Hey All! I took a break from making videos and now I feel like I forgot that I invested money into crypto and came back to it multiplied. Thank you for all the love! I'm happy to see that you're enjoying the videos, and I think it's high time I started making them again. In the meantime - you can familiarize yourselves with me and some of the car things I've done in this video: ruclips.net/video/H5Y5JiKFyZo/видео.html
Alright I'm actually back this time. 2 new videos already up, 2 more getting edited, and I can't ignore the fanservice nightmare that is MF Ghost. Here we go.
Hiramoto's Story arc.That's the story arc that define Wangan Midnight for me Initial D characters "just" have their cars. While Wangan Midnight characters have a job or struggle to afford their cars.
Hiramoto arc was certainly very compelling. The dude sacrificed a lot for the sake of street racing, and I think the significant sacrifices just never made sense to me. It all turned out well in the end though. I agree that Initial D doesn't focus on a lot of the real life troubles, however I don't think it ever cared to. I'll elaborate more on that in the video that's coming up.
The 2 stories that impact me the most was the guy who bought the GTR right before his baby was born and the kid with the Silver Supra. Especially the Silver Supra kid, he was stuck in time while everyone else was moving forward with their lives.
Kei’supra arc was ment to teach car guys that u don’t always have to fallow what ur friends are doing and to continue what u love no matter what cause at the end he makes new friends and is told to keep driving if that makes him happy
I personally found homie with the gtr arc kinda ridiculous. I cant say I'm above living off impulse but man abandoning your wife when shes about to pop is kinda goofy.
I was also stunned by thar Skyline R33 nerdy driver, Takayuki Kuroki from the R-200 Club. He's someone par with Kitami Jun tuning and even manages to stay ahead of Asakura for a long time. Even when he rips the crankshaft, Akio help him by pushing it out of the tunnel. Later, we are informed that Akio's Fairlady destroyed its own clutch and had some electrical seizure, not running also. This is far more sticking to the true underground culture of machines and racing than the usual ignorance and arrogance of Initial-D. Wangan is more somber, gloomy, deadly and will not take wounds easily. Everyone's gonna break or crash anytime. Countless times Akio crashes and rebuild his own car, living a miserable life for that price to pay. What lacked in Initial-D, certainly we got in Wangan Midnight. Well, certainly it doesn't have the memes or charm of mountain pass, but the thrills of reality hit quicker and deeper, swinging between cars at 300 kph.
This anime literally gave me the idea to tear down the engine on one of my cars and rebuild it as a way to learn and get into cars. Do I regret it? No. Am I crazy? Yes.
It gave me the strength to tear apart my 92 MR2 NA to replace the timing belt, fuel filter, water pump to move 7 states back home. 3 day drive later and she made it. I wonder how you were able to tear a whole engine apart logistically speaking, but godspeed mate.
This anime is honestly so amazing to me. It's inspired me to have a dream of being like Akio and racing above 240 KM/H. But at the same time the anime still shows the risks and consequences of being a street racer.. (unlike initial D which never really showed that)... It's an amazing story and I have to see how being a real highway racer like Akio can work out...
Good to see some like-minded people here. Fortunately I found a less dangerous path in attempting to get into professional racing leagues like IMSA or Indycar
@@frostblght Well, I choose the Wangan and C1 Loop path but I can see how shitty dangerous it could be to race there. Well, that means I should be careful a lot.
i feel it im obssesed with the idea of touge but no good places to race near me and even if there were not much if no competition and its very dangerous
I think it is the devil mechanic who says something like "it's not a matter of winning of loosing, is just some will stick around, and some will give up". Really nice series
@@mrlt1 The tuner equivalent of Einstein, with an aura of being on the brink of madness, always chuckling to himself. As someone training as a mechanic, I want to be a tuner with even a shred of Kitami's prowess.
true but i think it takes technique as well considering when they have to swerve through traffic and keep the car straight going that fast as well as timing your gearshifts correctly and braking however your also correct as well as touge takes a special kind of finesse
@@dr.dylansgame5583 . Yes very true. However sangam midnight does point out the fact that when chasing top speed there is never a limit. Top speed is a drug
For me Initial D was about hype racing fantasy (a good one). Overrev was about technique, tuning, and life with cars from a more common person's perspective. Wangan Midnight was about the sacrifices and decisions _some_ extremely passionate gearheads made, and some tuning here and there. I just want Overrev anime already...
when watching Wangan Midnight there were a couple times where I genuinely cried when experiencing the stories of the various characters, I can't say the same for Initial D. as good as Initial D is it doesn't capture the sense of spiritual fulfillment that myself and many others experience when given the opportunity to truly go flat out in a car, even with the driver's "auras" that show up from time to time that's more of a representation of the driver's skill rather than their emotions. In Wangan Midnight though we never see it visually we can feel the connection between Akio and the Devil Z as if the car has it's own personality, and in seeing the arks and backstories of the secondary characters we get to see that the spiritual fulfillment gained through speed is often a trade off it never comes without cost to some other aspect of your life. Initial D may be more popular and have more intense battles but Wangan Midnight in my opinion has a more interesting story, Initial D is an underdog story about the path to becoming a legend, but Wangan Midnight is a character study about the passion many feel towards cars and weather or not it's worth it for an individual to peruse that passion. this random comment is better than any thesis I've ever had to write for a class and it's about a somewhat obscure street racing anime and I will gain nothing for having written it.
Yeah both anime's have their pro's and con's, Wangan Midnight felt more real and drew more from real life, for example portraying people into cars getting into debt and even legal problems, that actually happened to the real life Blackbird owner.
Legendary fc arc when Kajima sees it for the first time in years choked me up. If you've been wrenching for any amount of time or built many cars there will always be ones that are special that you remember or regret selling. That scene alone stands out most for me.
This anime gave me the push I need to buy the old mk4 supra that had been sitting in the garage of an old man for 7 years. That's been 3 years ago. 2 hours ago if been in the road with it. At 325 kmh. Thank you wangan midnight. You made me work towards my dream.
I hate how people constantly compare Wangan Midnight to Initial D just because both are racing franchises. WM doesn't even try to imitate ID by any means, yet fanboys still autistically screech about Akio being "bootleg Takumi" (despite WM manga predating ID by several years), the lack of drifting (it's just a straight road bro!111oneoneleven) and of course - that there's no eurobeat. Some other criticisms include lack of character development - while in fact Akio goes from that wannabe racer kid with shit-eating grin on his face who tried to race the Blackbird with a stock Z31 to a formidable driver, all while mastering a car that could claim him as its next victim. This is evident in that scene where those two fools over-estimate their own skills and crash their red GT-R. Also I really like Akio's dedication to his passion, sometimes he's downright stubborn when it comes to his car - with everybody telling him to abandon that Z in favor of any other car. Then there's Jun Kitami, who at the start of the series works at his own bike workshop, trying to forget the past events that nearly ruined his life, only to return to his old ways upon learning that his greatest creation still cruises through the expressways of Tokyo. Reluctant at first, he returns to his former passion, tuning both Devil Z and Blackbird. Or Kijima, who throughout the series is shown as a Drive Go Go show host and drives a Mercedes R129, only to reveal his past to the audience near the end, before setting off to find his FD and take another shot at street racing versus the legends of Wangan-sen. Many Initial D fanboys criticize Wangan Midnight for the supposed lack of skills of the main cast, as in - just tune your vehicle for ridiculous amount of horsepower and you're the king. Well... no. Imagine you're driving a highway bullet at speeds exceeding 300 km/h while skimming through traffic or other obstacles. You've got very little time to react, and one wrong thought, one wrong move is a guaranteed death sentence in this scenario. It gets even more difficult on the more curvy C1 loop. Oh, and music? Sure, sure, eurobeat is a class of its own, for good reasons (to the point of being overrated), but that doesn't mean Wangan Midnight is bad in the soundtrack department. The omnious latin chanting in Voice of S30Z (and its variations) gives the show a really dark mood, and don't tell me you wouldn't floor it while hearing Speed of S30Z. Knock Down, Who, Feedback Landing, Scud Rockin' and Speed Addiction are also very good high-octane tracks for driving. And to contrast all of these, there are relaxing songs that wouldn't be out of place in menus of a Gran Turismo game. Though I gotta say, the real counterpart to eurobeat is the music from Maximum Tune games by Yuzo Koshiro.
You didn't even mention how it portrays the idea of a car being more than just a machine, more than the sum of it's parts. The idea that the car has a soul. That was the first thing that made my like Wangan Midnight more than Initial D, that it showed not just the life of the driver, but also the driver's feelings towards his car. Akio rebuilt the engine in a garage, we saw the care and dedication he puts into it. It's not just a car, not just as soulless appliance to get from a to b, it's got it's own personality and quirks that give it character and endear the driver to it.
My favourite arc was R200 Club and Kuroki Takayuki, the only opponent who chose to remain a Wangan racer despite all circumstances. He and his R33 GT-R were the most powerful opponents - Akio admitted a draw, and Dr. Shima admitted defeat. Kuroki's love story with Mika Murakami is quite adorable too. It is good that he is not a lonely driver anymore. Lonely Drivers Need Girlfriends. :)
The best part his girlfriend didn't forced him to quit racing like most animes when some character has passion for something and then their family or relationship forces him to quit
@@giancarlolugo9586 In the end of R200 arc, we understand that Kuroki and Mika always loved each other, but they were not sure whether love is compatible with extreme racing or not. It is good that they managed to put aside their doubts, and their love stood firm. :)
Love how the central theme and message of this series is even made into a soundtrack in the Maxi Tune games: *"There's no winner, you just give up or keep trying"* - lyric from WMMT3DX Select OST and partly from MT5 Give Up or Keep Trying
the wmmt2 soundtrack "nothing can live forever" is actually inspired by the series's message too. its just not shown in the anime. if you read the manga, the story tells you that reina is clingy to akio and his z. hanging out with him and chasing the devil z is what keeps her happy from her meaningless life of a celebrity. later in the manga, she had to move to another country. it was hard for her, but she finally realized that as time goes on, things change, and *nothing can live forever* man the anime is a really letdown to the manga tbh masakis arc was dope asf but it didnt get into the anime
@@khairuzein9664 to add on to this and the original comment, one of the lines from the opening song of wmmt1 was “all the people, it’s more than racing” again; another aspect talked about in this video and a recurring theme in the anime. it really fleshes these characters out and while the cars are cool, it makes you wanna know more about them
That Automotive Blog I thought there was a time skip right then until Akio came back with the Z. The same goes for the dead guy’s sister and the girl with the GTR
This anime inspired me a lot in building the car I have now. I put everything into it and I know have a 600-800hp single turbo BMW 335i 6spd manual, theoretically capable of 200mph (although it needs more work to be stable at that speed). Everything about this anime and roll racing is why I built my car the way I have, wanting to be like akio
The plot of this anime is something else! It's so real. The most insane thing of some of those car's is they are based on real life ones. The Devil Z also being a 600hp or so carburatted twin turbo beast and the Porsche also being as much of a beast as in the anime with a Turbo from a McLaren F1 car. They were part of the Japanese Expressway racing club "Mid Night Club". The Z had a top speed of over 340kmh Not to mention that the Devil Z from the anime was actually built IRL for the movie in the 90s by Speed Shop Shinohara. Also from what i read about this very car after Mr. Shinohara died in the mid 2000s or so this Devil Z was nowhere to be seen again ever since. I wish one day someone will find it and go racing with it on the expressways in Japan and video it all and keep the legend alive that members of the "Mid Night Club" started with their red Z. Also i wish to find it as i love this old Z and this one would truly be something special with it's Wangan Midnight history behind it.
Personally, I've tried watching Wangan Midnight and dropped it after the first two episodes because it wasn't much like Initial D. But after watching your video I think I might give it another try with a different approach.
It definitely took me a few tries at first (and mind you, the first time I saw it was maybe 7 or 8 years ago), but I kept coming back to it. I'll re-watch certain arcs time to time, but it really takes a nice binge-watching session to really fall for it.
I finished the last episode a few days ago. Now I definitely understand people who like Wangan Midnight, it does many things right, especially in terms of the emotional impact, and that's what I really appreciate. Although I was kinda disappointed with its ending, the second half of the anime was really good (I think it starts to get better and better after the first 8 episodes) and the last episodes were just amazing. So thank you for making this video. I hope more people like myself could watch it and maybe change their view on this quite unique anime. Looking forward to seeing your next work.
@@user-xs9lb8cx3b Thank you for your kind words! And the I was somewhat disappointed as well, but mostly because there weren't more episodes. Just felt like it was hastily ended. Hopefully I'll have more time in the near future to put up new content!
@@user-xs9lb8cx3b for me i stopped watching after 6 episodes because of the pacing and constant addition of a new character and then i get confused lol, i just watch the rsce highlights
"Not much like Initial D" is kind of the point. I also was put off by how the races were depicted but luckily watched enough to realize that wasn't even the central aspect of the story, in some sense.
I think a lot of people who haven't been into cars know how crazy the devil z actually is. Making over 600hp is good, but when your car can weigh under 2000 pounds it is insane. I think wangan midnight is part of the reason there is an aftermarket community for the car. The inspiration can be seen in what is available. When getting a Z you only have 2 options. Super high performance or a restoration. Just take that into account. Like if the owner of the devil Z didn't want to stay true to the original car I can bet you all my money it would have an rb30 swap. I like wangan midnight more than initial D because the cars feel so real, and we get actual specs of the modifications.
Wangan is a true tuner’s show. Initial d is cars for most people but if you watch a show not because it’s “anime” or “Japanese”, but you watch it because it’s about cars, ull lov this show like me. It changed my life. Thankyu wangsn midnight reina i lovyu
What I personally enjoyed over the 26 episodes was the cars and their drivers there were no serious battles no “secret” techniques it was how the car was built or tuned, the biggest thing for me that puts it way above initial d is the fact it was always moving the background the scenery rushing past as the characters think or talk about what’s going on around them no long “expositional” straights and blinking eyes no repeating corners just a constant movement forward around the various areas of the shutoko, while I do think reina does become just a love interest after her arc is over I did really enjoy the story as a whole sad to see it only got one season but it was finished off well. to me I’ll remember it as one of the best driving related anime.
Initial D & Wangan Midnight are My most favorite racing animes. Good characters, good storyline, both animes have great games too. They are both an important part (Along with Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Forza, and Asphalt) of my inspiration to be interested with cars. Ishida and Reina were My favorite characters in Wangan Midnight. Akio is a good character as well along with Tatsuya.
I don't fall in line with most car enthusiasts' passion for pursuing speed. However, the financial struggles of the automotive passion (especially for parts and modifications) remain the same. I've always had a long-term goal of moving to another state, most especially to be closer to friends. However, I still place my automotive dreams as a priority (despite having multiple other high-cost hobbies), as the window for viable parts supply dwindles as time progresses. At one point, I was able to afford the move and I still chose to pursue my automotive goals. Wangan Midnight is an anime I initially didn't quite grasp. But as I got older, I became able to comprehend the struggles having to balance an expensive hobby with other aspects of life.
Couldn't agree more. You can tell it was made by people who definitely had big dreams when they were younger but were hampered by daily bs life throws at you as you get older. Back when I was 15 I used to think that I would knock out a Mirage to Evo VI swap in a few months. Nowdays I can't even finish a hillclimb build in 2 years.
I just got my 7 year old daughter into the series last night. Now I have to show her all media pertaining to the Z lol. Best result i could have hoped for!
You should do a review on each charter and go in to depth on how their cars are in most aspects are refection on themselves! (of course spec's & driving style included!)
wowww, this was a great video, everyone was chasing the desire of happiness, some happier than others, speed doesn't always count for happiness but some have realized that sooner than others, like blackbird wanting to be the king of the wangan, and how you said, koichi leaving his family for racing, then later going back for them because he realized that its not the feeling of adrenaline that makes him happy but the realizing he has a family and he was to provide for them and have stabilaty. the more you analyze the characters., the deeper it really is. I really wish this anime was longer, its one of my favorites.
Russian community : "Wangan Midnight is trash, 0/10" English community : Wangan Midnight has such deep meaning and philosophy. Guess which opinion I like more.
I just got around to watching this after finishing the anime and I must say your review is spot on, your points really did resonate. I really appreciated how in-depth the characters were described, even for a short-running series. You don't often see that in anime. Wish you did more videos like this, I really appreciate the effort and the small bits of philosophy. Suppose I'll follow you on IG
Eiji is my favourite character, he's just too cool and how he expresses himself is hype and of course your reason as well. And his car is packing heat!
One complaint that I have for WM is the lack of proper introduction for some characters. My overall score is an 8/10 though my personal enjoyment was around a 7/10 which is still a good score 👍
For this one, I highly recommend you to read the manga. There are more details given when the characters are introduced, and also in the anime some of the characters were not put in because it would be too long (e.g. Masaki's arc). But yeah the manga is really good there is more detail and from the manga you can also feel that gritty atmosphere too. Another recommendation from me is to try the WMMT series since the story mode is stays true to the comics too.
I am crazy Car Enthusiast For Me there are very few Car Animes Wangan Midnight is really a awesome story the love of cars and speed (street racing). . Intial D best for Drifting. Both are full of thrills chills. . I watch full 26 episide even after seeing Intial D almost all stages. . Because these only animes out there Who shows what a real car Enthusiast must be like. Lover means always a lover . Its doesn't matter you love a girl or A CAR Love means always Sacrefice yourself to keep your love one alive and happy that makes you happy Its doesn't matter its a living or non living A real Car Enthusiast has a feeling that his/her car is alive machine .
Main Differences I see in initial D and wangan midnight- Initial D- Cars, Racing, Relationships, Heavy Plot Armor, Technique over cars capabilities, Wangan- Corny Situations, Realism when people put their cars over their families aka Hiramoto (I think), Making your car faster no matter what
This is the reason I love WM more than ID because, it presents the flaws and sad reality of being a street racer, Initial D avoids that often...It's also a dark anime too....
I was looking for the classic "De doop de doop de doop" "everything changes after 200kmh" clip to send to a buddy and stumbled across this. Very happy I found it. Wangan midnight is a cure for a car guys existentialism.
I feel that WM definitely shows the more realistic side of racing. In initial D, you won’t see as much depth as in WM. If a racer in initial D crashed their car, I feel they’d be out for like an episode and come back with some generic dialogue. I feel that the only time this actually affects the main story is keisuke in 4th or 5th(can’t remember) couldn’t use his FD and had to borrow some fangirl’s one. I still like both anime though.
The anime is good, but the manga adds more, way way more. If I had to guess, I'd say that if they included EVERYTHING from the manga into the anime, then the first big race woulda been the 3 day between Blackbird, Z and the photographer. And the finale of that race would have been the end of the season
i remember the first time i watched wangan midnight and i remember hating it just because i thought it was “too dark for a racing anime” ironically that’s one of the reasons why i love the show now
Fuck, I loved this video. My personal favorite scene in the whole anime is the race after Kitami puts his hand on the Blackbird. That monologue where Kitami says that everything he lost (money, friends and even family) was worth losing just for someone to be able to drive and understand one of his creations like Akio did. The way he says it always gives me goosebumps. The video is already one year old but I hope you'll put out some more in the same style eventually. Good job.
I agree with your synopsis. I'm a big Initial D fan will all but one of the final Legend dvds.... And I own Wangan Midnight (will also add that the Real Life versions of both series don't hold a candle to their animated counterparts.) I'm much more in-tune to the Wangan series and it's characters human and machine than I am with Initial D, but love them both to almost the same degree. Another 3 vehicular anime I quite enjoy are: ex-Driver series (and prequel) & movie Gunsmith Cats And a short mini called Riding Bean which was part of the Gunsmith Cats universe.
I love watching wangan midnight anime, that anime motivates me to do some personal goal on each vehicle. I don't care if that's a car or motorcycle One of my bike (the motorcycle is on display picture) just reached over 140 km/h, with no bore-up and stroke-up, it just increased compression on cylinder head, powerful programable cdi, custom camshaft, custom crankshaft, bigger carburetor, custom exhaust, bigger spark coil, modified front shock, changed rear gear, change clutch canvas, change clutch plate, change clutch spring. Thr piston and piston rod are still stock. The motorcycle life is at stake even the magnet spi got broke recently, but it's still good to go. That magnet spi got broke because i was using too much engine brake that even that thing can't hold it. So yeah, i'm trying my best reducing that engine brake Now i'm saving up to modify my motorcycle. The goal is reach over 200 km/h with bore up, stroke up, very stable when cornering and speeding
Have watched the anime, It had good cars as well as characters too. One of my favorite is Hiramoto, even though he made a bad decision due to him being temped to go back to street racing after learning about the devil Z and blackbird, he still had regrets, realizing that he sacrificed his true happiness for a racecar for the thrill of wangan racing, and it was a relief that in the end, he finally let go of it after he already fulfilled his goals after the race realizing that there are no eternal winners in wangan.
Other than the anime, the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade series is a success as well. It may not be hyper realistic but still awesome. I even prefer this by a hair over any Initial D Arcade Stage game and those were fun too.
@@thatautomotiveblog I already done watching anime thou, so I play WM Arcade more, cause it's covered whole manga series thus anime has covered up to Monster FC Arc.
takes me back to the days I was a wanna be racer didn't have the best car to race, but she wasn't slow by all means doesn't matter now, I've lost the thrill & addiction, simply became "normal" and thought that I simply can't keep wrecking my car
Honestly, Im not a anime nerd. I've watched some Pokemon and Naruto, but I can't get into liking it. However I did watch Initial D, and it was one of the best animes I've seen. But what tops that is Wangan Midnight. Ofc the characters aren't really based on real people, but like Initial D, its based on real life events that happened: "The Midnight" Club. Shii so epic bro, and I wish they would make more like them, but unfortunately, that is not the case. I think I might rewatch the series again, I loved it! And I want to see if I get a different perspective from it this time. Great video and points made! The movie they made based on the anime was fantastic too! I will watch again!
just discovered this channel, i first watched the initial D philosophy, but this one, the wangan midnight really hit me hard. I watched the series straight before because i like the game (Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune) and I play the arcades regularly. But really, did not paid attention to the story which is playing in the story mode. But once i digest every story of the main characters and the side characters, there is a whole different perspective now that can be compared into real life. If I'm going to watch the series again, because of this video, I will look at wangan midnight the different way now.
Anyways, there is a real Devil Z which is a direct replica to the manga Z (Speed Shop Shinohara) The director iirc asked the shop to make a Devil Z replica for the 1991 movie. SSS replicated all the specs of the car from the manga before there was the anime. That car is used as a hero car for the Wangan Midnight 1991 movie, there is a vid of it on yt (And yes the SSS Z has 600HP and is running on twin turbo triple carbs too)
This anime got me ino loving the 240z cars alot. I also play on building the devil Z myself as soon as I have the money in a few years. This is my favourite racing anime with Initial D in second. The hardest part is gonna be finding them Mikuni carbs xD
Wangan Midnight & Initial D are great because those anime were based on true events with fictional characters e.g. those who running on the wangan are real tuners from big aftermarket companies testing their new product on cars that at least with 160mph top speed.. they were known as the Mid Night Club. Now some of them are just a normal middle aged company executives and they neither proud of their past running 200mph+ at the wangan nor condone their act. They don't want to be known for their hashiriya days.
Hey All! I took a break from making videos and now I feel like I forgot that I invested money into crypto and came back to it multiplied. Thank you for all the love! I'm happy to see that you're enjoying the videos, and I think it's high time I started making them again.
In the meantime - you can familiarize yourselves with me and some of the car things I've done in this video: ruclips.net/video/H5Y5JiKFyZo/видео.html
Yay! welcome back :D
Alright I'm actually back this time. 2 new videos already up, 2 more getting edited, and I can't ignore the fanservice nightmare that is MF Ghost. Here we go.
“A car is just a big murder weapon. If you understand that, then you won’t die.” My favorite concept from this series
-Kitami
Initial D: slow car drive gud
Wangan Midnight: fast car don't die
That statement really hits hard, I think about it every time when I'm getting in my car.
sound like a short summary of wangan midnight
It's more like dancing with the devil 😈 🔥🔥🔥
Hiramoto's Story arc.That's the story arc that define Wangan Midnight for me
Initial D characters "just" have their cars. While Wangan Midnight characters have a job or struggle to afford their cars.
Hiramoto arc was certainly very compelling. The dude sacrificed a lot for the sake of street racing, and I think the significant sacrifices just never made sense to me. It all turned out well in the end though.
I agree that Initial D doesn't focus on a lot of the real life troubles, however I don't think it ever cared to. I'll elaborate more on that in the video that's coming up.
i struggle to afford a car that can go faster than 45 mph without shaking itself apart...
"Koichi- you chose a car... over the happiness of our child..."
yup, Initial D kids magically have cars and money for the mods
@@madhukarjonathanminj2772 The Takahashi brothers literally have doctors for parents. They're rich. Takumi's father has *connections*
The 2 stories that impact me the most was the guy who bought the GTR right before his baby was born and the kid with the Silver Supra. Especially the Silver Supra kid, he was stuck in time while everyone else was moving forward with their lives.
Its not that Kei's crew given up, they just wanted to keep a lowkey on their hobby
Kei’supra arc was ment to teach car guys that u don’t always have to fallow what ur friends are doing and to continue what u love no matter what cause at the end he makes new friends and is told to keep driving if that makes him happy
I personally found homie with the gtr arc kinda ridiculous. I cant say I'm above living off impulse but man abandoning your wife when shes about to pop is kinda goofy.
I was also stunned by thar Skyline R33 nerdy driver, Takayuki Kuroki from the R-200 Club. He's someone par with Kitami Jun tuning and even manages to stay ahead of Asakura for a long time. Even when he rips the crankshaft, Akio help him by pushing it out of the tunnel. Later, we are informed that Akio's Fairlady destroyed its own clutch and had some electrical seizure, not running also. This is far more sticking to the true underground culture of machines and racing than the usual ignorance and arrogance of Initial-D. Wangan is more somber, gloomy, deadly and will not take wounds easily. Everyone's gonna break or crash anytime.
Countless times Akio crashes and rebuild his own car, living a miserable life for that price to pay. What lacked in Initial-D, certainly we got in Wangan Midnight. Well, certainly it doesn't have the memes or charm of mountain pass, but the thrills of reality hit quicker and deeper, swinging between cars at 300 kph.
This anime literally gave me the idea to tear down the engine on one of my cars and rebuild it as a way to learn and get into cars. Do I regret it? No. Am I crazy? Yes.
You and me both!
-Suren
Blud thinks he is Kitami Jun 💀
@@JanhaviNalawade2023😂🤣
It gave me the strength to tear apart my 92 MR2 NA to replace the timing belt, fuel filter, water pump to move 7 states back home. 3 day drive later and she made it.
I wonder how you were able to tear a whole engine apart logistically speaking, but godspeed mate.
@@redtarget5275 I was blessed with an uncle who's an airline mechanic so he had everything we needed like tools, stands, and stuff like that
This anime is honestly so amazing to me. It's inspired me to have a dream of being like Akio and racing above 240 KM/H. But at the same time the anime still shows the risks and consequences of being a street racer.. (unlike initial D which never really showed that)... It's an amazing story and I have to see how being a real highway racer like Akio can work out...
Same my feelings
Good to see some like-minded people here. Fortunately I found a less dangerous path in attempting to get into professional racing leagues like IMSA or Indycar
@@frostblght Well, I choose the Wangan and C1 Loop path but I can see how shitty dangerous it could be to race there. Well, that means I should be careful a lot.
i feel it im obssesed with the idea of touge but no good places to race near me and even if there were not much if no competition and its very dangerous
@@dr.dylansgame5583 If I'm being honest, the dangerous factor doesn't really bother me too much because the thrill overcomes the fear
I think it is the devil mechanic who says something like "it's not a matter of winning of loosing, is just some will stick around, and some will give up". Really nice series
Kitami was my favorite character
@@mrlt1 The tuner equivalent of Einstein, with an aura of being on the brink of madness, always chuckling to himself. As someone training as a mechanic, I want to be a tuner with even a shred of Kitami's prowess.
Dude car enthusiast for life. No girlfriends needed, no family, just living the dream till I die.
Just make sure you're taking care of yourself and staying true to what you believe in 🤘🏽
Jus bitches, and whips 😎💯💪🏿💪🏿
Living it even dead
2:12 love how he puts the audio over his talking. Not a bad thing I think it is good
yeah it sound really cool as you hear his voice get drowned out by the music
Thank you!
and i love how hes talking about the audio being loud lol
For me Initial D was about technique while Wangan midnight was about tunning
true but i think it takes technique as well considering when they have to swerve through traffic and keep the car straight going that fast as well as timing your gearshifts correctly and braking however your also correct as well as touge takes a special kind of finesse
@@dr.dylansgame5583 . Yes very true. However sangam midnight does point out the fact that when chasing top speed there is never a limit. Top speed is a drug
@@IcejjfishTbone yeah kitami even said that a car like the devil z everytime you step on the pedal you put one foot into the grave
@@IcejjfishTbone not just in cars,but in all aspects of human life,the speed is one that wants to be continuously achieved and u true,like a drugs
For me Initial D was about hype racing fantasy (a good one).
Overrev was about technique, tuning, and life with cars from a more common person's perspective.
Wangan Midnight was about the sacrifices and decisions _some_ extremely passionate gearheads made, and some tuning here and there.
I just want Overrev anime already...
when watching Wangan Midnight there were a couple times where I genuinely cried when experiencing the stories of the various characters, I can't say the same for Initial D. as good as Initial D is it doesn't capture the sense of spiritual fulfillment that myself and many others experience when given the opportunity to truly go flat out in a car, even with the driver's "auras" that show up from time to time that's more of a representation of the driver's skill rather than their emotions. In Wangan Midnight though we never see it visually we can feel the connection between Akio and the Devil Z as if the car has it's own personality, and in seeing the arks and backstories of the secondary characters we get to see that the spiritual fulfillment gained through speed is often a trade off it never comes without cost to some other aspect of your life. Initial D may be more popular and have more intense battles but Wangan Midnight in my opinion has a more interesting story, Initial D is an underdog story about the path to becoming a legend, but Wangan Midnight is a character study about the passion many feel towards cars and weather or not it's worth it for an individual to peruse that passion.
this random comment is better than any thesis I've ever had to write for a class and it's about a somewhat obscure street racing anime and I will gain nothing for having written it.
This comment is just pure gold
Yeah both anime's have their pro's and con's, Wangan Midnight felt more real and drew more from real life, for example portraying people into cars getting into debt and even legal problems, that actually happened to the real life Blackbird owner.
Legendary fc arc when Kajima sees it for the first time in years choked me up. If you've been wrenching for any amount of time or built many cars there will always be ones that are special that you remember or regret selling. That scene alone stands out most for me.
This anime gave me the push I need to buy the old mk4 supra that had been sitting in the garage of an old man for 7 years.
That's been 3 years ago. 2 hours ago if been in the road with it. At 325 kmh.
Thank you wangan midnight.
You made me work towards my dream.
Holy shit 300kmh what were the mods in it?
Sure you were, man...
@@Eeter26 had my doubts too ngl
@@Eeter26 2 hours later tyres pop from sitting too much, brakes fail, everything ends up in a big fiery crash 😂
you should post a video of it
I hate how people constantly compare Wangan Midnight to Initial D just because both are racing franchises. WM doesn't even try to imitate ID by any means, yet fanboys still autistically screech about Akio being "bootleg Takumi" (despite WM manga predating ID by several years), the lack of drifting (it's just a straight road bro!111oneoneleven) and of course - that there's no eurobeat.
Some other criticisms include lack of character development - while in fact Akio goes from that wannabe racer kid with shit-eating grin on his face who tried to race the Blackbird with a stock Z31 to a formidable driver, all while mastering a car that could claim him as its next victim. This is evident in that scene where those two fools over-estimate their own skills and crash their red GT-R. Also I really like Akio's dedication to his passion, sometimes he's downright stubborn when it comes to his car - with everybody telling him to abandon that Z in favor of any other car. Then there's Jun Kitami, who at the start of the series works at his own bike workshop, trying to forget the past events that nearly ruined his life, only to return to his old ways upon learning that his greatest creation still cruises through the expressways of Tokyo. Reluctant at first, he returns to his former passion, tuning both Devil Z and Blackbird. Or Kijima, who throughout the series is shown as a Drive Go Go show host and drives a Mercedes R129, only to reveal his past to the audience near the end, before setting off to find his FD and take another shot at street racing versus the legends of Wangan-sen.
Many Initial D fanboys criticize Wangan Midnight for the supposed lack of skills of the main cast, as in - just tune your vehicle for ridiculous amount of horsepower and you're the king. Well... no. Imagine you're driving a highway bullet at speeds exceeding 300 km/h while skimming through traffic or other obstacles. You've got very little time to react, and one wrong thought, one wrong move is a guaranteed death sentence in this scenario. It gets even more difficult on the more curvy C1 loop.
Oh, and music? Sure, sure, eurobeat is a class of its own, for good reasons (to the point of being overrated), but that doesn't mean Wangan Midnight is bad in the soundtrack department. The omnious latin chanting in Voice of S30Z (and its variations) gives the show a really dark mood, and don't tell me you wouldn't floor it while hearing Speed of S30Z. Knock Down, Who, Feedback Landing, Scud Rockin' and Speed Addiction are also very good high-octane tracks for driving. And to contrast all of these, there are relaxing songs that wouldn't be out of place in menus of a Gran Turismo game. Though I gotta say, the real counterpart to eurobeat is the music from Maximum Tune games by Yuzo Koshiro.
You didn't even mention how it portrays the idea of a car being more than just a machine, more than the sum of it's parts. The idea that the car has a soul. That was the first thing that made my like Wangan Midnight more than Initial D, that it showed not just the life of the driver, but also the driver's feelings towards his car. Akio rebuilt the engine in a garage, we saw the care and dedication he puts into it. It's not just a car, not just as soulless appliance to get from a to b, it's got it's own personality and quirks that give it character and endear the driver to it.
Didn't even consider it to be honest as it was less about the cars and more about the point of life. I probably should in the next video huh?
My favourite arc was R200 Club and Kuroki Takayuki, the only opponent who chose to remain a Wangan racer despite all circumstances. He and his R33 GT-R were the most powerful opponents - Akio admitted a draw, and Dr. Shima admitted defeat.
Kuroki's love story with Mika Murakami is quite adorable too. It is good that he is not a lonely driver anymore. Lonely Drivers Need Girlfriends. :)
The best part his girlfriend didn't forced him to quit racing like most animes when some character has passion for something and then their family or relationship forces him to quit
@@giancarlolugo9586 In the end of R200 arc, we understand that Kuroki and Mika always loved each other, but they were not sure whether love is compatible with extreme racing or not. It is good that they managed to put aside their doubts, and their love stood firm. :)
@@ElijahBlues729 It was a good ending for him and his engine didn't die
Similar story to Brian O Conner, happily married but worried that his passion for cars may lost soon
Love how the central theme and message of this series is even made into a soundtrack in the Maxi Tune games: *"There's no winner, you just give up or keep trying"* - lyric from WMMT3DX Select OST and partly from MT5 Give Up or Keep Trying
the wmmt2 soundtrack "nothing can live forever" is actually inspired by the series's message too. its just not shown in the anime. if you read the manga, the story tells you that reina is clingy to akio and his z. hanging out with him and chasing the devil z is what keeps her happy from her meaningless life of a celebrity. later in the manga, she had to move to another country. it was hard for her, but she finally realized that as time goes on, things change, and *nothing can live forever*
man the anime is a really letdown to the manga tbh
masakis arc was dope asf but it didnt get into the anime
@@khairuzein9664Where do you read the manga at? I can only findJapanese translation
@@Undertaker93 this website called mangadex has the english translation but sadly the translator discontinues their work midway through kurokis arc 😔
@@khairuzein9664 to add on to this and the original comment, one of the lines from the opening song of wmmt1 was
“all the people, it’s more than racing”
again; another aspect talked about in this video and a recurring theme in the anime. it really fleshes these characters out and while the cars are cool, it makes you wanna know more about them
This is just a philosophical anime dressed up with highway racing.
I still love this series regardless :>
I really enjoyed it personally however something that really bothered me is that half the characters looked the same
You know, I recall that also being a complaint of mine when I couldn't tell the difference between Hiramoto and Akio...
That Automotive Blog I thought there was a time skip right then until Akio came back with the Z. The same goes for the dead guy’s sister and the girl with the GTR
@@thatautomotiveblog HAHAHAHAHAHHA FR I THOUGHT AFTER THE DEVIL Z CRASHED HE BECAME A FATHER
@@hoe2cool4ujay97 i'm not alone on that one😂
This anime inspired me a lot in building the car I have now. I put everything into it and I know have a 600-800hp single turbo BMW 335i 6spd manual, theoretically capable of 200mph (although it needs more work to be stable at that speed). Everything about this anime and roll racing is why I built my car the way I have, wanting to be like akio
The plot of this anime is something else! It's so real.
The most insane thing of some of those car's is they are based on real life ones. The Devil Z also being a 600hp or so carburatted twin turbo beast and the Porsche also being as much of a beast as in the anime with a Turbo from a McLaren F1 car.
They were part of the Japanese Expressway racing club "Mid Night Club". The Z had a top speed of over 340kmh
Not to mention that the Devil Z from the anime was actually built IRL for the movie in the 90s by Speed Shop Shinohara. Also from what i read about this very car after Mr. Shinohara died in the mid 2000s or so this Devil Z was nowhere to be seen again ever since.
I wish one day someone will find it and go racing with it on the expressways in Japan and video it all and keep the legend alive that members of the "Mid Night Club" started with their red Z.
Also i wish to find it as i love this old Z and this one would truly be something special with it's Wangan Midnight history behind it.
Personally, I've tried watching Wangan Midnight and dropped it after the first two episodes because it wasn't much like Initial D. But after watching your video I think I might give it another try with a different approach.
It definitely took me a few tries at first (and mind you, the first time I saw it was maybe 7 or 8 years ago), but I kept coming back to it. I'll re-watch certain arcs time to time, but it really takes a nice binge-watching session to really fall for it.
I finished the last episode a few days ago. Now I definitely understand people who like Wangan Midnight, it does many things right, especially in terms of the emotional impact, and that's what I really appreciate.
Although I was kinda disappointed with its ending, the second half of the anime was really good (I think it starts to get better and better after the first 8 episodes) and the last episodes were just amazing.
So thank you for making this video. I hope more people like myself could watch it and maybe change their view on this quite unique anime. Looking forward to seeing your next work.
@@user-xs9lb8cx3b Thank you for your kind words! And the I was somewhat disappointed as well, but mostly because there weren't more episodes. Just felt like it was hastily ended.
Hopefully I'll have more time in the near future to put up new content!
@@user-xs9lb8cx3b for me i stopped watching after 6 episodes because of the pacing and constant addition of a new character and then i get confused lol, i just watch the rsce highlights
"Not much like Initial D" is kind of the point. I also was put off by how the races were depicted but luckily watched enough to realize that wasn't even the central aspect of the story, in some sense.
I think a lot of people who haven't been into cars know how crazy the devil z actually is. Making over 600hp is good, but when your car can weigh under 2000 pounds it is insane. I think wangan midnight is part of the reason there is an aftermarket community for the car. The inspiration can be seen in what is available.
When getting a Z you only have 2 options. Super high performance or a restoration. Just take that into account. Like if the owner of the devil Z didn't want to stay true to the original car I can bet you all my money it would have an rb30 swap. I like wangan midnight more than initial D because the cars feel so real, and we get actual specs of the modifications.
Wangan is a true tuner’s show. Initial d is cars for most people but if you watch a show not because it’s “anime” or “Japanese”, but you watch it because it’s about cars, ull lov this show like me. It changed my life. Thankyu wangsn midnight reina i lovyu
What I personally enjoyed over the 26 episodes was the cars and their drivers there were no serious battles no “secret” techniques it was how the car was built or tuned, the biggest thing for me that puts it way above initial d is the fact it was always moving the background the scenery rushing past as the characters think or talk about what’s going on around them no long “expositional” straights and blinking eyes no repeating corners just a constant movement forward around the various areas of the shutoko, while I do think reina does become just a love interest after her arc is over I did really enjoy the story as a whole sad to see it only got one season but it was finished off well.
to me I’ll remember it as one of the best driving related anime.
Initial D & Wangan Midnight are My most favorite racing animes. Good characters, good storyline, both animes have great games too. They are both an important part (Along with Gran Turismo, Need for Speed, Forza, and Asphalt) of my inspiration to be interested with cars.
Ishida and Reina were My favorite characters in Wangan Midnight. Akio is a good character as well along with Tatsuya.
"cars wont make you happy" just came out from gears and gasoline
"Cars doesn't make certain people happy" should be the correct way of putting it.
would have never found this (amazing!)channel if it wasn´t for the post on reddit, great work sir keep it up!!
Thank you sir! Will definitely do!
This is the most accurate explanation of how Wangan Midnight different than Initial D and how it resonate with people more.
@2:30 "the gay couple in the miata"
This vid made me want to cry, He's smart how he explained it all. It was perfect
Thank you ♥️!
The Devil Z is a representation of their passion for cars and speed, is basically the whole premise of each arc and the whole show.
I don't fall in line with most car enthusiasts' passion for pursuing speed.
However, the financial struggles of the automotive passion (especially for parts and modifications) remain the same.
I've always had a long-term goal of moving to another state, most especially to be closer to friends.
However, I still place my automotive dreams as a priority (despite having multiple other high-cost hobbies), as the window for viable parts supply dwindles as time progresses.
At one point, I was able to afford the move and I still chose to pursue my automotive goals.
Wangan Midnight is an anime I initially didn't quite grasp. But as I got older, I became able to comprehend the struggles having to balance an expensive hobby with other aspects of life.
Couldn't agree more. You can tell it was made by people who definitely had big dreams when they were younger but were hampered by daily bs life throws at you as you get older. Back when I was 15 I used to think that I would knock out a Mirage to Evo VI swap in a few months. Nowdays I can't even finish a hillclimb build in 2 years.
one of the most greatest review about racing anime ever, keep it up dud
Thank you!!
I just got my 7 year old daughter into the series last night. Now I have to show her all media pertaining to the Z lol. Best result i could have hoped for!
That's precious!! By the time she has her license she can get a midnight blue 400Z in manual themed after the Devil Z!
You should do a review on each charter and go in to depth on how their cars are in most aspects are refection on themselves!
(of course spec's & driving style included!)
I just might! I'm still brewing over ideas of what I'll be doing next.
wowww, this was a great video, everyone was chasing the desire of happiness, some happier than others, speed doesn't always count for happiness but some have realized that sooner than others, like blackbird wanting to be the king of the wangan, and how you said, koichi leaving his family for racing, then later going back for them because he realized that its not the feeling of adrenaline that makes him happy but the realizing he has a family and he was to provide for them and have stabilaty. the more you analyze the characters., the deeper it really is. I really wish this anime was longer, its one of my favorites.
Russian community : "Wangan Midnight is trash, 0/10"
English community : Wangan Midnight has such deep meaning and philosophy.
Guess which opinion I like more.
Даже не знал что сентимент такой присудстувет. Первый раз когда я смотрел ВМ, я даже не мог говорить по Английски 🤣
I just got around to watching this after finishing the anime and I must say your review is spot on, your points really did resonate. I really appreciated how in-depth the characters were described, even for a short-running series. You don't often see that in anime. Wish you did more videos like this, I really appreciate the effort and the small bits of philosophy. Suppose I'll follow you on IG
The ABR Hosoki S130 and Yoshida Specials 930 they’re based on IRL are just as cool imo
Eiji is my favourite character, he's just too cool and how he expresses himself is hype and of course your reason as well.
And his car is packing heat!
One complaint that I have for WM is the lack of proper introduction for some characters. My overall score is an 8/10 though my personal enjoyment was around a 7/10 which is still a good score 👍
For this one, I highly recommend you to read the manga. There are more details given when the characters are introduced, and also in the anime some of the characters were not put in because it would be too long (e.g. Masaki's arc). But yeah the manga is really good there is more detail and from the manga you can also feel that gritty atmosphere too. Another recommendation from me is to try the WMMT series since the story mode is stays true to the comics too.
I am crazy Car Enthusiast
For Me there are very few Car Animes
Wangan Midnight is really a awesome story the love of cars and speed (street racing).
.
Intial D best for Drifting.
Both are full of thrills chills.
.
I watch full 26 episide even after seeing Intial D almost all stages.
.
Because these only animes out there
Who shows what a real car Enthusiast must be like.
Lover means always a lover
.
Its doesn't matter you love a girl or A CAR
Love means always
Sacrefice yourself to keep your love one alive and happy that makes you happy
Its doesn't matter its a living or non living
A real Car Enthusiast has a feeling that his/her car is alive machine .
by far the best review of this show i've seen and probably the best out there. highly underrated video.
Main Differences I see in initial D and wangan midnight-
Initial D-
Cars, Racing, Relationships, Heavy Plot Armor, Technique over cars capabilities,
Wangan-
Corny Situations, Realism when people put their cars over their families aka Hiramoto (I think), Making your car faster no matter what
Initial D was alright until the 4th arc, everything went to shit there
Wangan Midnight deserves more characters to take part
Wangan midnight spoke more to me than I was ready for. Because it was so real and made me think.
This is the reason I love WM more than ID because, it presents the flaws and sad reality of being a street racer, Initial D avoids that often...It's also a dark anime too....
I personally loved this anime more than initial d simply because the stakes were higher and everything was more serious
still, pretty good work!
capeta was good ass hell too
Oddly enough I feel the same
shame it never got a dub. If they ever do dub it, they need to keep the music the same.
Ugh, dubs are horrible
I was looking for the classic "De doop de doop de doop" "everything changes after 200kmh" clip to send to a buddy and stumbled across this. Very happy I found it. Wangan midnight is a cure for a car guys existentialism.
I feel that WM definitely shows the more realistic side of racing. In initial D, you won’t see as much depth as in WM. If a racer in initial D crashed their car, I feel they’d be out for like an episode and come back with some generic dialogue. I feel that the only time this actually affects the main story is keisuke in 4th or 5th(can’t remember) couldn’t use his FD and had to borrow some fangirl’s one.
I still like both anime though.
Keisuke deserved that becuz how much of a piece of crap he was
Just this: This video went right to favorites. The way you approach it... wow.
I loved it.
Thank you for your kind words!
hahah, keep making these man(its getting recommended). True, everyones seeking happiness and fulfillment only the path vary
Thank you!
This video is still a banger till this day
Excellent video!! My channel is mostly about WM and I couldn't have covered this any better than you have!
Thanks! I remember watching your vids before I actually made this one some years ago - now it's all coming full circle 🤘🏽
That was a amazing explanation of Wangan Midnight!
this show made me sneak out my dads evo 5 and hoon it on the skyway
Lol that's awesome!
A sequel of this WM would be great tbh
Never watched it but remember the arcade game and how we palyed everyweekend our cards had hunderth worth of euro on them
The anime is good, but the manga adds more, way way more. If I had to guess, I'd say that if they included EVERYTHING from the manga into the anime, then the first big race woulda been the 3 day between Blackbird, Z and the photographer. And the finale of that race would have been the end of the season
i remember the first time i watched wangan midnight and i remember hating it just because i thought it was “too dark for a racing anime”
ironically that’s one of the reasons why i love the show now
It's the 3rd time I watch this video it's a very edit one and the story is very simple clear and funny is a amazing video to watch every 3 to 4 months
I honestly wish wangan would have been way longer than 26 episodes it deserves a few seasons
Yesss!
This is the best rundown and explanation of wangan midnight that I've seen, Great job 👏
Dude this is awesome
The pantyhose thing is a real life thing. A "get you to the parts store" fix because they're durable enough to run a water pump for a short time
Absolutely love it... Well done.
Fuck, I loved this video.
My personal favorite scene in the whole anime is the race after Kitami puts his hand on the Blackbird. That monologue where Kitami says that everything he lost (money, friends and even family) was worth losing just for someone to be able to drive and understand one of his creations like Akio did. The way he says it always gives me goosebumps.
The video is already one year old but I hope you'll put out some more in the same style eventually. Good job.
I agree with your synopsis.
I'm a big Initial D fan will all but one of the final Legend dvds.... And I own Wangan Midnight (will also add that the Real Life versions of both series don't hold a candle to their animated counterparts.) I'm much more in-tune to the Wangan series and it's characters human and machine than I am with Initial D, but love them both to almost the same degree.
Another 3 vehicular anime I quite enjoy are: ex-Driver series (and prequel) & movie
Gunsmith Cats
And a short mini called Riding Bean which was part of the Gunsmith Cats universe.
Fantastic writing, loved the summary at the end
Thank you!!
I love watching wangan midnight anime, that anime motivates me to do some personal goal on each vehicle. I don't care if that's a car or motorcycle
One of my bike (the motorcycle is on display picture) just reached over 140 km/h, with no bore-up and stroke-up, it just increased compression on cylinder head, powerful programable cdi, custom camshaft, custom crankshaft, bigger carburetor, custom exhaust, bigger spark coil, modified front shock, changed rear gear, change clutch canvas, change clutch plate, change clutch spring. Thr piston and piston rod are still stock. The motorcycle life is at stake even the magnet spi got broke recently, but it's still good to go. That magnet spi got broke because i was using too much engine brake that even that thing can't hold it. So yeah, i'm trying my best reducing that engine brake
Now i'm saving up to modify my motorcycle. The goal is reach over 200 km/h with bore up, stroke up, very stable when cornering and speeding
If you thought the cars in the anime was ridiculous, the arcade games car list is even more insane.
Not being able to get over 1000hp in the game was red flag, the game has been trapped in a time loop
The 911 had le mans winning porsche 962 mechanical parts
Have watched the anime, It had good cars as well as characters too.
One of my favorite is Hiramoto, even though he made a bad decision due to him being temped to go back to street racing after learning about the devil Z and blackbird, he still had regrets, realizing that he sacrificed his true happiness for a racecar for the thrill of wangan racing, and it was a relief that in the end, he finally let go of it after he already fulfilled his goals after the race realizing that there are no eternal winners in wangan.
btw the bgm used in 2:00 is called "knock down"
Dude you just expalined my favourite serie too damn good.
I gotchu ♥️
3 years after I found this and everything you said is spot on.
Liked and subscribed
Other than the anime, the Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune arcade series is a success as well. It may not be hyper realistic but still awesome. I even prefer this by a hair over any Initial D Arcade Stage game and those were fun too.
I'm way more familiar with wangan midnight maximum tune game than the anime itself.
Give the anime a chance!
@@thatautomotiveblog I already done watching anime thou, so I play WM Arcade more, cause it's covered whole manga series thus anime has covered up to Monster FC Arc.
takes me back to the days I was a wanna be racer
didn't have the best car to race, but she wasn't slow by all means
doesn't matter now, I've lost the thrill & addiction, simply became "normal" and thought that I simply can't keep wrecking my car
Awesome video, man. I think you captured the spirit of that show really well. First video I've yours I've watched, and it's an instant sub. Cheers!
Honestly, Im not a anime nerd. I've watched some Pokemon and Naruto, but I can't get into liking it. However I did watch Initial D, and it was one of the best animes I've seen. But what tops that is Wangan Midnight. Ofc the characters aren't really based on real people, but like Initial D, its based on real life events that happened: "The Midnight" Club. Shii so epic bro, and I wish they would make more like them, but unfortunately, that is not the case. I think I might rewatch the series again, I loved it! And I want to see if I get a different perspective from it this time. Great video and points made! The movie they made based on the anime was fantastic too! I will watch again!
just discovered this channel, i first watched the initial D philosophy, but this one, the wangan midnight really hit me hard. I watched the series straight before because i like the game (Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune) and I play the arcades regularly. But really, did not paid attention to the story which is playing in the story mode. But once i digest every story of the main characters and the side characters, there is a whole different perspective now that can be compared into real life.
If I'm going to watch the series again, because of this video, I will look at wangan midnight the different way now.
This anime gives me goosebumps everytime i rewatch it
Love that thumbnail
Anyways, there is a real Devil Z which is a direct replica to the manga Z (Speed Shop Shinohara) The director iirc asked the shop to make a Devil Z replica for the 1991 movie. SSS replicated all the specs of the car from the manga before there was the anime. That car is used as a hero car for the Wangan Midnight 1991 movie, there is a vid of it on yt
(And yes the SSS Z has 600HP and is running on twin turbo triple carbs too)
The actual Z was from ABR performance, its a red 280ZX (turbocharged variant of the 280Z), made about 850hp and a top speed of 233mph
This anime got me ino loving the 240z cars alot. I also play on building the devil Z myself as soon as I have the money in a few years.
This is my favourite racing anime with Initial D in second.
The hardest part is gonna be finding them Mikuni carbs xD
this needs more attention.
Arni i know this replh could be off topic, but what the hell is ur profile pic
this is amazing , why dont this guy have more subs ?
Thank you my guy! I'm just glad people are enjoying the video. I'll have more coming up eventually!
Fun fact: Wangan Midnight actually came before Initial D (the Manga I mean)
Wangan Midnight would be amazing if...
You play an Arcade Game, this game adaption covered a Whole Manga Series which is 42 Manga Volumes.
This was a good video
The anime that got me into both anime and cars
Really really enjoyed this 🙏🏾😭
Good video, really illustrates something that I think alot of people miss when watching.
also who is that at 3:01?
Thank you! And that was Orihime from Bleach.
Awesome work
Finally someone puts it into words.
I think Akio's 240Z engine is a stroker L28 twin turbo, not bored up to 3.1L.
Wangan Midnight & Initial D are great because those anime were based on true events with fictional characters e.g. those who running on the wangan are real tuners from big aftermarket companies testing their new product on cars that at least with 160mph top speed.. they were known as the Mid Night Club. Now some of them are just a normal middle aged company executives and they neither proud of their past running 200mph+ at the wangan nor condone their act. They don't want to be known for their hashiriya days.
Now that takes skill!😉
One of the Studios that involved in Initial D(Pastel) were in the production of Wangan Midnight anime.