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Initial D, Shuichi Shigeno’s monumental manga that started serialization in 1995 and spanned for 18 years, will be adapted into an anime film in 2014 with a Japan-wide theatrical release set for Aug. 23. The grand battle for justice between the Takahashi brothers and Takumi will start this summer. This movie has the potential to become a blockbuster appealing to various kinds of audiences, including anime fans, movie fans, manga fans, and car fans.
The title of the movie has also been revealed: New Initial D: The Movie - Legend 1: The Awakening. As one can guess from the title, this is going to be a film series, a trilogy to be exact, as it was recently revealed. This movie marks the 35th anniversary of Young Magazine (Kodansha) in which the original manga was serialized, making it a series of epic length. The series’ beginning is depicted in the film. The official page also reopened on Feb. 4 and will be actively distributing news from now on.
The staff is another reason to look forward to this movie. It is directed by Masamitsu Hidaka from Linebarrels of Iron, and Mayori Sekijima from Phi Brain: Puzzle of God is writing the script. Sanzigen, a studio with a reputation for 3D CG anime, and Liden Films, members of the Ultra Super Pictures group, are taking on production. The car action parts will be the highlights of the movie, and seeing how the staff brings that onto the canvas will without a doubt be worth watching.
The original manga Initial D is a super best-seller with more than 48.6 million volumes sold, and it was also the reason the world of street racers racing in the mountains became widely known.
The protagonist is Fujiwara Takumi, who, driving an old Toyota AE86, defeats his rivals with the newest sports cars one after another with his shocking drifting skills. Besides the heat of competition, the adolescent drama aspect is another point worthy of note. Initial D has countless preceding anime adaptations as well, including a five-season anime series, the 2001 movie Initial D Third Stage, and OVAs. There is also a 2005 live-action adaptation filmed in Hong Kong, starring international idol Jay Chou. Meanwhile, this new movie will be something we could call a compilation of the series. We expect new developments starting in August.
Source: animeanime
© 2014 New Initial D: The Movie Production Committee