In the second season of "Initial D", Takumi Fujiwara is no longer an inexperienced driver who relies solely on knowledge of a well-known route. He fails the first time, gains experience, and begins to develop as a driver. Before the Second Stage started, I was afraid that the visuals would be in my way, but luckily my fears turned out to be wrong. Or otherwise - sometimes I was not bothered by an ugly line, economical animation, and CGI from racing at the level of graphics for PlayStation 1 games. Probably, however, this is due to the fact that it kept a sufficiently high level and I expected something worse. It is also important that I liked the characters and the plot of the anime too much. I liked Sorry for the understatement, I love them as much as "Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood" or "Hunter x Hunter 2011". It is true that the first and second season of the anime is technically different from the above-mentioned ones, but it is often irrelevant to me. If the plot or characters are kept high and the animation isn't disgusting, then I don't usually pay attention to it.
As I mentioned in the introduction, Takumi gradually gains experience, proving to us and to himself that he can really drive. However, despite the undisputed talent, good timing, a bit of madness and creativity, he has to learn a lot. This mainly applies to the knowledge of the car in terms of parts and its mechanics. Takumi, with typically self-disarming honesty, says repeatedly that he has no idea about his engine and its capabilities. I myself have a similar approach to many things that I do not understand, and also have little technical knowledge of cars, so I had no problem identifying with him. At first, I didn't understand what Ryosuke Takahashi said that "Takumi got himself a real monster" and I needed an explanation from my buddies who are much more experienced. When they told me about the technical differences between one engine and the other, I asked for an explanation using specific examples in a language understood by a noob. I'll just tell you this - the old engine had 5,000 revolutions per minute and the new 12.
He got this monster from his father, Bunty Fujiwara. As much as I liked this gentleman in the movies, I loved him in seasons 2 and 3. The guy is just awesome! Whatever happens, the old man keeps his nerve and nerves literally fucking everything. He is not nervous, he is rarely happy, and you have to try to make him talk. Before defining himself or making a decision, he thinks for a long time and weighs each sentence. In addition, he is a great and extremely demanding teacher. He does not praise when his son does not really deserve it but also does not kill him when he makes a mistake or runs aimlessly. He also doesn't explicitly say what Takumi should and shouldn't do. You can compare his behavior to the attitude of a wife or a girl who does not tell her husband or boyfriend just makes him guess. Besides, I love its absolute consistency and not giving it a discount - before he gave his son a new engine, he said that he had to pass one more important lesson. To suffer a severe and absolute defeat, after which he will be ashamed of himself, will become more prudent and will have even more motivation to become a better driver.
My second favorite hero is Ryosuke Takahashi, who is both a talented driver, a great car connoisseur, and an outstanding strategist. He is also demanding, consistent, and reticent (although he speaks more willingly and more often than Bunta), but shows it in a slightly different way. Moreover, he is also humble, aware of his weaknesses, and does not let arrogance or emotions obscure his sober judgment. I really like White Comet and his little brother as commentators, but I like this element in most anime, as long as it is well written and presented. See "Hajime no Ippo" and the duo Date Eiji Mamoru Takamura or the trio Mamoru and two losers, students of Kamogawa.
I liked the Natsuki Mogi theme, but that's mainly because I've never seen any anime feature sugar-daddy theme before. I don't know if I've seen such a thread in any movie or series. Maybe it happened once, but it was not as clear-cut as in the case of "Initial D", in which the author approached it quite strongly. The heroine shows quite frivolous behavior from the beginning, and we learn about her past from the later episodes. In the first film, we get straightforward information that Mogi likes sex and bad boys, but her relationship with a sponsor known here as Papa has been cut. It is different in the case of "First Stage", which I have been watching for 2 days, there in the first episodes we have clearly shown what relationship they have in common. I liked the development of this thread in later episodes.
Coming back to Takumi for a moment, I said that he has a bit of madness? Sorry for this gross understatement! He's fucked up and he's just throwing his life around! Remember when I wrote about the action from the movie? Well, in the second season, he agrees to a murderous and exhausting race on an unfamiliar route, which at times is bumpy and extremely neglected. In addition, there is not much space on it, unlike the route from the first season, so the risk is even greater and the room to slow down is much smaller. Takumi doesn't give a shit about it though, and is exactly what Bunta said about him - "if he decides to do something, he will do it like an old man". At the end of the final race, he risks hitting the rocks or falling off the track even more effectively. Both options are deadly, because the barriers stick to your word of honor. The next season is even better, but I will leave the race with the leader of the Emperor group for another text.
As for the animation line, anime is ugly even compared to the titles that came out at a similar time (1999/2000). The movements of the characters are sometimes too sparing, the missing frames of the animation are very noticeable, but it is easier for me to swallow than the computer graphics from the latest TV series "Berserk". CGI does not look bad at that time, but in retrospect, it grew old very ugly. The models are quite detailed and experts will probably appreciate them, but if you are not prepared, your eyes can hurt. However, it has its charm, for example, I love the line from the end of the '80s, '90s, and the first years of the new century, so I feel like in heaven. It is a bit worse with the sounds which in some cases made me smile. They reminded me of sounds from old versions of Windows as if they acted as a placeholder and someone forgot to remove them before the anime was broadcast.
Music is different... In terms of the soundtrack, "Initial D" massacres most anime like Whitebeard Akainu at the Battle of Marineford! One of the most outstanding soundtracks in the history of Japanese animation - in the case of the "Legend" trilogy, "First Stage" or the "Second Stage" trilogy discussed here. If you fire up these songs while driving your car, your car will take on a golden aura, like Saiyans in the form of an SSJ. 10/10 "Deja Vu", which is flying at the decisive moment of the final race, is the same level of epicness as Unmei no Hi: Tamashi tai Tamashi from DBZ. Only, even more, considering the popularity, number of memes, and recognition in the world.
As a summary, let me just say this - if you like cars, fast driving, anime that works on emotions, or you're guys, WATCH!
Thank you for the expertise to Mateusz, Karol and Wojtek.
