English Dub Review: MF Ghost, “The Tragic Rallyist”

Overview

Kanata zooms up to the back of the Yashi-Kita Gang in no time, but getting past them is another matter entirely. Meanwhile, the two leaders go wheel-to-wheel for the lead of the race…

Our Take

Within the mountainous fog, Kanata is at a visual disadvantage, so he approaches his current situation with caution. We also learn about what happened to Takumi and not only his fate, but also his exile from racing. The questionable thing is his stint as an instructor, though that finally feels all the more symbolic with the link between master and pupil. But once Beckenbauer goes for the attack, it leaves Ishigami behind for someone who’s only trained with simulators, who’s now leading the pack. As for Kanata, Ogino’s Toyota 86 may not be as powerful, but the experience from MFG will shape his racing career.

While part of me was interested to hear about the fate of Takumi and what he did after Project D when he became an eventful champion of the British Rally Championship with his unbeatable talent on road rally, and also before making the move for the WRC itself. It’s a damn shame that his career was cut short by a serious accident due caused by a mechanical failure, but knowing that he’s still in the racing business in a different way, does show that it hasn’t stopped him from being part of the sport he continually loves.

Overall, this was a much more race-focused episode which is always a plus. Varied track sections/turns, multiple overtakes and actual use of slipstream were nice to see. Not to mention we got ourselves a good amount of Eurobeat in combination with a few plot developments of the previous series for better or worse… The whole episode itself was full of intense racing and plenty of overtakes. And Aiba is now in 3rd with his move on the Audi R8 on the huge straight, which is where the majority of the overtakes were made. As for Kanata, he’s now against the Yashi-Kita siblings which should make the proceedings all the more suspenseful and compelling to see what happens next!