![[Column] Wangan Midnight - Initial D: Difference from Eurobeat](/../assets/images/column-wangan-midnight.webp)
Why are expressways a “myth”?
Text: mmr｜Theme: Unraveling why the inorganic space of urban expressways transforms into a myth
Tokyo’s expressways are not just infrastructure. While it is a rational mechanism that supports logistics during the day, it takes on a completely different look at night. Light becomes fragmented, speed begins to take on meaning, and the inner lives of the people present are laid bare.
The coastline is particularly unique. The straight lines are long, the visibility is wide, and the lights of the city reflect on the sea. The space is like an ““endless runway,’’ creating a sense of unreality even though it is a real city.
People find stories there. This is because even though it is a controlled space, there is always the possibility of deviation. Speeding, driving at the limit, machine limits, and human limits. The place where everything is tested at the same time is more than just a road.
It is this “boundary” that Wangan Midnight depicts. Everyday and extraordinary, reality and fantasy, reason and impulse. When people stand on that border, they seek meaning. And when a meaning is repeated, it becomes a myth.
Expressways turn into myths not because of their speed but because of their meaning.
What is Wangan Midnight?
"”Wangan Midnight’’ is a manga that began serialization in 1990, and has a unique position among works depicting Japanese street racing culture. This is not just a battle manga, but a work that delves deeply into the relationship between cars and humans.
The centerpiece is the Nissan Fairlady Z (S30), also known as the “Devil’s Z.” This car, which has had many accidents in the past and chooses its rider, is depicted as having a will even though it is a machine.
The main character, Akio Asakura, is drawn to this Z and becomes its rider. However, he is not a “chosen being”. Rather, it”s incomplete and immature, and that”s why the relationship with cars is possible.
The feature of this work is that it does not rely on a simple structure of winning and losing. In races, the process is more important than the result, and the characters face themselves in the process.
Additionally, all of the vehicles that appear are real models, and their tuning and mechanisms are also based on reality. Although it is fiction, it is built on a very real foundation.
It is precisely because of this reality that the story takes on the quality of an ““urban legend.’’ A world that seems real, but that we can never touch. That is the charm of Wangan Midnight.
Wangan Midnight is not a story of speed, but of relationships.
Night/City/Loneliness
In this work, “night” is not just a time period. It is a stage set and a state of mind itself.
The city at night has anonymity. Everyone becomes nobody and is freed from their social roles during the day. Titles, occupations, pasts, everything is temporarily invalidated.
Among them, the only one left is “me”.
Driving on a highway is extremely lonely. Even if someone is in the passenger seat, you are essentially alone. All decisions are left to you, and you are responsible for the results.
The characters in Wangan Midnight do not avoid this loneliness. Rather, they try to confirm their own existence within it. Speed is not an escape, but a means of dialogue.
The city lights are beautiful, but cold at the same time. Running in that light also means feeling the distance from the world. That’s why the momentary sense of unity you get in that moment is so strong.
This “back and forth between solitude and togetherness” determines the tone of the work as a whole.
The highway at night becomes a place where you can face yourself by being separated from others.
The role of music ─ Differences from Eurobeat
Even though the theme is the same, the experience can vary greatly depending on how the music is used.
The Eurobeat in Initial D is a device that emphasizes the sense of speed through rhythm and tempo. By accelerating the viewer’s senses and synchronizing sight and hearing, the race becomes entertainment.
On the other hand, the sound in Wangan Midnight is more restrained. Engine noise, wind noise, and the feel of the tires on the ground. These are the main characters, and the music remains a complement to them.
What is important here is the choice of ““not letting the music come to the forefront.’’
This creates a more introspective experience for the viewer. Instead of being pulled by the music, you will feel the speed with your own senses.
Additionally, the overall tempo of the piece is relaxed. There are few extreme productions or excessive cuts, and the flow of time itself feels like it is ““stretching’’.
This difference is not just a difference in style. It clearly shows the difference in what the works are aiming for.
Wangan Midnight seeks “immersion” rather than excitement.
Because the music does not assert itself, the speed itself sinks into the interior.
Speed = Philosophy
Speed in this work is not just a physical quantity. It is a question, a choice, and sometimes something close to faith.
Why do you run fast?
There is no clear answer to that question. The characters have their own reasons and run in their own ways.
For some it”s an escape from the past, for others it”s self-validation, and for others it’s pure pleasure.
The important thing is that not all of this can be denied.
Speed comes with risk. Accident, malfunction, death. All of them exist as reality. The choice to run despite this cannot be explained by rationality alone.
Here, speed turns into “philosophy.”
How far will you go? Where should I pull it? That judgment reflects the person’s values themselves.
Wangan Midnight depicts a series of such choices.
Speed is a measure of inner strength, not outward force.
Connection with street culture
Wangan Midnight is not just fiction, but is closely tied to real street culture.
From the late 1980s to the 1990s, an informal racing culture existed in Japan’s urban areas on expressways. In particular, the Bayside Route of the Metropolitan Expressway was one of its central locations.
Although this culture was not widely covered by the media, it definitely existed and attracted many young people.
Tuning shops, parts manufacturers, and drivers. They each had their own roles and formed an ecosystem.
Wangan Midnight is based on this reality and reconstructs it as a story.
The important thing is not to glorify it too much. It depicts danger and risk, and strikes a balance that does not end with mere admiration.
As a result, the work became both realistic and mythical at the same time.
The story functions as a myth because of the reality of the street.
Chronology
The accumulation of time has elevated the work from a mere story to a culture.
Anime version soundtrack
“Wangan Midnight Original Soundtrack”
A soundtrack containing songs used in the anime version (2007).
The characteristic is “suppression”. Although it is mainly synth-based, it is not flashy, and is built with plain repetition and bass grooves.
-The tempo is not too fast ・Melody is minimal ・Large space (reverb)
This creates a feeling of ““gliding” rather than ““sprinting”. The music is designed to present the temperature of the city and speed as it is, rather than inciting emotions.
By not letting the music take center stage, the worldview comes to the fore.
Representative tracks
Get Over
Anime opening theme.
Although it has a rock-oriented structure, it is characterized by a balance that does not overheat. Rather than a “battle”, it expresses the “feeling of being drawn towards fate”.
Lost Highway
A song that embodies the work’s symbolic tone.
・Repetitive beat ・Low-slung synth ・Composition with a lot of white space
This song feels more like “drifting” than “running.” It creates a unique sense of immersion, where you feel like you are melting into the city.
Speed of S30
A truck that symbolizes the Devil’s Z (S30).
Characterized by mechanical rhythms and unstable sound images, it expresses “danger” through sound. It”s not a stable groove, but a balance that looks like it”s going to collapse somewhere.
This is consistent with the essence of the existence of Z.
Game version sound (Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune)
In the arcade game series, the music takes a slightly different direction.
“Maximum Tune Original Soundtrack”
Composer: Yuzo Kodai. Here, there is a shift to more “music for running.”
Features:
・Mainly 4-stroke ・Clear build-up ・An uplifting chord progression
However, it’s still not as flashy as Eurobeat. It is optimized for “urban expressway speeds”.
Representative song
Maximum Tune
The core theme of the series.
Although it has a simple structure, it is designed to bring out speed and concentration. A type of song that completely synchronizes with the player’s operations.
Black Phoenix
A darker and more aggressive track.
The sound depicts “inner acceleration” rather than a night coastline. It has the role of raising your mental tension to the next level.
Definitive difference from Eurobeat
The inevitable comparison is to Eurobeat from Initial D.
The difference is clear:
| Element | Wangan Midnight | Initial D |
|---|---|---|
| Role | Create space | Incite emotion |
| Tempo | Medium to high speed | Fixed high speed |
| Main character | Engine sound + environmental sound | Music |
| Experience | Introspection | Upliftment |
Eurobeat is “music that makes you feel speed.” The sound of the bay is “a state of being in speed.”
Conclusion: Why are highways a myth?
What Wangan Midnight showed was not the place itself, but the way the people gathered there.
Highways remain unchanged. asphalt, guardrails, and lighting. They are just structures.
However, it is humans who give meaning to it.
The time of night, the state of solitude, the act of speed. When they overlap, the space changes into something else.
It is not a myth in the religious sense. However, when it is repeated, passed down, and shared, it certainly takes on a “mythical” quality.
Wangan Midnight is a work that captures that moment.
And even now, somewhere on a highway at night, similar stories are being told.
Myths are not stories from the distant past, but continue to be created at this very moment.
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