F

Gunma Akagi, a teenager from the countryside, frequently causes a ruckus with his turbocharged tractor, much to the chagrin of his father, aspiring politician Souichirou Akagi, who urges the family to set a good example to ensure his success.

One night, while Gunma is driving his tractor on the highway with his best friend Tamotsu Oishi, the two are suddenly overtaken by a speeding car. Gunma interprets this as a challenge and tries to outpace his opponent, only to fail in a spectacular fashion. The defeat sparks a fire within him, and Gunma becomes determined to win against this mysterious foe at all costs. Soon after, he leaves the peaceful countryside behind and moves to the bustling city, aiming to become the next Formula One star!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Akagi, Gunma Main

Seki, Toshihiko Japanese

Komori, Junko Main

Tamagawa, Sakiko Japanese

Oishi, Tamotsu Main

Furumoto, Shinnosuke Japanese

Akagi, Souichirou ing

Ito, Hiroshi Japanese

Tamotsu's Mother ing

Maruyama, Hiroko Japanese

Yuki ing

Mizutani, Yuuko Japanese

Akagi, Yuuma ing

Tsujitani, Kouji Japanese

Akagi, Shouma ing

Yanada, Kiyoyuki Japanese

Mashimo, Kouichi Director

Yatabe, Katsuyoshi Episode Director, Storyboard

Endou, Tetsuya Episode Director

Ishiyama, Takaaki Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Sep 14, 2020

TheHypermew

Recommended

First review here on MAL.

I watched this anime a couple of years ago after watching Initial D and was craving for more. I loved it back then and gave it an 8, but now after rewatching it I realise it is amazing and deserves at the very least a 9. Here is why:

Story: The story follows Gunma Akagi who is a country boy who loves to drive. He has a friend who is a mechanic and loves working on engines. We follow these boys as they try to get to the top in order to reach Formula One together. The road is not as smooth ... as one could think and many problems have to be tackled. The nuances and sometimes actually the realistic story makes this anime great. It really shows the struggles to get to the top as a racing driver, or actually in any profession! I have to say that the story is not the strongest in the beginning but it more than makes up for it! - 9/10

Art: I think the art was why I only gave it an 8 when I watched this years ago, but I have to say that the art is sublime. For this being 1988 it is amazing, and even today I would still say that this is great. The art has so much character and you can truly se that they use the medium to the fullest. It is not unusual for the animators to reuse frames or not have a developed background, but they do it in a way that it either does not affect the experience or actually improves it by the team being creative! These creative ideas makes you miss that this artstyle is not used any more! - 10/10

Sound: The soundtrack is in my opinion great. The opening for the first half of the show is what you have to call a banger! The second one is not as good in my opinion but still quite good. The music in the background is quite good with the 'epic' distorted electric guitars that sounds like they are borrowed from Top Gun. My favorite part of the sound is the sounds of the engines. It feels like they put a large amount of energy in recording convincing engine sounds that corresponds with the correct car. Bravo! - 9/10

Character: I think almost every character is great in this show. Some are better than others though; you can feel this especially with some characters that sometimes 'act out of their character'. And in the case of Gunma, I love his character, but from time to time you can't ignore his attitude and anger issues. Despite these frankly small issues, I believe that this show has a great character roster with a lot of development! - 8/10

Enjoyment: This one is easy for me. There was not really a minute spent where I was bored, there were constantly issues to solve or epic races to watch. It was not like a flood either, they balanced the heavier things with the lighter very well. Superb! - 10/10

Overall: This show is amazing. I think it's a shame that during the time of writing this review, this show only have been scored by 457 s. If you love drama, sports and general fun, I believe you have to see this show! - 9/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 11, 2019

SenseiMedo

Recommended

At first i thought this anime was only golden comedy then it become serious and at some times it made you think that its unrealistic. Its an emotional roller-coaster throughout the journey.

But in the end it makes you cry rivers, one of the best masterpiece classics in existence. For an anime that was created in the 80s its animation, sound and story are much better then some of nowadays anime.

I rate this anime paced in its timeline the 80s and not nowadays, in of its time everything is a perfect 10. If you were watching this when it aired you ... would give it a 10 but if you were watching it now it would still be a good 7.

I recommend you do watch it and stick to the last episode, its where the underrated gem truly shine. Of-course throughout the journey it well shine in different episodes and it all connects towards its majestic ending.

of-course theirs more that the journey offers after the ending so the manga well provide those answers, until one day we get a second season.

I truly enjoyed this and give it an outstanding 10/10, you well get racing, romance, rivalry, fighting, comedy and tears.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jun 10, 2022

Adamu-Sama

Not Recommended

Well, I will give my opinion on this racing anime. A year ago, a friend advised me to watch this anime

The story tells of Han Akagi, a rural young man who is fond of racing cars and his dream to reach Formula 1 and overcome the obstacles he will face in order to achieve this dream.
The first observation I did not like this anime in the transformation of its level from serious to unreal

The story is okay, but the events of the story are the problem that did not make me enjoy as I should
Is the author underestimating our minds?

I don't know if ... the anime is really bad or was I expecting something like Initial D
The story has not been replaced (after disappointing the unrealness of the events) with art or music like people.

I felt like I wasted 31 episodes watching the anime disappointed me, thinking the next episode would be better
The only flaw in the anime is the exaggeration of the unnecessary comedy in some moments inside the episode

Characters: The character of the hero has not developed at all since the beginning of the anime, the other characters were neglected to the point of being forgotten and re-appeared.

But although the work did not force me, I advise those who did not watch it to watch it, but do not expect much.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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