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Generally speaking, when a manga like Initial D begins serialization, if the content is truly compelling, its reputation spreads like wildfire through the fan community.
High-octane pacing.
A gripping racing premise.
Burning hot passion.
These were the labels that readers of Weekly Prime had been hearing most frequently over the past week regarding this new series.
Furthermore, the first chapter had secured a reader rating of 9.2, which was quite a staggering achievement for a debut. Naturally, new manga often receive high scores because the first chapter has to have some "X-factor" just to pass the serialization meeting. However, achieving a score that high on the very first try was a rare feat even within the halls of a titan like Prime Manga.
Emika was one of the many who had her curiosity piqued by the soaring ratings of Initial D following the launch issue. She decided to check out the first chapter, and after one read...
Ryosuke is so incredibly cool!
The character design and persona of Ryosuke Takahashi hit every single one of her aesthetic preferences. She also found Takumi's persona quite intriguing. The only downside was the cliffhanger from last week; it had left her feeling frustrated for days. She was just glad she hadn't skipped the series. After all, with over twenty titles in each issue, she usually only bothered to read about half of them.
When the new week arrived, she hurried to the bookstore near her home immediately after work to snag a copy of Weekly Prime. Fortunately, even though she finished work late, the store hadn't sold out of the magazine yet.
Once home, she finished the latest chapter of her favorite romance manga before immediately flipping to the second chapter of Initial D. The pacing of the second chapter mirrored the first. It opened with seemingly mundane, daily-life scenes that were actually laced with narrative foreshadowing.
For instance, guided by the gas station owner Yuichi, Iketani managed to track down the "Tofu Shop 86" on Mount Akina. He was shocked to discover that the shop was actually owned by Takumi's family.
Then came the interactions between the female lead, Natsuki, and Takumi. With the awkwardness of a young boy and the charm of a beautiful girl, Shizuru's artistic skills shone brightly, especially in her depiction of female characters. Even Emika, as a girl herself, found Natsuki's charm a bit heart-fluttering, so how could Takumi possibly resist?
The perspective then shifted to the gas station. Keisuke Takahashi, the second-in-command of the RedSuns, drove his yellow FD into the station. Since the SpeedStars were the "local gods" of Mount Akina, Keisuke assumed the team leader, Iketani, must know the identity of the mysterious, ghost-like AE86 that haunted the mountain passes at night.
Driven by a desire to erase the shame of being overtaken by an 86 the previous night, Keisuke issued a formal challenge to Iketani. He demanded that Iketani arrange for that specific 86 to race him during the official exchange battle on Saturday.
During this scene, Keisuke spoke those words right in front of the protagonist, Takumi. Iketani mistakenly believed the legendary driver of the 86 was Takumi's father, Bunta. Keisuke assumed Iketani was keeping the 86 as a secret weapon for the Saturday battle. Meanwhile, Takumi was just staring blankly at the stylish rear wing of the FD.
'I wonder... if you put wings like that on a car, does it actually fly?' Takumi thought to himself.
"Pfft!" Emika burst out laughing as she read that panel.
This protagonist was simply too adorable. And poor Keisuke; he had no idea that the owner of the 86 that humiliated him was standing right there, wiping his car's windows and filling his gas tank. The irony was incredibly entertaining.
Emika couldn't help but smile as she imagined the looks on everyone's faces when they finally discovered that Takumi was the driver.
Even though she knew nothing about racing and couldn't make heads or tails of the technical data for the 86 and FD, she was thoroughly enjoying the experience. She realized that for a truly exceptional manga, the "target audience" doesn't actually exist. If a work is good enough, it will attract anyone regardless of the subject matter.
It was just like a sports manga. Making sports fans like your work isn't the real achievement. The real achievement is making people who have no interest in the subject fall in love with it after reading your story. Initial D was clearly that kind of work.
Then came the moment that demonstrated exactly how absurd Takumi's driving skills really were. Takumi had to deliver tofu for the family business every single night. Before he set out, his father would pour a cup of water and place it in the car's cup holder.
"Remember, don't spill a single drop," Bunta said, his eyes narrowed into slits and his expression deceptively mild. To Emika, he gave off the aura of a dangerous, hidden monster.
As she flipped through the subsequent panels, Emika's eyes widened. He was flying down the mountain. His speed was well over a hundred kilometers per hour. He was drifting through hairpins.
Despite the extreme forces involved, Takumi's handling of the AE86 was so smooth that the water in the cup merely swirled into a perfect vortex. Not a single drop was spilled.
"Is... is something like that even physically possible?" Emika muttered in disbelief.
The second chapter concluded with Iketani practicing alone on the mountain road. In his desperate attempt to push past his own limits and protect the team's honor, he pushed too hard and ended up in a serious car accident.
Emika flipped the page, searching for the resolution.
Initial D, Chapter 2: End.
She blinked.
'End? Again? Are you serious right now?' She felt a wave of frustration wash over her. Cutting the story there was agonizing. She logged onto the AniSphere Forum, and as expected, the section for Prime Manga was already a war zone of fans complaining about the second chapter.
"Damn it, it's already the second chapter and the lead is still just delivering tofu? Come on, Shiori-sensei, let him show off already! The suspense is killing me!"
"By the way, that thing with the cup of water... can anyone actually do that in real life?"
"Theoretically? Maybe. In reality? I've never seen it in my life."
"Even as someone who doesn't drive, that felt so legendary. His skills are god-tier."
"If I could drive like that, I'd have a girlfriend by now. No way a girl could resist those moves."
"I can't believe we're two chapters in and the race hasn't even started. I'm dying here! Shiori-sensei, Shizuru-sensei, can't you two draw a little faster?"
"Sigh, another week of waiting. This is so annoying. Plus, the Madoka Blu-rays I wanted to buy are already out of stock. Everything is working against me right now. My two favorite creators are both causing me suffering at the same time."
"Haha, I was smarter than you. I knew a small studio like Haru-Yuki wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand for Madoka merchandise, so I woke up at 6:00 AM on launch day and bought the first volume the moment the shop opened."
"That's nothing! I managed to get one of the limited collector's editions. It's signed by the Warrior of Love himself. There are only a hundred in existence!"