UlasanAnime.com – The author recently found themselves immersed in the world of automotive anime after a marathon of Top Gear, prompting a rewatch of Initial D. This nostalgic dive into the franchise, which the author notes is likely still ongoing in manga form, sparked a significant question: how much of the new Toyota 86 launch budget influenced the creation of this anime season? This isn’t a mere rhetorical query, but rather a deeply held suspicion, especially considering the proliferation of anime projects funded by Japanese car manufacturers over the past year.
You might also be interested in : 2012: Daftar-N
The timing of Initial D’s new anime season, coinciding with the launch of the FR-S/BRZ – a car designed to evoke the spirit of the famed AE86 – is too close for comfort, even if the anime’s release is about six months after the car’s debut. The author points out the ironic partnership between Toyota and Subaru in producing this new line, given Subaru’s current standing as an automotive engineering powerhouse while Toyota is renowned for its mass-market appeal. In the late ’90s and early ’00s, Toyota largely discontinued its lower and mid-range sports car offerings, whereas Subaru has maintained its strong lineup of rally-inspired vehicles, exemplified by the WRX series. These all-wheel-drive rally cars are perfectly suited for Japan’s winding mountain roads, a characteristic that likely inspired Subaru’s engineers and may explain why Takumi eventually drives a similar vehicle in the anime.
The new Toyota 86 is equipped with Subaru’s 2.0-liter boxer engine, which offers a favorable power-to-weight ratio and impressive fuel efficiency, achieving 35 MPG on the highway. This makes it an attractive option for Toyota’s marketing of an affordable, “new” AE86-class automobile. The engine produces a respectable 200 BHP, positioning the car competitively in terms of its MSRP, which starts around $25,000 in the US. The author considers it illogical to market an expensive 86, emphasizing that the “86” designation signifies a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive configuration, a car type the author personally enjoys driving.
It’s hardly surprising, then, that Initial D’s new season premiered in 2012, the same model year the Toyota 86 debuted. The first episode of the fifth stage opens with Takumi returning home from a tofu delivery in his father’s Subaru, a classic WRX in blue. The episode concludes with Takumi taking his newly refurbished Toyota Trueno for a test drive on the familiar winding roads of Akina. The author humorously dubs this pairing “Toyobaru,” seeing it as a truly fitting collaboration.
In a postscript, the author expresses a personal preference, stating that if they were Hatsune Miku, they would rather promote the FR-S. They also question why the car isn’t yet licensed in America and directly addresses Toyota, asking what is causing the delay.
