ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 มิ.ย. 2024
- Why do you drive? Well, I went on a journey watching Wangan Midnight to find out.
Wangan Midnight is another racing anime/manga/arcade game that was always overshadowed by Initial D, but shouldn't be.
Enjoy.
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Z 3D Render used in thumbnail by strapazie on blenderartists
0:00 Intro
2:54 Wangan Midnight and Initial D
4:50 The protagonist of Wangan Midnight
9:02 The Mid Night Club
13:39 Wangan Midnights Story Of Rebirth
18:37 Koichi and the R32 GTR
22:44 Kei and the Supra
26:45 Kuroki and the R33 GTR
32:33 Eji and the Evo V
34:10 The Blackbird and Devil Z rivalry
36:14 Kijima and the FC RX7
42:14 Why drive?
#wanganmidnight #wangan - บันเทิง
Oh and I forgot to mention the best part, the entire series is uploaded on TH-cam for you to watch 🫡
It’s short, sweet and hype as all hell so go check it out!
The Crash that sent Midnight into hiding is actually disputed and suspected to have been a lie.
The crash described would have been in the papers at the time, but the only crash of its scale possibly involving Midnight happened years before.
The group went into hiding because their public profile/presence became too big and more people started racing recklessly on the wangan, causing a massive crack down
@@Triboro100 yeah I heard about that
The whole things shrouded in a lot of mystery, we’ll probably never know what truly went on
It’s cool to theorise and cooler again to believe the stories hahaha
@@ViseakThey actually have revealed a lot of info recently. Albon did a great video on the most accurate info on Racing Team Midnight
@@philspaghet yeah that was the first one I watched! (like two very short clips in this video were from his one haha)
@@philspaghetYeah, their current leader actually has an Instagram account that I follow
Unfortunately as of a few months ago, the real "Blackbird" was stolen. I hope they found it and it wasn't damaged. Absolutely awesome car with its own mythology completely separate to anything shown in the anime. There was a legend that got passed around it that it had a turbo from a Formula 1 car driven by Senna himself (probably not feasibly true at all, but fun to think about it)
If Initial D is about how we race then Wangan is about why we race
Yeah you’ve pretty much hit the nail on the head
couldnt have been said better (can we keep the like count at 86?)
@@Christeo-fp3oznah keep it on Z
@@ihatethatyoutubedisplaysyo8106 240 right?
fair enough, I'd say
"I can't take any responsibility. I'm flat broke" is one of the most memorable lines in the anime
Probably the hardest line in the series tbh
Thats just me
Wangan Midnight always felt like it had more emotional value than Initial D, with an added benefit of not having as much low-effort plot armor. If I were to give my “dramatized” reason for driving, it would probably be for reaching a level of fulfillment and connection from these things that are much more than just machines. Driving to me has always been art form of sorts.
It’s definitely a more emotional journey for sure.
There’s definitely a sense of fulfilment in getting as much out of your car as possible, and driving well is 100% an art form that’s incredibly difficult and dangerous to master.
I’m keen to take my F to the track someday and push it, but similarly to someone like Eiji, I’m kinda too scared to break it 😅
You definately didn’t watch fourth stage or fifth stage did you
@@Walker.Does.Photography yeah I watched the whole of Initial D a couple of months ago now, stages 4/5 were just my least favourite parts of it
Still think it was great overall don’t get me wrong, but stages 1-3 almost felt like a whole different series compared to 4-5, that’s how differently I rate em
With all that being said initial D is still better
Wangan Midnight feels more darker, one major difference I can point out between this and Initial D is how they depicted the dangers of street racing. The fact that in Wangan Midnight, they actually showed crashes where people get hurt and implied someone died due to street racing unlike Initial D. One thing I noticed about Japanese highway street racing movies or series especially the Shuto Kousoku Trial series and Wangan Midnight is them depicting the dangers of street racing compared to the other movies and series. While Wangan Midnight only implied and gave a quick glimpse of someone dying because of racing. Shuto Kousoku Trial series on the other hand actually shows death of a character due to his/her desire to win.)
Yeah it’s definitely a lot more ‘real’ that’s for sure.
The crashes are also FAR more graphic in the manga compared to the anime so there’s that too
The best example I can think of is the Testarossa crash, which was a hell of a lot worse in the manga compared to what looked like a fender bender in the anime 💀
@@Viseakim honestly most surprised by yamamoto's ability to fix reina's R32 considering how badly wrecked the frame wouldve been because of her crash
I mean in Initial D people crashed and got pretty hurt (for a relatively non serious show)
To be fair it is inherently more dangerous to race on the wangan. Not only are the speeds you reach much higher, but there is also traffic to deal with.
@@manlymantis101 i recently saw a video of a 1996 news report of a crash on the wangan with 3 cars involved
2 burnt to the ground with one of em having the engine and driver flung out of the car (both drivers died)
1 didnt burn but has the roof collapse on the driver
Why I drive my car? I will answer this and probably never get seen..
My car was a hand me down, in the sense it was given to me by my dad, but I already chose it when he did. He and his best friend are both into cars, both of them having cool classic cars, my dad having a 76 Corvette and his best friend having a 69 Mustang, they both work on them together, drink, and cruise around. I never really was into working on his car much, more or less just a lack of motivation and drive to do so. I have always been into cars myself, big into sim racing but never really did anything other than drive my Dad's truck.... I didn't find my passion until my dad brought home two cars he was going to flip. It wasn't the first time they brought home a flip project, but one of them made me fall in love..
I watched as on the back of a trailer pulled up a beaten up 1986 Chevrolet Corvette C4, and when i say beaten up , I mean beaten up. The windshield was smashed with the frame of it dented downwards, in fact all the windows were gone, smashed in. There was a dent in the bumper, the paint of the bumper had long since peeled away and the interior was not in the best shape, the dash cut to fit a long removed double din radio and bits and pieces missing.. I came out to see that car and was amazed at it, my dad asked me to climb onto the trailer and climb in to start it up to get it warmed up to drive it off the trailer... That's when a lightbulb switched in my head. That digital dash lighting up for the first time in the dark, listening to that 5.7L V8 stumble before letting out a mighty roar... I could feel my heart pounding through my chest... I had fallen in love.. I had seen alot of cars before this moment but honestly? Nothing had every hit me like this car. It looked like Kitt from Knight Rider, Eventually, I was asked to get out so they could park it, but my love for the car never faded..
I remember getting out of the truck one night and just staring at it.. telling myself I would own one someday. I actually even began asking him about how much he wanted for it, and if I could buy it off of him, but he always pushed it aside and said it wasn't worth it, it was junk and i'd find something better someday.. He began to say weird things, like how I would enjoy this stereo, before correcting himself but honestly? I never really thought much of it.. Until Christmas 2022.. Me and my family + my dad's best friend (Who I call Uncle) are all gathered around the tree, opening presents.. Each one taking their turn and thanking the other.. Untill suddenly, my dad said my uncle had a gift for me.. My uncle pulled out a little white box and handed it over.. I told him he didn't have to as I began un wrapping it.. And then I opened it..
A pair of GM branded keys, one with the black rubber and the other pure metallic. I just stared at those keys for a good minute, my heart sinking into my chest as It took me so long to even think about what to say.. and about a minute in, what just happened hit me like a Car Battery in a game show. "YOU'RE GIVING ME THE CORVETTE?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs at him...
That's how I got Sonja, my 1986 Corvette.. I did everything on it to get it running, new ball joints, wheel hubs, tires, brakes, radio, windsheild. whatever I could to get it ready for the summer, other than buying the car, Everything that was put on that car came out of my wallet.... And I gotta say, some of my best memories are in that car... doing a 3 way drag race down one of the city streets, the back tires spinning all through first gear, listening to the RPMS bang off that limiter... Even the bad stuff, like the first time I drove it, a coolant hose blew up that caused so much smoke. Me and my best friend were both trying to call the fire department at the same time thinking it caught on fire...
Me and my best friend limping it home after my brake booster went when we went to the waterpark, and me scaring him when I joke with a mustang about racing him with no brakes..
That car got me through the worst moment of my life, my girlfriend for 4 years suddenly breaking up with me 2 weeks after I spent 3,000 Dollars to fly out to see her... She wasn't only my girlfriend but my best friend in the whole world, to the point that a year later, it's still weird not waking up to her messages, and I still get lonely... She just acted like it was nothing which tore me up even more....I lost my whole friend group that day and shortly after that, my Grandfather got Dementia (Not forgetful but auditory halucinations...)
It all shattered me, the only time I felt some sort of peace was driving that car, blasting Eurobeat or whatever 80's song I could think of.. Racing down the highway at 120 KM/H with the roof off and just feeling free.. Slapping it out of overdrive before putting my foot down was a feeling like no other.
Everytime I take someone for a drive, spinning the tires puts a smile on their face.
Everytime i barrel down the highway, I cant help but feel free, like everything is alright..
It's a car I put back together, I brought back with my own hard work and money, somthing I dreamed of doing since I was 6 playing Need for Speed on the PS2 with the Wingman steering wheel....She'll always be my first, and i guarentee I'll never forget her for as long as I live...
That was quite the journey to read through man.
I can relate to coolant hoses blowing lol, happened twice on my Subaru, well once was the hose the other time was a crack in the radiator itself but same principle.
Figured I’d blown a head gasket but so lucky it wasn’t that hahaha
I get the relationship shit too man it hurts, but if you haven’t already, you’ll find the one eventually, just like you found that vette.
Thanks for sharing and keep driving man 🫶🏼
I loved reading this! Thanks for taking the time to write it out and it’s nice to see where your passion for cars came from.
My dad had an 85 vette he sold a couple months ago, he wasn't really attached to it like I was. Sadly, I never got to drive it, as I only just turned 16 in early December of last year, and weather was never good enough to drive it much, but the times he let me start it, give her throttle to clean her out after sitting, that brought me joy. I have a photo of the vin, so hopefully I can find her, and restore her one day. Glad someone else whose younger is also passionate about c4's. Most people call them the ugly duckling of the family, but I love them.
@@landonbussieres1125 yeah a lot of people hate on em, and I’m not a huge corvette guy anyway so I can’t comment hahaha, I just like the C5’s cause they got a similar body style to an FD RX7
But it’s great you kept track of the vin man, I’m sure one day it’ll make its way back to you
@Viseak hopefully, it was clean for what it was. Plus it was a two tone blue, which is kinda uncommon.
Mid Night never actually went away after the accident. Through a career in auto journalism, I've been lucky enough to cross paths with a number of members, some from the 90s. Understandably they're very secretive about their past, but the 'club' never disbanded, recently passed in a new chairman and celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Yeah I watched a bunch of videos about it after the fact, lots of it’s clearly conjecture especially regarding the supposed ‘end’ of the club
The rumours are still fun to believe though, I like to think of some dudes finding cryptic messages in newspapers and street racing through the night haha
@@Viseak forgot to say, wonderful video, mate! Wangan Midnight always spoke to me in a more esoteric way than Initial D and it was really cool to have you put it into words! Cheers
@@elementle hey no worries at all man, thank you for watching and the kind words 🫶🏼
Wangan midnight was what broke the straw for me and motivated me to buy an s30 after wanting one for so long. I sold my Frs and bought a 74 260z with an l28 in it. I’ve been restoring it slowly since my freshman year in university and I’m about to graduate soon. The car was in a worse state than akios Z but it’s coming along. I love taking that car out in the highway at night and letting the straight six scream. It’s just so raw and mechanical I feel like I’m one with the car. It also brought me closer to my dad since he started helping me rebuild it and we have bonded over the car. He used to have an S130 in high school when he was younger.
That’s awesome to hear man!
Glad you’re enjoying the Z, they’re a gorgeous car for sure, I’d love to drive one someday but never really had the opportunity.
There really is something about older cars though, they really do have a soul, it feels like you’re really connected to the ground too and speeds feel faster relative to modern cars. Like 80 in an old car feels so much quicker than 80 in a Hyundai I30 or something.
Which just makes the driving experience that much more fun
I drive because of my dad, he worked in japan in 1994 as an anti air cannon training instructor for a year. He imported a 1974 A70 Lancer 1600gsr when he got back to finland. After that he owned a notchback levin ae86 that he started rallying.
In 1998 when he heard my mom is pregnant, he went "its going to be a boy" and went to a local gaming store to buy a playstation 1 and at that time the brand new gran turismo 1. My earliest memory of my dad is him beating a race that i couldnt finish on that game, i must have been like 3 or 4 years old. This game and later tokyo xtreme racer drift 2 is what influenced my car taste a lot as we will see later.
My dad sold the ae86 to his friend in 2004 as raising a kid and trying to go to rally events while working as a delivery driver was just impossible and the lancer was sold in 2005 for parts.
In 2006 we went karting together for the first time, and to his surprise i was fast, and i mean broke the kids cart record on the 5th lap fast. He bought me a 85cc go kart and we started to bond over that hobby, went to my first race in 2008 and i got on the podium. It spiraled down from there, we started getting some local sponsors, got a new chassis and engine, in 2012 i was top 5 in the national level but money was starting to run out and 2013 was my last full season where i ended up 3rd overall.
In 2014 i got a moped as i turned 15, my dad taught me how to ride it and how to tune it, we ended up stripping the engine down and installing a 70cc big bore kit and an exhaust so the moped could get to almost 100kmh.
In 2017 when i turned 18, on the day of my birthday i saw something pop up for sale, a 1992 s13 200sx for 1800€, i had fallen in love with the s13 because of gran turismo and i got the car the next day.
On the day i took my dad out for a spin and it was pretty special for him, he recalled that he had always loved the s13 ever since he saw them in japan 25 years ago when they were new and just told me how proud of me he was. At 25 years old I now own the s13, mazda demio, 1992 toyota soarer, 2002 nissan laurel c35, honda accord wagon and a bmw e39 and have a girlfriend whos into cars just as much as i am, i've basically sunk these past 7 years of my life into these cars and basically every single moment of my life has been connected in some way to cars, racing and motorbikes, through my dad, video games, kart racing, a bit of rallysprint and owning this fleet of cars.
My dad is now 50, he still works as a delivery driver(as do i) and he drives a 2007 hyundai getz diesel, i plan to change that, for his 55th birthday im going to give a 1974 lancer to him as a gift and as a token of appreciation for all the work he has done for me.
TLDR; I drive because of my dad who got me into cars, and because they're one of the coolest ways of self expression on the planet.
Btw, my dads AE86 is still alive and racing, on youtube if you search MTR SPORTS COROLLA GT, thats my dads ex ae86. Its one of the fastest corollas in finland!
That’s such a cool story man and it’s awesome to hear your dads AE86 is still out there kicking it!
Game’s definitely influenced me as well, but for me, it was NFSU2.
I really miss when you could buy an S13 for 1800 though, wish I was old enough and in a position to buy cars back then, but what can ya do haha
I love the plan you’ve got for your dad too that’s an awesome goal to have, I’m sure he’ll really appreciate it
There's something amazing that happens when you get above 120mph... a kind of tunnel vision. the edges blur out, the sounds are gone, and all I am left with is the beat of the music and the centre of my vision in crisp focus. Time slows down, everything arounds you moves in slow motion, and you can see only the line ahead of you.
This feeling became a drug, and after going fast in my early 20s, I knew it would not end well. now in my late 40s I finally have a car that can bring me back there... and I know if if I chase it, it will kill me... "it's not tragic to die doing what you love"
Try "You're Mine" by Raving George - best night drive tune I've found yet.
Man I absolutely LOVE Wangan Midnight. The way the cars become their own fire breathing monsters is just so compelling. Half the reason I put a loud air filter on my Focus ST is so I can hear the turbo noises and rocket myself down the highway in a somewhat safe manner lol. I LOVE the scene where Akio is just going through the gears of the Z alone on the highway, feeling out the engine as the RPMs rise and finally matting the throttle down in top gear. It displays everything I love about high HP manual cars and one day, I do want to build a big turbo manual RWD sports car that's kind of reckless and violent but willing to lock in and rip with the right technique. Well, so far I have my Honda S2000 but that's not going down that route, it's going down the track attack route but maybe I'll go down that route someday when I can afford to do so
Yeah this show really breathed life into the cars for sure
And hey you’ve already got an ST and an S2000 that’s pretty awesome in my books, I’d kill for an S2k but the JDM tax on them is REAL 🥲
There is nothing quite like a high HP RWD car though, they’re a bucket of fun hahaha
When I first got my license, and even before that in simulations like the GT series, I drove to improve my skills, to really get a feel for my car and be able to get the most out of it when racing, and being able to see ahead, anticipate and be safe and courteous in everyday A to B travel. A real never-ending journey. When I was younger, I was in my fare share of street races against my friends, and I had a perfect record, never lost a race. Now I'm getting older, and a co-worker of mine who was really getting into cars ended up with the same make and model as mine. I had been losing that edge and started to enjoy driving more to cruise than to race, while he was in the youthful racing phase. I agreed to race him between the lights in a one make duel. I went into it knowing I would probably lose my perfect record, since his had a factory locking diff and a slightly shorter gearing in the rear end. I still gave it my all, but he beat me, my front bumper lined up to his rear door. It was a passing of the torch moment, and I haven't raced again since, and probably never will.
I still have a second car that's small, tossable, and stick shift, and I still drive in a generally spirited manner, but I mostly focus on keeping my driving as smooth as possible and doing my best to not put too much stress on my cars and keep them reliable as long as possible.
But through all the phases of my love for cars and driving, the real underlying reason has never changed. I drive to get away from my problems and worries, even just for a short time when I'm behind the wheel. When I'm out on the highway at midnight or on a two lane country road with no destination in mind, I feel free. I can go anywhere I want. Even when I'm only doing the speed limit, I feel like all the things that eat at me in the daily grind can't catch me. The soft, low note song of the rumbling engine, and the feeling of the tires rolling over the imperfections in the pavement carrying me further and further away from it all. I can choose to go home when I'm done, or if I really wanted, I could keep driving and never come back. A real escape from my own mind.
I’d say I’m pretty similar man, ask anyone and I drive like a grandma these days.
I had my time having fun but when you get older you really start to realise how dangerous it actually was, I can’t believe half the shit I used to do looking back.
Really makes you think all the oldies were right when they said ‘you kids think you’re invincible’ cause like, sure, I didn’t actually think that as a teenager but my actions sure made it seem like I did lol
Cruising is far more fun for me these days and if I really wanna push the car, sure I’ll give it a bit on a highway on ramp or just save it for the track.
Even when I’m not driving recklessly, drivings definitely still freeing for sure!
On the topic of the mid night club. They never disbanded. They're still around. They don't do street racing anymore but they do time attack. Some of the old members like Ogi still post on Instagram pretty often.
Hell even some of the tuning shops owned by the members are around like Rise Yokohama
Only thing; the motorcycle incident never happened. It was a cover story so they could vanish for a while. They are still active to this day. They literally have a website with the full history and the members are on instagram.
I love that the solution to the Devil Z's "curse' was simply practicing left-foot braking and rebuilding the body.
Car is so light and goes so fast its weight distribution can sometimes go out of whack, left-foot braking helps mitigate the weight transfer issue
Yeah redistributing it’s weight towards the end was such a nice touch to truly master the car
I loved the whole mystique around the cursed devil car at the beginning, but the way it unravelled into it really just being a car with nothing special about it (mechanically speaking at least) at the end of the day was beautiful
You know your shit 👍🏼
@@Viseak agreed.
to me it highlights one of the underappreciated facts of tuning, that it's not about just the engine power, but rather tuning/adjusting the whole car to make the car go faster while maintaining its balance. "power without control is useless", as they say.
thanks for the video, you gained a sub.
@@impreza0109 100%, handling is so damn important
And thanks man, appreciate it 🫶🏼
Tbh the Devil Z simply had too much power for late 60s sports coupe chassis. No wonder it was unstable af
Wangan is my absolutely favorite anime. Two reasons, the emotional connection between akio and the z is similar to how I felt with my first project car, and is a feeling I still feel when I sit in the shell that’s waiting for it’s monstrous transition from road car to awd track monster magna opus. It’s a indescribable emotional response that lights a true fire to see it though no matter how dark life gets. Two it’s how realistic the anime is to irl events and lore of highway racers. Such a beautiful adaption of the art and code of responsible street racing, and is what sparked my favorite game series as a kid, Tokyo extreme racer zero here in the states or Shutoko in Japan. I started young with the first title on Dreamcast and later zero on ps2 and have to say it’s a feeling elicited by no other games I’ve played. Ultimately my dramatic reason for driving is to escape the chaos of life and focus on building a bond between man and machine and ultimately is how I hope I go out in this depressing life. I love cars and the feelings they provoke and is why my career is in motorsports, wiring racecars for a living
You know that old meme where the guys like ‘I choose that guys wife’
Well, I choose whatever your project car is lmao
I gotta know though, what are you cooking up in your garage?
You definitely get that sense of respecting the road and others that use it when driving around in Japan for sure, even when driving with people that fuck around, it also helps the roads over there are pretty great for the most part, unlike a lot of Australia where you need an alignment every other week 🥲
Games are also a huge gateway for sure, NFSU2 on the OG Xbox was what got me into cars all those years ago, no racing games yet to beat the way that made me feel growing up.
It’s awesome to hear you work in the motorsports industry though, that’s a dream job for sure! I worked for a big American tool company for a bit of time, and while the job was kinda shit, the environment and opportunities were pretty great while it lasted 😅
@@Viseak funny enough that’s not the first time I’ve heard that from another enthusiast after I’ve described my first and best nugget. It’s a 1993 Honda civic EH (LHD EG civic made in Canada) that was originally a integra LS b18 swap with a turbo runnin 11.8 1/4 miles and was primarily a track car that was brought over from Cali, even has the carb compliant swap sticker from 2004 when it was originally swapped. That motor is going into my daily driver I bought from Ohio, it’s a 1995 Hyundai accent(excel there in Aussieland) that was a scca solo autocross car I bought for 2k from a widow and restored this winter by sealing the chassis and epoxy primering the bare shell then painting it in python green chromaflair from a gt2 rs , it’s got nearly 15k in the chassis and the tiberon 2l swap but it needs turbo as I crave forced induction again 😂😂 I digress however, my Honda is getting a awd conversion from the 2005 Subaru sti drivetrain mated to a k24a2 from a tsx and aiming for around 500 to all 4 when all is said and done. Oh and the pandem body kit shaved into the restoration. It’s a long process and requires me adapting the Subaru rear end and subframe into the Honda as well as a new trans tunnel, moving the steering rack, etc. kinda a magna opus project for something I bought at the beginning of my automotive journey. It’s gonna be nutty but it’s patience and waiting for pieces and funds to continue that project, in the mean time it’s the excel that’s taking my time as I work at a Miata k swap provider that makes k series turn key engine swaps (kpower industries) and we go to all the grid life events and I thought it would be fun to take a piece of Aussie racing heritage to the American time attack series’s lol
Edit: attempted to share links to Imgur album but they got removed here’s them in a broken format if your interested
Honda : ) imgur . com/gallery/XBBHzkQ
Hyundai : ) imgur . com/gallery/ELpfzJr
@@DisposableYeetapotamus That’s actually insane bro I can only imagine what the STI drivetrain will feel like in such a lightweight body!
And a pandem kit for good measure is awesome hahaha, you’ll be able to fit some serious meat in those guards with a real nice aggressive offset. That thing will be planted to the ground for sure.
The excel’s a sweet pickup too and definitely one of a kind! It’s hard to find cars for a couple grand anymore even the most destroyed examples have stupid price tags at least around here 😅
The greens a nice touch too! I could do without the lightning but that’s just personal taste at the end of the day.
A turbo would be a nice touch to finish it off for sure though!
Thanks for sharing all that man, you’ve made / are making some seriously cool and unique cars the laws in Australia would never allow, so you’ve definitely got my envy
I played all the TXR games and Zero is still my favorite game of all time to this day. Cool to hear someone else who appreciates them. I also have emotional connections to my cars. Every car drives different, sometimes drastically from car to car even among normal untuned street cars. I name all mine and usually not until I start getting a feel for the car's personality and building a connection with it so I can give it a fitting name. It's so satisfying when you learn a car so well that you can drive like it's an extension of your own body.
@@Stray_SpectreHell yea! I name my cars too, the accent is ellie cuz shes the elephant in the room cuz who the fuck mods a hyundai accent, and my civic never got a offical name when the motor got tired and i retired the chassis for repairs. its been on jackstands for almost 3 years now sadly, but it'll be a monster soon
Soooo glad you decided to listen to the couple of us people that suggested this anime. I didnt even know the anime had a continuation but in japanese. Watching this and hearing the songs in the backround literally gave me goosebumps. Really good video overall. peak ending. Hopefully i get a car this year and have a similiar story to tell to someone some day
Thanks for recommending it man!
Can’t believe I’d never even heard of it till now, or at least thought I hadn’t with the whole arcade game thing lol
Good luck with getting your car man, I’m sure you’ll love it and despite all these videos drive safe fr 🫶🏼
One of the issue I noticed about Wangan Midnight is that it felt like the entire street racing scene feels like it just revolves entirely around either the Blackbird or the Z. Like, remove those two cars and then poof, no street racing scene anymore.
It was REALLY isolated for sure, but I think it worked
The way I saw it was there was just a moment in time for these guys where they were at the top of their game and that’s the lens we see things through.
All the other street racers had their time (like the guys from R200 and all the other old tuners like Kitami and the like) and right now everything’s centred around blackbird and the Z.
Which worked to the shows advantage I think, just so it didn’t feel too cluttered, but I also agree I would’ve loved to see more world building, even in the little Osaka trip we could’ve seen more than just the race with the GTRs.
Tokyo Xtreme Racer 0 and TXR 3 is what got me into this anime and initial d my favorite wangan episode is that white R33 GTR reminds me of Smokey Nagata’s golden R33
100% I love a good R33, they always get pegged as the ugly middle child but honestly? They’ve grown to be my favourite over the years.
If I ever had the opportunity to buy a GTR, it’d probably be a 33 at this point
@@Viseak it may not have that aggressive ness as the r34 and r32 but it has its charms I’m more of R34 gtr guy but it has its charms
@@kaybevang536 yeah I was always a 34 guy, then after driving a 32 I fell in love with it
And then slowly over the years, the 33’s got my attention, it’s like a nice mix of the 32 and 34 idk there’s something about em hahaha
@@Viseak grew up around the Honda scene but two of my dream cars are the EK9 Type R and the R34 Nur GTR
This video reminded me of my dad’s journey when he was racing too. So connected to it. Though he will never reunite with the car he started with as he saw it scrapped with his very own eyes. I wish to maybe surprise him with his car the way it was for a birthday or surprise. I hoped he kept it though because it would’ve been such an awesome starting car. But in reality it’s a Honda accord coupe with a different engine other than the original I think. I have such a history with it because it basically the first car I’ve driven at a young age. My father was a very cautious person with his accord as it has been part of the family for years(I forgot exactly). The reason to drive for me and my dad likely would be because it gives such speed that it feels like your soul left your body and now your in the zone focused on the speed or how you are feeling based off your driving. Man I have really opened up. Hope someone reads this. Anyway Love the content keep it up and have a great rest of your day everyone
That’s a great goal to aspire towards man, wishing you every success possible so you can make that happen for your dad 🫶🏼
"What is your purpose of racing on the roads?"
"What have you sacrificed to satisfy yourselves?"
These were the words that came out of Tsuchiya when he starred in a movie named "Shuto Kousoku" and it stuck with me ever since. I also recommend "Wangan Midnight final act" as both movies serve as a reminder to race only on circuits.
P.S. there are some inaccuracies in the info you mentioned about Mid Night.
I’ll have to check those movies out! Never heard of Shuto Kousoku before but they look like a fun watch
And yeah I know about the Mid Night stuff, a lot of it’s really just conjecture, but it’s fun to believe the stories
Fellow dragon ball fan! RIP Akira Toriyama. Yeah imo wangan midnight is quite underrated. Wish it had a longer run or adapted more of the manga to the end.
Rip Toriyama man I’m still in shambles about that, hard to believe he’s gone.
Definitely wish Wangan Midnight had a slightly longer run for sure. They didn’t even need to animate the whole thing, just tying up Blackbird and the Devil Z’s rivalry would’ve been great.
But then again, I don’t even know if that happens in the manga and at the same time, their rivalry never ending is kinda the point I suppose.
I dunno I just wanted more haha
@@Viseakhaven't watched the video yet so i don't know if this gets brought up, but i do know that there is a sequel manga named 'wangan midnight: c1 runner', not to be mistaken for 'c1 runner', the indie unity game based on wangan midnight, i haven't read it yet though since i haven't finished the manga version of wangan midnight, so i can't say much else about it, rest in peace toriyama
@@possibly_ben yeah I’ve heard of it, highly doubt it’s translated though considering Wangan Midnight isn’t
But I’d be pleasantly surprised if it was
Yeah, the anime is until Mazda FC arc, while Garage Ace, F1 Turbine, Ground for Zero, and FD Master are only for Maximum Tune adaptation in WM Manga
Why I drive my car? Dad used to cruise in his 1980 280zx and always took me along the canyons & highways. 10 years later I remembered how he used to love working on it and how we'd spend weekends working on the Z so I got my own 280zx to match his except mine was an 83 280zx turbo we both still have our Z's except his is still stock & mine is a 430hp big turbo L28 s130 that loves canyons
That’s awesome man!
What a way to honour him and his car that’s so good, glad to hear you and your dad are and enjoying your Z’s
"As time moves on, friends come and go. But as you race, you will definitepy begin to hear new voices."
Wangan Midnight hits harder than Initial D for me, it reminds me of Hajime No Ippo, where the story makes you want to root for the side character after seeing what they went through.
Couldn’t agree more man, and the Hajime No Ippo comparison is perfect, it really does feel a lot like that
Killer video man this series always hit home to me I have a 2001 ford mustang and I love taking on the Rocky Mountain touge I never had many friends or very close relationships with people in general never anybody to talk to but driving and pushing my car as much as possible it gave me a reason to live and I always had the thought that I never had anything to loose if I died, I loved ridding the razors edge of life and death it’s a very surreal feeling it’s what I live for
There’s always something to lose if you die man, at the bare minimum, you gotta live to drive another day.
Even if you don’t have close relationships right now, doesn’t mean you won’t in the future, so ya can’t go off dying on your future partner either.
All that to say keep driving man, but keep it safe on the roads 🫶🏼
@@Viseak for sure man, i wouldn't do anything that would put me and especillay somebody else at risk but those hard drives are still the best and thanks for responding really nice to know at least somebody cares enough, love your stuff man cant wait for the next one!
@@cadenchristiansen no worries at all man and thank YOU for watching
When I drive, I'm free. I love cars and the feeling of shifting through gears, pushing just how fast you can go through that corner you drive through every day. Just how quickly can you get from point a to point b. And just how many places a car can take you. It's both exhilarating and peaceful. An escape from people and problems where all you have to worry about is staying safe enough to get where you are going in the same number of pieces as you started.
Wangan Midnight is prolly the arcade game I've spent the most time on, first Arcade game I ever got an account for. One of the greats!
Koichi got a first red flag when his wife lost the baby. But he hadn't finish his journey to understand himself. He was forced to another way. The Z made him balling in to his best.
He did his best, and understand his mechanical mistakes, then it made him reflect on what he wanted at the time. And what he truly wasn't the speed, the thrill, or the car, it was his family. I love that arc ending, it was great.
It really was a great arc
Initial D: How you get into racing and cars
Wangan Midnight: Why we drive
Countach and Carerra: The beauty of driving
Over Rev! The religon and pure love of Cars, freedom, ambition, enterprise, and youth
Guess I’ve gotta start reading Countach and Kanojo No Carerra soon
And finish with Over Rev!
@@Viseak Well with Kanojo no carrera, it’s more of a moe pinup manga than a actual story. Good eye candy and I’m all for it. but it’s meh.
Over Rev in my opinion is the pinnacle of the motorsports genre for manga. Too bad that like Wangan, the translation for the last 100+ chapters are on permanent backburners. Which means it’ll be a miracle for Cross Over Rev (the 2019 ongoing sequel 10 years post the original story) to be translated in my lifetime.
Nyaa Si has the torrents for the raws though…. so yeah.
if you think wangan midnight is underappreciated then i might point you to Over Rev, a series that tackles both the why and the how in driving. feels much more grounded and relatable than either initial D or wangan midnight, and is a series i remember far more fondly when i was still able to live that sort of "lonely driver" lifestyle.
Yeah I’ve been recommended over rev so much it might have to be the next series I delve into
As a retired street racer myself, I absolutely LOVED this anime. And it unironically did rekindle my passion for street racing. I was always a miserable shell of my old self since giving up. But this series absolutely reminded me of everything I loved about it.
I can't deny that this rekindled love for street racing has definitely been tempting me to get back in the saddle. But so far my conscience is winning out... So far lol
Was super happy to finally see this video pop up! Ever since I commentedon your Initial D video, I actually finally got my driving license. While I only have my mum's grocery-getter Renault to ocasionally whip out and I'm still very inexperienced so I don't trust myself enough to actually drive fast, one thing I gotta say is that the joy of simpling going for a drive exceeds anything I've felt in the years that I spent obsessing over cars as a kid/teenager. That joy is exactly why I drive. I'm absolutely saving up money for my own car though. Anyways, enough rambling, it's just a TH-cam comment after all. I loved your video and I cannot wait for what's in store next! (Also, is it just me or does the video cut off early at the end?)
Love to hear it man!
Nothing wrong with a good old grocery getter haha, all I can say is don’t get too confident driving on public streets, shit can always happen, and I had a phase fucking around as a teenager when I got overconfident and all I can say is just drive within your limits.
I’m sure you’ll have your own car in no time too!
Oh and the end of the video, that was intentional, cause really it’s less about me, more about you at the end of the day 🫶🏼
I guess I fell in love with cars and driving due to sensation of freedom it gave me. The cars I own currently are primarily rooted in practicality for my family, being an Accord V6. It has decent power but being heavy and an auto it doesn't really scatch the itch properly.
A couple of years ago I managed to pick up a beat up 89 Prelude, the same model as my first car. When I drove it I felt transported back 18 years. I am hoping to fix it up and restore it but progress has been extremely slow, and it doesn't even start anymore, mainly due to not having the funds to spend on it. Hopefully I can find some abilty to continue working on it and get it back on the road!
Yeah the freedom is definitely a common consensus and it makes a lot of sense.
And sometimes you gotta compromise on what cars you can have just cause of life, nothing wrong with that.
Awesome to hear you’re back in an old manual Japanese car though! I’ve been looking at old Hondas with a bit of envy lately, as much as I love my F I kinda miss having a manual car I don’t care so much about that I can beat on a little and work on without worry.
The question is, we got a closure on the story on the recent Wangan Instalment about it, the Z finally gave up after somebody with an S2000 Jets trough them but gave up, solidifying Akio as the Wangan King (I remember Akio winning the race)
Oof I would’ve loved to see an S2000 in the anime
Hopefully the manga at least gets translated someday
@@Viseak I did play the story since i dont have nothing to do
Makes me feel warm and fuzzy seeing more Wangan Midnight analysis videos spawn, and each one more elaborate than the prior.
It’s such a good series honestly, short and sweet too
The more people that watch it the better
Great video! I loved Wangan Midnight, so the title immediately had me intrigued.
I grew up in the Southeastern United States, where everything is so spread out that driving is a necessity. I loved cars as a kid, but took "extremely long" to get my license, always scared of the "what ifs" if I made a mistake. When I graduated university and bought my first vehicle (at around 23 and buying a 2003 Chevy S10), my reason for driving became that it was fun and freeing. The places I could go, the way I could feel my truck handle (even with my limited experience and knowledge). Just me, my music, and the ability to just get up and go wherever I wanted.
As the years have gone by (and getting my second vehicle, a 2002 Ford Mustang with a 5 speed), its morphed beyond just that fun of feeling what my car can do and the control I have over it with a stickshift, but the community around it and essentially (and slowly) making reality the things I did in the games I played while growing up, specifically Need for Speed Underground. I've got a fantastic mustang club that I've met great people through, and have had experiences I wouldn't want to trade for anything because of them. One of my best friends is also into cars; I'm often torn between being her passenger princess and wanting to enjoy caravanning together.
I may drive my truck less now, but its still just as special to me as my mustang and every time I get back in it I feel like I'm returning to something comforting and familiar. I definitely have an emotional connection to both of my vehicles, which probably ties as much to why I drive now as anything else. Its a hard question!
Haha it’s awesome to hear you’re driving now! Doesn’t matter how long it took for ya to get there
And both cars are awesome in their own way, they just do different things.
I’m a sucker for a good 4WD but that’s a whole different field of enthusiast, at least here in Australia.
The Ute guys (think Hilux, Ranger, Triton, BT50, etc etc) are more about off-roading, climbing the steepest ridiculous rocks possible, crossing rivers, road tripping and camping all in one, very different from your average street car enthusiast, but super cool in its own way.
If I had all the money in the world I’d have cars for both, but I’m far more biased to street and track cars > 4WD’s and haven’t won the lottery so I’ll probably never own a 4WD haha
I really loved Wangan Midnight, I saw it like a year after I saw Initial D and automatically fell in love with it. The darker vibe, the more realistic way of how they show street racing, with it own risks, the arcs of the characters, it's just a masterpiece of an Anime.
To answer your question, ¿Why I drive my car? Little story time, back in 2005 when I was 2y/o my dad bought his first 4x4 (A Land Rover Defender 90, 300tdi) I grew up in 4x4 and going off road here in Argentina, that took me into cars and I immediately turned into a petrol head. My biggest dream was to have a Land Rover as a first car and my dad helped me with that, buying a 1998 Discovery 300tdi, I daily drive my Disco and I freakin love it, I feel free when I'm driving it and going to the mountains with my friends. I think it's just the vibe of the truck and the memories of my dad's ex Defender that makes me smile every kilometer I'm on it. So bassicaly, I drive for the feel of freedom, to discover new places and share with my friends.
Great video, keep doing this content is top tier, greetings from Argentina!
I love playing the Arcade game, first played back in 2018 and I've been hooked ever since. Currently I have 3 banapassport cards for all the cars I like and wanted to tune, and I've put thousands of hours into the game, however it never really pushed me over the edge. Initial D was the catalyst for me wanting a good sports car to modify and have fun with, which is why I recently picked up a WRX. Sometimes I wonder why I drive. Sometimes I wonder why I even chose my car, despite it not being my first choice. I came to the conclusion that I simply just love cars, whether it's a sports car or a regular commute car, they all have a charm that can only be perceived by certain people.
That’s awesome man yeah the arcade games heaps of fun, haven’t played it for quite some time myself though haha
A rexy is a great car, a lightweight chassis with AWD + a turbo and you’re having a blast!
What model did you end up getting?
@@Viseak A 2022, the VB I believe is what this model is designated as. First time driving stick too, a guy from work taught me how to drive in his jeep wrangler. One week later I was at the dealership test driving the car. Incredibly scary to drive at first, I was so nervous, especially after stalling 3 times at a light. However, I've been putting the time and effort in and now I can drive wherever without any major issues. Right now I'm just working on getting my shift times right and I'm also working on my downshifts.
@@SchoorbinMeHam nice! The VB’s are quite refined and the new WRX’s have hill assist too which is a nice creature comfort for sure!
Yeah once you learn to rev match and downshift you gotta chuck it all together and learn to heel toe downshift. Once you learn that there’s no going back to driving normally haha
@@Viseak The guy that taught me has been bombarding me with heel toe videos. Once I master the basics I'll absolutely practice that.
@@SchoorbinMeHam definitely do! Once you start you’ll never go back
And it’s honestly super easy once you get the hang of driving manual as a whole
Why do i drive what i drive?
They call to me. Even before i bought my volvos or knew what volvo was, i was entranced by restorations, custom builds on yt, and of course, inital D. I wanted a car like the AE86 at first.
As i was watching donut, a video of theirs spoke to me, the up to speed on the volvo 240. The lights, the sounds, the rumours of indestructability and tuneability- i was hooked. I started obsessing over old volvos, yearning for a chance to get one.
Then, it happened.
There was an ad on facebook marketplace for a 1989 volvo 740 GL. It was priced around 750 bucks back then but it was not running. Over two payments i was able to buy the car when i turned 17.
After i payed to get it running i started commuting it to work (at first illegally but work was just down the road and in the rural countryside, noone was saying anything) and I loved it. The clunkiness, the slow acceleration, everything. But, i wanted to start tuning it. So, i bought an ipd cam kit, broke a stud, and went down a repair cycle that ended with me taking it to the mechanic the second time to be repaired. I tagged it and it has became my daily ever since.
Dogwood has had several upgrades since then, most cosmetic and maitenence but she still holds steadfast in being a beautiful daily. Then i bought my 240 wagon. I got her 600 not running and have been trying to get her starting ever since.
These volvos just have an alure to them that makes them the star of the show. Simple, yet understated and thats how they put a smile on my face when i drive.
Why do i drive volvos?
Simply, they give me a joy i never knew i had. :)
Haha that’s awesome man, never been much of a Volvo guy myself mainly cause they’re just harder to come by around these parts, as are euro cars in general.
But so long as you’re enjoying em, that’s all that matters!
Great video as always, I really gotta watch wangan midnight after this. hoping for more car anime content from you!
Cheers man!
Definitely give it a go it’s such a good series
I drive a 90hp '96 Civic. Lowered a few cm, slightly bigger wheels, and a short shifter. Its my friend and teacher, its reliable, and it takes corners like a dream. For me, it's taking sharp mountain corners in second gear at 50kp/h, its the rush of pulling a successful heel-toe downshift, its hitting the apex of the corner, it's knowing the road inside out. But its also the reliable friend that takes me to work, that lets me see my distant relatives, my girlfriend, and takes me on 500km trips in a single day. In some ways, its a better friend than many I've had before.
That civic will definitely take you anywhere and last you forever so long as you keep taking care of it
They’re mad little cars for sure
I have fast bikes instead of cool cars but the feeling is the same. The thrill of going fast. The friends you make in the scene. Learing how to maintain and fix your own machine. Getting better at it. Learning how to wheelie. Doing track days to improve your riding. Going from a street bike to a dirt bike and exploring the woods with your friends. Theres a freedom knowing you can go places regular cars cant. And a danger knowing you are way more likely to die if anything goes wrong.
Yeah 100% man bikes are a completely different ballgame, I respect it, and always check the mirrors twice for bikers.
Y’all have it rough out there.
But if there’s any silver lining it’s filtering through traffic, every time I see that I wish it was me haha
Akio has a special connection with his S30z, and I relate to his connection because of my connection to my Z. It’s part of the reason that I like Wangan midnight better
The integra bit caught me of guard lmao . Bro read all of our minds .
Im 18 and driving with spirit because its the only place where I can separate for a moment and just be with the car. This car has not betrayed me so will I.
Stay safe guys and always drive with in your abilities!
Damn straight, it’s all fun and games till someone gets hurt.
Drivings good fun, it can help everything fade away, but you gotta be responsible too
@@Viseak Very True. The fun ends when your hurt somebody cuz of your actions...
my reason to drive its pretty complicated to explain. since i was a toddler i used to play with hotwheels, i dont even remember why but i just did it. i spent most of my childhood playing need for speed, really enjoyed cars despite not really understanding it because i could barely thing about anything else besides what was for lunch today. years passed, i got depression and i spend most of my teenager phase doing music, something i also like, but somehow i couldnt feel complete, like something was missing. some years later when i was finishing highschool we move and my dad starts thinking about buying a car for the first time, we couldnt get one before because it was really not worth it where we live, insecure, it would be a risk for my dad to drive 30km after a very stressing day of work. so we start looking for cheap options, one thing i told my dad was that i didnt want an average car, even if its cheap, i wanted him to drive something quirky because it would be a thing for fun. i didnt really knew what brand i liked more, i barely remembered stuff about japanese and german cars but those were expensive so out of the equation. then out of nowhere we find a guy selling a citroen xsara, just a 1.9 not even with a turbo so something affordable and not expensive to have, ideal and since i really wasnt into cars anymore i didnt really cared that much. that was until the first time i drove it in route. it felt weird, it wasnt fast, just 70hp for a sedan, but something about it was tingling over my head. thats when i realized something was born in me, a need to go as fast as possible, to push the machine over its limits, it was every. goddamn. day. i couldnt stop thinking about pushing the gas and seeing how fast it can go, taking every corner faster than before even if its just a little. i just wanted to go faster and faster. the sensation of taking long curves feeling the tilt of the car when it could barely hold its speed uphill was something else, making it oversteer in closed corners when it can barely keep up with most basic cars on the route. of course the first year i drove it safely, knowing its not my car and it was the only car we had, until my parents decided to gift it to me as a birthday present, probably the best present and since i was studying at the time i couldnt really express how much it means to me that gift. thats when one night i went so over the limit that i ended up crashing going downhill. now im saving money to repair it from a very bad crash, still thinking about that night and how i felt my heart racing, wanting to take it to its limits again. i dont know why that car exactly but ive driven other cars already, a lancer amongs them but it just doesnt feel the same way... hopefully i can get her running again soon enough :)
My goodness is this video nostalgic i remembered a group being created in the Philippines called Akuma and knowing that it's being talked about here is so cool
Glad you enjoyed it 🫶🏼
The feeling of freedom you get behind the wheel of a car is why I enjoy being out on the road so much. I've owned my fair share of cars, a couple MX5s a Volvo and now a Mercedes, all equally pleasurable to drive in their own unique ways.
Yeah every cars got it’s own charm for sure, the merc’s probably a good mix of fun and comfort I’m sure haha
Same reason I went for the ISF
Wangan midnight is still one of my most favourite anime still love to re watch when I’ve got the time as why I had a moment when I was cruising with all my mates one night and they all have s15 Silvia’s unfortunately I was too late to get one and got a ss Ute that I’ve named hibiki but yeah that night I realised it’s now about having the coolest car it’s about having fun with your friends and making new friends and making a bond with your car I know that if I look after hibiki she’ll never let me down and that’s why I love my car cause I’ve developed a bond with it that I’ll never break😅
Ah I feel that man S15’s have got way too pricey it’s such a shame.
Always wanted one myself too but what can you do.
An SS Ute is still plenty of fun though, they’re super tail happy haha
I started looking at cars because of their designs and looks. And back than i really wanted a 180sx because of the countless customisation options. But even though i had the money my father didnt let me buy one because it had too much horse power(179hp). So i started looking at something "lesser" and i stumbeld upon a honda crx with 130hp. At first i "kinda" liked the car. I liked the rear the interiour the exshaust and such but at first i was sceptical. But i ended up buying it anyways because i desprettly wanted a car. But over the years my perspective and pattion towards cars has changed. I love the crx now i love the sound the engine the rev happy nature the lightweight design and the underdog status that comes with a honda. Inszead of just design i came to appreciate alot more aspect of the car, its limitations and history. As i said before i wanted to buy a 180sx but after driving the crx and having so much fun with the driving experience i instead bought an integra type r dc2 and i think i made the best choice with what i know. I love both of these cars and its funny that i went for something so different to that what i wanted back then and sgowed me that i changed as a person and came to appreciate more about cars.
9:43 - IIRC, that red car on the right is what the Devil Z is based on.
Yeah that’s the one!
Your car content is some of the best on TH-cam
Appreciate that man 🫶🏼
My 'Why?' is 'Because', like Akio's, i just love cars and this world.
Just a spoiler in manga:
- Reina went California/USA to focus her model career
- Tatsuya retired racing completely and sold his Blackbird to someone younger and painted it white (i assume it's called Whitebird)
Correct me if i miss something.
I just read a whole spoiler thread on it cause I was curious lmao
From what I read yeah Reina went to the US and gave/lent her R32 to Rikako while she’s gone, but I didn’t see anything about Tatsuya selling the blackbird
Just that the blackbird and the Z crashed again, and never got a rematch.
Maybe he gets rid of it in the sequel C1 Runner or something?
@@Viseak yep, in C1 Runner sequel
Shit, well, I drive for an admittedly stupid reason.
It's a used 2008 6-speed manual 4.2L V8 Audi S5, and the feel of every notch in the pavement, the pleasant bumps in the road, the sheer *connection* offered to me from a sports coupe, really, any sports coupe is just unparalled. These kinds of cars make 30 feel like 60 and encourage you to push the limit and I'm just all for it.
I can tell why I chose the car I drive, I made the choice just 2 months ago.
I drive my 2017 BMW 340i xDrive because I wanted a car that is MOSTLY reliable with the B58 engine, didn't mind paying for some maintenance or doing my own work, and I wanted a car that is a jack of all trades.
Stock, it's performance isn't crazy. It brakes excellently, with it's M Performance Brakes. It handles well too with it's M Sport Suspension and the AWD has amazing traction. But let's not be 2 ways about it, 330 hp, even if it is really 320 whp, isn't much in a 3600 lb car. With just an exhaust and an ECU Reflash, it now does 500 hp. or around 430-440 whp. And I'll be honest, that's good.
It's comfortable as all hell, it takes potholes, bumps, curves in the road extremely good. The seats are nice and the sound system is good too.
When you're not going at it with spirited driving, it gets excellent fuel economy, easily over 30 mpg and insurance and operating costs are mostly tolerable too. Easily one of the most affordable German Sport Sedans.
I work at a lot right now, I've got my first good paying job and a side job too, and I've had trouble with previous used high mileage Japanese cars that I have kept alive faaar too long. I've had the transmission out of this nissan/infiniti over 4 times now, replaced the subframe, suspension, brakes, tires, bcm module, roof leaks, and it still keeps having problems. With me having to be so many places, I just wanted something newer that I know is gonna work.
I'm also getting a little older, a little too old I feel to still be driving a beater Japanese sports car when I can afford something nicer. Something I want. I'm getting to the point where I'll be in my later twenties soon. I found a cool deal on a bimmer I really liked. So I went for it.
This is my first euro car, previously, I've exclusively owned Japanese cars. And I admit, this car performs better than most that I have owned. I only find myself missing the WRX. It too was an almost perfect jack of all trades car, but the power/mpg potential is just higher in the BMW. You can get 500 crank hp out of a WRX/STi too, but at that point, it's a gas guzzler and you're gonna notice it even when you're not on it.
The BMW, it's literally Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You can quietly and normally put around town and as soon as you hit that on ramp, Off you go.
Still, can't beat that Subaru rumble though. Nothing like the look and sound of the subie, one day I'll get another one.
But in the apartment downtown I'm at rn, I can only have one car. So far, I'm glad it's this BMW.
And her I didn't even know Wangan Midnight had a game. The devil Z is the best main character of any love story I've seen. Blackbird was a beaut too.
gonna comment before i watch but if this is a wangan midnight review i’m so damn hyped no one’s done one and i’ve been looking for something to watch for weeks
got to 1:34 and i’ve subbed thanks g
No, thank you bro 🫶🏼
The reason I drive is to continue holding the torch of my childhood’s aspirations of living the dramatized life of a street racer from pop culture such as Need for Speed and Fast & Furious. However this video does remind me a lot of the intro of Forza Motorsport 6’s trailer “Why do we race?”
Yeah growing up with those movies and games was a blessing and a curse, cause it’s so hard to love that kinda lifestyle these days haha
Never was much of a Forza guy as arcade racers like NFS were always my thing, but I’ll check out that intro
I love my 1.9 TDI shitbox more than anything in the world but only thing I love more is hearing it scream at 5000 rpm on a countryside road at 11 pm
Ain’t nothing wrong with a go kart 🫡
The Wangan Midnight episode VS the Supra is probably one of the greatest episodes of anime ever.
Yeah the arc with the Kei and the Supra went hard
Bro I just started rewatching this about a week ago. What timing
Awesome video on such an underatted anime and arcade racer.
On my red ps i owned a Titanium silver Bmw 330ci sport or what i called him 'Silber'. This car drove around my local area but i never noticed it until i was in the market for a car. This car was everything to me. its look, its sound, everything. However after 4 months a hail storm would come down where i lived and i had to write it off. I was devastated from the loss of the car that i felt i never truly experienced.
This led me to purchasing a e90 325i msport in black sapphire i named her 'Eva'. I drove this car for 3 years and had my share of ups and downs (4000 dollar engine repair). my fondest memories was me and friends lancer carving up an old mountain pass highway and in the early morning racing down the motorway hitting up to 200kmhr for a second. Unfortunately my passion for the car had left since owning it for so long and regrettably sold it. However from rego that the car is still out there and i hope driving.
The car i drive while not as cool or dramatic from the other cars is a Holden Zafira named 'Murray'. Why i drive this car is for my grandfather who had passed away and left me it. Now, i repair and pay whatever money to keep it running. Preserving the memory of this car and what it meant to him means more to me than anything even if he's "just a mini van."
Thanks for reading.
That’s quite the venture man, I get it about the hail we get it a lot out here too, had to replace the hood on my subie cause of hail damage (rest of the car was undercover, so I got off lucky but not lucky enough to save the whole thing lol)
And hey, at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what you drive man, if you love it and it means something to you, then it’s more than just a mini van.
I really could type a novel on "finding my why". But I can try to summarize it. My 'why' is a combination of bonding with my father who group up in the latter years of hot rodding during the oil crisis, and was an individual who taught me that if we could do it by ourselves, why pay others? Fascination with movies ranging from Bullitt, Gone in 60 Seconds, Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), and The Fast and the Furious. Games including but not limited to Need For Speed (starting with Hot Pursuit) and Midnight Club. A mutual hobby amongst friends, as well as a way to meet and interact.
I really do enjoy Initial D, I too express similar feelings that you had from the previous video, having a nostalgia for something I never experienced. Yet, when I roll into the local car meets today, the back and forth doesn't seem too far from what was depicted. I read far more of Wangan Midnight than I watched, the story was compelling because it was just everybody gunning to be the fastest. I have spent far too much money on the arcade cabinet, customizing a FD RX7.
Sadly, I don't see many people discuss the manga Over Rev! as I feel this fits the topic well. A student athlete with a need for speed, injured and unable to run competitively again? Get a car, learn to drive, and have fun with it.
Interestingly, I had commented on your previous video about Initial D, the following day I was able to go get one of my dream cars, a FD RX7 that had been imported. I know that many are used to the back and forth of day to day life, but I really wish that people would look at driving with a fascination again. If one has time, the trip to where you're going should be part of the adventure.
Yeah man fast and the furious + NFSU2 definitely shaped my young brain into being a car enthusiast hahaha
That’s awesome to hear about your FD man that’s one of my dream cars for sure, the low profile two door rotary is definitely something I’m envious of, my F is heavy as all hell by comparison but I love it all the same, just needed something more comfortable
Maybe one day I’ll go back to a 90’s JDM car
A Mini Countryman. I wanted something sporty that my boyfriend and girlfriend could both ride in, feel comfortable in, and look a bit classy to boot. I also wanted to be able to do some bigger shopping done with it. And of course, have enough power to some fun on Sundays. Its a great blend of practicality, and fun factor, and besides that, they're reliable as well if you take care of them. And I thought that would be a great way to teach me to take care of my car. And so far, I was right.
Great video man, I liked the summarization and the questions asked in regards to the plot, not the biggest WM fan, but I always had a decent exposure to it, I would like to see a video on Overrev! perhaps, it only has a manga adaptation, not anime, but it's a very beloved series to many, I haven't read a ton of it myself, but it's really highly regarded.
In addition to your what you drive question near the end, asking for comments, I suppose I'll elaborate a bit on my NA Miata I mentioned on your last video, I was in high school when I got mine, 100k original miles, clean car, absolutely pristine stock, and a year into owning it I had to have 3 surgeries and it ultimately ended up in me selling the car for doubling the money put into it which was quite nice, it's very bittersweet for me because it was such a beautiful car, but I didn't have the heart to modify it or do anything dumb with it, but it has awakened something of a love for Miatas, because prior to the car I wasn't really all that huge into them specifically, was more an AE86/RX7 guy prior the typical highschooler shit you get it, but now after owning one I feel a great need to get one again but in a proper project condition to fix, tune with and have some proper fun in without fear of ruining a clean car, so now I've become a big Miata guy after a chance run in ownership that only really came by chance, and I suppose that's why it'll be what I drive when I get another one.
Cheers man! I’ve heard a lot of good things about Over rev too so it might be a good one to check out at some point
Great to hear you’re looking at getting into another Miata, they’re heaps of fun to drive and super easy to modify if you want too. I get not wanting to touch a clean example, so getting a project will do you heaps of good, and get rid of the mental barrier when it comes to modifying it haha
S2K is also on the radar and is probably the more realistic option, from the time I've had the Miata to now, I've gained a huge appreciation for the S2K pretty much being the ultimate example of that kind of car even stock, and I wouldn't really even feel bad modifying since most of it would be mainly reliability and QOL stuff since the performance is already nearly perfect from stock! It's really hard to justify a 3k car with 10k of mods vs a 13k car that needs some touchups here and there
I drive for the freedom and the vibe. Wind in your hair, tunes on the stereo, and the purr of the exhaust.
I willingly drive the car "enthusiasts" punching bag, a '13 Scion tC and coming from a Mk.2 Supra and '89 Prelude it probably one of the perfect cars for me, especially since it's my one and only car.
Gorgeous styling, above average suspension and steering, nice beefy sedan 4-banger with great low end torque, bulletproof reliability, a fun and quirky cockpit layout, and gracious cargo room.
It's not the quickest off the lot but it's got the spirit of the Celica and a lot more fun than people give it credit for.
But I'm biased, I love the era of the "sporty" coupe and the tC is really is one of the last of that era.
Scions aren’t something we got here and honestly, I can’t think of anything we really have that’s comparable to the tC, outside of the 86/BRZ I suppose? Or maybe the Infiniti G35’s?
None the less it seems like a great jack of all trades from an outside perspective, and so long as you enjoy it that’s what really matters!
I love Wangan midnight bro, rewatch it every few years
Yeah it’s the perfect length to rewatch every so often, I already kinda wanna go through it again
It's not about the speed itself, but overall experience of driving a car. I can go anywhere I want, at any hour I want, taking anything or anyone with me.
Doesn't matter if it's a fully loaded roadtrip with friends or a lone long way home from some other city.
Being behind the wheel is what I learned to love, even though I was skeptical and afraid at first.
I have a 2007 Honda City IV, basically a Honda Fit Sedan. A hand me down from my deceased grandfather who bought it brand new from a dealership in 2008, back in 2016 (8 years of use) I got it as a 33k km car (~20k miles), very rarely driven. A 1.3 i-DSI 84HP engine with 8 valves and no VTEC. I received my driver's license in 2018 and mostly started driving regularly in 2020/21.
I wasn't really a car person until I started driving and learned to enjoy that thing.
A 5 speed manual transmission which has gears so short, that fifth gear has 4k RPM at 120km/h GPS speed.
I have driven old 2JZ-GE GS300 twice when checking out some offers, a 300HP Buick Lacrosse around chicago area and a modern Ford Mustang 2.0 around florida area (trips to US).
And I still think I enjoy driving that little chunk of iron more than those cars.
I have managed to get it all the way to 181km/h GPS speed, engine well above 6k RPM, near cutoff at 6500rpm. The wind noise, the vibrations of the whole body, that's something to experience.
Driving late at night on empty expressways, coming back from some trips was always my way to relief stress, testing how fast this little engine can go before reaching the absolute limit and then going back to usual economic speeds to reach my destination.
And I also drive the car hard on my way to work, with some high speed road being a part of it, each day I can hear the roar of that little engine.
Having tested some of those other cars, I think I'm set to go out and buy a manual K24 Accord, hoping to have a similar experience, but this time with 200HP under the hood.
I was chasing the 2JZ dream for four years, saving money for a mint GS300 mk2, but having driven them, I think I'm a Honda person after all.
I'm grateful for this car, because it taught me how to do basic maintenance, repairs, retrofitting (radio, backup camera+sensors, HUD) and how to handle a sliding car with no traction control.
And it will stay with me for as long as possible, because it has proven itself as a reliable car.
That’s awesome man, nothing wrong with a Honda City they’re a perfect daily.
And I get wanting to push everything you can out of what you got, I used to do the same with my subie, but I can’t lie going from a 5 speed to an 8 speed auto is life changing hahahahaha
I do miss manual sometimes though, and I’m sure I’ll buy some sort of manual project car again in the future.
A k-series accord will be sweet though man I’m sure you’ll enjoy the hell out of it! Hondas get a lot of shit for who knows why, they’re awesome cars at the end of the day. If I could have an old Integra or even new Civic Type R I’d take it in a heartbeat, the new FL5 would be the perfect daily but they’re so damn pricey
I don't really have an answer for why I drive. Or maybe I have multiple? I don't know.
Growing up in Germany, my dad took me to the Nürburgring pretty often to watch races. He himself also worked on his Firebird that he drag raced all the time. He is super knowledgeable of cars and can literally diagnose and fix any issue that arises with every car he's owned and every car I've owned. I can only wish to have his knowledge one day.
I also grew up when Fast and Furious came out, NFS Underground came out, and even the first Forza Motorsports came out. My brother bought me Motorsports & a racing wheel for the original xbox for my birthday, and I had a blast pretending I was driving a real car. As I got older, my passion for cars grew stronger. Playing MC: LA, Forza, NFS, and all the other racing games that were releasing.
Once I finally was able to pick out my first car, I didn't know what to choose, and didn't really have much of a say in it because it was a gift from my parents. They ended up getting me a 2004 Mitsubishi Lancer ES, automatic. I can say right from the beginning I did not like this car at all but I was super grateful for the gift. I did some slight mods to it, nothing crazy. Just an exhaust, wheels, and suspension and a few body modifications. It was definitely riced out lol. I was pretty bored with this car but I'd take it to parking lots with my friend before school and we'd do little burnouts and pulls and all kinds of weird shit, trying to push this thing to the limits.
Then, after about 2 years, I sold this car and picked out my second car. I just wanted something manual, and at the time, in my area, there was barely anything manual that I could get, so I went with a 2003 Hyundai Tiburon V6. This car was a real shitbox. Constantly broke down on me and constantly left me stranded, always had to call my dad to tow me with his truck. But, this was the first time I got to learn how to rebuild a motor, and rebuild a transmission. I learned so much with this car, and did so much with it and this is when I got into Touge. We did a lot of races all the time up and down these windy roads. It was amazing, and I truly started to refuel my passion for cars. Even though this thing constantly broke on me, I constantly wanted to fix it instead of selling it. That is, until one night, I hit a giant rock that fell out of a construction truck and completely destroyed the front end. It wasn't totaled, it was mostly just cosmetic damaged, but after this, I decided to go the stance route with my car, no longer performance oriented. I slammed that thing to the ground and learned all about suspension and fitment and even learned how to do my own alignment. My passion grew even more. I picked up VR and a sim wheel and started learning how to drift in VR. I free roamed and drove for hours in truck simulator to clear my mind, I raced my friends and tandemed with them for hours in assetto corsa VR.
After this, I moved to California, where my Tiburon with all of it's mods would've been completely illegal, so I sold it. I ended up buying an Audi A5 that I was eyeing for years, I really wanted to do a VIP build. Safe to say I completely lost my passion for cars with this thing. This thing needed a full rebuild not even a month after I bought it due to piston ring issues that were common place but Audi never did a recall for. It was awful, a huge money pit, and the worst experience I ever had owning a car. I also ended up going through some of my most depressing times ever during this, and the only thing that kept me going, was driving my car. As much as I hated it, as much as I lost my passion, I still felt free and my mind felt clear behind the wheel.
Finally sold that thing after 2 years of ownership and picked up my current car, a 2001 Mazda Miata. Being on an extremely tight budget, I bought a car that was already modified for performance driving. Full suspension mods, poly bushings, mazdaspeed motor mounts, lightweight wheels, exhaust, rollbar, and so much more. Normally I wouldn't want a pre-modified car, but this thing was extremely well taken care of and purpose-built for the track, and being on such a tight budget, I got to enjoy the car how I would've built it without dumping thousands of dollars into it that I don't have. This car has reignited my passion already, and I've only owned it for about a month now. I have taken this car apart piece by piece (body panels and interior - not motor) and deep cleaned and scrubbed every inch of this thing, full detail. That alone made me feel a connection to a car I haven't felt in a long time.
All within a week of ownership I changed the seats, vintage window switches, vintage hvac panel, head unit, restored the entire interior and so much more. Being in this car I feel a sense of community - people wave to me, people come up to me to talk about miatas, motorcyclists rev at me and wave at me, every miata driver honks, winks, or waves at me, it's amazing.
I've started to learn how to drift in real life now, I'm taking my car out on the touge again, I'm even doing uber eats for 5+ hours every day just so I can drive my car more. I'm currently in a really bad place in my life, but I'm so happy even knowing I own this car. I'm constantly in the garage just looking at it, constantly sitting in it in the garage, and constantly finding excuses to take it out for a drive, and I can feel my dream of wanting to be a motorsports driver coming alive again.
That being said, I drive my car to clear my mind, to make me happy when I'm depressed, I drive for fun, I drive because my car feels like an extension of my body, I drive to feel a part of something, I drive to be on the road, I drive because I have a passion for cars, I drive for so many reasons that I can't even explain. I drive just to drive. I love driving. Even when I lost my passion for cars, I still loved driving. Driving is the one thing in this life that's never let me down, even when my car breaks down.
I grew up around cars. learning about them was always the thing i loved doing and i hoped for the day i got my first car, that day came and went. because the car wasnt built for speed i didnt try as much. but my second car (GC8 WRX CSE2) took me to another level of driving, the days and months i worked on that car to fine tune and upgrade it. slowly increased my knowledge and experience on the road. my "why" for driving is to improve. in speed, knowledge, coordination and emotions. i want to always better myself. and its always possible
That’s awesome man, I’ve got a soft spot for Subarus and the GC8’s are such a nice light fun car
Makes me miss my Hawkeye haha
Appreciate this video. Lived a different life than you, worked on cars since high school, tuned and raced many different cars since. Im 30 this year and just got married, also having my first kid soon. Im glad I made my financial mistakes with cars when i was younger. I will still race cars now that I have a lot more stabiliy, and luckily the skills I have built over the past 10 years make that possible. We do all drive for a reason. one thing i learned from this show is that if you build your skills and dont give up your passion, you can learn to balance your personal responsibilities and your passion for racing. Balance is the key to being a fast racer. Cheers
*racing on circuits of course. gave up street racing i my mid 20s. it isnt worth it, don't learn the hard way like I did.
Yeah man I gave up fucking around on the road towards the end of my teenage years and really try not to encourage others to do it, but people always kinda will, kids will be kids I suppose so advocating for ‘safe’ ish hooning in completely quiet ‘safe’ places feels like the best way, cause so many people just wont go to the track no matter what ya say.
But yeah for me, outside of the occasional highway on-ramp or something these days I drive like an absolute grandma haha
Good to hear you’re living life to the fullest though man, sounds like you’ve got a lot of experiences under your belt and settling down at 30 is sweet, congrats on expecting your first child too man that’s awesome.
Learning to balance personal responsibilities and cars was a hard lesson to learn for sure, but a really damn important one we all gotta go through.
i drive to escape the dread of life, every second that i drive, even if its POS. its made me feel alive and probably the only reason im alive is to drive faster. for me cars are my lifeline
Love to hear driving makes you feel that way.
I just gotta say as well, I’m not sure what you’ve been through or are going through, but just know it gets better, and if driving fasts a way to help you cope until it does, more power to you, but stay safe yeah?
Always gotta live to drive another day.
Thanks for making me fall in love with the show again. You really explained the characters well.
It's something I never really understood myself. Why did I enjoy these characters and their struggles? I couldn't put it into words or explain it.
Either way, it's a shame this never got another season. And there's still no way to read the entire manga in english even after all this time.
Glad I could put it into words for you 🫡
Yeah can’t believe we still can’t read it in it’s entirety, but maybe one day? (I doubt it but a guy can dream)
God, I've seen so much hate for Wangan Midnight recently, especially in russian community (as always). Your video gives me hope that I'm not the only one who undestands and love Wangan Midnight, I hope it will become popular. Thank you so much for taking your time to explain the deep plot of this series, you're a legend.
No worries man!
I feel like it’s severely under appreciated especially when compared to the likes of Initial D.
Loved the anime and this is an incredible analysis of it…but the like was for the Ramble Shack reference
The ramble shack is crazy lmfao 💀
Been waiting for a WM vid!!
Hope you enjoyed it 🫶🏼
@@Viseak yessir! 🫡 I’ve watched all your gundam vids(feel free to do more as I’ll watch them too), some of the zoids, digimon, and of course the initial d and wangan midnight. Love your vids man, thank you for putting these out!
The soundtrack was absolutely amazing too. Yuzo Koshiro did a great job, my favourite track is Atheist on the Highway
Yeah it was honestly so damn good, and good choice too
love these type of videos
I love customizing stuff. Characters in games, cars, you name it. I was already into nfs and the usual car games. And as an avid anime watcher I was going back in time and watching old anime(Akira, Initial D) when the fifth stage came around I instantly knew I needed a Nissan 350z. I fell in love and after I finished Initial D I wanted more car anime and there’s hardly any. Then I found Wangan Midnight. Hooked immediately and then where I live we have a Round 1 where they had Maximum tune 5 (and the initial d arcade game too). I finished school but didn’t go to college I just work and fuel my passion. Just recently I did achieve my dream and got a Nissan 350z so now I’m really feeling like Akio hahah! Initial d and Wangan midnight really fueled my love for cars and the 350z.
That’s awesome man!
I’ve loved 350z’s ever since I first saw one in NFSU2, haven’t owned one but I’d sure like to one day as a project car
There’s honestly a lot of cars I’d like to own hahaha
Quick note, the Mid Night Racing Team/Club is still very much alive, still with insane cars but does not partake in high speed illegal races in wangan, Mid Night stories usually get thrown around and usually thrown with lies and fake news.
Why do I drive?
Because my cars chose me and I repay them with my love. I really feel like I can hear their voices and emotions, they are not machines to me.
Like seriously, my life is like Wangan Midnight OVA. I'm from Poland so most of people won't know a single thing about cars that i will metion here but here goes.
My dad used to be a truck driver, when I was little he used to take me with him on shorter drives. He had Jelcz 315 Polish made truck with cab over engine, I always fell asleep on engine cover, no matter how loud the engine was roaring.
Our family car was Polonez Caro, sadly it rusted out so bad that we sold it, my aount had same but in different color, when I was 10 (back in 2003) I asked her to give it to me on my 18th birthday (at that time it was worth literary nothing) now I'm 30,5 yo and I still have it and I made a proper renovation of it.
My second car is also Polonez but earlier model from 1986 that I saved from scrapping after it was sitting for over 10 years in a shed, I'm now building it into a rally version replica with carburator and turbo just like Devil Z.
Third car, Renault Laguna Grandtour with 2.2 dci engine, widely known as worst engine in Renault history, and I bought it with broken engine, repeired it and I did over 60K kilimeters in 3 years without a single issue. It feels like it wants to say "thank you"
Foruth car, Ford Scorpio, I bought it as a AC donor for my dad's Scorpio for 900PLN in 2019 (like 250USD) saving it from being scrapped and it was alredy made into a drift shitbox car, welded diff, lowered suspension, wight reduced and so on as for a shitbox it turned out to be in a good condition. I had to replace broken driveshatf and clutch. I still have it, best fun car I had, it is going to get a supercharger this summer.
Fifth car, another Polonez, this time Atu from 1997, also saved from scrapping, less than 100K mileage, interior in perfect condition, it just needs some, well not some, a lot of welding, but I just heard it calling me when I saw it for the first time at my dad's firend backyard.
So yeah, my life Wanagan Midnight OVA live action. When I was watching it I really cried a lot, many scenes were like looking into a mirror. It is in my personal top 10 anime of all time.
PS. Rikako best waifu, I wish she helped me to build an engine one day
Never seen this one before but I’ll definitely check it out
I’d never heard of it either, but it’s honestly a great short watch
You can find the whole thing on TH-cam too which is so good
@@Viseak cool
To answer your question on why I drive it's....compelx like you said there is the adrenalin rush from it. But also ive grown up around cars my entire life, and got to hear stories of my fathers youth messing around with cars. So ever since I was a kid I wanted to go fast, I wanted in essence surpass him! Though I've never gotten that feeling, it always feels like an unachievable goal. What makes this worse, is I'm the only car enthusiast in my friend group, and being introverted its hard with me to connect with the local car enthusiasts. Well other then racing them, sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I never feel more alive then when I race someone with my c5. Which used to be my parents before they sold it to me, and that also ties into that image of trying to surpass my fathers supposed leggacy... All these factors combined are a weird complex mix. Resulting in an adrenalin junky loner, who seeks companionship through racing. While chasing a laggacy, that really isnt there, and that he'll never mentally let himself live up too the image in his head....So...yeah...I'd say I drive for form of escape! To forget reality, and its tedium to for those few minutes! To feel like im so hot shot racer, speeding towards a finish line! To finally get a big win! and finally make my dad proud.
Hey man I’m sure your dads already proud with you carrying on the C5
One thing about racing and driving as a whole is you’ve got nothing to prove, so don’t sweat it man. Sure you might never ‘surpass’ your dad but that’s fine, Takumi never surpassed Bunta at the end of the day.
Just take it day by day, enjoy the shit out of your car while you have it, stay safe on the roads and you’ll be sweet.
It can get lonely without other car enthusiasts in your friend group but even as an introvert, you can always make some new friends here and there, maybe go to track days and even take your dad along with you, that’s a great way to meet people outside of the usual mediocre carpark meets haha
nahhh legit cried watching the initial d and this video. you are a top tier yapper. love from nz bro - glad someone else feels the same way i do about these dumb little machines
Man that’s gotta be the highest form of praise ya can give me seriously 🫶🏼
Really appreciate that man, clearly I’m going in the right direction with my videos lately, maybe car contents the future for me.
Just gotta find more interesting ways to yap about em
23:18 "set tire"
I believe the appropriate term is "laid rubber"
Literally while I was editing I’m like how did I not think of a better damn way to put that in the moment, but I left it in cause fuck it why not 😭
My first car is going to be an early 90s Ford sedan, because I want something safe, reliable and that I can have fun in without having it bite me unexpectedly. My friend has a 94 Chevy Caprice that he's giving to me as a project as well, these cars aren't as fast as a Mustang or Camaro, but they have similar power and can be used to carry just about anything and make great cars to cruise around in.
I am still on my first car, A 1997 1.3 manual gx nissan micra k11e.
Nothing to special to most but, i was in a bit of a state but i saw potential.
Start of the year i was tee-boned in work while going to lunch.
Many would of scraped it. But i didn't i keeped it, and am on the path of putting back on the road.
Dose help being a HGV mecanic by trade.
But diving with no P/S, No ABS, no TC is just an experience i find great fun.
As long as you enjoy it, that’s all that matters man
I drive because its fun, I drive a 1.6 NB miata, and I'm really happy with where its at, I dont want to add power, it allows me to have this fun momentary escape without risking myself as much
Wangan midnight is what inspired me to start saving money for a v8 swap on my subcompact
That’d be a hell of a car, and I’ve seen it done on a Toyota Echo, so in a similar vein it’d be pretty crazy
@@Viseak that would be an awesome thing to see man, I'm trying to do it on a Chevette as its the cheapest rwd car in Brazil
why?... guess we are all trying to find that exit to paradise.
Couldn’t of said it better myself
@@Viseak "This count... I feel as if I'm looking at my future self. Mega bucks, big ass house, the fame and glory... Dining in style with a world class chef and a trusty nutritionist counting every calorie. A team of hot personal trainers to keep me in shape. Nurses to attend to my body... Maids and loyal servants at my beck and call. On the weekends, tanned babes knocking on my door every two hours. Every day full of excitement and luxury. That'd be the life. Everything in its right place. It's the perfect life. It's the life for winners. That'll be my life! I thirst for selflessness. Hypocrites lusting for their own desires to beat me. This is how it goes down. And for the old racers? They'll croaked anyway. I guess you can call this a tragic comedy. I realize there's really nothing here for me. But what else can I do but keep going? Maybe I should have been a little more careful before I jumped in. Gotta find the exit. Gotta find that exit to Paradise. But, I can't see it. Can't see anything. There's this sense of doom running down my spine, like it's... Like it's trying to suck the life out of me. I need to get rid of it before I bail. Something deeper... Deeper than my instincts is taunting me. Can't find the exit. CAN'T find the exit. CAN'T FIND the exit. CAN'T FIND THE exit. CAN'T FIND THE EXIT." an interpolation of Travis Touchdown from No More Heroes
Why i drive? honestly to look for a purpose, growing up poor working on cars was really just a chore, helping my family keep a car up and running they could use to continue going to work. My father would purchase cars and we would use them for parts to keep a car running. Essentially growing up with a dislike for cars, and never having a passion for anything i find it difficult getting into things, driving calms me down i find it as a form of meditation, but aside from that its just habits that keep me working on my daily to ensure it keeps running. I don't have friends that like cars, or even then don't have the time to even hang out with friends. The 280zx im working on now is a project car im doing as a means to expand my skill set and maybe find some enjoyment.
Hey man it really can get like that sometimes, I remember a period where my Subaru just kept breaking and I was over it, you can only take a ratchet to a car so many times before it takes a toll on you, especially if it’s your daily, when you NEED that car to run it just does nothing but stress you out.
I’m glad to hear you’re taking some solace in the 280zx though!
So I drive a 1974 Chevy Camaro when it works. Why? Well that answer is split in two. As a child,the second gen Camaro was my favorite car in media and video games.The day I bought the car from my dads boss was my childhood dreams culmination. Now that I’ve had the car for a few years I can say the Camaro nameplate is one of the best. It is the Gintama of cars. There may be faster or more luxurious cars that overshadow it but as a whole no other car model can surpass it. From being able to infiltrate war zones to deliver toys to ruling the fastest races in the world by the Street Outlaws to being side by side with the best prototypes and GT cars at Lemans. It is a solid performer that does its best at what it was built for.
Haha when it works is always the crutch isn’t it.
Glad you’re enjoying the hell out of it when you can though!
It's in a way unfortunate that English speaking people CAN enjoy WM translated story, but in the arcade game. It even has stories cut from the anime and stories they make just for the game i.e. Akio's little fling with his teacher where he took Z to the mountains (which is how the singular touge route in the game ever came to be), and stories like Garage ZERO.
I personally find how the arcade handle the story to be interesting because how the player is both a self-insert, and also a Ghost. During climatic races canonical to the story, you're taking part as an outsider looking in, but there are races/story bits where you interact with the characters (implied to be off-race talks but it's exposited during the race which is so funny sometimes) where the story goes into stuff the anime don't show that delve deeper into a character's story.
Are they technically padding so people play and waste their money in the game more? Yeaaahh but the padding is fun, at least! And the music SLAPS to race and just listens to. Back then it was mostly Eurobeat, as usual it's the 90s car media. But newer entry have rock, metal, actual dubsteps, Ace Combat-esque latin chanting over rock music stuff. Superb, honestly.
Yeah alright I gotta play these games properly sometime.
Have they been emulated? Or do I genuinely need to rock up to an arcade for a couple hours lmao
@Viseak If I recall, you can actually emulate the arcade games.
@@Dablaze6 good to know, I’ll have to look into it
@@Viseak there is a emulator of the game I think at least 5dx+ (6 is in Patreon I think) but yeah in 5-5dx+ story was cut to 60 story and in 6 and above they got back to 100 chapter
Not me. But my dad. You see back in his high school days my dad had a Camaro, modified by his bestfriend that he bought from a junkyard. Used to do drag races on an old circuit and circuit races until he sold the car when my mom first became pregnant.
Now i kinda follow his steps, despite my fear of driving, i have kinda become a master of this route behind an old abandoned gunpowder plant while driving my Camery, of course im not nearly as fast nor racing, but i can take turns better then anyone and have the entire course mapped in my head.
So, i drive to make him proud
That’s awesome to hear
And at the end of the day you don’t need to race or go stupidly fast to have fun driving, just do what makes you comfortable and have a good time
@@Viseak mhm! Although I will admit, when I get the money I'll get that Camaro [or a similar] for him as a Birthday thing. Juuust make sure it's fitted with alot of safety features because my dad isn't exactly safety smart lol, still gotta remind the old goof to put on his seatbelt
This is by far one of my favorite racing anime! Way better story then Initial D.
Another car anime you should look up is Shakotan Boogie. It's on TH-cam.
I’ll have a look into it!
Why do I drive? If I were to put it into words, I couldn't find the exact ones but I will try my best to explain.
Why do I drive? I could only guesstimate is where I most feel alive... Free. I've always been into cars since I acquired self-awareness. I didn't say my first words into I was 4, my mom read me the classifieds because she noticed I just gravitated towards cars. My first words were probably Toyota, Mazda, Ford, etc.
As I grew older I saw the car as the gateway to freedom. A machine that would help you go anywhere. Like a cowboy and his horse with the prairie fields ahead of him, I saw myself with a car and the open road ahead.
Forward to my teenage and high school years, I was getting closer to finally having my own car. After growing up with Gran Turismo 2, Sega GT 2002, Fast and Furious, Forza Motorsport, my desired first car changed a bit. An S13, then a Mustang because of course an R34 was completely impossible. However, I was handed down a 96 Cutlass Supreme. A grandma's car. At first I hated it but very soon I took pride in it and began to appreciate it for what it was. It isn't a sports car, not all cars are meant to be one. It taught me that there are various ways into the art of driving. It also taught me maintenance and repairing basics.
But after 3-4 years, I wanted something I could truly call mine. So my search for my desired car I could go all out began. S13s were beginning to skyrocket, Mustangs felt bland, Trans Ams were becoming unobtanium with the 6 speed, but then I saw the humble Miata. I began to read about their design and engineering and it showed me another car lesson: power isn't everything.
So, I looked up various for sale and I liked the idea of a Miata more and more but I then suddenly remembered my uncle had one. A Mariner Blue 1990 NA6 Miata. He got it in 2002 but never really took care of it, he still had it but it was so neglected that he was considering scrapping it. I went to look at it just because it was the color I wanted. But once I opened the dirty door and sat in the dusty and moldy seat I felt a sensation I never felt before and frankly never since. It's like the cliche love at first sight in novels and movies. I swear the car spoke to me in that moment, she said "Hi, will you take me back out on the road again?". I put my hands on the worm out steering wheel, I put my feet on the pedals and rested my hand on the gear shifter. Everything felt so right, everything felt like I was made for this machine. It was right then and there in that autumn day in 2013 I decided this was it. I wanted this car. It didn't matter it's tires were flat, the paint was shot, the interior reeked and it needed maintenance overdue for a decade. I immediately asked to buy it from my uncle. He refused because he'll fix it someday.
I kept insisting, even got a student loan for it, offering 2 grand for a car that barely ran and drove but couldn't stop. It needed a lot. Then one day, he calls me and says he'll give it to me. I didn't believe him. The next day my dad called me to order at least some brake components so it can at least be safe to move it around while I keep fixing it up. I was floored, it was true! But soon after I learned why the sudden change of heart. After my initial inspection of things it needed I was up to $5,000 in estimated repairs, no wonder my uncle just gave it away. He didn't want to spend that kind of money.
I, however, knew I can do it for less. So I repaired laptops at college, sold random crap on eBay and did English tutoring, scraping a few bucks here and there to order the parts from RockAuto, eBay, Amazon, AutoZone or Facebook Marketplace. Which ever was cheaper. It took me 3 years and about $2,500 to get it roadworthy. January 2018 was when it finally saw the open road again after being left in a corner since about 2012 and neglected since 2002.
The Miata ran amazing. It always started right up and did everything I asked it to. That is until June 2019. An uninsured driver cut me off, and totaled my Miata. The front end was destroyed. I was physically okay but emotionally as wrecked as the car. A friend at the time stayed over to help me even take a bath and eat because I was almost unresponsive. I felt I lost it all because there were times that car was all I had. It had saved me from ending it all before. There was times were it was the sole reason I kept on living.
2 days later, I began to tear the damaged parts apart and saw the firewall nor the floor pan wasn't buckled. The doors and top still closed fine and when I reconnected the battery, and cranked the key. The engine started right up. She wants to live. She saved me from that collision so I had to repay her in kind.
I was still a broke college student, working 2 jobs to pay rent and tuition. 8 months into trials, I only got a $1k settlement. Despite being mad and tired, I vowed to continue getting it back together and on the road again.
I slowly gathered used parts, a donor core support and along the way upgraded bits here and there. I ended up ripping the drivetrain out and partially the interior.
June 2020 was when I finally had enough parts and funds to send it to a body shop willing to work on it. An old man in his 80s. Yes, he had over 50 years of experience but also.. He's in his 80s so it was gonna take a while.
January 2023. I finally got the car back to my new crappy apartment working a corporate job. I still didn't have a proper garage or even a solid floor to work on so in my free time I put the drivetrain back in, rolling over gravel and dirt, redid suspension, brakes, cooling, interior all by myself and since that crash in 2019, my Miata was once again back on the road by August 2023.
Twice now I saved her from the junkyard. Many call me a madman. I stopped counting after $8,000 into what once was a crumpled soda can. But I don't care. I did it. I pulled it off. My Miata now has many subtle mods here and there. The curse of "while you're in there".
But living in a small island, that freedom of the open road will never be experienced if I stay here. After 13 years of trying to emigrate into the US, I just accepted a new job that will allow me to work in Texas. And yes, I am shipping my Miata into my new chapter in my life. The open road awaits me there, I will soon be able to drive anywhere I ever pictured since I was a kid.
Why do I drive?...... To live, I guess. It's funny how a machine can help you feel more alive than anything else.
Hahaha it’s funny reading that man cause my first words weren’t car brands or anything, but my parents would always tell me when I was like 6 or something and we’d go on road trips all I’d do is just name all the car brands that drive past 😅
But man, that was quite the story. Clearly the miatas special to you, and it’s awesome you’ve not only saved it twice, but are taking it with you to your new home.
Props to you man, that’s some serious commitment, and thanks for sharing.
@@Viseak Glad to know I'm not the only one haha.
Call me crazy but I am a firm believer that some cars have... A soul or something that just makes them different. Many talk about cars that were always doing a weird thing, others that would always run despite needing repairs. Not as far as a Christine situation but... Like that special dog or cat or horse that somehow, they just know.
I have lots of stories with my Cutlass Supreme as well, which I still have.
Thank you for this video and thank you for sharing your experiences with me.
The thing is, that Mid Night Club story you told is the commonly known rumour, not the actual story. As in how the club supposedly disbanded. Albon has a pretty comprehensive story on them.
MZ20 3.0GT Limited user here.
I drive because there is always a point. It can be destination or journey itself, can be emotions or lack of them. I drive for the latter, I just wanna feel alive, even though I am not, not inside.
Hey all I gotta say man is that it gets better, you might not feel it now but the fact you’ve got something like driving that makes you feel alive in that way means there’s something right going on.
You got this man