Initial D Final Stage Air Date Confirmed

Great news!! アニマックス (Animax) has finally released more information regarding the broadcasting schedule for Initial D Final Stage!! Contrary to our previous belief, Final... Stage is NOT going straight to DVD. Instead, it will be available on Animax's brand new「Animax PLUS」channel starting on 2014.05.16. Animax PLUS is a new subscription VOD (Video On Demand) service which allows subscribers to watch the latest anime series.

Initial D Final Stage will start right after where Fifth Stage left off. There are a total of FOUR episodes that makes up this mini stage. It will be focusing on the ultimate downhill battle in Kanagawa. (also the last battle for Project.D.) Takumi Fujiwara will be going up against Shinji Inui, the prodigy in unconventional racing technique. How will our protagonist defend the legend of the undefeated in this final chapter of Initial D? What kind of challenge will the young Fujiwara face in this last battle? Find out in May 16!!

Our prayer has been answered! M.o.v.e will be performing both the Opening Theme and the Ending Theme for Initial D Final Stage. The OP is「Outsoar the Rainbow」(which also happens to be the theme song of Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity that is currently being location tested in Japan.) and the ED is「Days」. Both songs are unreleased. There is a sample clip of Outsoar the Rainbow that a Japanese fans recorded off the TV screen, the quality isn't that good. Check the link below if you want to watch it anyways.

Well guys and gals, mark your calendar. There is one more day on the horizon to look forward to. See you on Friday, May 16th, 2014, Initial D Final Stage (total of 4 episodes)!!

| Editor's Note |
Join us on the forums to talk about Final Stage today! https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46458

| Sources |
» 頭文字［イニシャル］D | ANIMAX | http://www.animax.co.jp/special/initial-d
» Animax Plus | http://plus.animax.co.jp/
» M.O.V.E Official Website | http://electropica.com/
» 頭文字D8JAEPO2014紹介ムービー | https://youtube.com/watch?v=i6kQ8JRUZzE (m.o.v.e - Outsoar the Rainbow theme)


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Shigeno to start new manga "Takane no Hana"

重野秀一 (Shuichi Shigeno), author of Initial D, is announcing the official start of his new manga series called「高嶺の花」"Takane no Hana" The new series... will be published on Kodansha's Weekly Young Magazine just like Initial D did for the past 18 years.

Die-hard Initial D fans will definitely remember, Shigeno-san concluded the Initial D manga in July 2013, putting the 18-year long-running series to an end. He hasn't done anything since then. So this announcement is him telling us that he's not retiring just yet. After all, he owe it to himself to take a well-deserved break after drawing Initial D all these years.

Anyways, what do we know about the new manga series by the great Shigeno-sensei? Well, the story centers on a middle-aged, divorced manga creator whose works just can't sell well. And one day, he meets a stunningly beautiful girl and his life begins to change.

Yes, it is a love story. And to top it off, it's a romance story between a middle-aged man (mid 40s) and a young girl (early 20s) Can this be a semi-autobiography of Shigeno-san himself? Perhaps a projection or some sort? We will have to wait 'til March 10th to find out in the 15th issue of Young Magazine. There will most likely be many manga translation group that will pick this up, we'll keep you posted for the English translation of this issue once it's out.

| Editor's Note |
The name of the new series「高嶺の花」literally translated as, "Flower on a high peak." It means, "something out of one's reach." Some things are beautiful to look at, but realistically, there is no way you can get them. It is something that you want very much but can't have it. It is a well-known proverb in Japan. It also symbolize "ambitious dream" or "unattainable goal."

| Sources |
» Initial D's Shigeno to Launch Amazing Hana Manga | http://4nn.cx/146410
» 新連載!!｜カローラに乗って！| http://minkara.carview.co.jp/userid/250780/blog/32466070
» 新連載？ - 1日イチD-関西最遅プロジェクト- | http://goo.gl/sRJkiY


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Sorry, cereal guy.

Sorry, cereal guy. Weight transfer in automobiles (or as many people refer to as Load Transfer) is as real as it gets.

"Load transfer is the measurable change of load borne by different wheels during acceleration... (both longitudinal and lateral). This includes braking, and deceleration (which is an acceleration at a negative rate). No motion of the center of mass relative to the wheels is necessary, and so load transfer may be experienced by vehicles with no suspension at all."

In short, is it dangerous to do that load transfer gutter run in a pitch-dark mountain pass like Takumi shows us? Absolutely. You would have to be out of your mind to do something like in real life. But just because it's outrageously dangerous doesn't mean it's not possible in real life.

| Editor's Note |
Special thanks to Initial D Baidu Tieba for the idea!

| Sources |
» Weight transfer - Wikipedia | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weight_transfer
» Tire and Vehicle Dynamics - Hans Pacejka | http://books.google.com/books?id=JCHDuED3W...tsec=frontcover
» Screenshot from Initial D Fourth Stage ACT.2「全開!ダウンヒルバトル」"Full Throttle! Downhill Battle"


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Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity JAEPO2014

If you have been following the arcade scene, you probably know that the INITIAL D ARCADE STAGE is planning to release the final installment for the series. Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity Location Test is currently in full... swing in Japan.

They released more information over at the JAEPO2014 (Japan Amusement Expo) couple weeks ago. The tagline for this final installment is「夢は終わらない..」which of course translate to "Dream will never end.." It goes along with the whole sideways-8-infinity-symbol-never-ending-dream theme.

One great thing about Arcade Stage 8 is they got M.o.v.e to come back to perform the theme song. The theme song is「Outsoar the Rainbow」It is currently unreleased. There is no sample available yet at this moment. For those of you who didn't know, m.o.v.e was officially disbanded as of March 2013. Having them coming back to perform for Arcade Stage 8 gives us a glimpse of hope that they might do the same for Initial D Final Stage and possibly the new trilogy movies. We'll have to wait and see.

Release date for Arcade Stage 8 is currently to be determined. Here's to hope they get some great feedback for the location testing and push this thing forward.

| Sources |
»［JAEPO2014］「頭文字D ARCADE STAGE 8 | http://4gamer.net/games/244/G024450/20140218034
» ジャパンアミューズメントエキスポ2014 | http://www.jaepo.jp/
» M.O.V.E Official Website | http://electropica.com/
» 頭文字D ARCADE STAGE 公式ウェブサイト | http://initiald.sega.jp/


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Eurobeat MV Series: Initial D Fourth Stage (Pt.1)

One of our forum user, BurningRacer, has created this 6½-minute fan-made music video for Initial D Fourth Stage. This is only Part 1 because... it's too much to fit the entire Fourth Stage in one MV according to him. Part 2 will be posted later and we'll keep you posted!

Tracklist used in the video：

##. Title - Artist
01. My Lonely Night - Jimmy Diamond
02. Back To The Rising Sun - Powerful T.
03. Get Another Chance - Mega NRG Man
04. Fight All Night - Powerful T.
05. Let's Fly Together - Irene
06. Running Fire - Ace Warrior
07. Let's Turn It Up - Mr. Groove
08. Your Kinda Love - Robbin Grain
09. Sweet Love - Norma Sheffield

[YOUTUBE]https://youtube.com/watch?v=AT_wDSHLO_k[/YOUTUBE]

A huge thanks go out to 狂锋烈灵 (BurningRacer)!!! Visit him at http://tieba.baidu.com/f?kw=eurobeat or http://tieba.baidu.com/p/2841437780

Be sure to check out the Fifth Stage MV made by BurningRacer here: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46247

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Discuss Initial D on our forums: https://idforums.net/

Takahashi Ryosuke Cosplay

Rejoice, Ryosuke fans! An avid cosplayer goes by the name of 結音 (Yuine) from Tokyo, Japan did a pretty remarkable cosplay for Ryosuke Takahashi (Second Stage) You might recognize her from her Kaori cosplay (... href='https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46327' target='_top'>https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46327) earlier last year.

Yes, that's right. That's a girl cosplaying as Ryosuke. There are certain feminine features on Ryosuke that male cosplayers just can't pull off that look. Yuine seems to strike a balance point between reality and fantasy. The cosplay closely resemble the anime/manga style from Initial D, yet it doesn't seem too unreal.

Yuine also cosplay many other anime series. Follow her work in the links below if you are interested!

| Sources |
» 久しぶりに - 36.4℃ | http://ff-cos.jugem.jp/?eid=109
» 結音 - コスプレCure | http://ja.curecos.com/profile/?id=678712
» Screenshots from 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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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Truth be told, real racers don't have to be lonely. You can have a professional racing career and be in a relationship in the same time. The point is to find the balance point.... Both girls and cars need your attention, how do you make the choice? It also has to do with understanding. If racing is your interest / hobby, your other half should understand and give you the space you need.

Though, that's probably wishful thinking. Understanding the mutual respect in a relationship is key to a long-lasting bond. In that regard, Iketani understands Mako better than anyone else.

But still, it's so hard to see them not together. It's like a fly in the ointment. It's imperfect. But so is life. I am sure if we were to do a poll right now, majority of the fans here would love to see Mako and Iketani get together. It's like waking up in the middle of a dream and wanting to go back to sleep and finish the dream.

Well, it's a fiction and at the end of the day, it's ultimately up to Shigeno-san. But your life isn't up to him. Don't be like Iketani and bury your love so deep for someone. You may or may not regret it later. But don't you want to find out, if she's also interested in you?

Don't wait any more. She won't wait for you forever. Why not use today as an excuse to confess to her? Tell her what you truly feel. Tell her that you like her. And if she rejects you? Well, it just means you were living in a fantasy. It's better now than later to burst the bubble.

Good luck, look forward to hearing many Valentine's story here in the comments below. (smile)


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Latest Initial D News - New Trilogy Movie

It appears many fans are still not up-to-date with the latest Initial D news. We'll attempt to clear all the confusion with this post. If you've been following this page and our forums (idforums.net) closely, you can... safely skip this post.

Initial D Fifth Stage was ended in May 2013 with 14 episodes total. It ended on a huge cliffhanger that annoyed and angered many Initial D fans. Why the animation team decided to do that? We may never know. But the truth is, Fifth Stage has ended for nine months.

*** THERE IS NO EPISODE 15. PLEASE STOP ASKING !!! ***

Initial D Final Stage was announced to be in the making in November 2013. It is slated for a Spring 2014 release. Final Stage will be a mini anime series that takes place right after Fifth Stage Episode 14. It will show the race that everyone is waiting for. And for the last time, THERE IS NO SIXTH STAGE! There are many online video streaming sites putting placeholder pages with that title. And that simply confused many Initial D fans worldwide.

Avex announced in early February 2014, that a new trilogy Initial D movie consisting of three parts had been confirmed, with the first part to be released in theaters in Japan on 2014.08.23. The aptly named first part of the trilogy, "Legend 1 -覚醒- (Awakening)" will be focusing on Takumi before he joins Project D. Basically it will be a re-adaptation of some of the First Stage plots. We've confirmed that it will include the first race of Takumi vs Keisuke. We don't know at this point whether or not the movie production team is going to change anything. We did notice the license plate for the 86 and FD had changed in the trailers/promo videos. We'll have to wait and find out more coming this summer.

So in short, there are two things to look forward to as an Initial D fan in the upcoming months. The Initial D Final Stage and the first part of the new Initial D movie trilogy.

For more information about the new movie, please visit the following links.

» Official New Initial D Movie Website: http://initiald-movie.com/
» New Initial D Movie Official Thread: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46060
» Initial D Final Stage Official Thread: https://idforums.net/index.php?showtopic=46458


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Shinigami, a Bunta lookalike?

Not sure if Shinigami is a Bunta lookalike or Shinigami is Bunta with long hair. Hmmm...


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Itsuki vs Iketani

Support casts are just as important as the main protagonists in a series like Initial D. That's one of the main reasons why one can never get tired of First Stage and quickly find Fifth Stage dull and... repetitive.

Earlier storylines like Initial D First Stage focus a lot on side characters, whereas later stages tend to have this repeating pattern of battle after battle. The opponents are so two dimensional we can't even relate to or care about them. In that regard, Fourth Stage managed to inject many side stories while keeping a steady flow of the storyline.

It was a breath of fresh air when we get to see Itsuki finally fulfilled his dream of putting a bolt-on turbo on his 85. He is probably the slowest and the most unskillful driver in Initial D, but somehow we can relate to him the most. He may be getting way over his head sometimes, but that heart of enjoying driving is true.

So today we are going to focus on the side characters. And the question of the day is, if Itsuki and Iketani were to race each other on Akina downhill full speed, who do you think would win? Itsuki will be of course driving his turbo 85, pushing 150 hp. And Iketani will be driving his beloved Silvia S13, with a bit more than 160 hp.

But if you have even watched one episode of Initial D, you would know that horsepower means next to nothing going full speed downhill. Who will you put your bet on? Tell us your reasons!

(Special thanks to Tessou for this idea.)

| Sources |
» Screenshots from Initial D Fourth Stage ACT.7「嵐のハチゴーターボ」"Eight-Five’s Thunderous Turbo"


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