Initial D is to anime, what Fast and the Furious is to movies. It’s a white-knuckled racing franchise that focuses largely on the skills of the driver, drifting, and all manner of other accoutrements. The thing with Initial D, however, is that one really needs to be enamored with street racing in order to appreciate it for what it is. It’s not a universal kind of show where anyone can pick it up and have a good time with it. Even so, the series has remained popular for the better part of 15 years and there are more episodes than you can shake a crankshaft at.

A short time ago the Third and Fourth Stages (seasons) of Initial D came my way for review. If for any reason you haven’t watched them, or don’t know what the show is all about, let’s catch you up to speed. The series follows the exploits of eighteen year old Takumi Fujiwara, who helps his dad run the family tofu store. As luck would have it Takumi has to drive the twisty, dangerous roads a sinister mountain (Akina) to make deliveries every day, even before he was legal to drive. His car of choice is a Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86) and after a set of circumstances he winds up getting involved in the racing scene. He’s a prodigy if there ever was one and the show follows him as he reluctantly gets into racing and gains notoriety.

In the first part of the Fourth Stage, the show went on to bring Takumi into the fold of an upstart racing group known as Project D. The goal of this group was to hone their skills and travel around the countryside taking on other racing crews on their own turf. As one might expect Project D is the best there is. At this point (part 2) in the Fourth Stage they haven’t lost a single bout. What challenges does the final installment of this season hold?

For the most part there are only two conflicts, or races, in this installment. These clashes last multiple episodes each and there’s some drama in between, so it’s understandable that they take as long as they do. Despite this the 12 episodes here do feel drawn out more than necessary and things get a tad repetitive.

The first storyline takes Project D to a place where they wind up facing a group of racers who are significantly less skilled than they are. What their opponent’s use to make up for their lack of skill, however, is thuggish behavior. When they aren’t cheating and attempting to trash Project D’s cars before events, they are threatening them with a beating should D pull out a win. It adds an interesting dynamic that the show hasn’t really explored before, and in many ways it’s fun to see how D responds to such threats. The second part of the show focuses on opponents of a different caliber. These guys are called God Arm and God Foot for the simple reason that they are really good at what they do. Can Project D defeat racers who are known as gods?

Ultimately the episodes here aren’t necessarily the most compelling and they do little to break the monotony of the show. I appreciated some of the character development here, and moments in the races do stand out as highlights in terms of action and drama. I was entertained in parts, but overall I just wasn’t impressed. I haven’t been able to get into Initial D, though I’m sure there are some out there who will really take this show and run with it. If that’s you, happy trails, but I’d suggest this show as a rental for most just to see if it’s your cup of tea.

Initial D: Fourth Stage, Part 2 is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, but it’s not enhanced for anamorphic playback which kind of sucks. The show does, however, maintain a very appealing look in terms of design. The artwork is distinctive, detailed, and loaded with personality. The cars are nicely designed and all around the image quality holds up to scrutiny with sharp detail and very little grain. It’s just a shame about the non-anamorphic thing, because zooming in with an HD set really dings the experience. English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 are the offered audio tracks. With regards to the dub I preferred the Japanese language, because some of the English dialogue was just too dry for my tastes. Technically speaking, however, the English takes the cake with more dynamic sound effects and a better presence on the soundstage.

No bonus features are available here. All you’re going to find here are some trailers for other FUNimation releases.

Initial D: Fourth Stage, Part 2 brings about a relatively satisfying conclusion to the fourth season, but it’s something that will appeal to diehard fans of the show only. Newcomers will not want to start here, and even then I’d suggest a rental. The show is great at times, but it’s far too repetitive and dry for its own good. I’ve never been a fan of the show by any means, though I’ve watched it and walk away with a reasonably positive impression.

Initial D: Fourth Stage – Part 2
The Show
Initial D is a niche title that really caught on with racing enthusiasts. Part 2 of the fourth season brings about some interesting battles and it closes the show on a decent note. In that sense I suppose it’s a success, but the show in general just isn’t top notch.
Video/Audio
The sound quality is good all around and the picture quality is fine, aside from the aspect ratio.
Extras
Trailers. Yawn.

Overall
Initial D is the kind of show that will appeal to a select group, and that’s pretty much it. If you don’t love cars and racing you simply won’t get into this show. It’s not quite a one-trick pony, but it’s not universally appealing.

Review material provided by FUNimation.