Tokyopop's Initial D Name Changes

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We, as fans of the anime and manga series Initial D, feel that Tokyopop didn't show the proper consideration when deciding to change the original japanese names of the characters.

We understand the need of something more "mainstream" to be aired on tv, but we feel changing it also in the manga version was unnecessary and disrespectful not only to the fans that already know the characters by their japanese names, but also for the ones that bought the fist volume of the manga, where everything was in the original japanese format.

We hope Tokyopop will not only release a DVD where the fans of the japanese names have this option, but also that a REAL 100\% Authentic version of the Initial D manga will be released right along with the new "american" version, so everyone will have the option of buying which version they please.

We want to be a part of the Initial D experience, but in its original format, and whitout having to wait for a late "Collector's Edition".

The original Initial D fans don't want to be left behind on this race!

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  • Daniel B
    • Comments
    • keep the original names! onegaishimasu!
  • Melody
  • Al D
  • ROSA
  • elaine
  • Erik M
  • Christian K
  • Rodrigo C
  • Jake D
  • Jade L
  • Rembrandt D
  • Ben D
    • Comments
    • Americanized Anime = GARBAGE
  • Patrick B
  • terron c
  • Angela H
  • Sean R
  • Curtis L
  • Jesse M
  • Jonathan W
    • Comments
    • Keep it real!
  • Lana S
  • Sze Fan C
  • Laura
  • Korban D
    • Comments
    • make it 100% from Japan
  • Shehan U
  • Matthew M
  • Ben R
  • Kingsley L
  • Chris w
    • Comments
    • NO NAME CHANGE
  • Sherry L
  • Merlin V
  • Neil L
  • Renee D
  • jessica
    • Comments
    • wtf
  • James S
  • Aaron L
  • Scott H
    • Comments
    • Initial D rules!
  • cynical j
  • Nick F
    • Comments
    • Name changes aren't the end of the world, (although they ARE UNNESSESARY,) but make sure the other dialouge and images are otherwise uncut! AND KEEP THE CHANGED NAMES CONSISTENT! (Keeping the changed names consistent from one chapter to another was a BIG dissapointment in the SailorMoon manga.
  • Jonathan P
    • Comments
    • I'm a huge fan of ID and was incredibly dismayed at this news.. please reconsider or you'll have lost a customer in me. The HK dvds are about as good as it gets on ID at least.
  • Rence
    • Comments
    • I just won't buy the commercial version if they don't fix them. Both the manga and the anime. I've already returned volume 1 of the manga, and because of this news, I have cancelled my order for volume 2 of the manga. I refuse to order the anime until it's fixed. I'm holding on to my bootlegs and fansubs for dear life.
  • Kojiro S
    • Comments
    • Fuck you TokyoPop, I wish every form of rectal cancer there is upon you. I've known for quite some time what an inept group of fools you are, but this is BY FAR the most insulting thing you have ever done. I sincerely hope that each and every one of you die from a severe case of anal hemorrhaging. So long as I live, I will never buy another TokyoPop product.
  • Len
    • Comments
    • Why not keep the original names? I think they are a lot better than the crappy "Americanized" names that Tokyopop has done. They should stick with the original script and character names; I don't see what is there is to gain by not doing so.
  • Rebecca A
    • Comments
    • In Westernizing these characters' names one alters their cultural identity, the integrity of the series as a whole & the fact that this series & the cult phenomenon of touge racing are Japanese to begin with. I have never been so appalled. The same was said of CCS when it was released - that the company wished to make the names 'pronounceable,' which is of course an insult to the viewer's intelligence. I reposted this from my email, as this sums it up perfectly. --if some companies stopped spoonfeeding English-speaking audiences badly diluted rehashes of anime, wouldn't people have more incentive to learn how to recognize and pronounce names from a culture other than their own? This has got to stop, as it's almost like sheltering the English-speaking viewer behind an anime iron-curtain - a form of cultural censorship. Absurd? Maybe not. Please reconsider, Tokyopop, before repackaging this great series for a youth market that may already know that the Ghost of Akina is none other than Fujiwara TAKUMI.
  • Kristen C
    • Comments
    • US viewers are interested in watching anime that is left as much intact as possible. Changing the names from the Japanese format is not necessary unless you are trying to hook viewers under 5.
  • alex g
    • Comments
    • after already watching this series and adoring it, you are ruining it for me and all the other faithful initial d fans. after learning of the name changes, i highly doubt im going to buy any of the dvds. please reconsider changing the names, or at least only change them in the english dub track, but not the manga or subtitled track.
  • Sylvester I
    • Comments
    • I want an unedited option.. or else your not getting my money
  • Michael J H
    • Comments
    • I have been watching or reading Initial D for well over a year and oppose changes to character names.
  • Andy Y
  • Raini T
    • Comments
    • Why did you change the names of the "Initial D" characters when you didn't change any around in the other "100% Authentc" mangas?
  • Seth