INITIAL-D BATTLE STAGE

Review by: Matthew Anderson

VHS review

Company: AVEX Group

Compilation video

Rating: Rating:G (Everyone)

EXTERNAL EXAM

Takumi Fujiwara is your typical high school kid; diligent student, supportive boy friend, and devoted son. Despite working at a gas station, he has no interest in cars, which infuriates his best friend Itsuki, a total car nut. Takumi has another job as well. Late at night, he drives insanely fast on the twisting and winding roads in the Akina mountains delivering tofu to restaurants.

At the gas station Takumi and Itsuki boss, Iketani, is the leader of the Akina Road Stars, a local street racing gang that dominates the area. One day, a rival gang called the Red Suns challenge the Road Stars to a race on their home turf. Accepting their challenge the Road Stars begin to prepare.

Unfortunately, during practice laps, Iketani discovers that the Red Suns are ten times better than the Road Stars. Their only hope is getting the tofu shop racer, a phantom driver who drives a Toyota AE-86 (Hachiroku). Through a series of events, Iketani discovers that Takumi is the phantom driver, and he manages to convince the young man to drive for the Akina Road Stars.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Well, basically, this is a re-cap episode. Every single race, from Takumi's first race in episode one to his final race at the end of the movie is covered in this release. You get the feeling that they are setting us up for a new series. The "See you Next Stage" tag line at the end of the film doesn’t help either.

ACTING: Since the races are very intense, so is the acting. These are men who are trying to be the best. You can't be the best by not caring. Unless you are Takumi.

FAN SERVICE: Well, if you are a car fan, plenty. You get the make and model before each race, and information about what kind of engine the car uses.

FINAL EXAM

The original television series was one of the first anime to feature CG elements instead of using CGI for scene enhancement. Almost all of the racing scenes were CG, with traditional animation used for the characters and some incidental exterior scenes. Unfortunately, the CG elements were not that great. Not as bad as Lost Universe, but close enough.

The CG on the second series was better. Improved techniques and better technology helped. The cars had more detail, but the back grounds were pretty un-impressive.

With the third installment (a major motion picture), the folks at NEST (the ones who did the primary CG animation) had finally improved their technique. All exterior shots were CG, exhibiting a level of detail missed in most Japanese CG based movies.

Many people who have taken a look at early Initial-D have remarked about the poor CG or the annoying cuts between the featured race and the secondary characters. Battle Stage gets rid of most of the plot development and focus on the action. The lackluster CG elements from the first two installments have been redone, and, along with the CG from the movie gives Initial-D a much more refined look.

Despite the fact that this is the video tape version, AVEX Group give us a sharp looking picture. You can actually see how much the CG was improved. The cars now have readable license plates, the roads actually have cracks, and you can even make out the treads on the tires. You can also see how the 2D animation does not always mesh well with the new CG elements. However, since the importance is on the racing, it is only a minor annoyance.

For a VHS release, the audio packs quite a punch. With the pumping Super Eurobeat soundtrack, don't turn up your surround sound system up too much. It is a great sounding movie, with plenty surround sound elements traveling all across the sound stage.

The only part I was not happy with were the new Super Eurobeat songs. The ones used in the original episodes fit the scenes better and were faster too. Repeated viewing makes it easier to listen.

Initial-D Battle Stage is a quite enjoyable thrill ride. With the improved CG, a great looking video, and kicking audio, even the most jaded Initial-D watcher will enjoy this.

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