Living at the bottom of Mt. Akagi, I’ve always felt a connection to Initial D, the street racing anime that exploded in popularity in the early 2000s. Now there’s a sequel called MF Ghost set years after the first Initial D. Can it recapture the magic of the original?
Can MF Ghost Hold a Candle to Initial D?
As a resident of Gunma Prefecture, where Initial D is based, I’ve always felt guilty that I don’t drive a Subaru. Subarus have always represented Gunma prefecture since they’re made down the road in nearby Ota City (in a factory that once made Japanese Zero fighters). I’ve always driven Mazda cars, plus the BMW I currently own. But at least I can do my part to share some awareness of this great new successor to Initial D!
It’s the year 202X, and boring electric cars have taken over the world. But on a racing circuit known as MFG, drivers still race in old-school gasoline-powered cars.
The story follows Kanata Livington, a half-Japanese, half-British racer who’s come to Japan to search for his father…and race on the world-famous MFG track. His homestay sister is Ren, who has a secret part-time job as a “race queen” at the MFG. When she hears Kanata’s name announced as the newest driver, she can’t believe her ears.
Is MF Ghost a Good Racing Anime?
I’m enjoying it. It’s got all the elements of the original, including fast CGI cars, lots of details on the physics of how a car interfaces with the surface of the road, and commentary on the action from side characters. The visuals are great, with the character designs being greatly improved over the original.
But it’s not 1995 anymore, so the technology in the universe has to get upgraded. All the cars are updated to newer versions, and the Internet exists now. But the biggest visual upgrade have to be the drones that follow cars as they race, making those exciting camera angles an in-world thing, and not just something that we viewers get to see.
I personally think it’s a great anime, and fans of the original should check it out. It’s great to have more exciting races to watch — though I could do without the cliffhangers — and I can tell the Eurobeat songs are going to find their way onto my phone to play the next time I get the urge to drive up Mt. Akagi.
That said, this show is not Initial D, so fans of the original should adjust their expectations just a bit before watching. The flow of the story is going to be different since the MFG is an official racing circuit rather than an underground thing. Main character Kanata isn’t Takumi Fujiwara and doesn’t go on the same kind of journey.
(I’m a little worried that some fans will dislike the series just because the cars are all new. I hope they’ll give it a chance!)
What Makes a Good Sequel?
These are the things that make a good sequel, in my opinion:
- Creating a new story that is its own thing, yet maintains some of the original’s feel. No wholesale reusing of formulas that worked the first time.
- Creating new characters for fans to watch, but keeping the right number of familiar characters from the original.
- It’s always good if there can be a “legendary” element that can give fans goosebumps when a special character gets named-dropped.
To my mind, the best sequel ever created is The Empire Strikes Back, with its perfectly executed story that brought the Star Wars characters to a much darker place. But a close second has to be Zeta Gundam, which took all the elements of the classic Mobile Suit Gundam but created a totally new story that was the perfect balance of new and old. Will MF Ghost be similarly well-received by fans, or will it fail to live up to its high expectations? Only time will tell.
Thanks for reading this post about the MF Ghost racing anime. Will you be watching the show? Tell us in the comments below!
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