Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Initial D Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov October 11, 2008

Based on the comic books and characters by Shuichi Shigeno “Initial D” (2005) targets a very specific demographic group with a particular interest in street racing. Taiwanese heartthrob Jay Chou might have been the big ticket in Asia securing pic a great run at the box-office but in North America his contribution will remain largely unnoticed. For speed junkies only!

Takumi (Chou) is a quiet boy working two part-time jobs - a tofu delivery boy and a gas station attendant. His best friend Itsuki (Chapman To), son of the gas station’s owner, gets in trouble with a group of street racers who challenge him in an all-out night race. Having developed terrific driving skills while working as a tofu delivery boy Takumi decides to help his friend but not before he enrages his father (Anthony Wong), an ex-racer with a serious drinking problem. On the tricky slopes of Mount Akina Takumi will show everyone who the best and fastest driver is.

The race is on

An incredible hit in Asia Initial D could be quite the cinematic enigma for many US viewers. Slick, fast-paced, and impressively photographed the film feels very much like an import version of Rob Cohen’s The Fast and the Furious (2001). From the heavy emphasis on speeding to the MTV-esque pop beats complimenting the story Initial D is nothing but eye-candy meant to entertain.

So, why a cinematic enigma you may ask? The Fast and the Furious did not only incredibly well at the box-office but even ended up spurring some rather questionable sequels. The short answer is the manga-rooted background Initial D boasts (obviously a much bigger factor for Asian markets). The longer answer has to do with the near cult status Jay Chou enjoys in Asia guaranteeing that any film with his name attached to it automatically makes a huge chunk of money at the box-office.

Technically however Initial D certainly gets most everything a racing flick requires perfectly (Andy Lau's touch is obvious). Impressive cut-and-zoom camerawork, terrific angles, and appropriate lighting allow for a mostly pain-free experience where the wannabe street-racers will uncover plenty to admire. The big off-putting issue here is the impressively rough humor which simply does not translate well into English and is guaranteed to produce a substantial amount of head-scratching.

I am unsure how truthful Initial D is to the famous manga series. I have never been exposed to them and aside from seeing sporadic bits of promotional work on the net I am afraid my knowledge on the subject is extremely limited. I personally approached Initial D strictly from a curiosity standpoint and my evaluation of it is purely based on its strengths and weaknesses as a feature film. As such I find it to be relatively well composed for the genre it represents which also means that I don’t see it as having the mass type of appeal it had in Asia amongst US teenagers.

Where Initial D delivers big is the realistic tone of the race scenes. None of these appear to have been tweaked by the CGI wizards and what you see is absolutely real. It is probably a good idea to take a look at the “Making Of” featurette provided on this disc as it certainly sheds a great deal of light on how some of the driving is done. Suffice to say, you must keep in mind that the drivers in Initial D are professionals with serious records therefore attempting to replicate their attractive but dangerous style of racing is anything but a good idea.

Initial D Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG4-AVC, and granted a 1080p transfer Initial D arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of US distributors Tai Seng Entertainment. My immediate impressions were that this is a strong transfer with excellent color-scheme reproduction, good contrast levels, and a degree of detail that would certainly please those who expect a great deal of improvement over the SDVD treatment. Shot predominantly at night Initial D does offer a variety of scenes where grain is prevalent. As expected, I noticed some discrepancies in the video quality. The majority of it had to do with how light is treated and depending on the camera positioning some of these specific scenes tend to look slightly less detailed than others. Logically, during some of the better lit scenes there is stronger clarity but I also spotted a minor dose of edge enhancement (a good example is the overhead shot at the tofu shop in the first half of the film) that comes with it as well. Therefore, the biggest issue with this disc is the fact that there is a slight inconsistency with the manner in which the video transfer is handled - a slightly better balance would have been preferred. The actual print on the other hand is in top-notch condition and I did not detect any scratches, debris, or dirt. In conclusion, Initial D looks very good on Blu-ray and it is a definite improvement over the existing SDVD release.

Initial D Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are four different tracks on this disc -Cantonese: PCM 5.1, Cantonese: Dolby Digital 5.1, Mandarin: Dolby Digital 5.1, and English: Dolby Digital 5.1. I opted for the PCM track and suffice to say I was truly impressed with how deep, potent, and convincing it is. As mentioned earlier Initial D is very much a show-off picture where screeching tires, accelerating engines, and loud gear-shifting are in abundance. Therefore, a solid audio presentation is definitely required to fully appreciate what is taking place on the screen. And this is exactly what Tai Seng have delivered – thunderous bass and very impressive use of the surround channels. This being said, there are so many examples to point where the audio treatment is absolutely perfect. I suppose just about every night scene where Jay Chow races could be used to test your audio system. On a slightly different note, even though I disliked the soundtrack the film boasts, the music comes off the speakers marvelously. All in all the audio treatment is indeed the strongest asset of this Blu-ray disc and I would be immensely surprised if you weren't impressed by it once you finished watching Initial D. For the record, I did switch to the English dub a few times and it is exactly what I expected it to be – terrible bordering hilarious. Traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, and English subtitles are offered (I must note that I detected a couple of syntax errors).

Initial D Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are a number of supplemental materials on this Blu-ray disc and some of them are indeed quite good. Perhaps the most insightful bit is the "Making Of" documentary where you could learn about the ins and outs of street racing and specifically the manner in which racing cars are maintained. There is a great deal of technical info about brakes, shocks, and all sorts of other important mechanical parts that must be in top-notch condition when thinking about racing (and you should certainly think twice before committing to it). Next, there is a "Behind the Scenes" featurette where you could see how the actual racing scenes are shot. The multiple camera angles for example are explained quite well and as far as I am concerned they provide a whole new "edge" to what Initial D already has plenty of. Next, the producers of this disc have offered an interesting feature titled simply "Characters" where each of the main protagonists in this film is compared to the cartoon character(s) they represent. In addition to the original theatrical trailer and a single TV spot there is also a very funny deleted scene which should have found its niche into the final cut of Initial D. There is also a larger gallery of "Outtakes" consisting mostly of spoofs (some also rather hilarious). Finally, there are two promo pieces, one from Shanghai and one from Japan, where additional racing (Shanghai) and press-conference (Japan) footage is provided.

Initial D Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Initial D is a genre picture whose only mission is to entertain. In a very specific manner involving street racing. I understand that there is a large audience for these sorts of events and from what I gather racing in itself is very much a type of culture kids are fascinated with. This being said, the appeal Initial D had for me was minimal. Still, I enjoyed a few of the proficiently filmed night-time racing scenes but this was just about everything I could stomach. The Blu-ray disc, courtesy of Tai Seng Entertainment, is of very good quality with the audio presentation in particular being rock-solid. If this is your type of cinema go for it, you won't be disappointed.