Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself, very happy to see this getting a reprint 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is really great to have Initial D in an omnibus format. It is an entertaining and engaging graphic novel that has strong and memorable characters and storyline, which appeals to longtime fans as well as new.

This is surprisingly fun and engaging, Shigeno throwing the reader into the world of the manga right away and making it a pleasure to read about cars, and driving, even for someone like me who has no driving license (on the other hand, don't ask me how much of what the manga shows is realistic). The story is as simple as they come: Takumi a high schooler who just got his driving license, works in a petrol station and has a friend who is crazy about cars and want to race down this famous mountain. Takumi is a little aloof and doesn't seem to much care about what his friend says even if, we pretty soon discover, he is amazing at driving down that same mountain. The volume (well, what we get here is less than half the first Omnibus 1, so it would be a little bit less than a traditional manga volume) shows what seems to be the 'driving force' behind the story: different drivers, races, and that amazing AE-86 Trueno. And if soccer or other sports manga can go on forever, maybe Initial D can maintain the interest through its 48 volumes. For now, it already has the head start.

Downsides: those faces. I don't know if Shigeno changes much his style as the story progresses but the faces are meh at best; they seem to be plastered on the page. And also Natsuki, the female character, who seems to be just one more of those female characters in shonen manga.

At the end, it also has some explanations about Japanese relationships, places and driving stuff.

Read the shortened review copy; as someone who doesn't really have an interest in cars, I still found this surprisingly entertaining! Will be buying the full physical copy.

I really loved the volume. I always loved Initial D and thought it was great to see a racing manga, so I was really glad to get this e-arc. The art style was pretty good and the plot flowed really nicely. I especially loved that there was notes at the back in terms of car parts and other car related topics so people who don’t know much about cars could still follow along. Definitely good for people who want to get into manga with cars and racing.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC sampler of the 'Inital D Omnibus 1' by Shuichi Shigeno.

Due to the length of this omnibus I only recieved a small segment of it as an Arc so I am purely criticising that segment.

Overall, I did enjoy the piece I recieved. It's not my usual genre and form of manga, but it was interesting to read. I especially loved the art style, it was fresh and new.

Takumi Fujiwara frequently navigates the challenging roads of Mount Akina as part of his tofu delivery job. Unbeknownst to him, he's honed racing skills that most drivers only acquire after years of experience. However, his friends are oblivious to his talents, as they're engrossed in the local street racing team, the Akina Speed Stars. When the renowned Red Suns challenge the Speed Stars, the spotlight shifts to a mysterious car, the Trueno Eight-Six, tearing through the mountainous terrain. The identity of the driver and their willingness to accept this perilous challenge remains a mystery.I fondly remember watching the manga film with my friends decades ago. We'd all fantasize about owning and racing those cars. Seeing it again recently transported me back to those youthful days, offering a delightful trip down memory lane. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this story and reliving those moments.Many thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics.

Thank you Kodansha for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 ⭐️

I’m very excited to be able to read a new translation of a classic and beloved series. This was my first time experiencing Initial D and I’m glad I decided to take a dive into this work!

I enjoyed Takumi as a protagonist, and I love that he has unintentionally & uniquely been building impressive driving skills while having minimal knowledge about cars and the racing scene. I like that it got right to the action with the immediate introduction to rivals, providing drama and eventually motivation for our protagonist. Even with the fast pace of the story, we get to see the camaraderie Takumi and the Akina Speed Stars have for each other. The art is a bit static compared to other series that were released around a similar time, but the expressions are charming and the art definitely shines most in the racing scenes.

There are quite a few changes from this new translation and the old one. Overall, the new translation far exceeds the old one. For the curious, I’ve expanded on it in my GR review.

My major gripe is Natsuki’s current arc, and it definitely shows as a product of its time. My GR review also expands on this, particularly her out-of-place sexualization.

This series is still a very engaging read despite that, and as someone who knows nothing about cars I’m very thankful for the described terminology in the translator’s notes at the end to help understand what everything means. The bonus comic was also very cute.

I was a little sad that the ARC provided was not complete due to space limitations, and I wish it had at least covered up to all of Volume 1 (10 chapters) instead of stopping at Chapter 7. Regardless, I had a great time with what was available, and now I have a reason to grab a full copy for myself!

For the shelf collectors, Initial D Omnibus Vol 1 is a great addition to a collection, for both old and new fans alike. This is the first time it has been in paperback since its TokyoPop days if I recall correctly, making it very accessible to add to a shelf without paying insane resale prices. Prior to reading this I was only familiar with the music, but I’m now a fan and definitely will be looking forward to future releases!

From what KodanshaUSA was able to show so far I'm really glad they're releasing this classic manga series in print and I'm buying the omnibus as soon as I go to a bookstore!

Initial D was one of my first Manga although I confess I could only find up to volume 3 back then. When I learned that Omnibus’ were due to be released I was excited since it would give me a chance to collect the series properly.


This omnibus features a new translation but of course the classic tale of racing that helped start the craze in Japan. The art work is so detailed and suits the story well. Of course it does have a bit of an older vibe to it but I am glad they haven’t tried to update this. The story is easy to follow and engaging as well. I will definitely be adding a physical copy to my shelves in the future and highly recommend to fans new and old.

Netgalley Review

Star Rating: ★★★★★

For telling people that I love all the old manga I can't believe that I had never read this one. It was a great read, interesting story, and I love the characters so far! Not a lot happened in these first 2 volumes, it was a lot of character development and laying the foundation of the story. So now I have to run out and get the next ones so that I can actually find out what happened in the big race!

Definitely one that I would add to my shelf at home!

Like always read it and decide for yourself!

I've never read Initial D before, but I've heard so many great things about it and that so many fans were excited for the re-release, so I decided to give it a try. The story is ultimately not for me, I didn't really enjoy it and the car stuff confused me, but I do understand the appeal. The art is charming and solid, and the characters have potential. The focus seems to be on cars and the one in particular, so I can't say much there, but there are other aspects of the story that is hinted at that will be interesting in future installments. I know this is a new translation as well, I don't know how it compares to the original, but I do think that it was done really well and there was a good amount of culture notes to describe what was going on.

This is one of the best mangas. I'm so happy I got to read it early. I already have it on hold at my local library.

I'm just starting to get into reading manga and kept hearing about Initial D. I am also trying to learn more about the drift scene in Japan, so reading this book was very informative.

This manga follows Takumi, a tofu delivery driver, and his innate talents honed by driving up and down Mount Akina daily delivering food for his family's business. Takumi has little knowledge or interest in the drift scene, but is pulled into the world of drifting as the discovery of the mystery AE86 driver comes to light.

I cannot wait to see where Takumi's story goes in the next installments. I did thoroughly enjoy the omnibus version, combining multiple volumes of this story. The art and storyline were so complimentary.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review was shared on NetGalley and StoryGraph.

This manga is about one thing: having a sick-ass car and doing sick shit in it.

The AE-86 is the true star here, highlighting its real life abilities on the rally circuit to a different group of fans. And now that it’s 25 years old, you can actually get a legit one in the states.

Amazing. As an avid fan of Initial D anime, live action, and arcade game, it was such a pleasure to read the first two volumes in one place and in color to boot. I had eurobeats playing in my head while reading.

I would definitely recommend this to any JDM car enthusiast or those that have dabbled in Shuichi Shigeno's MF Ghost that recently aired.

This came as a real surprise, I've always liked the street racing scene, since the first fast and furious and (most) of it's sequels, so to hear that this came before all the films and the original article, and that so many of the things found in the earlier films (before it became international heists against the SAS) were all found in this book. From the twisting roads and the drifting, to the RX7 and the different toyotas, to the character being a delivery driver.

Enjoyed this enormously, there were a few things in there that were a little dated (but it is thirty years old, so fair), and I'll probably be picking up part 2 to see where it goes.

As always, thanks to the Publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in return for an honest review, no other inducements were received, my words are my own.