Initial D
 

Now this is a great anime. Yes, I do know that the character designs look like crap, but the story, cars, racing, drifts, and development blow this one off the charts. The manga is also amazing as well but the anime just brings it to life. I must say though that TokyoPop did a really bad job at dubbing it. Well it isn't unbarable but still sucks. They even redid the opening theme! The rythem is lovable but the lyrics to the song kinda kill it. Then again there is always subbed.

What tokyopop did was try to aim it for a slightly different audience, however they couldn't get it on TV and had already paid for it to be dubbed that way

Think of it this way, you get a crap dub for cheap pricing (and besides, wonderful thing about DVDs is that you DONT have to watch the dub)

I have to say that I didn't even bother watching more than a minute of the dubbed track. Just stopped the player and switched over to the sub as quickly as I can. The characters are drawn, IMHO, horribly, but the driving scenes, like those in the manga, are done well. I'm waiting for the third volume now...

It'd be nice, though, if TkPop puts more episodes onto the discs; three each aren't enough, and the way the first disc ended... Made me run out and buy the second disc the next day, which is probably the reason they packaged it!

Ok, I have to say that what TokyoPop tried to do with the dubbed versions is just painful to watch!

I'm thankful I got my unaltered japanese version on the DVDs.

Initial-D is a classic cliff-hanger series! Almost every episode ends in a cliff-hanger! It wouldn't matter if they put 3, 4 or even 5 eps per disc. Plus the race story-arcs are diffenent lengths. This is one series that is hard to stop watching once you're hooked! So as much as I like to blame TokyoPop for everything, I can't pin this one on them.

Since I won't watch it dubbed, I don't mind it. What I do mind is the 2nd video stream for the tricked out version taking up space that could be better used for more episodes. Though I can't complain too much because they're only 20 bucks instead of the usual 30.

I don't know were you buy yours but I can get them for 14$ at BestBuy

I bought mine at DeepDiscountDVD.com for only $12 w/ free shipping.

This anime is indeed awesome. For a car tweaker like me it's a must buy but still I can't drift though. :(

The retail for the discs are $19.99 each. I think it's great that they put 3 episodes on it with that kind of price (growls at Viz). It allows room for a higher bitrate for each episode. Unfortunately, the content in it is not original. It was altered. They took out scenes that would make it cautionary for young'ns to watch *prostitution*

I got them at an anime convention for 15 each, no tax. They had volume 1 and 2 even though it was a few weeks before 2 was supposed to be released. I was refering to the msrp, which like tcov mentioned is 19.99. Also the dvds have 6 seperate episodes. 1-3 uneditted and 1-3 edited with crappy effects put in in the race scenes. There are 2 seperate video streams. The subs have the original names and while they change the wording in the subs in certain scenes, they don't cut them.

Initial D
 

How are the Initial D DVDs? I was thinking about getting the first dvd, but I want to know if its worth it.

Its worth it, but you should watch the show in japanese because the eurobeat tracks were removed in the dub and replaced with crappy music. I'm enjoying it though, finally get to see initial d on my big screen tv as opposed to the 320 by 240 original fansubs.

dont worry, im almost done with stage one :). Is there a japanese track cause im not buying it if its only dubbed?

the japanese track is on the dvds :)

Order of Initial D?
 

I want to start watching Initial D, not exactly sure what the order is. Is it 1st Stage, 2nd Stage, 3rd Stage, Battle Stage, then 4th Stage? Just want to make sure to watch in proper order, or should I have posted this in the licensed board?

I watched/am watching it in this order:

1st Stage -> 2nd Stage -> 3rd Stage -> Movie -> Battle Stage -> 4th Stage.

1st Stage, 2nd Stage, Extra Stage, 3rd Stage, Battle Stage, 4th Stage

May i know where can i d/l the 1st 3 stages of initial d?

No. You may not.

Since it is licensed I would recommend that you buy the DVDs. Read the The "Where do I buy..." Thread for more details about where to buy them.

I'll buy from my local Suncoast store, thank you for your posts.

I would'nt recommend buying the Tokyo Pop dvds. I usually am against downloading licenced anime, but in this case, TP edited the episodes of Initial D. I am really against this. Also, in the english dub they completely changed the music. IMO, the music was amazing as it was, there was no reason to change it at all. I would recommend looking for HK bootlegs, or downloads, but as this forum doesn't allow talk of where to find that kind of stuff, I won't give any links.

after watching all them stages i feel like staging a coup ! get it im "staging" it HOHHOHOHOH! Sorry can't talk im running in the 90's...

they have multiple versions on the Tokyopop dvds i've heard

even still, the unedited dvds are still edited from what i hear. so there. don't buy those dvds!

Tokyo Pop edited Initial D
 

I was just wondering if anybody knows exactly what TP edited out of Initial D. I just know that I won't watch their version becuase I don't like watching edited anime. It goes against what the creator wanted fot his show.

they basically changed the music and names

yes, they have the EDITED audiotrack and the UNEDITED audiotrack on them

The subtitled version is unaltered.

The dubbed version is a mangling worthy of DiC and 4kids.

Yet they're on the same DVD, so you get different video depending on the language track.

Tokyopop technically didn't edit anything for content in the English version, they just localized it by changing the names and music, and - as with nearly every English dub - rewrote the scripts to make it more... American. Also, I heard Tokyopop did a few things to "snazz up" the CGI racing scenes - like splitting the screen four ways, inverting colors, adding fancy transitions, etc. You know, to give it that "MTV" style to cater towards those who have ADD (See? Isn't Tokyopop nice?).

Just watch the subtitled version on the same disc - if you're looking for faithfulness to the original, that should always be your choice anyway.

My only confusion comes from the reports I've heard of people saying that Tokyopop edited the translations for the subtitles. I've heard one example used over and over, though. A line that's supposed to be something like "I've seen you naked before" or something was changed to "I've seen you in a bathing suit before"... or something. I've never seen Initial D, so I don't know what the line was supposed to be nor do I know what Tokyopop changed it to, nor do I know if this type of editing happens more than just that time. Lots of people complained about that one line yet made it sound like Tokyopop did this type of thing multiple time throughout the anime, so I don't know which is the case. If it was just that one line, then no big deal - mistakes happen. But if they did this all throughout the anime then you might as well go R2 shopping.

Hang on, outwith Dic and 4kids, what other american companies have altered things in the dub to localise it? Okay Initial D yes, but name me others?

Well, I hear the Love Hina dub tones down the sexuality.

no way, the actors just suck

How many Stages will there be in total for Initial D? So far I saw 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Extra, and Battle. Although Battle is just battles from the 3 stages. I guess I'll go and start watching whatever is available for 4th Stage at the moment. Good anime so far, weak story, but good racing.

All English dubs contain localization through the writing in some way or another - either they add American pop culture refrences, add American slang, rewrite certain things to exclude a Japanese cultural thing and/or add an American one, etc. but if you mean by localization, changing music and names, then... oh let's see... Saban is the only distributor that comes to mind immediately - they were responsible for the first two seasons of Dragon Ball Z, Mon Colle Knights, Samurai Pizza Cats, the first three seasons of Digimon, and countless others.

Miramax, who dubbed Sonny Pig and released it as Tokyo Pig, did a full scale replacement of music and stuff in that. Shogakuken Productions (ShoPro) is, evidently, responsible for the English Inuyasha dub (Viz is just the distributor... although they have heavy ties with ShoPro, so...) and that didn't have replaced music or anything, but another more recent show that ShoPro dubbed into English, Rockman EXE or Mega Man NT Warrior, does contain those changes.

I know there are plenty more I can't think of at the moment - mostly children's series. Oh, obviously, there's Nelvana - the ones responsible for dubbing Cardcaptor Sakura and Beyblade/Beyblade V-Force... oh and Medabots (Medarots) too.

Oh, and how could I forget - Manga likes to replace music and change names as well in many of their titles. Not all, obviously - End of Evangelion and Death and Rebirth as well as Ghost in the Shell and Perfect Blue weren't done this way; but a lot of their other dubs were.... otherwise...

Well. there we have it. Kids anime and OLD titles from combaies..... So much for every title released in america being altered. Im looking up at my dvd collection and i can count on 1 hand the amount of titles that have "americanised" over the Japanese.

And CCS got a UNCUT subtitled release, so there is no point in trying to use that. Tokyo Pig i thought was 4kids, though i maybe wrong.

It's true that Tokyopop included two versions of Initial D on their DVDs (thus sneakily letting them double the running time they can put on the box), but it's a little more complicated than that. Slip the DVD in and it asks you to choose between the "Classic" (Japanese dub, English subtitles, original art/CG, original music) and "Tricked Out" (English dub with changed names, no subtitles, extra CG effects during the racing scenes, new opening theme) versions. You can also "Customise your ride" (God I hate these terms), and choose which audio, subtitle and video layer you want to watch.

The idea of a Japanese dub, subtitles and a new video layer was interesting, but the new effects just make it look like someone was terribly bored and wanted to try out all these video filters they'd never used before...

Classic all the way!

NOOO trhe music is the best part >.< dude who can change that????

They did, and turned round and said "Well ours sounds better anyway" on animeondvd.com forums. Nice of them really.

Well your 'customization' is a new way of watching Initial D, especially when you have seen the original video dozens of times already.

But the entirely 'customized' Tricked Out version is one of the most radical modifications I have ever seen. I really hate the new music, even if you say it's Americanized for 2 Fast 2 Furious fans it still doesn't match. Think Tokyo Mew Mew -> Hollywood Mew Mew.

"Initialiiiiiiiiiiize! Customiiiiiiiiiiize! Energiiiiiiiiiiize! Initialiiiiiiiiiiiize!"
The Tricked Out OP is SO BAD IT'S GOOD!

When did I say that every title in America was altered in this way? I didn't. I said that nearly all English dubs contain localization and thus, in general, aren't the way to go if you want something faithful to the original. But localization doesn't always mean that they cut or fused episodes, changed names, or replaced music - it means anything that was changed in an attempt to make it more acceptable / enjoyable for the English speaking audience - i.e., dialogue and cultural refrences. And, yes, nearly every single English dub contains them - hence the reason I recommend that anyone who cares about faithfulness to the original just watch the subtitled version by default.

I don't have any problems with English dubs - I watch them all the time myself, and I don't care if everyone else in the world watches English dubs exclusively over the original version. I don't, however, think people should ever watch English dubs and expect faithfulness to the original, or, mostly, I can't stand it when people watch an English dub and then complain becuase it wasn't faithful enough to the original or because "the original was better" - there will always be changes in the translation from Japanese to English, and it's damn near impossible to keep the scripts, dialogue, and cultural refrences fully intact while lip-syncing, choosing the proper voice actors, and the other things that go into an English dub. When you watch an English dub, you should always be accepting of any types of localization done and should expect to see nothing less than a foreign interpretation of Japanese work. When you want something faithful to the original, just watch the original. Simple as that. Again, don't take this as dub bashing - it's not. I love English dubs, I just think it's ludicrous to ever watch them and expect true faithfulness to the original when 99% of the time you could just be watching the original.

Also, I think I specifically stated that very few titles now have a fullscale replacement of music and changing of names and stuff - and yes, it is all children's series and older stuff, as well. I never said otherwise; I didn't mean to make too big a deal of this in my reply, but I can't stand it when people put words into my mouth.

Initial D
 

Well here it goes... is initial d second stage a new story then the first stage or ?? cause if not i might just watch that and not the others? :help: