After a week of anticipation, the bookstore opened early in the morning to a crowd of eager fans. Many rushed in to grab the newest issue of Shroud Line, ready to see how the second chapter of Initial D would unfold.
Continuing directly from the first chapter, Keisuke Takahashi's FD had just been overtaken on a mountain corner by an old AE86 with the Fujiwara Tofu Shop logo. Stunned, he pulled over, got out of his car, and examined the tire marks left by the AE86. The flawless drifting had clearly shaken himhe felt that he might have lost not because of skill, but because his FD lacked something the AE86 had.
In the days that followed, Keisuke began prowling the mountain passes of Akina at night, hoping for another encounter with the mysterious car.
Meanwhile, Takumi agreed to go swimming on Sunday with Natsuki. And for the first time, he decided he'd take the AE86 on a date.
That part of the story raised a few eyebrows among readers. Many casual fans had assumed in the first chapter that Natsuki's "father" was actually her biological father. But more seasoned readers picked up on the odd undertones in their conversation.
Sure enough, in this new chapter, the awkward dialogue between Natsuki and her "dad" made it unmistakably clear they weren't related. Just a high school girl and her older sponsor.
A few readers were left squirming. Some even went on Line to comment:
"Please don't draw her again, this is seriously uncomfortable..."
Thankfully, her scenes were brief. Most readers brushed past it and kept reading.
The chapter ended on a strong note: Keisuke Takahashi drove his FD to the gas station where Takumi worked part-time. There, he heard from Iketani about a certain tofu delivery car. With a mix of competitiveness and pride, Keisuke announced he wouldn't lose to that 86 a second time.
Keisuke believed the 86 belonged to the Ikeya Speed Stars team. Iketani, upon hearing this, immediately thought of the tofu shop the gas station manager had mentioned...
The pacing of this chapter wasn't explosive, but it laid excellent groundwork. Keisuke's declaration of a rematch against the ghostly AE86 in the dead of night, while Takumi stood by with a calm expression it had enough bite to keep fans hooked.
Readers couldn't stop themselves from rushing to social media:
"Mizushiro-sensei, please draw faster! Since you're already serializing two works, how about updating Initial D twice a week?"
"That's insane! If you count Natsume's Book of Friends, it's basically a triple serialization!
"At this rate, maybe he should finish Natsume and focus only on Initial D?"
Fans of Natsume didn't take that suggestion well and fired back, claiming their series was better and deserved more frequent updates.
Meanwhile, Echo Shroud Publishing increased promotion for Initial D. Posters of Fujiwara Takumi and Ryosuke Takahashi facing off in front of their cars the AE86 and FD popped up at bookstores everywhere.
The day after this issue dropped, the latest popularity poll rankings were published. Initial D had jumped from fifth to fourth place, overtaking Taboo Girl. It now sat just below Natsume's Book of Friends.
Just as the editors had predicted, Mizushiro was now competing with himself for the top spots in Shroud Line. Self-cannibalization at its finest.
What really turned heads, though, was the circulation numbers. For the first time since Ashes of Tomorrow ended, the magazine's steady decline had stopped. The previous issue sold approximately 8.3 million copies—a noticeable rebound.
While some credited the jump to Echo Shroud's broader promotional efforts, the timing was hard to ignore. Most in the industry believed Initial D had played a significant role.
Manga critics began discussing the series seriously in their columns. There was growing speculation that Echo Shroud planned to make Initial D its next flagship title on par with, or even surpassing, Dream world by Airi.
Still, doubts lingered. Dream world already had strong momentum, but as a series starring a female lead, it had a narrower appeal especially among male readers.
Despite the push behind it, some industry veterans questioned if Dream world could ever reach the mass popularity of a title like Ashes of Tomorrow.
As for Ryūkon, another ongoing series, it clearly had potential. But the fact that it had been running for two years without breaking out made it a long shot for Echo Shroud's next major push.
Which left Initial D as the most likely candidate.
But there was still a looming question could it maintain this momentum?
Some whispered that Mizushiro was just front-loading the hype and that the story might collapse later. After all, the industry had seen many promising debuts that fizzled out.
Still, the editorial team at Echo Shroud remained optimistic. They already knew the full arc of the battle between Fujiwara Takumi and Keisuke Takahashi. And for now, the quality was holding strong.
The difference between Initial D and Natsume's Book of Friends was also clear Initial D wasn't an episodic slice-of-life. Its continuous, high-stakes plot made it easier to build long-term fan investment.
As the current arc approached its climax, everyone in the industry was watching closely. The ninth chapter would be a turning point a chance for Initial D to either prove its staying power... or crash on the next curve.
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