Initial D Team Stickers

What's more humiliating than having your team's vinyl sticker being cut in half and taped upside down by the person who beat you? It's downright insulting. And Team Emperor did just that as they were trying to... conquer the Gunma prefecture. Some one made a joke about that. What if the race between Kyoichi Sudo's Evo 3 and Takumi Fujiwara's AE86 was actually an official battle and Sudo won? Takumi would have to ask his dad for a Tofu shop sticker for them to cut in half. Then people would think Sudo's Evo 3 is some sort of weird tofu delivery vehicle... (laugh)

Speaking of team stickers, have you notice that after Emperor, we don't see as many team stickers any more? We know that none of the teams in Fifth Stage has sticker. (Team 246, Team Katagiri, Team Spiral and Team Sidewinder) The same goes for Fourth Stage with the exception of Team SSR (Seven Star Leaf)

A team logo/sticker is like an identifier to street racing. Perhaps the reason why the other teams didn't have it is because they don't want any troubles from the police as prefectures like Kanagawa is more urban than Gunma, police presence would be significantly higher. That's one way to look at it I suppose.

So the question is, assuming you belong to a street racing team, would you race someone if losing the race mean you have to give the opponent your team sticker?

(Image credit: Initial D Second Stage ACT.1 掟やぶりのスーパーウエポン! "A New Threat!")


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Initial D Decoupage

Fan photo submission time! Michael Weber (http://fb.me/TruenoMike) from the State of Washington wanted to show his love for Initial D. He did a decoupage tribute from... Initial D manga on the fender of his 1985 Toyota Corolla GT-S. We have to admit, it looks pretty unique. We just hope it stays sunny where Michael is. (laugh)

So what are/were some of the things you've done to show your love for Initial D? Share them with us either by replying in the comments below or send us a message. We will feature it!


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What would Bunta drive?

Part of what makes Bunta so amazing is because we know very little of him. Many of us have fantasized about having a prequel to Initial D that shows Bunta's younger days. However, if they do make that, then it takes away... Bunta's mystique. Because let's face it, if we start seeing Bunta driving like a beginner, it destroy that God-like image we all have of him.

Don't get me wrong, one can never get enough of Initial D. So if they do make "Bunta Stage," what do you think he would drive? It's not going to be the 86 that we all came to know and love for sure. Bunta was born in the 50s and let's assume he started driving in his teens years like Takumi does. Then the setting for the prequel would be in the 70s. AE86 did not exist then!

On the forums, our members had a discussion on what Bunta would drive in his younger days. Some say it could be a first generation of the Nissan S30 (Fairlady Z); some say it would've been a first gen Celica; some even say Bunta could be driving a 2000GT, which was very expensive back then.

So what do you guys think? What would Bunta drive in his younger days? Remember, it could only be cars that are made before 1975! Tell us what you think either by replying in the comments or respond to the existing thread on the forums » https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=45134 (Initial D: Bunta Stage)


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Initial D Live Action Tribute - UK Stage

Sometimes we really think Initial D fans are the most dedicated and enthusiastic fans in the world. kkullar, one of our forum users, have shot a 13-minute short film that has nothing but high speed car chase complete with... Initial D style animation and BGM. What more can one ask for?

He calls it "Initial D Live Action Tribute - UK Stage." Like the name, they are from the United Kingdom and share the same love and passion as we do in cars and Initial D. The first time we watched their video, we couldn't stop watching until the video is over.

Check out the video here » https://youtube.com/watch?v=69XQfJfRjBc

They will be releasing more episodes if the response is positive. Subscribe to them and let them know you want to see more of this! Follow this thread for the latest updates on Live Action Tribute - UK Stage » https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=45910


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Initial D Fifth Stage DVD Sales

Couple weeks ago, we made a comment about Initial D Fifth Stage not doing so well in terms of sales. One of our fans called us out on that comment. To find out the truth, we did some research in an attempt to back our words... up.

First, we gathered information on the DVD sales from Oricon and Anime News Network. We then compiled a table of the number of sales. Since the first DVD volume went on sale on January 11th 'til now, Japan has sold close to 50,000 copies of DVD Vol.1 ~ Vol.5, roughly 10,000 copies each volume.

At the price point of ¥6,090 ($66) each volume, 50,000 copies has generated almost 300M yen ($3.2M) Now, 300 million yen sounds like a lot without any context. So we kept on researching and found out that a typical anime episode costs anywhere from 12 million yen to 15 million yen to make. Initial D Fifth Stage is on the high end of that scale due to having many veteran (expensive) voice actors and 3D animation. In other words, 14 episodes of Initial D Fifth Stage had a cost budget of 210 million yen (2.3 million USD)

Wait, so that means they have already broke even?! They made 300 million yen from the DVD sales already right? Not so fast. The costs into making and distributing the DVDs turn out to be quite significant. Add on top of all the loyalties they have to pay to the director, producer, writers, music and so forth, the NET revenue is approximately 46% of the total revenue. So out of 300 million yen, only 138 million yen is actual revenue that the studio gets.

At this point, they still have to sell 156 million yen worth of DVDs for the upcoming Vol.6 and Vol.7 releases, which translate to 12,800 copies each volume. Looking at the table we compiled, it seems to be a challenge, but not unreachable. Remember, some people are still buying the other volumes and that make up for it.

And of course, that's assuming the studio is solely relying on DVD sales for their revenue stream, which is not true. They also have the Pay-Per-View from Perfect Choice. That was 840 yen per viewing. Though, Perfect Choice TV did not release any statistics on the number of viewing they had for each episode, so it's up to anyone's guess how many people actually paid for the PPV. Overall, we are surprised at how good it did and we are hopeful that it will break even some time by the end of this year. It was a success for the animation studio and the ones who invested in it financially.

| Sources |
» DVD総合 週間ランキング-ORICON STYLE ランキング | http://www.oricon.co.jp/rank/dg/w/2013-06-17/
» The Anime Economy - Part 2: Shiny Discs - Anime News Network | http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2012-03-07
» XE.com - USD/JPY Chart | http://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=USD&to=JPY&view=1Y


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Go home Miata, you're drunk.

Go home Miata, you're drunk.

Editor's Note: Happy Monday, hope you didn't party too hard last night. Or you'll be going home like Tohru and his roadster.
(Screenshot from Initial D Fourth Stage Episode... 2)


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Who put the note in Takumi's locker?

Ever wonder why they call it an anime "adaptation?" Because even the anime doesn't follow the original manga word for word. That's why sometimes we miss some crucial note. (pun intended)

In Initial D... Second Stage Episode 2, Takumi found a note in his locker. The letter states that Natsuki Mogi is doing enjo-kosai with a middle aged man. Wait.. what is enjo-kosai?

History lesson incoming. 援助交際 (Enjo-kosai) means "compensated dating." It is a practice originated in Japan where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship and sometimes, sexual favors. The female participants are usually school girls but sometimes it could be housewives. A common misconception is that enjo-kosai always involves some form of sexual activities. It is simply not true. (It just so happen in Initial D, Mogi does choose to engage in sexual activities with "Papa" in exchange for higher compensation.)

Enjo-kosai is a social phenomenon started in the early 90s in Japan. It later spread to other places like Taiwan, South Korea and even Hong Kong. The reason the author chose to write this into a shonen manga that's aimed at young male audience is most likely the realism aspect of it. It is blood-boiling to know that your girlfriend might be engaging in activities like this. When you are young and don't know any better, emotion runs rampant. It is quite fitting to have such social backdrop as Initial D's setting.

Now that we know what Mogi was doing, who really left the note and called Takumi that night? As previously stated, the anime doesn't follow the manga word for word, because if it did, us anime-watchers would know who did it. It turns out it was Shiraishi (白石), Natsuki's classmate, who happens to be the REAL daughter of "Papa." Dun-dun-duuun!! Honestly, I was shocked to find out when I read that part in the manga. It was very dramatic.

Shiraishi is a nerdy girl in glasses, who had a big crush on Takumi. When she found out that Natsuki and Takumi were going out, she got really jealous. And then you know the rest...

| Sources |
» 援助交際 - Wikipedia | http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%8F%B4%E5%...%BA%A4%E9%9A%9B
» Enjo kōsai - Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enjo_k%C5%8Dsai
» Initial D World Forums -> is Mogi/Natalie (Natsuki) a prostitute? | https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=4608
» Shiraishi - Initial D Wiki | http://initiald.wikia.com/wiki/Shiraishi
» Screenshots from Initial D Second Stage ACT.2 & 4
» Raw scans from Initial D Manga Vol.1, 9 & 10.


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Takumi vs Shinji

Many of you have discussed about the possibilities that Takumi and Shinji might be related, because they never mention about Takumi's mother and Shinji's father is nowhere to be seen. It's nice to see a series like... Initial D come full circle this way. Shinji is similar to Takumi in every way from First Stage——i.e. very instinctive about driving but can't explain the theory behind it. For example, Takumi asked Itsuki to sit in the back seat for the downhill rain battle against Kenta's S14; Shinji can sense the emotions of cars.

Let's think back to the very beginning for a second. Takumi hated driving because he saw driving as a chore and car is just a tool. Shinji is very similar in this regard. It is stated that he viewed driving as a duty. He found no fun in driving. He drove because his mother would get tired driving and he would take over the steering wheel. And because he didn't want to wake his mother up, he tries to drive as smooth as possible, i.e. little to no braking and very smooth acceleration.

When asked to race someone, both Takumi and Shinji are very reluctant to take on the challenge. They wanted a reason to race. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just their personalities. And as the story develops, Takumi found himself getting more and more interested in cars and the rest was history. Will Shinji turn out to be just like Takumi from First Stage? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

But one thing for sure, they both did it for girls. (laugh)

| Image Sources |
» Initial D First Stage ACT.3「ダウンヒルズスペシャリスト登場」"The Downhill Specialist Appears"
» Initial D Fifth Stage Episode 12 & 14


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Hand-drawn Toyota 86

We always believe that us Initial D fans are very talented. We come from all walks of life. Take this Initial D fan here for example, he drew the Toyota 86 by hand from scratch! The shadings, highlights and the attention to... details are just superb. Be sure to check out the See Also link below to see more pencil drawings by Initial D fans!

| See Also |
» Hand-drawn AE86 | https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=45205

| Image Credit |
» Baidu Tieba 传奇的复活Toyota GT-哈吉罗库 250065232 | http://www.baidu.com/p/250065232


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Real life video footage of TOYO TIRES Turnpike

John Kraszewski, one of our fans, have submitted a video to us. The video shows the full length of TOYO TIRES Turnpike going uphill, starting from the toll booth and all the way to the viewing lounge (Hexagon looking building)... The video is 13 minutes long and judging by the sound of the wind, he was traveling at around 65kmph uphill the whole way through.

According to John, he "was going to go back up in the next couple days after work, but [he] has been quite busy so [he] hasn't had an opportunity. Hope this at least shows the fans the real deal."

Well, without further ado, let's watch the video below. Thank you for sharing with us, John!

[YOUTUBE]http://youtu.be/-1xKJDARAWY[/YOUTUBE]

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