Jump to content

Initial D (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Ytlow (talk | contribs) at 08:01, 27 June 2009 (Liu Keng Hong to Will Liu). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other uses, see Initial D (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Chinese Film Initial D is a 2005 Hong Kong film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak. It is a film adaptation of the Japanese Initial D manga and anime series. The catchphrase for the movie is "It's not what you drive, but what drives you".

Cast

Main article: Initial D characters and teams

Major Characters

Minor Characters

    • Chie Tanaka - Miya (Gas station girl / Itsuki's love interest)
    • Tsuyoshi Abe - Kenji (One of the gasoline boys)
    • Kazuyuki Tsumura - Mr. X (Natsuki's "papa")

Plot

Taking place in the Gunma prefecture in Japan, the film concerns a young tofu-delivery driver named Takumi Fujiwara. He has incredible skill in taking on the hairpin curves of Mt. Akina (Mt. Haruna in real-life). The film chronicles his evolution from an uninterested delivery boy into a hardened touge racer.

Takumi drives his father's (Bunta) Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX (AE86). It is seemingly unmodified but is perfectly suited for the downhill corners of Mt. Akina and gains the attention of local street racers all across the prefecture. Some ultimately challenge Takumi to battles on Akina's downhill. Ryousuke Takahashi, a driver of the Mazda RX-7 (FC3S) helps out Takumi along the way by giving him advice. While following the path of a street racer, Takumi must deal with his alcoholic father and his girlfriend who secretly engages in compensated dating.

Changes from previous versions

The movie differs from the manga and anime in several distinct ways. Some changes are significant, while others are minor.

Movie Anime/Manga/Games
Itsuki Tachibana is the spoiled brat and the son of Yuuichi Tachibana, the Gas Station manager. He is the de facto leader of the Akina Speed Stars. Kouichiro Iketani is the leader of the Akina Speed Stars, while Itsuki Takeuchi (as he is named in the original series) is an employee like Takumi at the gas station, and is more of a comic relief. Itsuki is not the son of Yuuichi Tachibana nor is he even family related.
Bunta Fujiwara is portrayed as an abusive, easily angered, alcoholic womanizer. Bunta is portrayed as a wise and often secretive father, who nurtures Takumi's "gift" of touge racing. He likes to drink, but is not an alcoholic.
Team Emperor is portrayed as a Bōsōzoku gang. Team Emperor is portrayed as a semi-professional street racing team.
Itsuki tells Takumi that Natsuki Mogi is cheating on him after noticing Mogi in another man's Mercedes-Benz driving out of a hotel. Takumi then sees Mogi in the Mercedes on the highway. In the anime, an anonymous phone call following a number of anonymous notes (later turns out to be the daughter of the middle-aged man, also a friend and classmate of Natsuki) informs Takumi that Natsuki Mogi is engaging in enjo kōsai. Takumi stakes out a family restaurant and sees Mogi entering the Mercedes together with a middle aged man. In the manga, Takumi sees the two come out of a love hotel parking lot.
Itsuki drives a Nissan Silvia K's (S13) which he crashes and later on he drives a Toyota Sprinter Trueno (AE86). Itsuki mistakenly obtains a Toyota Corolla Levin SR (AE85), thinking it is a Toyota Corolla Levin (AE86), in contrast with Takumi's Trueno. Koichiro Iketani drives the Nissan Silvia K's (S13).But Itsuki only borowedd Nissan Silvia O's (S13)
Both Takumi Fujiwara and Ryosuke Takahashi use the gutter technique Only Takumi Fujiwara and Bunta Fujiwara are ever seen to use the gutter technique.
The engine, carbon fiber hood, tachometer, and light weight headlamps are installed all at once Each of the modifications are installed separately. First, the 200+ horsepower 4A-GEU engine and then the tachometer are installed during 2nd Stage. During the 4th stage, a carbon fiberhood and light-weight headlamps are installed.
Bunta gave Takumi a cup of water to put it onto the cup holder in the AE86 the following day after Takumi breaks the tofu in the AE86's boot. Bunta warned Takumi that he'll be thrown/kicked out of his house for the night if Takumi were to spill even a single drop of it. Bunta simply gave Takumi a cup of water right on his very first day of his tofu delivery, Bunta filled the cup up a little more every time. Just telling him not to spill a single drop of it.
Takeshi Nakazato drifts when driving his R32 Takeshi Nakazato never drifts when driving his R32, as he prefers the "grip" style of driving instead.
Papa drives a Mercedes S-class Papa drives a Mercedes E-class.

Awards and nominations

Initial D received 6 wins and 9 nominations.

25th Hong Kong Film Awards

  • Winner - Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang)
  • Winner - Best New Artist (Jay Chou)
  • Winner - Best Sound Design (Kinson Tsang King-Cheung)
  • Winner - Best Visual Effects (Victor Wong, Eddy Wong, Bryan Cheung)
  • Nomination - Best Picture
  • Nomination - Best Director (Andrew Lau Wai-Keung, Alan Mak Siu-Fai)
  • Nomination - Best Editing (Wong Hoi)
  • Nomination - Best Original Score (Chan Kwong-Wing)
  • Nomination - Best Original Song ("Drifting", performed by Jay Chou)

42nd Golden Horse Awards

  • Winner - Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Wong Chau-Sang)
  • Winner - Best New Performer (Jay Chou)
  • Nomination - Best Adapted Screenplay (Felix Chong Man-Keung)
  • Nomination - Best Original Song ("Drifting", performed by Jay Chou)
  • Nomination - Best Visual Effects (Victor Wong, Eddy Wong, Bryan Cheung)
  • Nomination - Best Sound Effects (Kinson Tsang King-Cheung)

Release

Initial D was released on June 23, 2005 in several Asian markets including Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China, where it topped the box office in its first week. The film made its North American debut at The Imaginasian Theater in New York City. It went straight to DVD in Australia on October 21, 2005. It was also released in the United Kingdom on April 28, and the Philippines on July 12, 2006. Tai Seng Entertainment, the distributor of Initial D to the USA, released Initial D on Blu-ray on January 22, 2008. This is an exclusive release for the Blu-ray format.

Trivia

  • The shirt worn by Takumi in the first scene is a University of Washington Seattle Campus t-shirt.
  • The American release of the film (assumed to be the same version in all other English-speaking countries) has a different soundtrack than the original Asian market version. The Asian market release appears to have a light, house techno-style score, while the American release has an arrangement that seems to have been created for a skewed take on American tastes in music. The American release score has been considered by some to be annoying, and to take away from the overall feel of the film.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Initial_D_(film)&oldid=298902841"