LA Tofu Festival August 12th - 13th, 2006, Downtown LA
Welcome to the LA Tofu Festival web site, August 12th - 13th, 2006, in Downtown LA!
Themes
What’s Initial D? And Why is it at the LA Tofu Festival?

Initial D Courtesy of TokyoPop.

Initial D is a wildly successful Manga and Japanese anime (animated) television series. Manga is a Japanese version of a comic book that morphed into an artful, graphic novel. In Japan, Manga is a multi-billion dollar, pop culture industry. Japanese old and young alike read Manga voraciously.
Initial D tells the story of Takumi Fujiwara, a TOFU DELIVERY BOY by night, and a 1986 Toyota Corolla (AE86), downhill-racing wunderkind by LATER NIGHT. Though Tak’s natural gift was a "secret" at first, soon every racer on Mt. Akina begins challenging him to automotive downhill battles. As word of Takumi's driving skill spreads, new rivals in newer higher-powered cars invade the mountain intending to challenge Tak. Being the gifted driver that he is, Takumi easily beats these new contenders while learning something about himself and his personal relationships in the process.

This Manga and anime series does a tidy job of fictionalizing the heart-stopping world of the underground street-racing culture in Japan. Popularized as “Drift” in the United States, this car racing technique is the art of sliding a car sideways repeatedly for as long as possible in a circuit or an open car park. Competitors are judged by their ability to link two or more slides and turn them into one fluid controlled movement. Or in laymen’s terms “riding another car’s tailwind”.
The Initial D Manga series made its debut in 1996 and is currently serialized in Japan in a weekly Magazine. So far, twenty-four volumes have been released in tankoubon (graphic novel) form by Kodansha.

Tak Fujiwara’s story also formed the foundation for the extremely long-running and popular anime franchise in Japan: the TV show ran for 39 episodes over 2 seasons from 1998-2000. Fans are eagerly waiting for the newest TV installments of Initial D series. A theatrical movie-length animated feature is waiting for U. S. release in the near future. TOKYOPOP plans to bring Initial D to American television viewers soon!
Playing on multiple plasma screens, the 2006 LA Tofu Festival salutes Manga and Anime with the first United States Marathon of Initial D in English!
AE 86 Courtesy of Team Analog.