Thursday, December 11, 2003
Manga invades the Shack...
In perhaps another milestone, Tokyopop has managed to get a set of the first three Initial D manga into Radio Shack. This comes along after they got exclusive RC cars for the series into the Shack, so it is a smart marketing move.
For those that don't know, Initial D is a story involving illegal street racing. It follows a young man who learns to drive fast in order to deliver tofu for his father's shop at night (not as silly as it sounds), eventually getting sucked into the world of street racing, despite initially having no interest in it. Unfortunately, after the first volume (and subsequent printings of the first), it was decided to edit mature scenes out of the manga, despite still being labeled as part of the "100% Authentic" line, angering many fans. They also changed names of characters and changed music in the dub, along with downplaying the prostitution of one character even in the subtitles. I wish I could support this release, as it is a pretty fun show, but in their attempts to make this a big breakout hit for kids (despite the fact it is for older kids and promotes illegal activities) have really messed with the release for the people who want the real deal...
For those that don't know, Initial D is a story involving illegal street racing. It follows a young man who learns to drive fast in order to deliver tofu for his father's shop at night (not as silly as it sounds), eventually getting sucked into the world of street racing, despite initially having no interest in it. Unfortunately, after the first volume (and subsequent printings of the first), it was decided to edit mature scenes out of the manga, despite still being labeled as part of the "100% Authentic" line, angering many fans. They also changed names of characters and changed music in the dub, along with downplaying the prostitution of one character even in the subtitles. I wish I could support this release, as it is a pretty fun show, but in their attempts to make this a big breakout hit for kids (despite the fact it is for older kids and promotes illegal activities) have really messed with the release for the people who want the real deal...
