Being the sequel series to one of the most iconic anime and manga properties of all time, even with full creative control from the original creator, sets impossibly high expectations from fans. However, few have managed to accomplish what MF Ghost, Initial D‘s official sequel, has done, being incredibly entertaining while still managing to create its own unique identity.
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After running for over seven years, a new advertisement from the upcoming issue of Weekly Young Magazine, where MF Ghost is published, seems to suggest that the series will be coming to an end after releasing only six more chapters. As of writing, MF Ghost has released well over 200 chapters that have been collected in 21 volumes. The series also has an ongoing anime adaptation produced by Felix Film, with two complete seasons and a third currently in production.
[RELATED: MF Ghost Confirms Season 3 With New Trailer: Watch]
MF Ghost follows a young Japanese-British man named Kanata Rivington, who returns to Japan after learning how to race at the Donington Racing School in the UK thanks to famous rally racer Takumi Fujiwara, the protagonist of Initial D, on a mission to find his long-lost father. While there, he gets wrapped up in an organization founded by another one of Initial D‘s iconic characters, Ryosuke Takahashi, called the MFG, who perform street races using internal combustion cars. Equipped with his trusty Toyota 86, Kanata takes on much more powerful vehicles while living his day-to-day life and searching for his father.
MF Ghost Perfectly Balances Rally Racing With Compelling Character Drama
MF Ghost has managed to beautifully live up to the legacy built up by Initial D, by not only offering fans the same exciting rally racing action and eccentric racers in each chapter, but also flawlessly recounting events from Initial D without ever feeling like it’s using the original characters to keep fans invested. Kanata, as a protagonist, is just as interesting as Takumi was in Initial D and adds an interesting to layer to the world by being Takumi’s spiritual successor, and by being on the hunt for something outside of the MFG. The main supporting cast in MF Ghost are extremely well-written as well, something that once again proves that the original mangaka behind the series, Shigeno, thrives when given a large, eccentric cast to work with.
Whether a new fan is looking for exciting rally racing with loads of references and a genuine love for cars, or wanting a genuinely compelling character drama that only gets more interesting the longer the events of the story are drawn out, one can’t go wrong by checking out MF Ghost. Now that the third season of the anime is finally in production and the manga is gearing up for its finale, there’s no better time to get invested.
H/T Amazon JP
