Search - Initial D - Battle 8 - Rain Battle on DVD

Two exciting warm-up races to get us ready for the big one

Brian Camp | Bronx, NY | 07/10/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This volume serves as the build-up to the big race between Takumi and the region's unbeaten star racer, Ryosuke Takahashi, which appears in Volume 9 and closes out the first season of this spectacular anime series about downhill mountain road racing in Japan's Gunma Prefecture. We start here with a nighttime race between Ryosuke's younger brother Keisuke (who'd been beaten by Takumi back in Vol. 2) and Nakazato, a challenger from the Myogi Night Kids. At the end of the race, one of Keisuke's teammates on the Red Suns decides on the spot to challenge Takumi, who's there as a spectator, to an impromptu downhill race-in the rain!!! Tak nonchalantly agrees and tells buddy Itsuki to get in the car with him as he'll simply drive him home and drop him off after the race. Be prepared for some of Itsuki's funniest freak-out moments as they take the hairpin curves at incredible speeds in the pouring rain. The third episode on the disc gives the characters some much-needed downtime as they prepare for the big race in Vol. 9.

Not one volume of this series has ever disappointed me. One of the great things about this one is that the animation keeps getting better and better, particularly in regards to details of location, atmosphere and the mechanics of racing. The addition of a driving rain to the race in episode 23 (the second on the disc) means adding a whole extra layer of digital animation to the piece. There are some remarkable p-o-v shots from within the cars as the windows are being pelted with rain. Throughout these episodes, the animators put in extraordinary effort to give viewers a palpable sense of place in the nighttime scenes on the mountain roads. We get to experience what the darkness looks, sounds, and feels like on these roads, where all but a few stop areas are illuminated only by the passing headlights. We understand why the teens congregate there and take such an active interest in this subculture. We feel their excitement and it all adds up to a rare kind of viewing experience that we simply don't get from American animation.
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One word for Danny in this dvd: haha serves you right!!!

Dennis Jiang | Visalia, California USA | 05/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oh man this dvd was exciting. In the beginning you get to view the R32 going up against the FD. This race seemed interesting and I'm a big fan of the R32, but I already knew how this race was going to end. After the race a street racer from the Red Suns challenges Tak to a rain battle and he even dares to attack Taks pride. So he got what he deserved and now Danny can just shut his trap and keep it shut. Even though he had a huge advantage in the rain Tak still manages to catch up and still kick is sorry A##. I would advise this dvd to anyone who owns the previous dvds. This would also be a good dvd just to watch."