MF Ghost anime announces release date

On Saturday, September 2, 2023, the official Twitter account for the upcoming MF Ghost anime series announced its release date, which is currently slated for an October 1, 2023, premiere. The series is the television anime adaptation of author and illustrator Shuuichi Shigeno’s manga series of the same name.

The manga, which the MF Ghost anime will adapt, is actually a sequel to the critically acclaimed Initial D series by Shigeno. Thus, fans must be more familiar with the Initial D anime adaptations, the oldest of which are from the late 90s and the newest of which are from the mid 2010s.

Both the MF Ghost anime and its predecessor series center around street racing, with the former series taking place in an era where self-driving electric cars are the mainstay. The series follows protagonist Kanata Livington, who gets involved in street racing after being trained by Initial D’s protagonist, Takumi Fujiwara.

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MF Ghost anime set to premiere in Japan in early October 1

The MF Ghost anime series is officially set to be premiered on Sunday, October 1, 2023, on Tokyo MX, BS11, and RKB Mainichi Broadcasting. The series will also air on Animax, TV Aichi, Shizuoka Broadcasting System, TV Setouchi, Tochigi TV, and YTV. Aside from that, the anime series will stream on Medialink in South and Southeast Asia, while Crunchyroll will stream it everywhere else in the world.

Tomohito Naka, who has worked on previous Initial D projects, is directing the series a Felix Film studio. Kenichi Yamashita is in charge of the series scripts. Moreover, he is writing the reportevwith Akihiko Inari. Naoyuki Onda is designing the characters, who is also one of the chief animation directors alongside Chiyoko Sakamoto.

Meanwhile, Hiroki Uchida is the 3D director, with Masafumi Mima directing the sound. Akio Dobashi, who has also worked on prior Initial D projects, is composing the music for the series. Reportedly, Yu Serizawa will perform the opening theme song JUNGLE FIRE feat. MOTSU, and Himiki Akaneya will be singing the ending theme song Stereo Sunset (Prod. AmPm).

As mentioned above, the series is a direct sequel to Initial D and takes place in 2020s Japan. Self-driving electric cars have become ubiquitous at this point, with internal combustion engine cars becoming a dying breed. However, a company called MFG, founded by Ryosuke Takahashi (from the Initial D series), organizes street racing with internal combustion cars.

Kanata Livington, who competes as Kanata Katagiri, is a 19-year old Japanese-British man who arrives on the scene with a Toyota 86. He has been trained by the legendary downhill and rally racer Takumi Fujiwara, who was the protagonist of the Initial D series. Along with his accolade of being a Formula 4 world champion, Katana returns to the Japanese racing scene to find his long-lost father.

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Be sure to keep up with all anime, manga, film, and live-action news as 2023 progresses.