Initial D: The Movie

Cast:

Jay Chou Jie Lun – Takumi Fujiwara, Bunta Fujiwara's son, rides the AE86 car

Edison Chen – Ryousuke Takahashi, rides the FC, a rider and organizer of races in Mt. Akira

Shawn Yue – Takeshi Nakazato, rides the GTR, member of the Night Kids Team from Myogi

Anne Suzuki – Natsuki Mogi, the girl Takumi likes

Chapman To - Itsuki Tachibana, best friend of Takumi

Anthony Wong Chau-Sang - Bunta Fujiwara

Jordan Chan - Kyouichi Sudou

Official Site: www.initialdthemovie.com

Summary:

After winning his first competition, Takumi focuses his attention on drift racing, a sport he has unknowingly perfected while delivering tofu in his father's Toyota AE86

Jay Chou is Takumi Fujiwara, a high school student in Japan whose days are spent working at a gas station and mumbling in a dopey manner. He also quietly lusts after supreme jailbait classmate Natsuki (Anne Suzuki), and hangs with blowhard pal Itsuki (Chapman To, playing 15 years younger than his actual age). Takumi doesn't look like a special guy, but he does have a hidden talent: street racing, and not just any street racing. Takumi uses an old Toyota Trueno AE86 and clocks insane times on the Mt. Akina downhill, all by applying the technique of "drifting," i.e. skidding around corners without losing much speed in the process (NOTE: This is a layman's explanation. We apologize in advance to drifting masters everywhere.). However, Takumi does not own the mountain with his racing prowess; instead, he uses his insane drifting skills to get home as soon as possible after delivering tofu for his dad Bunta (Anthony Wong). If Takumi smokes anyone on the way home, it's just a coincidence.
     That exact coincidence leads to the eventual outing of Mt. Akina's hidden racing god. Takeshi Nakazato (Shawn Yu), leader of the Night Kids racing team, shows up at Takumi's workplace looking to take on the "Akina Racing God," but unfortunately Itsuki claims the title, and subsequently gets embarrassed on Mt. Akina's slopes. But after Nakazato gets creamed by a returning-from-delivery Takumi, he re-ups his challenge at the gas station...except nobody seems to know who beat Nakazato. Takumi's too busy acting morose and fantasizing about a potential beach date with Natsuki to take up the challenge. But Yuuichi (Kenny Bee), Itsuki's dad and Takumi's boss at the gas station, knows that it was Takumi behind the wheel, and pressures Bunta into getting his son to race. Bunta offers to lend Takumi the car for his date, as long as Takumi beats Nakazato in his first "official" street race. Presto, an illegal racing god is born, which leads to new challengers, including Ryosuke Takahashi (Edison Chen), the leader of the Red Suns racing team, and Kyoichi Sudo (Jordan Chan), an actual racing professional who takes on Takumi to avenge a buddy. Meanwhile, Takumi ponders his future in a quiet, morose manner, and the audience waits for the next CG-assisted car race.

Credits: http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/initial_d.htm

What I Think:

Wow! I have long wanted to see this movie because I am a really big fan of the anime series until Animax started to put some lousy tagalong dubbing! (But I still love Matteo Guidicelli)  

All the songs used in this series is really good! I bet the OST is awesome! I know Jay Chou and Edison Chen sang a few songs here coz I heard their songs played in the movie. The intro song played at the beginning while Takumi was delivering tofu is awesome!! "Nobody interfere with my delivery.." Ahhhhh!!! It has got to be my last song syndrome! Another nice song was the song played at the gas station while Takumi was staring into blank space. Every instrumental song played in the background is perfect for every scene and these background songs drive me nuts! The Initial D OST is awesome!! I want it!

Jay, Edison, Shaun now tell me who is hotter?! They are the hottest racing men! Okay let us check them one by one. First Jay, I believe this is Jay first major acting role. Jay is a good singer (He's one of my faves.) and for his first out take in acting, he did good actually. There was one scene where he found out about Natsuki's stuff; he cannot cry, he was almost forcing himself to kinda cry, rubbing his eyes and all. But with Jay he's got really nice expressive eyes, and he did fairly well for his first shot at acting. Jay!! I love your songs here!! J He was really cheeky and chummy with his girl Natsuki too, wasn't afraid to hold her hand in public and stuff. Ohh those nice dimples! Those darn nice dimples!!  

Edison Chen next, this guy is a pro! If he did sang those English background songs well he is the man! I loved his songs! And his acting is awesome! He was always the cool and in-control Ryousuke and he can be Takumi's friend too. And have I told you he has got the must beautiful (colored?) eyes? I just like his eyes a lot.

Shun Yue is next. My god! He looks really different here! The last time I saw him act was in "Tomorrow: The White Book of Love." In Initial D he has shorter hair, has a beard and wears slicker, hipper, sporty clothes!  At first, he came on like the antagonist to Takumi but then it is just a race after all, and he turned out okay. He doesn't looks sullen like in "Tomorrow."

I really need to get the OST! IT is driving me crazy! The opening and the closing credits song in this movie is really awesome!! The closing song is sung by Jay Chou while the opening which is an all-English song I bet must be sung by Edison.

Really nice scenes:

** I like the fact that Bunta was supportive of his son's wanting to race. He did not stop him from pursuing his dreams. He even helped him fix his car when it cloncked out.

** Takumi and Natsuki's beach date. Now that was a lot of fun, they took lots of pictures together; they turned my insides into mush! Then the major mushy part was when Natsuki started holding Takumi's hand and Takumi half grinned and intertwined his hand on hers!!! O Draconian Devil!! ! Jay Chou is God's gift to womankind!! The background song was really nice here too.

** Takumi's AE86 wining against Nakazato's GTR.

** Natsuki visiting Takumi at home and him walking her home, just holding her hands. Jay Chou and Anne Suzuki look cute together!

** All the scenes where Japan's countryside is shown. Mt. Akira sure is great!

** Bunta fixing up the beaten down AE86 car because he does not want to see his son sad and not being able to race.

** Natsuki seeing another man who sounds older than her, what the heck is she anyway a whore or something?

** Takumi racing with Kyouichi, the rider of an E3 car for the Emperor Team.

** People saying that the AE86 is the racing god of Mt. Akira.

** Takumi finding out that Natsuki was seeing another older man. I love the background song here sung by Jay Chou!

Other Stuff:

** Initial D is based on the comic by Shuichi Shigeno first published in Japan by Kodansha.

** Klamp Kodansha also published Chobits, another highly-rated anime series in Animax.  

• Initial D clocks in at 1 hour and 48 minutes, though a longer cut is rumored.
• Tsui Hark was originally set to direct Initial D, but there were "creative differences." After he left, Andrew Lau and Alan Mak signed on instead.
• For a long period of time, Edison Chen was slated to play Takumi Fujiwara, and Andy Lau was even rumored to be up for the role of Bunta.
• A number of Toyota Trueno AE86 cars were used during production, at least one of which was personally wrecked by Jay Chou.
• In four days, Initial D matched the total gross of 2005's top-selling Hong Kong film. That film: Himalaya Singh.

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)
12th Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards
• Recommended Film

credits: http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews_2/initial_d.htm

Rating:

9 Taiwanese Taicha out of 10

Pictures:

I'm telling you this is one rockin picture! Edison, Jay, Shawn...ahhhh...can I have them all?

Edison "Aiya hottie" Chen:

With shawn staring like that..makes me hyperventilate...

Jay Jay Jay...

picture credits: official site initialdmovie.com