Review of Initial D (2005) by Chris H — 30 Jul 2013

My rating is more about personal enjoyment than quality. That said, it's better than its Hollywood counterparts (e.g. Fast and Furious, Gone In 60 Seconds, etc.), mostly because it's more about skill-heavy racing than about shallow, cliched characters.

For those who aren't "togue" racing fans, car nuts, or the like, this can be skipped. Also, it doesn't do a great job at faithfully preserving some important characters, most notably the hero's father, Bunta.

Also, the hero, Takumi, is blander than in the anime, but otherwise a decent enough interpretation. The movie's weaknesses and narrow target audience aside, it's a massive cut above in terms of the racing photography, and does a fair job of distilling the anime series into two hours of live action, with the exception of the necessary abandoning of the continual commentary by the characters on the mechanics and psychology of togue racing.

Must-see for Initial D fans and car racing nuts.