This story is fiction. The names of people, places and groups are imaginary. Obey traffic rules and drive safely.
Initial
Raise up your hands high.
(Everybody now raise your hands)
Take hold, there's a brand new tomorrow.
(You don't stop)
It's a beautiful eternal dream...
...where you learn about yourself.
(Let's go)
Oh
Oh (Let's go)
Oh, raise up your hands now.
If you think you're lucky just to be alive go for the highest stake in the gamble.
Same mission creates similar lives.
But your passion for your dream will make a difference.
You can never use the escalator.
But you can build up your strength, yeah yeah.
You must eventually climb the stairs.
Customize them the way you like.
Intense days go by.
Intense days go by. (But you know?)
Just laugh it off, 'cause it's a game worth competing.
Let's see how fast you can do it.
Raise up your hands forever.
(Everybody now raise your hands up)
Run, sleepless challenger.
(You don't stop)
It's a quest of the never-ending dream...
...where you now search for the reason to live.
(Let's go)
Oh
Oh (Let's go)
Oh, raise up your hands now.
Here they come !
Why ? What made them so excited ?
What's your take, Mako ?
Hard to say, but at the least the NSX's traction is impressive.
The exit of this corner is really steep, but it accelerated quickly without losing balance.
The FD is at a disadvantage after all, because its response was one step behind.
Hojo's red car wasn't having fun.
But the yellow car was smiling.
But I knew early on that our opponent would be using an NSX.
It's not like Keisuke and I just sat back and waited for today.
We have our own trump card.
They passed the hairpin at the observatory, and have entered section 4.
From there...
It's begun.
I can't conserve the tires from here on, but I'm counting on you, my FD.
Please hold on.
It's so frustrating ! How is the battle going ?!
Calm down, Itsuki.
But I'm so worried that I can't stand still !
They're probably maintaining their positions at the moment.
The NSX tries to flee while the FD tries to catch it.
Right.
But do you really think the FD can win ?
What're you saying, Kenji ?
You saw it, didn't you ?
That speed was incomparable. Besides, it's in the lead position.
Takahashi Keisuke will win no matter what because he's Project D's ace in the hill climb !
Same for Takumi...
They're in section 4.
Everything has gone as planned so far.
The real battle begins now.
Battle Beyond Expectations
Matsumoto, I couldn't tell you this until now...
...but I hesitated to pick Keisuke as a driver for Project D.
There was a time when he looked inferior, when compared to Fujiwara with his splendid talent.
Keisuke must have felt it, more or less, as well.
Drivers naturally figure those things out.
He must have felt a certain degree of pressure.
As for me, I didn't want to favor my blood-related brother.
That's why I've been trying to distance myself from him, and acted harshly.
Yes, you have.
I remember when Keisuke damaged his car's suspension after going through some oil during our Saitama expeditionary race.
Dammit !
This pisses me off !
You have no time to vent your frustration on the guardrail.
It's your fault that your FD was damaged.
My fault ?
Yes. I wouldn't have damaged my car because of a trap like this.
Your overconfidence and carelessness brought you to this.
Calm down and think.
You blamed Keisuke for his carelessness, instead of our opponent's dirty trick.
I felt sorry for him.
He's been pretty tough since he was little.
He improves more from getting chewed out than from receiving praise.
It was around that time when the look in his eyes began to change.
Regarding the training of having Keisuke match a preset time, I was obsessed with the same training a long time ago.
Surprisingly, you don't learn much when you're desperate and trying to drive fast.
Your concentration doesn't last, and you'll only put stress your car.
But you think hard and discover more by practicing car control.
You can reach your limit only after you perfect such control.
I've got the section time.
It's nearly Gou's best time.
None of the Sidewinder team members could keep up with this pace.
Takahashi Keisuke is the real thing.
There are a lot of spectators, but not very many of them truly understand what's going on.
At a glance, the situation appears to be deadlocked...
...but both drivers are managing their tires extremely well.
A high-level race that appeals to the experts tends to look uneventful.
Fujiwara is a typical example.
He's a master of vehicle control.
You're right.
You could say that Keisuke's sense of rivalry with Fujiwara improved him.
Whether it's heavy rain or fog, even when he was sick, he never skipped his driving training on Akagi roads.
Some say a never-ending passion is what brilliance is all about...
...and Keisuke has something like that.
Fujiwara and Keisuke are mutually beneficial to one another.
To be honest, Matsumoto, this past month...
Actually, in the past two weeks to be precise...
...Keisuke has reached an incredible level.
An incredible level ?
His time is dead accurate to the preset time.
Even when he faces obstacles that might disrupt his pace, he matches the time in the end.
He must have developed an accurate internal clock.
My past peak performance wouldn't beat today's Keisuke.
I did the same training, so I can understand how impressive he is.
It's godlike to drive such a long Akagi road within an error margin of less than 1 second.
Many factors have contributed to Keisuke's breakthrough.
My training method created an incredible street racer.
His condition is extremely good.
What a pleasant surprise.
We made it time for the final battle.
Our trump card is Keisuke himself.
Kogashiwa, what's your impression of the NSX's performance ?
To me, it only looks like it's desperately trying to go fast.
It's going flat-out, and the tires are at their limit.
More than anything, the lines show the driver's seriousness.
I agree.
Then why is Takahashi Keisuke's FD right behind it ?
What's going on ?
This isn't what we discussed.
Your car should have a 15 second advantage.
Do you have any qualms with only a 15 second advantage ?
It's enough. Who do you think I am, Kubo ?
Do you think I'll lose to some punk from Gunma in driving technique ?
This is really frustrating.
Dammit, this sucks.
Slim, long and beautiful legs...
And she gives off a nice scent.
Mako is a mature woman.
Who would've anticipated a deadlock like this ?
This is really unexpected, but things are getting interesting.
Hojo Gou trying to settle the match, but he's failing.
Project D is quite something indeed.
There's not much left after this hairpin curve.
This must be a surprising turn of events for Sidewinder.
I don't think they've prepared for a second or third run.
That means Kubo Eiji made a mistake in building his strategy.
Something else has happened behind the scenes.
Something else...
What did you say ?
That's ridiculous ! Do you have the section time ?
Yes.
That's...
...impossible.
That FD isn't built to match such a high pace.
Was there a miscalculation ?
No, that can't be the case.
The FD3S shouldn't have that kind of potential.
Dammit !
Hey, what's happening ?
I was on a roll when I went flat-out.
I know I was.
So why are you still there ?
Why are you putting pressure on me, instead of falling behind ?
Sidewinder tried to dominate us in intelligence gathering by dispatching scout teams since our first race in Kanagawa.
Seasoned strategist Kubo's plan didn't work, probably because...
...Keisuke's skills, that are refined by his peculiar daily training, greatly exceeded Kubo's expectations.
The type of driving sense he's acquired becomes useful in many ways.
Even if you don't control your car at full throttle...
...you can understand how the car will behave at its max acceleration.
Around the time when we began our Kanagawa races, Keisuke stopped practicing a flat-out run.
You can lean more that way.
And more than anything, you can finish your car's settings because of improved efficiency.
I see. That makes sense.
Our opponent has a data analysis expert who can see through any imperfect camouflage.
By focusing on the critical attacking areas, and going easy on the rest...
...we created an evened-out pace, which should have made it difficult for our opponent to gauge our potential.
On top of that, Keisuke drives extremely fast even when he takes it easy.
Even Kubo couldn't anticipate a driver, who's trained on public roads, could pull such a stunt.
It's beyond my imagination.
They may have figured out how we control our cars...
...but we didn't give them any information about our peak performance.
This battle of intelligence is even.
Keisuke is amazing.
Okay, I got it.
The first hill-climb is over, and the result is not what we expected.
He failed to outrun him, which means the game is carried over to the second run, right ?
Yeah.
That's the way it should be.
I bet his brain is frozen like a glacier.
But he has time to recover.
He'll do better without annoying restraints, like strategies or pride.
I see. I know what you mean.
Something inside him has to be awakened.
That's all he needs in a game of tag on a mountain pass.
Remember the basics.
A battle tends to be settled by something very simple.
I'm very sorry.
You don't have to apologize. The car is in great condition.
My instinct tells me that I had a pretty good time.
Am I wrong ?
You're exactly right.
You beat your own section 4 record by 2 seconds.
See ?
I had good feedback.
It's not like I lost.
I'm struggling a little, but I'll recover from here.
I've got to pull myself together.
Ready to go, Keisuke ?
Anytime. I'll throw everything I've got into this second run.
If this drags on into a third run, I'll definitely lose.
You look like you're enjoying this, despite your desperate comment.
I'm enjoying this from the bottom of my heart.
This could be my happiest moment since Project D began.
Let's begin !
Five seconds till start !
Four...
Three...
Two...
One...
Go !
There won't be a third run. If there is, you'll lose.
In any case, I'm proud of what you've achieved, Keisuke.
This is breathtaking, isn't it ?
He was at a disadvantage in every aspect.
Takahashi Keisuke was an incredible street racer even back then...
...but he turned out to be even better than we imagined.
Right.
Like I said, Project D's double aces won't lose no matter what.
But turbo-charged cars tend to lose power over time because of heat soak.
A longer race will negatively affect the FD.
Takahashi Keisuke should know that better than anyone else.
I don't know where, but he'll make a spurt in the second half of the race.
I agree.
Here they come !
I'm going to get a kick out of Takahashi Keisuke's cannonball dash which has beaten a number of tough challengers.
It's going to be epic in this final stage.
I can't imagine what's gonna happen, or how the race will turn out.
After all, both drivers are putting their lives on the line to drive so fast.
He's making it obvious that he's just cruising. He's not pushing it to the limit.
Even so, he's still fast, and maintaining a high-speed pace.
Nice execution.
I didn't expect him to be able to pull off such a move.
I didn't realize he was so skillful until I drove behind him.
That aside, his car seems so fun to drive.
It's quite shocking to see a driver who can compete at this high of a level.
Has my NSX ever looked like that from the outside ?
I'm being sucked in...
I'm being sucked in by this pleasant rhythm...
...and getting synchronized.
I just don't get it.
There are many FD3S's at time-attack events between tuning shops.
I've seen many time-attack specialty FDs that looked like race cars.
I thought I was well aware of that particular FD's strengths and weaknesses.
I was confident that we'd built a victory-worthy NSX.
I don't understand this.
What do you think, Mr. Kubo ?
You can never be certain about the outcome of a competition.
We were outsmarted in data collection, but it's still within our expectations.
We ran our simulation with a reasonable margin, just in case. We're not stupid.
Maybe not by 15 seconds, but our car still has an absolute advantage.
After all, unlike circuits, unexpected things happen on mountain passes.
So far, our opponent is doing an excellent job.
We haven't lost yet.
This time, our leader will turn the situation around.
If he can manage this second run, there'll be no reason for us to lose.
Nothing can shake our absolute advantage.
This pleasant feeling will eventually come to an end.
There'll be a moment when it will switch to combat mode.
He'll make a full-throttle dash like I did in the first run.
If my NSX and I can't keep up with it, this battle will be over.
Where...? Where are you going to make your move ?
Fujiwara Takumi: Takahashi Ryosuke: Takahashi Keisuke: Hojo Gou: Kubo:
Miki Shinichiro Koyasu Takehito Seki Tomokazu Kiuchi Hidenobu Kase Yasuyuki
Even when night falls, the scenery remains unchanged.
Takeuchi Itsuki: Iketani Koichiro: Kenji: Matsumoto: Fumihiro: Inui Shinji: Hojo Rin: Ikeda Ryuji: Omiya Satoshi: Kogashiwa Kai: Kobayakawa: Minagawa Hideo: Man:
Iwata Mitsuo Yao Kazuki Takagi Wataru Nishi Rintaro Hosoi Hajime Abe Atsushi Nakamura Yuichi Nakai Kazuya Touchi Hiroki Canna Nobutoshi Hamada Kenji Konishi Katsuyuki Takahashi Ryokichi
Looking back at the path I've taken.
Sadness, happiness, incurable pains...
Realizing that there are too many to count, as I walk alone.
A Central Anime Production Translation: Hiro-kun Timing: Todd Perkins Editing: Lillian-Hime Barbara Todd Perkins Brain Dave Mouse Steve S. Nomake
Countless number of memorable scenes.
We lived through the hustle and bustle.
Sometimes we argued, sometimes we understood.
It wasn't always pretty, but I keep the truth to myself...
...as I take a new step.
Rosy clouds embellish the city.
I quietly ask about my future.
The sky remains silent.
Only illuminating this path before me.
Feel the translucent scenery.
The setting sun plays a melody.
Feel the translucent scenery.
The setting sun plays a melody.