dead one day and it can no longer do delivery? Would Bunta put the tofu shop sticker on the Impreza then? And if he does, how would it look like?

We were as curious as you are, so we just did a quick photoshop work and show you how it looks like with the original black sticker and a white sticker since the Impreza's blue color is kind of dark, white might look better on it.

Personally, it just looks out of place. I don't know, maybe it's just me. All these years of seeing the tofu shop sticker on the 86 just makes it hard for one to accept seeing it on a completely different car. What do you think? Can you accept it? If so, which color do you like? Leave your comments below!


| Editor's Note |
And now a word from our Music Section moderator Lebon14. Please hear him out.

Hello Initial D fans around the world, this is Lebon14, moderator on the forum. Over a month ago, I asked and reminded you numerous times along the way to participate in the Initial D Best Eurobeat: The Community Pick survey. The poll was ended yesterday morning with great success: 242 of you voted for your favorite Eurobeat tracks in Initial D. I would like to sincerely thank all of you again for participating.

When the poll ended, it ended with two ties from two categories. As a result, I created a mini survey so you get to choose which songs would break the tie and get chosen in the final compilation. This last poll also offered you the possibility to choose in what order the songs are going to be compiled in and give me some other ideas I might not have thought of.

The results of the poll will be published alongside the compilation on the forums. Look forward to that, it's very interesting. The name for the compilation has been decided. It's going to be called "Initial D Best Eurobeat Collection: The Initial D World Forums Community Pick" with a total of 30 songs on two discs. A megamix will also be made and released sometime next month. This will be a separate release from the extended compilation that will, hopefully, release next week with full artwork ready to burn and print.

As a reminder, this is a fan compilation. Please DO NOT make profit off this. I'm an Initial D and Eurobeat fan who made this for Initial D and Eurobeat fans only. For these reasons, it must stay free. If you really like the music and want to give the original artist a tip, I strongly urge you to get the official CD soundtracks.

That said, look forward to the release! See you next time.


'https://idforums.net/images/imprezatofushopsticker.jpg'

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Will Takumi ever abandon the 86?

A member on the forums pointed out that back in Second Stage, Kyoichi Sudo pointed out that Takumi will some day abandon the 86 and drive a 4WD car or something more powerful. Boy, was he right on that one.

I believe the... author has been hinting about the Impreza very early in the series. Shigeno has been laying the ground work for the next major step for Takumi to take all along. If you re-think in the early stages for a moment, you'll see that the author really makes Takumi struggle through each step forward. Case in point, prior to the R32 race in First Stage, Bunta tweaked the settings to make the 86 understeer when cornering and Takumi got it right away and became faster. Then the Shingo race made him counter-steer less in corners, which improved his cornering speed dramatically.

And then of course, he blew the engine in Second Stage Act.6 when going against Sudo's Evo III. Bunta had the new engine for a long time, but he didn't want to just put it in the 86. He wants Takumi to actually feel the physical limit of the 86, that no matter how much he pushes, he just can't make it go faster than faster cars. A complete defeat will make him realize that. Coincidentally, the Evo III match provided the perfect opportunity for him to experience the absolute limit of his 86.

Only then can Takumi really appreciate the new engine upgrade. Like he said during the match with Wataru's 86 Levin, he thinks the car is much faster and that it's very easy to control. So now after numerous upgrades on his 86 in the Project.D's expedition, it seems like the 86 can no longer satisfy Takumi. He has reached another wall, one that he can't overcome without changing the car.

Remember those practices Bunta made Takumi do every morning? He made Takumi uses the 86 for delivery one day then the next day with the Impreza. Takumi is suppose to beat himself in the Impreza with the 86. And no matter how much and how hard he try, he just can't beat himself in the Impreza with the 86. Because when he figure something out to make the line quicker in the 86, he applies that knowledge in the Impreza and he is even faster.

So the question for you is, if the 86 is broken beyond repair one day, would you like to see Takumi drive another car? Do you think Initial D would be different if Takumi starts driving a different car? Why do you think so? Personally, I hope he will always drive the AE86, because it has become an integral part of Initial D. It is what defines Initial D.


| Editor's Note |
Our survey for Best Eurobeat from Initial D compilation has ended. However, we have a few ties between a couple of the songs. Please take 60 seconds to complete this mini follow-up survey to help us break the tie. https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/GZKPKFD This mini survey will run for 48 to 72 hours only, thank you so much for your help. The compilation will be posted later this week. Don't miss it!

| Sources |
» Initial D Second Stage ACT.6 さようならハチロク "Goodbye Eight-Six"


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Latest Manga Development "Glorious Goal" Part II

---------- WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILER, NAVIGATE AWAY NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPOILERS ----------


Vol.717 for Initial D manga was released couple days ago on Weekly Young Magazine. THE RESULT IS... OUT! With the tires of Takumi's 86 locking up, it sent Takumi's 86 into a spin. Shinji had no choice but to follow. At this moment, with the experience gained from the engine blow in Akagi when going against the Evo III, Takumi instinctively presses on the clutch, freeing up the tires and regained control of the 86 momentarily. However, Takumi is now going in reverse with inertia alone.

Shinji, on the other hand, lack actual dogfight experience and did not know what to do, spinning a full 360 degree, causing him to lose more momentum than Takumi did. Takumi won by crossing the finish line backwards with his 86. Shinji's 86 ended up facing the finish line after the 360 spin.

This race took 1.5 years to draw and to think that it was just one round going down Tsubaki Line, it's just insane. We are glad the downhill battle for the last Kanagawa race is finally over. Project.D will be disbanding after this. Don't miss next week's manga release. Follow us by either getting notifications from this fanpage or join our forums on https://idforums.net

To read this manga chapter with rough English translation, please visit our official Latest Manga Development thread: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=26...dpost&p=1280877

Next issue on Young Magazine Vol.718 解散式 "Disbanding Ceremony"

(Source image: Chapter 717 - 栄光のゴール（後編） "Glorious Goal" Part II)

| Editor's Note |
This will be the last time we remind you, we still need your votes on making the Best Eurobeat from Initial D compilation! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey if you haven't already » http://surveymonkey.com/s/FMVCWFZ We are ending the poll on July 15th. Don't know what we're talking about? Read this post for the details on the survey » http://facebook.com/go2id/photos/656174301064905 Thank you!


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Initial D Pilgrimage

A Japanese Initial D fan from the city of Kyoto (京都) did his own Initial D expedition five years ago by traveling all the way from Kyoto to Shibukawa. It was sort of like a "pilgrimage for Initial D fans"... in his words.

The Fujiwara Tofu Shop was still around in 2008 and so that was one of the spots he visited in his journey. He helped open the tofu shop for the owner and took many nice pictures with his Impreza in front of the shop. Be sure to check out the additional images below.

Later he visited the Mt. Haruna (Akina) and the Lake Haruna, which are made famous by Initial D. He took some pictures in front of that water tower. That tower is seen frequently in Initial D First Stage when they start the race or when the Gas Station gangs hanging out.

We'll report more about his journey later. That's it for now. (smile)

| Additional Images |
» http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/ima.../1000341/p1.jpg
» http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/ima.../1000341/p3.jpg
» http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/ima.../1000347/p3.jpg
» http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/ima.../1000347/p4.jpg
» http://cdn.mkimg.carview.co.jp/carlife/ima.../1000341/p6.jpg

| Sources |
» AE86カツオ | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/280715


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Project.D's expenses

With the last race in Kanagawa coming to an end, it wraps up Project.D's expedition in the Kanagawa area. The one-year time limit Ryousuke set for himself is also up. Today we are not going to talk about who's going to... win between Takumi and Shinji, we are going to talk about Project.D's expenses.

As we have come to understand, Ryousuke set the one-year time limit for the expedition project because he must return to medical school full time and plans on practicing medicine in his father's clinic. But you may ask, why one year? Why not two years or longer so they can conquer more areas in Japan?

Well, expeditions like Project.D is not cheap. Having two full-time mechanics and a spokesperson / organizer costs quite a bit. Not to mention all the engine tune-ups, body upgrades, parts, maintenance, fuel, tires... etc for both cars are very very expensive. And then they have to travel to their opponent's turf and rent places to sleep ( refer to a previous post: http://facebook.com/go2id/photos/674204819261853 ) Oh, and don't forget they have two vans that carry all the parts for the Double Aces. So whenever they travel, fuel costs are quite substantial and the expenses does add up over time.

A conservative estimate for one year of Project.D's expedition puts it somewhere between ¥50M to ¥75M ($500K to $750K) That's a lot of money. How can a med school student like Ryousuke afford that?!

The most likely possibility is that the Takahashi family is simply very well off and can afford this kind of thing. (Remember that big house the Takahashi brothers live in from the First Stage?)

Another possibility is that Ryousuke could be getting sponsorship such as free car parts or simply money from auto companies in exchange for him to race for them on the circuit, but that seems a little unlikely because Ryousuke barely have enough time to work on his dissertation and other school works. And on top of all that, he is leading a racing team that challenges others.

What do you think of that? In your opinion, how does Ryousuke afford the project? Leave your comments by replying! Let see what the fans think!


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Latest Manga Development "Glorious Goal"

---------- WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILER, NAVIGATE AWAY NOW IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE SPOILERS ----------


Vol.716 for Initial D was released couple days ago on Weekly Young Magazine. We have now cleared the... last corner with Takumi and Shinji rushing towards the the finish line. Takumi finally realize that his headlights are off and went to turn on his headlights before the goal. And it was at this moment that his concentration relaxed just a little. All of the sudden, a loud bang was heard and a violent vibration was felt in the cockpit of Takumi's 86. Takumi lost his focus for a split second and accidentally rev the engine past 12,000 rpm!!

The engine couldn't take it any more and it EXPLODED. Due to the engine blow, the tires on the 86 locked up and it sends the 86 into a spin on the final stretch before the goal. Shinji, following close behind, had no choice but to follow Takumi into a spin. This is an emergency situation that no one had expected!

With Takumi's 86 lost all its power, it is basically sliding towards the goal. It is very hard to maneuver a car with its wheels locked up, there is no sense of control anymore. Takumi's chance of winning is next to none. Can he still manage to win with less than 100 meters before the goal? How will he manage?!

Will Shinji successfully dodge the car in front of him or will both of them end up in a crash right before the finish line?!! Find out in the next Chapter 717 "Glorious Goal part II"

Meanwhile, if you want to keep up with the latest development in the manga or join us on the forums for more speculations on the end of the final Project D race, visit this thread today: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=26...dpost&p=1280251

(Source image: Chapter 716 - 栄光のゴール "Glorious Goal")

| Editor's Note |
Please don't forget, we still need your votes on making the Best Eurobeat from Initial D compilation! Please take a few minutes to fill out the survey if you haven't already » http://surveymonkey.com/s/FMVCWFZ Don't know what we're talking about? Read this post for the details on the survey » http://facebook.com/go2id/photos/656174301064905 Thank you!


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Project D Lodge in Kanagawa

We knew about the lodge the Project.D stayed in during the Kanagawa Prefecture expedition being real, but we didn't know all the details such as how to get there and how much it costed to stay there for a night. So we did... some digging.

To reiterate what we already know about the lodge, they are located in 乙女森林公園キャンプ場 第2キャンプ場 (Otome Forest Park Campsite #2) in Gotemba, Shizuoka Prefecture. The lodge that Project.D stayed in costed ¥24,000 ($239.30) a night. It is big enough to accommodate eight people comfortably, which is perfect for Project.D because it consists of only seven people. (Ryousuke, Keisuke, Takumi, Fumihiro, Kenta, Matsumoto and Tomiguchi)

Save this post if you plan on visiting the Kanagawa and Shizuoka area in the future!

| Address |
〒412-0023 静岡県御殿場市深沢2696-2 TEL:0550-82-7870.

| Google Maps |
» 乙女森林公園キャンプ場 第2キャンプ場 - Google Maps | http://goo.gl/maps/MtKGo

| Previous Post |
» The cabin in Fifth Stage ACT.4 | https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=45267

| Sources |
» 乙女森林公園キャンプ場 | http://gotemba-otome.jp/camp2/
» 頭文字D雑考 - 長尾峠 – Nagao Toge | http://echizenya.biz/initiald/?page_id=5


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Brief History of Fujiwara Tofu Shop

We always try to search the Internet for information related to Initial D. Recently, we came across a video that was taken by a fan while walking towards the 藤原とうふ店 ("Fujiwara Tofu... Shop") before it was demolished.

Wait, the shop existed?! WAIT, it was demolished?! Take a breath, calm down! We will explain. This is for those that have recently liked our page. For those of you who had been following our page, you may skip ahead.

The Fujiwara Tofu Shop from Initial D did exist in real life up until some time in 2010 before it was demolished due to urban redevelopment and road construction. The original Fujiwara Tofu Shop was actually called 藤野とうふ店 ("Fujino Tofu Shop") named after the actual owner. Some time in the year 2004, the film crew for the Initial D Live Action started scouting for locations to shoot the scenes in front of the tofu shop. The crew found Fujino's tofu shop and thought it looked exactly like the one in the manga. They changed the signage to Fujiwara Tofu Shop to shoot the movie.

After the filming of the movie, Mr. Fujino was free to change the sign back to the original, but he didn't. And so the place had became a very popular spot for Initial D fans from around the world to visit and pay tribute to the show (..and possibly buy some of Fujino's tofu, very smart move Mr. Fujino! *winks*)

From the year 2005 'til 2010, the tofu shop was such a holy land for Initial D fans that it had attracted media attention left and right. Unfortunately, Mr. Fujino passed away in the year of 2009 and because of urban redevelopment, the shop had to be demolished in 2010. Many fans were saddened by the news...

In September 2012, with the help of Mr. Fujino's eldest daughter and 得知雅人 (Masato Tokuchi, owner of Carland AE86 specialty auto shop), the tofu shop reappears in its full glory in the Toy, Doll & Car Museum in Ikaho, Gunma. Make sure you check out the Read More links below for more history of the Fujiwara Tofu Shop.

| Fan Video |
https://youtube.com/watch?v=2U30K37VtqU (Original uploader: bananana)

| Read More |
» Fujiwara Tofu Shop is back! | http://facebook.com/go2id/photos/565773763438293
» Real Life Fujiwara Tofu Shop | http://facebook.com/go2id/photos/296534863695519

| Additional Image |
http://www.ikaho-omocha.jp/01museum/12_86/86.jpg
http://livedoor.blogimg.jp/splendore_ikaho.../0/1051c390.jpg

| Sources |
»【聖地】藤原とうふ店 | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/337069/blog/12113419
» AE86カツオ | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/280715
» 藤原豆腐店 | http://www.panoramio.com/photo/10654491


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頭文字D presents Tune-Up Car Exhibition

About four months ago, avex gathered the fans in Japan with replica cars from Initial D. The event was called「頭文字D presents Tune-Up Car Exhibition」It was held in the rooftop parking lot of... スーパーオートバックスかしわ沼南「WOOWCITY」(Super Autobacs Kashiwa Shonan "WOOWCITY")

Many of the original cars from Initial D showed up for the event. Takumi's AE86, Keisuke's FD3S, Shinji's AE86, Mako's Sil80, Ryousuke's FC3S and Shingo's EG6 just to name a few. The event was held from 10:00a—5:00p. The coolest thing was avex actually sent out a film crew to record the event and did some interviews with the replica car owners. The footage was then archived and shipped with Initial D Fifth Stage DVD Vol.5 & 6 as part of the special bonus features!! Don't forget to check out the source links below if you want to look at more pictures from that event.

Speaking of replica car meets, we Initial D World is hosting one on the 27th of this month! We have already confirmed the appearance of eight replica cars from Initial D. What are you waiting for? Join the event today! http://facebook.com/events/532367143468457/ (Note: please choose "Maybe" if you are not planning to go, you will still get notifications when there are images being posted in real time on the date of the event. We need to keep an actual count of how many people are actually going.)

| Sources |
» 頭文字D presents Tune-Up Car Exhibition | http://mv.avex.jp/initial/5th_prev03.html
» 頭文字[イニシャル]D | http://mv.avex.jp/initial/initial.html
» ENFINI_RX-7/MAZDA｜Car Photo Gallery | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/387484...8952/photo.aspx
» カローラに乗って！ | http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/250780/blog/29421713/


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I feel sorry for you Itsuki, I do.

Damn, it's Monday again. But if you think you had it rough, recall that scene in Initial D Fourth Stage Episode 14. Not only did Itsuki find out about his love, Kazumi, who had went to love hotel with another man multiple... times, he also witness her ran into that man's arms right in front of his eyes. And to add insult to injury, he found out Iketani and Kenji saw the whole scene. Oh boy.

So cheer up. Think of what happened to Itsuki and you will probably feel sorry for him. And in the process of that, the troubles you are facing now don't seem all that bad.

That scene always get me. I don't know whether to laugh or not. One minute earlier, I feel so bad for Itsuki and almost shed a tear for him, but next scene is just too hilarious. I just couldn't keep a straight face after that. (laugh)

Is there any scene in Initial D that made you want to cry?

(Source image: Initial D Fourth Stage ACT.14「悲しきロンリードライバー」"Sad Lonely Driver")


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