【コラム】頭文字Dとユーロビートの文化的関係

Column en 80s 90s Car Euro Eurobeat

25 Jul 2025

Memories of speed where anime and music intersect

Text: mmr｜Theme: Cultural relationship between Initial D and Eurobeat

Running music, audible sense of acceleration

From the late 1990s to the 2000s, a Japanese anime completely changed the way Eurobeat music was viewed and listened to.That work is “Initial D.”Why are street racing manga and anime set in mountain passes so strongly connected to high-speed dance music from Europe?

In this column, we explore the cultural relationship between Initial D and Eurobeat from the perspectives of media history, music history, and subculture.

The story of the mountain pass and the spirit

“Initial D” is a manga by Shuichi Shigeno that has been serialized in “Weekly Young Magazine” since 1995.The story takes place on a mountain pass in Gunma Prefecture, and the main character, Takumi Fujiwara, learns drifting skills while delivering tofu in his father’s AE86 (Toyota Sprinter Trueno), and gradually awakens as a runner.

It was made into an anime in 1998 and became a hot topic for its CG-based 3D car action and high-tempo music.

Dance music blossomed in Japan

Eurobeat is a genre of dance music that developed independently in Japan from the late 1980s to the 1990s.Its origins lie in Italy and Germany’s Italo Disco and Hi-NRG, but the tempo has been sped up for the Japanese music market, and the style has changed to be catchy and energetic.

Features are:

Fast beats of BPM140-160

English lyrics with male/female vocals

Flashy synths and repetitive melodies

Emotional and “hot” sound

Eurobeat was linked to the parapara culture and anime song mix culture of the 1990s, and developed uniquely to Japan.

Why was “Eurobeat x Car Race” born?

● Reason 1: “Resonance” between BPM and vehicle speed

The tempo of Eurobeat (140-160 BPM) goes very well with the sense of speed of a car.In Initial D’s racing scenes, Eurobeat functioned as an ``aural accelerator’’.

for example:

“Deja Vu” (Dave Rodgers)

“Running in the 90s” (Max Coveri)

“Night of Fire” (Niko)

When these songs are played, you can experience the speed of the car on the screen not only visually, but also through sound.

● Reason 2: Domestic anime x imported music feels like a reimportation.

By boldly introducing Italian-made Eurobeat into the purely Japanese media of anime, a hybrid subculture was born that was re-imported.This structure corresponds to the globalization of anime and spreads to fandom in Europe and the United States.

Initial D’s cultural influence on Eurobeat

● 1. Re-evaluation/revival phenomenon

Many young people were introduced to Eurobeat for the first time through “Initial D,” and songs such as “Initial D Remix” and “Drift Compilation” created buzz on YouTube.This led to a phenomenon in which songs from the 90s were revived by Generation Z.

● 2. Defining it as “running music”

Eurobeat has been redefined by Initial D as “music for running”.Race, drift, acceleration, competition, thrill - all keywords are now included in the sound.

● 3. Memeization and spread to internet culture

Songs such as “Deja Vu” have spread as meme material and are connected to the Internet and pop culture. Eurobeat is being reinterpreted in new ways on TikTok and MAD videos.

Is Eurobeat “memory fuel”?

Initial D'' gave a story and emotion to the music called Eurobeat.It was not justdance music,’’ but an experience linked to accelerating youth'' andmemories of defeat and victory.’’

As a result, Eurobeat became an unusually ``emotional’’ music in Japan.In other words:

Eurobeat is music that speaks of speed, and at the same time, it has become a medium that tells a story of running through something while losing something.

The memory of speed will never fade

``Initial D’’ has ended, but the memories of Eurobeat are still running around on the internet.Even if the race is over, each time the music is played, the race begins again.

It is also a reliving experience of our own “youth” and “impulse”. Even now, whenever I hear that sound, my heart goes crazy.

🔗 [Column] Memories of speed where Initial D and music intersect

🔗 [Column] Beyond Drift: Eurobeat/EDM and the future tense of “memory of speed”

🔗 [Column] Eurobeat and Japan: Why are they linked together?