Friday, August 24, 2007

Initial D

I’m not fond of watching animated TV series or maybe I just don’t have the time to watch such things. There are instances that I can’t resist watching, since the people at home love that kind of show. In those times, I find it interesting to know the stories. They are actually kind of fun if you already started watching.

Japanese is one of the active makers of anime series. They are good at that and it is proven by their long time participation in the genre. There are a lot of works to mention. However, for now, I would like to emphasize on “Initial D”. It is an anime and manga piece of work that focuses on the world of illegal Japanese street racing.

I have read about the prologue of the first stage which says “Takumi Fujiwara is the son of the owner of a local tofu shop. At night, Fujiwara gets in his souped up AE86 Sprinter Trueno and races on the seldom-used Japanese mountain roads. One night, the Akagi Red Suns team, a racing club, challenges the Akina Speed Stars to a race on the mountain where Fujiwara lives. Keisuke, one of the leaders of the Red Suns, races his legendary Mazda — only to be beaten by the mysterious Fujiwara.” That was based from pwp.netcabo.pt. Seems interesting, isn’t it?

Since “Initial D” got my interest, I come to read few more details about it. I have read the synopsis from en.wikipedia.org. I have learned about the “First Stage”. It begun in the situation where the street racers of the Red Suns (a team from Mt. Akagi) challenged Mt. Akina’s local Speed Stars team for a friendly race. Unfortunately, the Speed Stars team was defeated. Since they opt to win in the next challenge, they come to seek for the fastest car in Akina’s downhill. They have learned that it is owned by a tofu maker, Bunta Fujiwara. This man was known as a street racer of great repute in his younger days. He owns a panda-colored AE86, which they say is the fastest in town.

However, on the day of the race, Takumi (the tofu maker’s son) brought his father’s Toyota Trueno AE86 instead of the panda-colored. But though they weren’t confident enough with the car, Takumi was able to win over the Keisuke Takahashi and his Mazda RX-7 RD3S. Well, the Mazda RX7 Parts was not able to boost the car’s performance just enough to defeat Takumi’s skill.

From then on, Takumi got intensely interested in the field of street racing. So, he participated in several races, which present seemingly impossible odds to overcome.

Well, the story is great. So, if some of you would want to read more, the site is ready to provide more of it.

Posted by butthead at 05:41:40 | Permalink | No Comments »

Backwards Driveing Champion

Like most of us, I think that you are also having a hard time backing up a truck to park it. Most of the new large vehicles we have today have these park assist systems or whatever they call it. Basically, these features allow us to be more confident in backing up that large SUV or that pickup truck. But I know someone who doesn’t need that gizmo or any kind of gizmo for that matter to go backwards driving.

I’m talking about Mater, that hillbilly tow truck in the movie Cars. I kinda like this guy better than most of the characters in the film because of his attitude. Although a bit slow with his thinking, Mater is a good chap to be around which he showed Lightning McQueen.

So here’s a background on Mater who is the self-proclaimed world champion backwards driver. This talent which I wish I also have according to Mater is easy because he has his rear-view mirrors and the mantra “Don’t need to see where you’re going, just need to see where you’ve been.” He speaks with a Southern accent which I really like because it suits his affable personality. He became good friends with Lightning McQueen in the movie and he gets to do what he wanted to do at the end of the film - ride in a helicopter.

Mater is based loosely on a 1958 International Harvester tow truck or a mid-50s Chevrolet or GMC truck. If you think that Mater only exists in the realm of the big screen, you’re dead wrong because the makers of the movie has commissioned an auto genius to come up with a life-size replica of Mater, and a running one at that. The said truck is on display at Disney’s California Adventure at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. If you want to know how they build the real life Mater, check out this site.

In the movie, the original color of Mater is actually baby blue but through the years, it became a patchwork of rust which gives you the impression that Mater is just gonna break down any minute. An interesting trivia for you is the license plate of Mater which is A113. If you look closely on other animated films such as Toy Story, A bug’s Life, Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and even Ratatouille, you can see A113. A113 is an inside joke used by CalArts alumni on their projects. The number refers to the room number of the classroom which animation students at the school used.

Posted by butthead at 05:25:01 | Permalink | No Comments »