Initial D Extra Stage 2 (頭文字D Extra Stage 2, Inisharu D Extra Stage 2), also known as as Green Departure (旅立ちのグリーン Tabidachi no gurīn), is a 2008 Japanese OVA and the eighth installment in the anime adaptation of the Initial D manga by Shuichi Shigeno. It originally aired on SKY PerfecTV!PPV on October 3, 2008, and was released to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Initial D anime series.[1] The OVA was animated by A.C.G.T and directed by Tsuneo Tominaga, both of whom returned from Initial D Fourth Stage. The stage adapts the three extra chapters: Green Departure, Green Departure (Part 2) and Green Departure (Part 3).
The story takes place between Project D's expedition in Tochigi Prefecture and before their battle with Todo School. The OVA primarily focuses on Mako Sato's relationship with Koichiro Iketani, providing closure to their story, which was left unresolved in the main series.
Mako and Sayuki were practicing on Usui Pass in the SilEighty when Sayuki notices Mako wasn't feeling too well. When asked by Sayuki, Mako responds by saying she's and then decides to go for another round in the pass.
Takumi meets with the SpeedStars
The next day at the Gas Station, Iketani and Itsuki comment on how the weather is nice and wish they could drive around instead. Itsuki was about to comment on having a cute girl with him while driving when much to his surprise Kenji was standing next to him, confusing the latter on why he was surprised all of the sudden on his presence. It was at this time Takumi arrives at the gas station with his Eight-Six. Itsuki asks Takumi if he came by because he was bored, which was the correct answer according to Takumi. When Kenji asks him to comment something on his first Project D victory on Tochigi, Takumi just says he was 'relieved' to win. He says he just followed Ryosuke's instructions and he's not worried about winning or losing, but rather to improve his driving skills. Iketani then asks Takumi whether he's free tonight so that Takumi can teach him some driving skills on Akina, to which he agrees with. Itsuki and Kenji also plans to join along with them.
Mako in call with a racing team in her flashback
That night, Mako and Sayuki were practicing on Usui once again when she gets a flashback on when she was asked by a professional racing team to join them and she responds by telling them to giving her more to time to consider her options. The exact same night at Akina, the four SpeedStars members drives up on Akina in their respective cars. Once they reached on the top, they talk on how its been a while since all four had hung out in Akina. Afterwards Itsuki tells Iketani its time to show off his driving skills with Takumi while they follow him in his Eight-Five, and he will overtake them if he is driving slowly.
Iketani spins out at the S-curve
Before starting off, Iketani tells Takumi to give him every advice which comes to his mind, no matter how minute it is. Iketani then starts off, and his first corner entry was taken to be surprising by Itsuki and Kenji following them. Takumi tells him his corner entry and timing wasn't any bad. Kenji notes his corner exit speed is pretty good. As Iketani now speeds up confidently, Takumi worried about the upcoming S curve as he knows Iketani can push too hard when he's cocky. As Iketani enters the curve, Takumi realizes and tells Iketani he's entering too fast. Iketani panics and spins out on the end of the S curve while Itsuki and Kenji catches up to him realizing he's done it.
Later on at Lake Akina Iketani checks out his S13 for any damage when Takumi reminds him to change his rear tyres. It was then Kenji suddenly reminds him of Mako and how he should get over it. When Iketani asks why he was talking about this all of the sudden, Kenji tells that it worries seeing him like this as Iketani may remain single for the rest of his life. Iketani then tells him he doesn't want to hear it coming from another single man, which makes Kenji break down all of the sudden as he too wants a girlfriend. However Kenji still doubts Iketani that he still has thoughts for Mako and he should at least try contacting her, but Iketani is convinced its too late as she may have already gotten a new boyfriend, even if she didn't, its too late as its already been 6 months since it happened and one loses their opportunity as time goes on. As Iketani wishes he could apologize to her, a shooting star passes by the night sky.
Iketani meets Mako at the rest area
A few days later, Iketani drives to a family memorial with his mother when she asks him to stop at a nearby restroom. After he parks his car at a parking lot and his mother goes for the restroom, he looks around to see couples everywhere. As he thinks on how depressing that everyone has a girlfriend with them, someone taps on his shoulder. Thinking its his mother, he turns around, only for it to be Sayuki staring at him concentratedly. He gets shocked on seeing her unexpectedly while Sayuki laughs and realizes it was Iketani himself. She then calls out Mako to come out. Iketani in shock turns around slowly to see Mako greeting him shyly. He greets her back awkwardly. While Sayuki teases him and asks other things to Iketani, his mind is completely focused on Mako and remembers the day she told him to meet at the hotel. Suddenly Sayuki then gets his attention back from spacing out. Iketani then tells he has something to say to Mako. He then apologizes to her for not reaching on time then to meet her and states how the heavy traffic and him leaving late caused him to arrive there around 10pm, but Mako then states she also left exactly at 10pm. Iketani then realized he may have missed her back then by a minute or two and realizes his foolishness. But just as he could think properly, Iketani's mother calls his name near him, catching him off guard for a moment. She tells him they have to leave early for the family function. Iketani gets an existential crisis on the things happening around him all at once, Deciding he should leave for the function immediately, he decides to tell Mako he has something to say to her, but she also confirms the same thing to him and tells him to call her if he has time. He enthusiastically tells her he will definitely call her and goes back to his car awkwardly. His mother asked him on who those girls were, but Iketani couldn't tell anything properly as he was relieved beyond belief to meet Mako once again. He drives on the road thinking it was his destiny to meet her once again.
Iketani with his 'aura' around him
Later on that evening at the gas station, Iketani tells the news to a shocked Kenji and Itsuki. He tells them he is sure its the blessings of 'his ancestors' as he met her on the way to a family function. He tells he can feel the time rewinding back to the place where he first Mako and thanks his ancestors. He then tells Kenji and Itsuki that he won't repeat the same mistake as earlier and will definitely make a move on Mako this time, with aura blazing around him. Kenji and Itsuki supposedly breaks the fourth wall here by getting surprised on seeing the aura around him.
The Altezza guys harasses them
That night at Usui pass, Mako and Sayuki were timing a run in the SilEighty when they pass a black Altezza in the opposite side. The two people in the car smugly notes that they were women drivers. Meanwhile Sayuki notes that Mako should be able to run faster in the timings, to which Mako decides to go for another run. When they return back to the starting point, the two guys were waiting there starts block their way and harass them around their car. Seeing both the ladies were ignoring them, they tell that they're acting too stuck up because they are some mere women drivers who think they can drive. Hearing this Sayuki finally loses her cool and argues with them. When the two Altezza guys challenge them to a single downhill run, both Mako and Sayuki accepts it, with Sayuki telling them to have the lead.
Mako overtakes the Altezza and wins the battle
The Altezza leads with Mako and Sayuki stating they will let them keep the lead until the C-121 corner. Seeing the SilEighty keeping up with them, the Altezza guys starts to get pressured. Meanwhile as Mako drifts behind them, Sayuki silently observes how much Mako had improved since her battle with Takumi Fujiwara. Soon Mako tells there's no need to wait until C-121 and plans to overtake the next corner. After the corner the SilEighty pulls ahead of the Altezza, shocking the Altezza guys as the SilEighty does a full on drift in front of them before dusting them off completely from their view. Sayuki proudly realizes that Mako had now grown independent. Later on at her residence, Mako takes a shower, thinking about the foreseeable future.
The next day at the gas station, Iketani tells Kenji and Itsuki that he's leaving early for Mako, which surprises them as he was leaving too early. Iketani tells them he can't be careless like the last time and end up late yet again. With this, Iketani drives off, with Kenji and Itsuki cheering him. Yuichi Tachibana appears on the scene and discusses with Itsuki and Kenji about Iketani. He tells them that Iketani has learnt from his previous mistake and has a better chance of getting with Mako. Itsuki excitedly tells them how he's both excited and jealous for Iketani. Kenji responds by saying he too was jealous at first initially, but now he's just happy that Iketani is finally getting into a relationship. Hearing them care about Iketani this much, Yuichi tells them both to find a girlfriend or two, to which Itsuki longs for his old affinity with Kazumi, while Kenji sighs in having nobody to be with.
An old man speaks with Iketani
As Iketani drives on the expressway to meet Mako at Kamameshi billboard where he was supposed to meet her the last time, he thinks about how he's going to say to her to date him, and he has no doubts holding him back as half an year of regret taught him that. He then reaches there 2 hours earlier as the traffic was light and he is 100% sure that he won't miss Mako this time. As he waits there, an old man approaches him and tells him that he missed his tour bus while he was eating Kamameshi and requests Iketani to drop him at Karuizawa. Iketani initially wanted to refuse, but feeling sympathy for the old man who had no idea of the place he's in, he decided he can drop him there and be back within an hour, much to the old man's delight.
While driving to his destination the old man and Iketani engages in some conversation about seasons when he asks the old man where exactly his hotel was in Karuizawa. He then shows his pamphlet of his hotel, and much to Iketani's horror, the hotel was situated in North Karuizawa, which is situated in Gunma Prefecture and much further away than he had expected. But upon seeing the old man's sad face, he decides to go all out to reach there quickly and warns the old man to hang on, before picking up speed.
Iketani spins out after his tyre bursts
A few hours later as darkness the Kamameshi billboard area, Mako arrives in her SilEighty where she notes she's reached there first yet again. Meanwhile as Iketani drives at full speeds to reach Mako at Usui pass, he regrets his decision of being there two hours earlier and wished he was like Takumi in situations like this. He desperately tries to reach as fast as possible by drifting at corners while struggling to maintain control at the exit. However as he exits a corner, he rides the bank of it and drives on a small rock, bursting his rear left tyre and spinning out in the process. And to his absolute dread and horror, he realizes he hasn't packed spare tyre in his car's boot. He then suddenly remembers the time when he spun out back at Akina a few days ago and Takumi telling him to replace his rear tyres. He realizes it was the spare tyre he changed back then and now he has no tyres. He tries to call Mako on his cell phone, but its battery was dead. Realizing he has no options left, he starts running. Meanwhile Mako beneath the billboard wonders if Iketani had forgotten. As Iketani desperately runs down the pass, he tries looking for any phone anywhere. While Mako waits for Iketani, she suddenly gets a phone call, which turned out to be Iketani and tells her about his current situation.
Iketani and Mako talks about what they wanted to say
Later on, Iketani and Mako is seen in the SilEighty. Mako asks Iketani what he wanted to tell her back then. Iketani having lost all his momentum to tell her his feelings after the events that happened prior to, hesitates to say anything properly. He than asks her what she wanted to tell him. Mako tells him that she's planning to move to Tokyo, much to the surprise of Iketani. She then tells him that she had earlier applied for a publishing company sponsoring amateurs to race for an year and she somehow got accepted into it. Iketani was positively surprised on hearing about that. Mako then tells him its only because of him she got the opportunity participate in such competitions. Iketani is happy to hear all this and tells he will brag about her to his friends knowing someone he knows is a professional racer. Mako then suddenly asks what he wanted to say to her after she's been talking this much to him. Iketani then got hit with the realization that compared to what she said, it's nothing. He then backs out of his actual plans and tells her that he only wanted to apologize to her for what happened the last time. However deep inside he wanted to tell her to don't leave, but he can't do it, not after what she told him beforehand.
Iketani and Kenji speaks at Lake Akina
Later on at an evening in Lake Akina, Kenji learns from Iketani that he didn't confess his feelings for her. He was surprised and disappointed to learn about it, but Iketani tells him had he told his feelings to her, it might trouble Mako's racing career in Tokyo. Also he is happy about his decision and tells cheering her was the least he could do for her. Meanwhile at a café, Sayuki tells Mako she thought Iketani had genuine feelings to her. Mako responds by telling he may have had, but he was more cold to her as any feelings to her at that point could have altered her decision to go to Tokyo, hence he instead gave her his support. Sayuki agrees with it and states Iketani indeed has an admirable side. Meanwhile back at the lake, Iketani responds to Kenji by saying he indeed has no regrets about his decision. Sayuki then certifies that this is the end of Impact Blue as Mako will go on to become a pro. Iketani tells Kenji he needs to practice more to improve his skills and asks Kenji if he's with him, which he agrees with.
Later that night, Iketani and Kenji practices at Akina with his S13 where he notes about Takumi's points on his driving. Meanwhile Mako and Sayuki drives their last run on Usui as Impact Blue. As Iketani trains at Akina, Kenji tells him he needs to improve on corner exit, which he agrees with, but admits he liked driving like this as it helps him forget everything else.
After the end credits, a title card would come up in display which reads "After that the two would never meet again."
The anime's original score was composed by Atsushi Umebori, Daisake Ogura, Dennis Martin, and also reuses tracks composed by Ryuichi Katsumata made for previous stage. Umebori also composes all the Sound Files for every other stage onward.
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