Shin Vision S.r.l. was an Italian company based in Rome that specialized in the distribution of anime and manga. Founded in September 2002 by Francesco Di Sanzo, the company was founded following a conflict in vision with Federico Colpi, both key figures at the publisher Dynamic Italia. In October 2007, EXA Cinema acquired Shin Vision’s entire licensing catalog. On May 7, 2008, the company was declared bankrupt by the Court of Rome.
Shin Vision announced in September 2003 that it had acquired the license of Initial D.[2] The company subsequently dubbed and released Initial D First Stage in Italian from December 2004 to September 2005.[3][4] However, only the first 12 Acts of the anime were dubbed and distributed before Shin Vision went bankrupt. Since then, the anime has never been officially completed or released in Italy. However, the manga is available in the country, translated and distributed by J-Pop in its 2-in-1 omnibus format.
Anime[]
Shin Vision announced on its website in June 2004 that dubbing sessions for the first few episodes of Initial D First Stage had been completed. The company also previewed the dubbing cast and staff,[5] with the dubbing process taking place at Sefit-CDC studio in Rome.[6] In September 2004, the company shared preview clips of the anime on its website.[7] The first DVD was released on December 15, 2004, featuring Acts 1–4.[3] Two more DVDs followed, with the final one released on September 12, 2005.[4] All of First Stage was originally planned to be released across seven DVDs,[8] but only three were ultimately produced due to delays in the company's catalog and anime distribution, and Shin Vision's bankruptcy.
Act 1 of First Stage was the only episode of the dub to be broadcast as it was aired as part of MTV Italy's Anime Week 2005.[9] On September 13, 2005, the Italian entertainment TV channel Rai Futura aired a special episode of the program Iscandar dedicated to Initial D. The episode featured an analysis of the anime, discussing the animation quality, narrative structure, and cultural significance within the anime industry.[10]
Cast[]
| Voice Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Alessandro Tiberi | Takumi Fujiwara |
| Simone Crisari | Itsuki Takeuchi |
| Massimo De Ambrosis | Koichiro Iketani |
| Angelo Nicotra | Yuichi Tachibana |
| Massimo Lodolo | Bunta Fujiwara |
| Valentina Mari | Natsuki Mogi |
| Massimiliano Manfredi | Ryosuke Takahashi |
| Fabrizio Manfredi | Keisuke Takahashi |
| Alessandro Quarta | Kenji |
| Alessandro Vanni | Fumihiro |
| Massimiliano Virgili | Takeshi Nakazato |
| Antonio Palumbo | Shingo Shoji |
| Pierluigi Astore | Papa |
| Barbara Pitotti | Saori |
| Danilo Di Martino | Hiromichi |
| David Chevalier | Shoichi |
| Paolo Vivio | Goro |
Home Video Releases[]
- See also: Initial D Anime Releases
| Title | Release date (if known) |
Episodes featured | No. of Discs | ID numbers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-1 | 5th of December 2004 | First Stage - Act 1 First Stage - Act 2 First Stage - Act 3 First Stage - Act 4 |
1 | SVD31301 |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-2 | 6th of May 2005 | First Stage - Act 5 First Stage - Act 6 First Stage - Act 7 First Stage - Act 8 |
1 | SVD31302 |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-3 | 12th of September 2005 | First Stage - Act 9 First Stage - Act 10 First Stage - Act 11 Fifth Stage - Act 12 |
1 | SVD31303 |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-4 | Cancelled | First Stage - Act 13 First Stage - Act 14 First Stage - Act 15 First Stage - Act 16 |
1 | SVD31304 |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-5 | First Stage - Act 17 First Stage - Act 18 First Stage - Act 19 First Stage - Act 20 |
1 | SVD31305 | |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-6 | First Stage - Act 21 First Stage - Act 22 First Stage - Act 23 |
1 | SVD31306 | |
| Initial D First Stage · Volume-7 | First Stage - Act 24 First Stage - Act 25 First Stage - Act 26 |
1 | SVD31307 |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Italian Eurobeat producer and co-founder of the Eurobeat label A-Beat-C, Alberto Contini, is thanked for his collaboration in the credits of the anime.
References[]
- ↑ "Shin Vision Profile Aziendale" (it). Shin Vision. Archived from the original on January 8, 2007. Retrieved on May 11, 2025.
- ↑ "Shin Vision Initial D" (it). Shin Vision (September 26, 2003). Archived from the original on August 20, 2006. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Shin Vision In distribuzione: INITIAL D DVD 1" (it). Shin Vision (December 15, 2004). Archived from the original on August 25, 2006. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Shin Vision INITIAL D: Il DVD 3 in vendita ora!" (it). Shin Vision (September 27, 2005). Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved on May 13, 2025.
- ↑ "Shin Vision INITIAL D: in anteprima il cast!" (it). Shin Vision (June 25, 2004). Archived from the original on July 6, 2004. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ Antonio Genna (July 2003). "AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA ANIMAZIONE: "Initial D"" (it). AntonioGenna.net. Retrieved on May 13, 2025.
- ↑ "Shin Vision INITIAL D: pillole di doppiaggio in anteprima" (it). Shin Vision (September 10, 2004). Archived from the original on October 9, 2004. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ "Ultimo catalogo pubblicato da Shin Vision 2006" (it). Shin Vision. Archived from the original on January 8, 2007. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ Everyeye Staff (September 9, 2005). "Speciale MTV Anime Week 2005" (it). Everyeye. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.
- ↑ "Shin Vision Rai Futura: speciale Initial D a Iscandar" (it). Shin Vision (September 12, 2005). Archived from the original on August 27, 2006. Retrieved on May 12, 2025.