While 'Initial D' had a slow-burning start with a lot of setup, none of it was wasted. Even though Takumi had never once shown any signs of being a racing prodigy, the image of the tofu shop's AE86 being the fastest car on Mount Akina was already deeply etched into the audience's minds.
Gu Ruo instantly perked up.
In the drama—
As a racer, Kei (Keisuke Takahashi) naturally couldn't allow any other car to pass him — not even a random one he happened to run into on the road.
Driving his FD, he stepped on the gas and quickly pulled ahead of the 86.
But just two turns later, headlights lit up behind him again — the 86 had caught up!
He accelerated again, and once more, the 86 caught up at the turn!
In the drama, the driver of the 86 still hadn't shown his face, but Kei, who had just steamrolled Speed Stars like a war god, now found himself completely outmatched in terms of momentum.
Gu Ruo watched with inexplicable excitement. Kei had been so obnoxious earlier — seeing him get humbled, no matter by whom, was deeply satisfying.
This minute-long race scene had the two cars executing high-speed maneuvers that were far beyond what viewers could have imagined.
"What?! It's actually an AE86? An old 86? My FD can't shake it off?!" Kei shouted in disbelief.
It was during a side-by-side drift through a tight curve that Kei finally got a good look at the car model behind him.
While still driving, he began to question his very existence.
Meanwhile, Gu Ruo was loving it.
In the fan groups, the mood had done a complete 180 — no more complaints, only hype.
Everyone's earlier frustration was gone in an instant.
"Serves you right for acting so cocky!"
"So the fastest car on Mount Akina was the tofu shop's AE86, like the gas station boss said!"
"What? It's actually a baby stroller?!"
"What? It's actually a tractor?!"
"What? It's actually a toy car?!"
"What? It's actually a rocking car?!"
"Real talk — I don't know anything about racing, but this scene got me all fired up. Let's go, 86!"
Winding roads, narrow lanes — the twisting Mount Akina.
The two cars blazed down the mountain. Through the contrast with stationary trees and shifting camera angles from the driver's POV, viewers at home could feel just how fast they were going.
It was just like how third-person views of skydiving or wingsuit flying might feel tame, but switch to first-person, and suddenly your palms sweat.
Even Gu Ruo found herself getting nervous.
From the driver's perspective, both the 86 and the FD were flying down the road at terrifying speeds. Gu Ruo imagined herself behind the wheel and was sure — with turns that tight and speeds that high, she wouldn't even survive past the second curve before flying off a cliff.
"This is making me so tense!"
"This is terrifying! I remember a time on a mountain road during a tour — the driver was speeding downhill, and I was gripping the seat rails so hard I nearly bled, scared the bus would flip!"
"Third-person race footage doesn't feel that scary, but first-person? Damn. These stunt drivers are insane! These scenes were filmed for real, right? One wrong move and it's a wreck!"
"I'm done. Just give me my city's 40km/h speed limit. That's enough thrill for me."
As the first showdown between the AE86 and Kei neared its climax—
The 86 accelerated into a tight corner, nearly hurtling off a cliff, before using momentum to drift perfectly around the bend.
The screen then split into two perspectives:
First, from Kei's rearview — the 86 charged into the curve like it had a death wish. The front swerved left, the rear swung right. A sharp right turn followed immediately by a sharp left, and the 86 slid sideways, perfectly hugging the guardrail.
Second, from within the 86's cockpit — though the driver's face still wasn't shown, his actions were clear:
One hand on the wheel, one shifting gears. Feet dancing between the gas, brake, and clutch.
During filming, Jing Yu had mounted multiple fixed cameras inside the car and later edited the shots into this split-screen sequence.
The result?
Gu Ruo, along with countless viewers, was stunned.
You can drive like that?!
The contrast between the two perspectives—
"Is the director trying to teach us how to drift with this kind of editing?"
"That was so cool!"
"Mountain racing is seriously this badass?"
"I'm speechless. I didn't know cars could even do that!"
"Mountain racers are all this insane?!"
"Bullshit. I race around the outskirts of the Capital sometimes, and most racers are just slightly better than average drivers — just bolder. This footage? I'm on my knees. Whoever's driving the 86 is one of the absolute top racers, even in real life!"
"This… this is the essence of a man's romance!"
"Wait, didn't the specs say the AE86 has only 130 horsepower? The FD had over 300. How the hell is it losing?!"
"Because it's a downhill race. And with so many curves, horsepower only matters on straights and acceleration. You can hit 300km/h, sure — but do you dare drive that fast through a city street? Kei was worse than the 86 in corners. That's why he lost!"
"This show is so hardcore. I used to think racing wasn't exciting. This just slapped me in the face."
Halfway through the first episode, even though Kei had shown absolute dominance against the Speed Stars, he was ultimately defeated by the tofu shop's 86 in the dead of night.
The plot then shifted—
Iketani, team leader of Speed Stars, couldn't let Mount Akina's reputation be trampled. He went to Takumi's father, Bunta (Fujiwara Bunta), hoping he would step up in the upcoming 1v1 match next Saturday to reclaim their pride.
But Bunta refused.
As soon as the first episode ended, Episode 2 flowed seamlessly into the next.
The 86 driver… turned out to be Takumi's dad!
Gu Ruo jotted notes in her notebook and exhaled deeply.
The first half of Episode 2 focused on Iketani.
He kept pestering Bunta to come out of retirement, while also putting himself through intense training during the week.
He even got into a car accident — neck injury, wrapped in a brace — but still obsessed over the upcoming Saturday match.
Though only a supporting character, Iketani was written so well that the audience couldn't help but root for him.
Otherwise, why would Initial D fans in the source feel so bitter when Mako and Iketani missed their chance because of his stubborn pride and getting stuck in traffic?
The emotional connection was too strong.
After all, Takumi was the untouchable genius — a true protagonist. But Iketani was the everyman — the one who represented the average viewer.
Then came a twist.
After chatting with the gas station owner and being moved by Iketani's sincerity, Bunta proposed:
Let Takumi take his place and teach the Red Suns a lesson.
Gu Ruo immediately pieced it together.
"Wait… don't tell me…"
"The tofu shop's 86 driver wasn't Takumi's dad — it was Takumi?!"
Because if Takumi wasn't that skilled, there's no way his dad would so casually say, "Go take care of them."
Takumi's reaction only deepened the intrigue.
At first, he had zero interest.
But when he learned he'd get to use the family's AE86 for a day and get a full tank of gas if he won—
He was tempted.
Takumi was tempted — and the audience was hooked.
"Wait… wasn't Takumi scared shitless sitting in Iketani's car earlier? Didn't he just get his license not even a year ago? Why does this feel like he's actually the fastest guy on Mount Akina?"
"They didn't say he was the fastest, okay? His dad said Takumi's not better than him — but aside from him, Takumi wouldn't lose to anyone on Mount Akina."
"So... the one who beat Kei's FD earlier was Takumi!"
"That has to be it!"
"But then why was he scared riding in Iketani's car? That makes no sense!"
"What if… It's because Iketani sucks at driving, and from Takumi's pro perspective, his driving felt so unstable it scared him half to death?"
"...Damn!"
"That actually makes sense!"
"Now that I think about it, Takumi's reaction in Episode 1 did seem more like that!"
Fan chats were exploding in real-time, and as 'Initial D' reached the midpoint of Episode 2, its viewership was inching dangerously close to 7%.
Then, a new character was introduced — Nakazato, the handsome and mature leader of the Night Kid team, known as the "Black Lightning".
Saturday night — the battle between the Red Suns and Mount Akina's local team drew a massive audience.
Every corner of the mountain road was packed with spectators!
Even knowing it was all fake, a dramatized production, just seeing the crowd scenes was enough to stir excitement.
Iketani still thought Takumi's dad would show up to race for Mount Akina.
Kei, who had lost to the 86, was also waiting — waiting for that same 86 to show up again and replace Iketani in the race.
And finally — after two full episodes — the camera finally showed Jing Yu, as Takumi, behind the wheel of the 86.
"Fill the tank up. Don't forget," Takumi reminded his dad about their deal.
Cut to the top of Mount Akina — just as the 1v1 showdown between Speed Stars and the Red Suns was about to begin.
"Hold up! This is the finish line. A car just passed me on the way up!"
"It's the 86 — the 86 is going up the mountain!"