Initial D

Okay, I'll admit it. I'm a middle aged guy and I've been watching the Funimation dubs of Initial D on Netflix. And, you know what? I'm really enjoying it. I'm half way through "Third Stage". Finished the race with the SW20 last night and stopped there.

No, it's not the be all end all, and it's funny when the guy looks at his rotory engine and talks about the pistons. But it's fun and I get why "the kids" dig it. And, yeah, I kinda want a AE86 now.

So what about you guys. Anyone else brave enough to admit they kinda like it? I've read the Funimation dubs are way better than whatever English dubs people had to watch before, so maybe other folks have experienced it for the first time recently.

Watched the complete series. Loved every minute. I found that the ones with subtitles were better than the ones dubbed.

Cone_Junky wrote: Watched the complete series. Loved every minute. I found that the ones with subtitles were better than the ones dubbed.

I found the english dubbed ones (that a buddy bought off ebay for a KAJILLION dollars per season) was REALLY good. I hate subtitles

A few years ago I watched the first several seasons in the span of a few weeks, then forgot about the show while waiting for the following season to debut in Japan. Good show (most of the time).

agree with cone junky. I downloaded them when I was in middle school and there were no dubbed versions yet, so now If I watch the dubbed ones they sound wierd. There wasn't a 4th stage at that point either so I was able to revive my Initial D craving when that came out.

I also want a AE86... and an RX7, but I got an RX8 and that's even better! Please don't kill me RX7 people, i just say it's better because I have a warranty, so when my engine gives up I get another one! Though the NA renesis engines have been fairly blow up resistant... I mean, compared to the RX7 turbos, but those have a blow up percentage somewhere near that of landmines.

funny... i'm watching it right now lol.. on netflix.

I knew about it back in the early 2k's... but on dial up I never downloaded em... when they came out with the tokyopop version in the store I bought em though the 2nd season...

at some point I DL and started watching the ones with subtitles and they where much better than the tokyopop stuff...

the ones on netflix are dubed in english and MUCH better and closer to the subtitle/original... tokyopop changed the story line a bit to make it a bit less risque I suppose

I watched some of the subtitled stuff when I rented it from blockbuster a few years ago. It was ok. I want to give it another shot sometime.

I have and like the live action movie, which apparently many Initial D fans werent too crazy about, I guess because it doesnt stay true to the original story in some ways. Whatever. I thought it was a pretty good movie, and of course some cool cars and driving scenes.

I rented the live action movie, and I gotta say, it probably put me off watching the cartoon for a while.

I had my 1st three stages imported to me... never actually watched any of it in english. I managed to find region free japanese ones for stage 4 as well, had those imported, and actually managed to find a copy of the live action movie in an FYE at the Mall of America of all places. So yeah, totally into it.

I like the subbed series. as that was the only thing available back in the day. the live action was a gift, which I have yet to watch. Good to hear the series is available on Netflix.

I liked how the father uses the cup of the water in the car. And the time he puts in the race engine, but tells the son "It's fixed."

Love it, subtitles for me but haven't watched it in a few years. There are different subtitle versions though, same deal with the dubbed versions, slightly changed storyline or dialogue to be less risque. But then again this was back when the episodes first came out and we were waiting for the next episode to be subtitled, so maybe things have changed.

I've never seen the anime, but I have read the first 5 volumes or so of the Tokyopop manga translations. I found them entertaining enough and I blamed the idiotic parts on bad translation.

Unfortunately I was also administering a large Gran Turismo forum when ID was insanely popular with illiterate 14-year-old mouth breathers who were convinced that God Himself drove an AE86 and who were ready to commit their pimply suburban existences to being apostles of the Dorifto lifestyle.

A LOT of the subtitled ones are fansubs or grey market hong kong subs, and that's where you run into the different translations. IDK about the Tokyopop/funimation ones, never even looked at em.

Love the whole series. Like most things, the books (alright, nerds, manga if you must...) are way better than the cartoons/movies. Especially the live action movie—though it still wasn't too bad.

I just wore my Takahashi RX7 shirt yesterday, and Andy Reid had never heard of Initial D. Now he's hooked too.

When we rented Hallett for the day, there was a father/son pair with a turbo FC and FD. I called them the Takahashi Brothers.

Watched it way back when, watched it again when I found it on Netflix.

It's still great.

The music is pretty good for driving. I want to rewatch, but my bootlegs are crap, and I just don't like dubbed anime. After the Tokyopop release failing so hard, I have kinda shunned InitalD in US release.

Whenever I watch FLCL, I can't stop thinking about buying an old Vespa. I totally understand wanting the various cars in InitialD.

INITIALLLLLL DEEEE!

Derick Freese wrote: The music is pretty good for driving. I want to rewatch, but my bootlegs are crap, and I just don't like dubbed anime. After the Tokyopop release failing so hard, I have kinda shunned InitalD in US release. Whenever I watch FLCL, I can't stop thinking about buying an old Vespa. I totally understand wanting the various cars in InitialD. INITIALLLLLL DEEEE!

Look for a possible re-release on a company called Funimation- I think. Whatever it is- this stuff. http://www.amazon.com/Initial-First-Stage-Part-One/dp/B003SPDSBC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1304713418&sr=8-2-spell

LOTS better than that Tokyopop ish. I was glad that when I had imported mine, and discovered that Tokyopop was doing it, that I had imported mine. My 4th stage is by Funimawhatever and it's rock solid.

Derick Freese wrote: After the Tokyopop release failing so hard, I have kinda shunned InitalD in US release.

I think I must be lucky that I never saw it. I hear it is really bad and has all kinds of "Fast and the Furious" slang in it to make them all sound like gangstas.

All mine are fan-subbed. y0.

fast_eddie_72 wrote:

Derick Freese wrote: After the Tokyopop release failing so hard, I have kinda shunned InitalD in US release.

I think I must be lucky that I never saw it. I hear it is really bad and has all kinds of "Fast and the Furious" slang in it to make them all sound like gangstas.

You have NO idea. It was a total mess. They changed all the characters names (Takumi is Tak, Iketuni is Ike and so on) Bad juju. The worst part was they changed all the subs for the US release of the Initial D arcade game to match the Tokyopop garbage.

I found the RX7 with pistons -

http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2362881104.html

"4 banger" "NOTHING WRONG !! "

Uh. If it's a "4 banger", something's wrong.

Thanks to a friend of mine, I was able to watch it before it was released to the US. No English dub, just subtitles. Only thing that would play them was my PS2. Watched the first 2 seasons and a "special Stage" movie, as those were that was released to Japan at the time. This was like in 2000 or about that time.

I loved it.

Watched and read it for awhile, bad translation turned me off the T-pop manga. When someone said "we can still get crunk" it was all over for me. The concept was good but did anyone notice (in the manga) that one race would be a whole book with few words? For more car anime, catch eX-Driver. Weak plot but great art work.

fast_eddie_72 wrote: I found the RX7 with pistons - http://denver.craigslist.org/cto/2362881104.html "4 banger" "NOTHING WRONG !! " Uh. If it's a "4 banger", something's wrong.

I like the part about it being 'great on gas' too. If it actually had a 4 banger, it would be great on gas I bet.