The American arm of automobile brand Toyota has released a new campaign featuring the Initial D franchise as part of the promotion of its new GR86 model. You can check out the three trailers here, featuring Initial D’s protagonist Takumi Fujiwara.
In the campaign, we see Fujiwara racing in his staple Toyota Sprinter Trueno, known as the AE86. He suddenly sees Japanese professional racing driver Keiichi Tsuchiya go head-to-head with him using the new Toyota GR86.
The campaign was made by Los Angeles-based creative studio Plumehead, and directed by Annis Naeem. In his Twitter, Naeem shared that all of the assets used in the ad are made using the computer graphics software Blender.
The campaign serves as a promotion as well to Toyota’s Gazoo Racing, the motorsport and performance brand of Toyota.
On a separate note, Toyota also made an appearance in the latest promotional video for MF Ghost, the futuristic successor of the Initial D franchise. Check out their latest PV, as it features a Toyota 86 model:
Related:
MF Ghost Anime Set for 2023 Release, Teaser Revealed
The Initial D manga ran from 1995 to 2013 and ended after 719 chapters, collected into 48 volumes. The manga got an anime adaptation by Gallop and Studio Comet in 1998. Since then, the franchise spawned multiple TV anime adaptations, movies, OVAs and a live-action movie adaptation.
“Tak Fujiwara spends a lot of time behind the wheel. His tofu delivery job sends him racing down the treacherous roads of Mount Akina, and without even realizing it, Tak has mastered racing techniques that take most drivers a lifetime to learn. Of course, none of his friends realize this. They’re all too busy watching the Akina Speed Stars, the local street racing team. When the legendary Red Suns show up to challenge the Speed Stars, it looks as if the Trueno Eight Six that has been seen racing through the mountain roads. The question remains … who’s the driver of this phantom car?”
Synopsis of Initial D manga – via KODANSHA
Source: Plumehead
© Shuichi Shigeno / Kodansha Ltd.
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