Initial D Anime Follow-Up 'MF Ghost' Is All About A Street Racer And His GT86

Although the Initial D manga finished way back in 2013, the story continues. Since 2017 its writer and illustrator Shuichi Shigeno has been publishing something called ‘MF Ghost’, serialised in Weekly Young Magazine, just as Initial D was. And further mirroring its predecessor, there’s an anime adaptation on the way.

MF Ghost takes place a few years on from its predecessor in “202X AD,” when autonomous cars have become the norm in Japan. Pushing back is MFG, a street racing organisation founded by Initial D character Ryosuke Takahashi. Amidst all this is the protagonist Kanata Rivington, a graduate from a British racing school taking on drivers in various exotics using something much more humble.

Since Initial D focused on Takumi Fujiwara’s exploits in a Toyota Sprinter Trueno, it’s only fitting that Kanata’s ride is the AE86’s spiritual successor, the GT86. Kanata has to lean heavily on his driving skills to beat competitors in much more powerful cars, a few of which we see in the short trailer.

See also: The Toyota GT86 Initial D Concept Is An Awesome Manga Celebration

These include a Ferrari 488 GTB, a Lamborghini Huracan and a Porsche 911 GT3. Most curiously, an Alfa Romeo 4C also features, as it does in the source material, and an Alpine A110 is seen in one of the promo shots. An eclectic mix of cars, we’re sure you’ll agree. What’s more, all the engine sounds are bang on, as the real cars are being used to record the audio.

Fancy watching? You’ll have to be patient - the series isn’t due to air until 2023. If you want something to keep you going until then, the first three volumes of both MF Ghost and Initial D are available for free until 11 January 2022. Handy if you can read Japanese, or are happy merely looking at the artwork.