★ 7.3

Wangan Midnight

TV · 26 eps · 2007

Finished

Synopsis

Based on a seinen manga by Kusunoki Michiharu serialised in Young Magazine. The story gets its roots from the actual street racing that occurs on Tokyo's Shuto Expressway, one stretch of which is known as the "Wangan", literally meaning "bay side" (although it is generally used to refer to the freeway), the longest, straightest road in the entire country. Of course, there's also lots of traffic to contend with, including a fair number of heavy trucks. Because of this, the action is inherently hazardous, and wrecks are common. Blown engines are also a frequent hazard, especially with the extreme-high power engines. One day, Akio Asakura, a third year high school student, is driving his Fairlady Z (Z31) and is challenged by Tatsuya Shima, a doctor, in his black Porsche 964 Turbo (nicknamed the "BlackBird"). With a friend in the passenger seat and two girls in the back, Akio pitifully tries to win, but is defeated. Determined to become faster, he goes to the junkyard to buy parts for his car, when he sees a pristine, unscratched midnight blue Fairlady Z (S30) in the junkyard. Intrigued as to why such a machine is about to be junked, he buys it. He soon finds that the car is unnaturally fast due to a tuned L28 engine, bored and stroked to 3.1 liters combined with twin turbos, which produces 620bhp. He also finds that all of the car's previous owners had unfortunate accidents in it, starting with the first owner's death. The manga follows Akio's various encounters, though the central plot revolves around his constant battle with the BlackBird for superiority. (Source: AniDB)

Episodes (26)

1. Devil Z06/15/2007
After a shock loss to the Wangan Emperor, BlackBird, Akio Asakura stumbles across a blue S30Z at a junkyard and becomes aware of the car's infamous history.
2. Black Bird06/15/2007
As the Devil Z makes a spectacular return to Wangan, the background of the Z's previous owner is revealed as his younger sister tries to convince Akio to give up the Z.
3. The Girl of the GT-R07/07/2007
A mysterious R32 GT-R appears on the Wangan, and Akio finally discovers that it is driven by a fearless woman.
4. The Man of No. 307/07/2007
A white Testarossa appears and is driven by an asthmatic photographer. Akio cruises around Hakone due to heavy traffic in Wangan.
5. Tuner from Hell08/17/2007
Akio meets the tuner of the Devil Z and Blackbird. Afterwards, Akio races against Reina's R32 again with Ishida and Kitami as passengers.
6. New Machine08/17/2007
Ishida gets his Ferrari modified by Kitami as Akio overhauls the Devil Z's engine. Meanwhile, Ishida is sent to the hospital to have surgery because he broke his neck after nearly crashing his Ferrari.
7. Enchanted People10/19/2007
Eriko Asakura tries to dump the Devil Z into the harbor but is stopped by Shima in the Blackbird. Shortly, Tatsuya drops off Eriko in the airport so she would go to London to study college. Afterwards, Kitami is unable to fix the Devil Z due to its crash being hit by a truck on the highway while battling the Blackbird causing Reina to cry when she sees it while Kouichi Hiramoto sneaks up the garage and sees it.
8. Wangan's Ghost10/19/2007
Kouichi Hiramoto buys a silver R32 GT-R leaving his wife Megumi crying back to her hometown of Miyazaki. Hiramoto also vows to make his R32 GT-R "The Authentic Dragon".
9. Reviving the Demon11/16/2007
Harada's Z31 runs into Hiramoto's R32 GT-R and Shima's Blackbird while Akio's scrapped Devil Z is being repaired. Eriko shares a moment with Shima while studying in London.
10. Spirit of Dogfight11/16/2007
The Devil Z has completed its repairs and races against Shima's Blackbird and the two R32 GT-Rs driven by Reina and Hiramoto respectively. Hiramoto gives up racing and finally reunites with his wife and family in Miyazaki as their child is born safely.
11. Illusive Top Speed Racer12/12/2007
Reina discovers a Supra while driving around in C1. Kei drives the Supra and encounters Akio in Shima's Blackbird.
12. Professional12/12/2007
Reina borrows and drives a demo R33 GT-R from RGO while Yamamoto drives Reina's R32 GT-R while racing against the Supra. Akio drives Devil Z and races against the same R33 GT-R that Reina drove.
13. Monster Machine02/14/2008
After the race against Reina's borrowed R33 and Akio's Devil Z, Kei's Supra is being tuned by Takagi and RGO.
14. Stall02/14/2008
Kitami tells Kei that "the Supra's life is over", but Kei resists and continues racing until his car's rear tires start heating up. Meanwhile, a group of tuners discuss about their plans in a diner and one of them, Kuroki, races Reina's R32.
15. R-200 CLUB03/20/2008
A ragtag alliance of tuners who can break the 200 mph speed limit discuss about outrunning the Devil Z, Blackbird, and Reina's GT-R.
16. Shot Down03/20/2008
The R200 Club (Motoki, Teizuka, and Sonoda) raced against Akio's Devil Z (with Kuroki as a passenger), Shima's Blackbird, and Reina's GT-R, but failed. Kuroki defects from the R-200 Club and vows to defeat Motoki once again.
17. Reunion04/18/2008
Kuroki's GT-R races against Shima's Blackbird but was defeated due to the engine mount being at overweight, he then reunites with Mika to share their past memories driving in C1.
18. Now, This Place...04/18/2008
The Devil Z, Reina's R32 GT-R, and Kuroki's R33 GT-R meet up and start battling.
19. Stand by Me06/20/2008
Kuroki tries to beat Akio's Devil Z but his engine blows due to too much driving causing Akio to buffer his R33 to a stop ending the race. Meanwhile, Kuroki repairs his R33 engine into a new one. Afterwards, Shima and Kitami travel to Osaka and meet the two Lancer Evolution half-brothers.
20. Osaka Midnight06/20/2008
Eiji goes to Tokyo with a promise of returning home to Osaka after 3 months. Shortly, Eiji and Maki race a tuned R34 GT-R similar to that of Gen Goto's in the Hanshin Expressway.
21. In the Evening Heat07/18/2008
Eiji finally arrives in Tokyo and meets up with the RGO staff. Shima's Blackbird now has Shige's muffler.
22. Metropolitan Expressway at Midnight07/18/2008
Rikako tunes the engine of Eiji's Evo V and the RGO cars. Maki visits Tokyo and compliments about it being "worse than Osaka" before returning home to Osaka.
23. Dead End08/15/2008
Eiji, with Rikako as a passenger, challenges the Devil Z and the Blackbird while in Tokyo before finally returning home to Osaka but loses.
24. Distant Passion08/15/2008
After a long time away from the world of racing, Kouichi Kijima longs for his FC. He finally meets up with his FC's tuner, Machida, and asks Akio to accompany his search for the FC.
25. Thoughts That Won't Stop09/13/2008
Rikako tunes the engine of Akio's Devil Z. Meanwhile, Shima's Blackbird crashes while dodging a truck, forcing Takagi to rebuild it with a carbon fiber body based on the Porsche 993.
26. The Chosen One09/13/2008
Kijima's FC, Shima's Blackbird, and's Devil Z split up in formation for the final battle of who would be the fastest. It ends with the Devil Z zooming out of Wangan and into Yokohama.