Riding off of the second season of Initial D I was disappointed. By the stiff animation the pacing and by how impersonal it felt. I had zero expectations for this movie and it surpassed even my highest standards for cinema to date. https://i.ur.com/bPk8N1e.png Third Stage opens with a compilation of shots focusing on the Toyota AE86 we have come to know and love and in the background a funky song by M.O.V.E. the Japanese eurobeat group which composed the openings of all the seasons so far. And there are no soundtracks like Initial D. My predisposed bias towards it hits like a resounding gong but the tracks here really drive home and will have your armpits dripping sweat at every races conclusion. Fly Me To The Moon Back being the crowning track of Third Stage with the foreboding yet victorious grit the track pounds out even just through a short snippet of screen time. After our introductory tune comes to its natural conclusion you can feel your adrenaline rush subside for a moment as it cuts to our protagonists school in Akina. But somethings different. Everything is different. https://i.ur.com/WFJbBzC.jpeg Initial D now moves like the greatest of animated films. The slow panning shots are now few and far between not the hereandthere bits of character acting we had in the First Stage. Third Stage doesnt stop and the production doesnt hold back from letting you notice this. The handpainted backgrounds paired with the cutting character designs of Shigeno bars you in a cell forcing you into the environment of this small valley town whether you like it or not. Most of if not all of these shots look more beautiful than the manga which is a key factor in making this not only a successful adaptation but a masterful one. Your eyes move back and forth from the bloodpumping CGI action sequences to the quiet outlook of the sunset. And the CGI isnt intrusive in the slightest either. It manages to be the only creation to hit that sweet spot where the digital marries the handcrafted. They blend enough to become one entity allowing you to realise the two worlds of racing and the real are completely separate yet intertwined. https://i.ur.com/LkGdTQi.png Some of these shots just take your breath away and Im utterly surprised this is Mitsusawas only credited work. And its hard to call this a onehit wonder when the world feels this lived in. Comparatively to the rest of the series as well Third Stages atmosphere just feels...colder. This may have just been the autumn wind blowing in through my open window but I really felt the pressure around Takumi the weight of the racing world placed squarely on his shoulders. You can practically taste the dense morning clouds of Akagi as Takumi groggily makes the first tofu run. It burns the tension in tread marks and stops freezes your heart when it wants to. It allows you to breath in the sunlight and cough on the octanedense air of the gas station. https://i.ur.com/vdvmCrs.jpeg Through this extra bit of movement all of the characters personalities come alive. From Iketanis eyebrow raises to Itsukis overly energetic pouts there are extra pieces that didnt need to be there but raise the quality of this film so high none can compete. Not even mentioning the voice work The English voices are crisp and suit each of the characters scarily well. Joel McDonalds voice noticeably deepened just enough so you can feel the growing age of the Takumi Fujiwara while the older voices remain consistent Chuck Huber being an always remarkable example of this. The dialogue runs into each other but in a realistic way like how conversations between three friends would go. Someones bound to be interrupted. https://i.ur.com/MzWsbTJ.png Oh the characters themselves? In terms of actual movie standards this is the greatest twoinone combo youll ever pay for. Its our protagonists story Takumis obviously but it also gets tangled with Natsukis. Both are grappling with not only their feelings for each other but the fear of what to do next upon schools conclusion and how each approaches that lingering heartbreak. They run parallel to each other so when these lines never cross no matter how foreshadowed it still pierces like a weighted arrow. The side characters especially in the Takahashi brothers show progression since the First Stage previously as enemies but now appearing as allies. Yet they still somehow ride the line of animosity all rivals seem to clench which makes their sparing appearances eversomemorable. In antagonists The Emperors felt so distant and detached in Second Stage but placed themselves into the spotlight for Third Stage to exude some honestly intimidating pressure I didnt feel in Second Stage at all. You feel the crushing weight of Takumis previous loss more than in the actual previous season and the rematch feels that much more important despite not relying on the past too much even as a little bit of a crutch. The new opponent for this stage Kai Kogashiwa brings some past history which ups the personal ante I again never felt in the Second Stage. It adds that force that made First Stage so good Kai and Takumi foiling each other so tight they felt like removed brothers. https://i.ur.com/iOT0nCu.png Third Stage sets its world in stone and youre along for the rollercoaster of a lifetime. https://i.ur.com/OfSvwjJ.png