Jiangnan's last racing film was "Pegasus."
"Pegasus" was advertised as a comedy, and although it had a tragic ending, the film was full of laughs.
As for the movie "Initial D," its promotion focused more on Jiangnan's team and producer Ting Yu, with little information about the movie's content, only that it was a film about a race car driver.
However, besides these two, there wasn't much to promote, as the cast had little star power. The only well-known figures, Zhang Yang and the aging Zhang Qingyun, only had recognition within China. Since this film festival was a global box office competition, they could only promote Jiangnan and Ting Yu.
The movie opened with a very dynamic piece of music that made one want to tap their foot.
Accompanying the music were shots of the roads of Mount Akina.
Finally, the camera focused on two figures from behind.
"Takahashi Ryosuke, when will you race me?"
"If you can defeat all the drivers on the mountain roads of Gunma, I'll race you."
When the camera panned to Takahashi Ryosuke, played by Zhang Qingyun, everyone was stunned.
The look!
Zhang Qingyun wasn't playing an ugly character!
Moreover, he no longer appeared greasy and unconvincing in his acting. Judging by his lines, actions, and expressions, this character was the type who was roguishly handsome.
With just one scene, Zhang Qingyun astonished the audience, even surpassing the shock he generated when he played the second-in-command with a deliberately unappealing appearance.
"Is this the Ma Ge I know?"
"I'm just realizing now, Ma Ge is truly handsome!"
"Hahaha, Ma Ge is awesome, I'm a fan after this scene!"
"After dropping his idol baggage, Ma Ge's acting has improved significantly. Following Jiangnan was indeed the best choice for him."
Perhaps because of the immense impact of Zhang Qingyun's drastic transformation in his previous role as the second-in-command, his portrayal of a normal character now directly enhanced his appearance. Coupled with improved acting and the removal of his greasy demeanor, he was much more acceptable to the audience.
It was only now that everyone finally understood why Jiangnan had cast Zhang Qingyun as the second-in-command. He wanted to make a comeback and be recognized again, and the best way was to break his existing public image. To be reborn, one must first be broken.
The movie then began to tell its main story, with the two drivers challenging all the downhill roads. This meant the film would focus more on underground racers, unlike "Pegasus," which depicted professional races.
Following this was a scene of the Ae86 drifting. The lead actor, Zhang Yang, made his appearance, his background humorously revealed: a tofu shop, and a father who was a drunkard.
"Do you know what a god is? A god was also once human. But he did something that humans couldn't do, so he became a god."
After bragging, A Mu tried to teach Fujiwara Takumi drifting. When Takumi refuted him, A Mu had no idea he was facing a master.
The anticipation for the plot had already begun. When the female lead appeared, she surprised the audience once again.
"Second year, Class B, Mogi Natsuki, today's white." As soon as A Mu uttered these words, many viewers who were drinking cola spat it out.
"Cough, cough... a model for us all!!"
"Holy crap, what a sniper!"
"Hahaha, I have to say, I've seen many ways for a female lead to appear, but this is the first time I've seen a 'white' entrance."
"This female lead looks very cute. I heard she's an actress from Japan."
"That's right, it's Rina Suzuhara from Japan, she's very popular there."
The camera then cut to another scene.
Natsuki was already sitting in the passenger seat.
A man was having a conversation with her.
"You must have used up all the money I gave you last time, right?"
"Thank you for always taking care of me and my mother. We don't need that much."
"You're so well-behaved, it's what you deserve."
Actually, without the later plot, this dialogue would seem perfectly normal.
Similarly, the audience didn't notice anything amiss. After all, in this situation, viewers would only assume it was a wealthy uncle taking care of Natsuki and her mother. If there was any issue, it might be that he was interested in Natsuki's mother.
Speaking of which, this movie still had many comedic elements.
Especially the character A Mu, and his father's filial piety moments.
These were definitely the biggest laughs in the entire film.
The most clever part was how the character backgrounds were presented with a cheerful rhythm in the first half of the movie. The story then moved to the main plot: Nakazato Takeshi challenged the Akina mountain speed god at the gas station, and A Mu directly accepted the challenge.
He took Takumi to race on Mount Akina that night.
While waiting, Zhang Qingyun's scene as Takahashi Ryosuke smoking once again amazed many viewers.
Even in the earlier scenes, his roguishly handsome persona garnered more audience favor than Zhang Yang, the protagonist.
A Mu's race, naturally, resulted in a loss, as he was a true novice.
After the race, when A Mu dropped Fujiwara Takumi home, Takumi immediately threw up.
"You bastard."
"You're blaming me? You're the one who throws up just by riding in a car, aren't you the bastard?"
This famous scene would be a recurring motif throughout the entire movie.
After the race, Takahashi Ryosuke pointed out Nakazato Takeshi's weaknesses. That night, Nakazato Takeshi was practicing on Mount Akina when he encountered Fujiwara Takumi, who was out delivering tofu.
The Ae86 overtook Nakazato Takeshi on a corner, leaving him stunned.
The next day, he returned to the gas station.
"Last night, I lost to an Ae86. He used inertial drift to take the corner. His car was very fast. I only saw a sign for a tofu shop."
"If you know who he is, please tell him I'll be waiting for him on Mount Akina on Saturday night."
On Earth.
Many of the lines in this series became classics, enduring through memes and references.
Especially the dialogue related to the Ae86, which became the king of memes.
The plot didn't detail much of Fujiwara Takumi's romantic life. His first scene with the female lead, Natsuki, was after work when Natsuki came to find him.
They went for a walk by the lake.
It turned out they had been classmates since elementary school. This childhood sweetheart status further enhanced the audience's affection for Natsuki.
"I bought a very sexy swimsuit..."
Coupled with her cute appearance and alluring demeanor, many viewers confessed to being smitten.
"Ahhhh! This pair is so good! Takumi is a bit oblivious, and Natsuki is so flirtatious!"
"They established the relationship in just one or two scenes, just like the old trickster Jiangnan."
"This is great, I really like the childhood sweetheart trope."
"This doesn't seem like the old trickster's style. It's so sweet at the beginning, will there be any 'knives' later?"
"I'm envious of this guy Zhang Yang, being able to act with a foreign girl."
"Haha, so Zhang Yang is the real winner in life. Fast forward to Zhang Yang's scenes with the foreign girl!"
It had to be said that Zhang Yang truly peaked at his debut.
From his first movie, he was the lead actor. This was quite common, as many actors had good resources.
However, his co-stars, from Li Xinyan before to Rina Suzuhara from Japan now, had different looks and styles, but they were all every man's dream goddess. Therefore, what people envied most about him wasn't being able to play the male lead, but being able to act as a couple with such goddesses.