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The Gunma region is being invaded by the fearsome Emperors, a street racing team who drive nothing but powerful Lan-EVOs. With the ambition to conquer the entire region in one month and the most powerful 4-wheel-drive cars at their disposal, Kyoichi and the Emperors have set out to get their long awaited revenge on Takahashi Ryousuke, their archnemesis. Together with the undefeated downhill hero Takumi, Ryousuke is all that stands in the way of Kyoichi and his gang. But winning will be a difficult task -- do the Gunma region's drivers really stand a chance?
Asakura Akio is a young student and street racer who has a beloved car – a first generation S30 Nissan Fairlady 240 Z. Immediately upon discovering it in a scrap yard he's attracted to it, an attraction that later grows into an obsession. After restoring the car to its former glory with his friends he takes it down a stretch of highway known as Wangan to challenge its king, the "Black Bird." The more Asakura learns about the car and its dark history, the more he wants to master driving this dangerous "Akuma no Z" (The Devil's Z) and claim the title of Wangan's master for himself...
Both Wangan Midnight and Initial D are about a high school student who street races with a car (and he loves to race). If you liked one you'd like the other.
If there's one word that'd describe both anime that'd be intense. Not only they share the same genre and are about a teenager who likes racing but they have the same feeling, and you can't help but feel excited everytime you watch them. Of course there are some differences, like Wangan Midnight being more focused in tuning and racing in highways while Initial D is centered in improving their own skills and racing in mountain passes, but if you liked Initial D you'd enjoy Wangan Midnight anyway.
Taira Capeta has spent his entire young life being a good and dutiful son to his hardworking but impoverished widower father. Only once has his father seen him show any personal wants or needs -- when he saw a model car in a toy shop. Despite his lack of cash, his father has hatched a naïve plan to give Capeta the ultimate gift: his dreams fulfilled. From a modest beginning, Capeta, with the help of his father and his good friends Nobu and Monami, embarks upon an amateur career as a go-kart racer, aiming for the ultimate prize -- graduation into the professional ranks of formula racing. But will his poverty cause his dreams to fail?
Both of these popular series, Capeta and Inital D, focus on the same thing: racing!
That's not all there is to them, though! The most significant part of both stories is the development of the drivers, both gaining experience and racing skill, and their continuing life experiences.
The racing is fantastic and extreme, but always within the bounds of possibility. The character development is constantly ongoing and the close friends and associates of the main character have surprisingly large roles to play.
Both are high quality anime, featuring drivers of the youngest age possible and you get to watch them develop into the fastest drivers around. Excellent stuff!
Ippo Makunouchi is a loser. He has no friends, he spends his free time helping his mom with work, and he's constantly being beaten up by bullies. But that all changes when one day he's saved from another beating by Takamura, an up-and-coming boxer. Soon, Ippo turns his life around with a passion for the newly discovered sport, but his new lifestyle is far from easy! Before he can even dream of becoming champion, he'll have to overcome a slew of fierce rivals and learn what 'dedication' really means.
Meet Ryoma Echizen, the cocky prince of tennis. He comes to Japan from America where he is known as the Prince of Tennis – but that is no surprise considering he is the son of the former tennis pro, Nanjiroh Echizen, otherwise known as the Samurai! Upon transferring to the school Seishun Gakuen, he meets the regulars of the tennis club, and becomes the first freshman to become a regular; but he has a lot to learn yet about being a tennis star. Ryoma, along with the rest of his teammates, aspire to win the Nationals; but first, they must defeat the other teams which stand in their way!
Sakuragi has hit an all-time low. During his last year of junior high school, fifty different girls rejected him, the last one choosing a basketball player instead. Thus it’s no surprise that in high school, Sakuragi beats up anyone who dares utter the name of the sport. However, it’s not long until he meets Haruko, a beautiful basketball enthusiast, and is determined to make her fall in love with him – even signing up for the school team to accomplish his goal. However, winning Haruko’s heart won’t be easy, as her brother is the strict and protective captain of the basketball team and Haruko’s eyes are focused on Sakuragi’s rival, the talented Rukawa. Can Sakuragi give up his delinquent ways to help get the team to Nationals, or will his temper get him kicked out before he can learn to dribble the ball?
Altough it may seam these two series don't have much in common they are so much. Yes, the calm and quiet "main driver" Takumi is very diffrerent from hot headed and loud mouth "basketlball man" Sakuragi, also the level of thei driving/basketball skills at the start of the series is so very different. But it doesn't really matter as they are both in their 18teens trying to beat any competition they meet so hard it makes you feel ashamed for not doing your best in your own field. And another thing (I trying not to spoil it here), at the end both series leave you wondering about how they both reached their ultimate goal.
