Shakotan★Boogie

If you were a fan of Initial D for the culture surrounding that era, this would be my top pick for a next up. Think of it like Initial D but for the late 1980's where this story is set- and with less racing and more filler. It is an excellent period-correct show to study Japan's peak "Bubble Era" economy. Particularly about the "bosozoku" street phenomenon. Would say the story focuses less on racing the machines and instead it is about the people and the lifestyle that surrounded it. Much tradition and cultural experiences are depicted here which is lost on modern media today. Things like"highschool fair days" and what it meant for the youth of the time. How the young deliquents spend all their money on their gaudy, flashy ride for a chance to get with a beautiful girl. (It is similar to Young GTO show). The story shows much of "Nanpa" which roughly translates to "the West" as "Picking up" girls. Yes, this was how the youth then met their love interests before smartphones, the internet and social media. It is a great peak into that time. It is a story about Nanpa, not racing. Also has much to do with tropes like: friendship, loyalty, responsibility and honor. Characters are introduced that are integral to the show's story and pull the two main characters into all sort of predicament. In one moment, it is a goofy and humorous story and the next- it becomes a dark and rather macabre look at youth life. With topics such as kidnapping, r_pe, violence and even introduces some straight up murderous villains in the story. It is similar to Bebop Highschool- a story about deliquents after all. Being so old- you might find it difficult to locate on online streaming sites. You might get lucky and somehow find it uploaded from the VHS copies posted somewhere (like YouTube for instance). The art style has a greatly colorful palette with highly-expressive character designs which was common for the shows of the time. There are scenes of high-frame animations with impeccable detail particularly for the vehicles and some races- using slow-motion cinematography at times. The music score is also excellent- particularly for those who are now fans of City Pop- you might appreciate the music choices in this show. I highly recommend it if you are a gearhead enthusiast type.