By Anne Lee

Asia's most buzzed-about export, Initial D, screened at the AFI Fest to the delight of many. Or rather, the delight of Jay Chou diehards.

Initial D may not be a masterpiece, but expectations shouldn't be so high for this anime adaptation anyway. With an entirely Chinese cast -- save for Anne Suzuki, who plays Takumi's (Jay Chou) love interest, Natsuki -- the Japanese names, culture and surroundings are even less convincing. It's already a feat for humans to play anime characters without seeming too forced or awkward. Seeing real people act sporadically and bizarrely -- traits that seem natural in manga or anime -- is simply too hard for the average moviegoer to stomach.

Setting the original anime aside and looking at the film itself, one might be surprised to find that Jay Chou -- yes, that Jay Chou -- is surprisingly natural as Takumi, though it's difficult to determine whether that's a result of tremendous acting or the fact that he doesn't strain himself too much. Edison Chen is equally surprising in his convincing performance as Ryousuke, Takumi's mentor figure, given his history of playing younger roles.

Chou's Takumi, for the most part, is expressionless -- which is not a far cry from Chou's own public image, making it hard to determine the amount of acting involved. If awards mean anything, maybe his talents really do extend beyond the music realm: after all, he did just nab the Best New Performer award at Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards, the Taiwanese equivalent of the Oscars. Although it should also be noted that Kung Fu Hustle won Best Film, and Aaron Kwok won Best Actor for Divergence.

On the other hand, there's no arguing Anthony Wong, who plays Takumi's father Bunta, the tofu-seller, winning the Golden Horse for Best Supporting Actor. Even if the film was a bit of a waste for a talent like Wong, it's simply undeniable that his performance is stellar. Bunta is eccentric, odd, and drunk half the time, but Wong manages to execute it naturally, with finesse.

One minor gripe: initially, it is unclear that Bunta is Takumi's father. While the relationship eventually finds its bearings as the barely-there plot unravels, it's not always easy to think of them as father and son. Chapman To's Itsuki also has a strange relationship with his father, Yuuichi, played by Kenny Bee. It's strange enough that the two look nothing alike, and don't act like father and son; it certainly doesn't help matters that Itsuki's wardrobe makes him appear not too much younger than Bee's Yuuichi -- certainly not young enough to be his school-aged son.

The abrupt entrance of two professional racers, Jordan Chan's Kyouichi and his buddy, scatters the plot even more. Chan's cameo is unexpected, and one can't help but wonder where his once bright future is headed. Not to fear though: he pulls off his two-dimensional Kyouichi quite well.

Where, though, would a racing film be without a love interest? In this case, Initial D could have done without Natsuki, her existence only necessary as a possible motivation for Takumi's various hesitations and at times, wandering mind. But the meager development of her character makes her seem insignificant and their far-from-fleshed-out relationship doesn't help much either. It's as if the filmmakers confused subtlety with sparsity; why care about two people who care so little about each other?

However, Initial D is not without its redeeming qualities. The special effects might not be extraordinary, but the racing is enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen. And the split shots of Ryousuke, Kyouichi and Takumi racing, a style borrowed from anime, works well. At the very least, the cars look good, which is an absolute must for any film that considers racing its raison d'etre.

Once you accept that it's all fast cars, fresh faces, and father-son dynamics, Initial D might be worth seeing. Then again, if you're a card-carrying member of the Jay Chou fanclub, you probably don't care -- he is the lead, after all, and the film's musical numbers mostly belong to him. Just don't expect too many lovey-dovey scenes -- like the film itself, he's neither fast nor furious enough.  

Published: Thursday, November 17, 2005