Yeah, sure, there are spoilers coming up, but has this really ever stopped anybody from watching one of these philosophy take videos? I don't think so. When we think of an anime tailored for the gear head, the first thing that pops to mind is the beautiful masterpiece with come to love and hold dear to our hearts, initial D. Some of you may have even been introduced to Capeta prior to seeing Wanga Midnight. Based on a manga written by Michiharoku Shonoki, this 26th episode saga of highway racing at over 180 miles an hour also asks the more complicated questions that many of us gear heads voluntarily succumb to this unhealthy addiction to avoid. Okay. Maybe you've thought of something else, or you've never thought of anything else. I'm sure you've never thought of anything else. Let's talk about the cars really quick, because I would hate myself if I didn't express just how nutty they are when you stop and really think of their performance levels. If you thought an old 8.6 was a great selection for an underdog racer, think again. I present you the most ridiculous example of an OP main character car that really shouldn't be as OP as it is. Sporting a highly modified twin turbo L28 bore to 3.1 liters with an oversized crank and injected by none other than carburetors, this devil Z. Holy shit, writing all that made my nips hard. It turns its name as it decimates all opponents, regardless of whether it's a monster GTR with 700 horsepower, a Ferrari test to brosa with Kitami Jun's magic $100,000 engine upgrade and a penny hose for a belt, or a Porsche Turbo with all of the above, minus the pantyhose. I'm not even kidding you about the pantyhose, this was actually something that happened in the show. I'm not sure what's going on here. I'm not sure if I'm going to get the pantyhose. What? Yeah, just don't let that define your manga midnight experience. It's a lot better, trust me. So moving on. And it goes beyond the cars. The soundtrack is high fucking octane for reckless driving. You really can't miss it as the editors hit you with it for the fucking get down. A perfect example of this is the opening scene of episode 1. The car is a monster, the last of the three were driven by the classic absolute everything. The crowd is going nuts and the gay car is going to be on a horse. Oh shit, we can see the devil Z. Oh, it's a monster. Oh, it's a monster. The cars are well drawn except for that one time when Ishida's Ferrari looked like the animators went on a strike and the studio sent in their requests for those frames to be drawn by four year olds. And the passion of these characters will make you want to finish up that car that's been sitting on Jack's hands in your alley for months now. The female gear heads will appreciate the fact that women are not just some fan service as it tends to be an anime. But real characters who also have either gasoline or oil running through their veins. And those of you who have been lost in the pursuit of likes meaning through cars while you may not find any solutions, but the very least being introduced to viewpoints of the characters who seek answers to a lot of the same questions that you may have stumbled upon at some point along your journey. This leads us to the main setback for any gear head fictional or real. As enthusiasts, we have no desire to conform in any way, shape or form to the social confines that seem to leech away at our passion. This is highlighted in the show as well when Kays presented two main options in regards to his life either to give up or to keep going. Those who give up eventually find themselves building lives that most normal people live, in career or a business of some sort, a family, kids, accumulated amounts of money from not spending it on an otherwise trivial hobby. Those who continue to race compromise these things in favor of part-time jobs and sleepless nights all to chase their unreasonable passion for speed. This topic is continuously revisited throughout the show and all of the characters we are introduced to have to eventually face a decision. Do they want to keep racing or do they give up their passion for stability? This happens multiple times throughout the series and we see characters making either choice and the consequences of their choices. Akyo who chooses to continue racing regardless of how many times he crashes the car to what seems to be the point of no return, rena who craves to chase the devil Z in a blackbird in the turning point of a racing career, Tatsuya who takes his car to the absolute extremes in order to become the undisputed emperor of the Wongan. These are just some of the examples of the people who take it as far as they have to constantly putting their lives on the line in order to continue their passions. On the other hand aside from K, there's Kitami Jun who lost everything because of his demonic ability to build an insane machine and eventually left the scene altogether. Hiramoto who straight up leaves his wife and an unborn baby to go back to racing one final time only to realize how dumb his decision was and to return to his family. And Aji from my personal favorite mini-arc who realizes that he is unable to keep breaking parts in order to claim to be a pro and let's off the accelerator. And that is a reality that is avoided in the initial D series in which racing is all there is to it. In this sense, Wongan midnight takes a more cappeta-esque approach where the reality of life cannot be avoided and one's own actions are the only thing that can determine the direction in which their lives will drift towards. None of the characters ever blamed their external circumstances when they lose the challenges they undertake and instead they resort to self-criticism, believing that they did not do all that was in their power in order to achieve their goal. I mean, of course it would be easier to assume that something went wrong with the car when Akiya first wrecked it in the initial battle with Blackbird but Akiya instead chooses to believe that the car did not accept him as a driver, which is something only he can mend. I will be able to keep the Blackbird one more time and I will be able to keep the Blackbird one more time. This Seneca approach is highlighted in one of my favorite books of all time by Landa Bhutan, Constellations of Philosophy in which the writer states, where maybe powerless to alter certain events but we remain free to choose our attitude towards them. These characters do not resort to anger or frustration as an outlet to their circumstances and instead approach them with the thoughtful strategy of how to overcome their difficulties in an upcoming challenge. A loss is never synonymous with an end but more as a setback which would have presented itself sooner or later anyway. The ultimate goal of Wanga Midnight is to capture the significance of our passion as Gearheads and the lengths we are willing to go to in order to pursue it. There is a reason it has become an underground legend throughout the years and it is a must see for anyone who loves the sensation of speed. In terms of battle intensity, it doesn't hold a candle to initial D but it doesn't try to either. In the short period of 26 episodes, the viewer is deeply involved with the secondary characters just as much as he is involved with the main ones. And each of their background stories have the potential to resonate with us on a deeper level. It conveys the importance of life to the viewer by presenting them with characters from a variety of backgrounds, from Ishida who is loaded with enough money to drop an extra $100,000 on a car that costs $200,000. To Hiramoto who blows the last of his savings account in order to battle on the same playing field as the legends of the Wangan. Aji who has to take over his father's debt in order to take care of his stepmother and stepbrother as if they were related by blood. And the Dekako who was born and raised in a wholesome family with the opportunity to take over a successful business. Despite the different backgrounds, the characters have one thing in common and that is the feeling of wholesomeness they get when they are on the Wangan. You don't misunderstand, it's not that they seek to be on the Wangan. What they seek is happiness and personal fulfillment. And if the Wangan is the place where they can successfully attain it, the Devil Z is the catalyst behind this chase for fulfillment. Let me know if you want me to do something like this for an initial D or a competitor or anything that I may not have even seen yet because I would gladly do it. Frankly, I might just do the initial D one anyway. In the meantime, check out my channel, I've got a bunch of cool videos going on on there and leave a comment for anything you may want to ask or maybe any suggestions you may have. Thanks again and have a good one.