Category Archives: manga

Initial D parody sees an R32 Skyline GT-R touge battle a Lincoln Town Car limousine

If there’s any question about how influential Initial D is, the references to it in popular culture should provide a clue. It’s been parodied in countless other works, but one of the nuttiest we’ve seen has to be this touge … Continue reading

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Before Initial D, its author penned the illegal motorcycle racing manga Bari Bari Densetsu

Shuichi Shigeno is best known for penning the seminal touge battle manga Initial D, which played a huge part in bringing drifting to the US. But long before the beloved panda AE86 delivered its first tofu order, there was Bari … Continue reading

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Here’s what Initial D would look like if it took place in America

The web has countless works of art inspired by Initial D, but here’s a completely original take on the seminal anime. A “what if” short imagines what the touge racing tale would look like if it took place in America. … Continue reading

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Initial D sequel anime MF Ghost debuts next week

If you’ve been jonesing for some automotive anime action, your time has come. MF Ghost, the long awaited follow-up to Initial D, will make its debut this coming Sunday. Like its predecessor, it follows the tale of an unlikely racing … Continue reading

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Overtake, a new racing anime, is coming this fall

The world is still waiting for the next Initial D, the last racing anime to really take the globe by storm. Could a new series about open wheel racing take the mantle? Titled Overtake, the series focuses on Formula 4, … Continue reading

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Art exhibition celebrating Initial D creator Shuichi Shigeno opens in Japan

An art exhibition in Japan has opened to honor 40 years of art by Shuichi Shigeno, the author of Initial D. Long before the tale of a tofu delivery boy street racing his beloved Toyota AE86 hit the newsstands, Shigeno’s … Continue reading

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In MF Ghost‘s second trailer, the Toyota 86 seems massively outgunned

The upcoming racing anime from the creators of Initial D now has a second trailer. We get some extended footage of Kanata’s neo-Hachiroku, as well as those of his supercar competitors. Of course, there is also plenty of Eurobeat.

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Acura anime series “Chiaki’s Journey” has Initial D vibes

Acura has launched its own anime series, titled Chiaki’s Journey. The story features a young driver, a lonely mountain road, a cocky rival, and a gruff father figure that pushes her to hone her driving skills. Sound familiar? It’s like … Continue reading

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Initial D‘s beloved characters: “Where are they now?” according to MF Ghost

We last wrote about MF Ghost in 2017, when Shuichi Shigeno had but published one chapter in Young Weekly, the same manga serial that Initial D ran in from 1995-2013. Back then, little was known about the plot, but now … Continue reading

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Initial D successor MF Ghost anime in the works

Turn up the Eurobeat. Successor to the beloved Initial D, Shuichi Shigeno’s MF Ghost has been in publication since 2017. With four years of weekly stories under its belt, publisher Kodansha announced today that, like its forebearer, MF Ghost would … Continue reading

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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Circuit Wolf author Satoshi Ikezawa

If you’re wondering why Japan seems to have an inordinate number of Lotus Europas, the answer can be found in Satoshi Ikezawa’s Circuit Wolf. From January 1975 to June 1979, the wildly popular manga was one of the many car-themed … Continue reading

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VIDEO: Honda’s early F1 years, told in manga form

Honda periodically releases videos that tell its history in manga form. The latest is about Honda’s early years competing in Formula One. In 1964, just two years after Honda produced its first cars, it formed an team to take on … Continue reading

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ART CORNER: Ryuji Tsugihara’s Yoroshiku Mechadoc

There are countless manga devoted to the subject of cars, but rarely do they leap off their comic book pages into the world of anime. Any self-respecting JNCer knows a few, but before Initial D or Wangan Midnight, before even Shakotan Boogie, there … Continue reading

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NEWS: After 18 years of touge battles, this is how Initial D ends

The final chapter of the long running manga Initial D was released yesterday in Japan. After 18 years of publication the hugely influential story that introduced touge battles and the glory of RWD Japanese cars to a whole generation of … Continue reading

Posted in manga, toyota | Tagged , , , , , , , | 42 Comments

Question of the Week: What is the most overrated nostalgic car?

We’ve asked what the most underrated nostalgic was, but we neglected to find its flip side.  Thus we ask you this week. What is the most overrated nostalgic car? The one car which we had high expectations for — because of … Continue reading

Posted in manga, minicars, nissan, Question of the Week | Tagged , , , , , , , | 39 Comments

MINICARS: Hot Wheels’ mid-engined Honda CR-X

In 1981 Hot Wheels debuted the Hot Ones, a line of diecast cars with an articulating suspension and thin axles for a smooth, frictionless ride across your tabletop. Mattel has been busy re-launching many of the iconic cars from this series, as well … Continue reading

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Arthur Garage, Used Car Dealer Manga

Here’s another car-based manga to add to your library in addition to Initial-D, Wangan Midnight and Garage Restore 251. It’s Arthur Garage, a series published in Kodansha’s Weekly Young Magazine. From what we can gather based on extremely limited Japanese … Continue reading

Posted in bosozoku, manga | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

New Wangan Midnight Movie in the Works

Recently in our forum there’s been an ongoing discussion about the Wangan Midnight movie from back in the days of VHS. The story of the Devil Z has also been retold in anime and its original manga form. Now it … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, manga, nissan | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Datsun Fairlady Z: The Manga

DMP’s Project X: Datsun Fairlady Z, tells the story of the iconic Japanese sports car in graphic form. Unlike Wangan Midnight, this is non-fiction and  has characters like Mr. K and Yoshihiko Matsuo. The description goes like this. In 1960s … Continue reading

Posted in datsun, manga, nissan | 4 Comments

The Real Speed Racer

The new Speed Racer live-action seizure movie opened this weekend to poor reviews. Therefore, we thought it would be nice to see some of the original Japanese anime about a boy and his car. We can all relate to that, … Continue reading

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