Famous Toyota cars are moving into an unexpected area: racing anime.
Titled GRIP, the new five-episode series aims to attract potential auto enthusiasts through the popularity of anime. Per Variety, the film is specifically inspired by the success of Initial D, the classic racing anime that maintains its popularity to this day. It also hopes to bring universal and topical topics to the forefront, such as the use of artificial intelligence, all through high-speed Toyota racing cars. The first trailer for the series can be seen below.
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Toyota’s new anime is inspired by the beloved retro-style initial D
Developed by Intertrend – a marketing agency based in Long Beach, California – GRIP addresses the growing fear of AI in a futuristic world dominated by SynthCorp. Using AI-controlled cars that are said to be safer, the company is opposed by protagonist Jae Kang and his fellow racers. The film also makes references to the real-life Toyota Gazoo racing team, with fans likely to notice the many Easter eggs seen in the anime. In terms of target audience, GRIP was created to attract Gen Z and Asian American youth, using the anime format as an avenue to get them into the company car.
Intertrend Executive Director of Strategy/Creative Matthew Choy also noted that the series is inspired by classic shows like Initial D, which also features real-life racing and cars. This makes GRIP one of the few examples of this form of narrative product placement. For example, Sunrise’s Hi-Drivers line, which features collaborations with multiple automakers, was announced in 2022, although nothing more has been known about its development since then.
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Initially D is still a classic racing anime
Created by Shuichi Shigeno, D originally began as a manga series from 1995 to 2013. The series spanned 48 volumes, of which the anime adaptation had over 80 volumes. There’s also a live-action movie version of the series, not to mention plenty of video games. Many of these titles are video games with steering wheel controls, allowing players to simulate the franchise’s famous high-speed drift racing. The main car among the brand’s licensed cars is Takumi’s Toyota Sprinter Trueno AE86, showing how far GRIP is from the first anime role to star a Toyota car.
Among international fans, Initial D is best known for the anime’s Eurobeat soundtrack. These tracks perfectly fit the tone of the series’ races, putting it on the map for a generation of anime fans while also inspiring some iconic memes. Since 2017, Shigeno has been working on the manga for the sequel to the MF Ghost series, which was eventually adapted into an anime in 2023.
Source: Variety