Original D is releasing a stylish new set of eyewear as part of its latest product collaboration.
Yabushita, a company specializing in eyewear, recently launched the official “Initial D AE86 Imaging Glasses” on its main website. As the name suggests, they have a design inspired by the vehicle of the main character, Takumi Fujiwara, who drives a modified Toyota Sprinter AE86 in the series. Due to their specialized design, glasses can be worn for fashion or convenience, as lenses can be replaced by an optician. Currently, the reference retail price, including tax, is 25,300 yen (about 166 USD). Potential buyers will be able to purchase them starting March 2024.
Fans of the original D will likely appreciate the attention to detail in the design. For example, the square shape of the lens is meant to resemble headlights. The titanium frame also features sleek white and black colorways designed to mimic the look of a car. The glasses are printed with text similar to its name, “Fujiwara Tofu Shop,” while the initial D is printed on the left side in a modern, rounded part that extends past the ear. The glasses also come with a carrying case and a glasses cleaning tool, both of which feature the product line’s logo.
More than 25 years after its debut, Intial D is still extremely popular with fans of the Japanese street racing genre. The franchise began with Shuichi Shigeno’s hit manga, revolving around a high school student and amateur racer named Takumi Fujiwara. When he wasn’t using his Toyota Sprinter AE86 for work, he was out on the road, where he quickly earned a reputation as one of the best racers on the road. As news of his driving abilities spread, experienced drivers across Japan challenged Takumi to see if he could compete with professional racers. Studio Comet and Gallop produced the first animated series of the series in 1998, which has received numerous sequels on both television and film.
This year, Felix Film adapted Initial D’s MF Ghost manga sequel into an anime. Directed by Tomohito Naka (first D Legend film), the series is set in the 2020s, an era where self-driving cars are rapidly replacing traditional models. The film is about a new racer named Kanata Livington, who joins a world-famous public racetrack called MFG to test his skills. Additionally, Fast and Furious 3 actor Sung Kang recently announced that he will produce his own film based on the Inception D manga.
D and MF Ghost are initially available to stream on Crunchyroll. Publisher Kodansha USA will release a compilation edition of the First D manga series in spring 2024.
Source: Yabushita