Azoland Pictures and Sentai Filmworks to Release the New Theatrical Movie Initial D Legend Trilogy in North American Theaters

Pasadena, CA (February 5, 2018) – Los Angeles based film distribution company, Azoland Pictures is proud to announce that they will be distributing the Initial D Legend trilogy in partnership with Sentai Filmworks across North American theaters starting this February. The new films feature a retelling of the popular anime series based on the manga title originally created by author Shuichi Shigeno. Parts 1 and 2 of the story, “Legend 1: Awakening” and “Legend 2: Racer,” will be in theaters as a double feature on February 23, 2018 and the final installment, “Legend 3: Dream” on March 9, 2018. Details on tickets and showtimes will be available on the official Azoland Pictures website (http://www.azolandpictures.com/). Fans of this high-octane franchise will enjoy an exclusive Initial D Movie giveaway item with every ticket purchased while supplies last. The Initial D Legend trilogy will be featured in the original Japanese language with English subtitles.

Fans both old and new to the Initial D franchise can enjoy the new films as each part tells the story of Takumi Fujiwara and his journey to becoming the most revered driver among the world of Japanese illegal street racing. JDM (Japanese Domestic Market) car enthusiasts will see all their favorites including the Toyota AE86 (A.K.A The “Hachi-roku”), Mazda RX-7 (FD3S & FC3S), Nissan Silvia (S13 & S14), Nissan Skyline GT-R and many more. Fans can experience in the theaters Takumi's battles against his formidable foes depicted using latest CG animation andrealistic sounds of each vehicle type which were recorded at a motorsport race track to demonstrate authenticity.

The films features an all-star voice cast including: Mamoru Miyano (Ling Yao in Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Rin Matsuoka in Free!, Ryuji Sakamoto in Persona 5) playing Takumi Fujiwara, Yuichi Nakamura (Gray Fullbuster in Fairy Tail, Hotaro Oreki in Hyoka, Kyosuke Kosaka in Oreimo) as Keisuke Takahashi, Daisuke Ono (Sebastian Michaelis in Black Butler, Jotaro Kujo in Jojo's Bizarre Adventures: Star Crusaders, Erwin Smith in Attack on Titan) as Ryosuke Takahashi, and Maaya Uchida (Rea Sanka in Sankarea, Ayame Yomogawa in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Hiyori Iki in Noragami Aragoto) as Natsuki Mogi.

STAFF
Original Creator: Shuichi Shigeno
Chief Director: Masamitsu Hidaka
Director: Tomohito Naka
Screenplay: Mayori Sekijima
Character Designer: Koji Haneda
Music: Akio Dobashi
CG Director: Kentaro Iijima
Art Director: Shinichi Uehara
Color Design: Mineyo Onishi
Director of Photography: Shinsuke Ikeda
Editing: Kiyoshi Hirose
Sound Director: Yoji Shimizu
Production Studios: Sanzigen/ Liden Films

VOICE CAST
Takumi Fujiwara: Mamoru Miyano
Ryosuke Takahashi: Daisuke Ono
Keisuke Takahashi: Yuichi Nakamura
Natsuki Mogi: Maaya Uchida
Itsuki Takeuchi: Minoru Shiraishi
Takeshi Nakazato: Junichi Suwabe
Bunta Fujiwara: Hiroaki Hirata

About Initial D Legend 1: Awakening
The wheels are set in motion as Koichiro Iketani of the Akina Speedstars witnesses a mysterious driver outmaneuver and beat rival, Keisuke Takahashi of Akagi RedSuns. The impromptu race, he later discovers, was won by none other than his very own co-worker at the gas station, Takumi Fujiwara, the son of a legendary racer. In the high-paced world of street racing, Takumi shakes it up with an extraordinary racing style as the Akina Speedstars and the RedSuns go head to head on Mount Akina.

About Initial D Legend 2: Racer
The leader of rival group Myogi NightKids, Takeshi Nakazato, wants to challenge the now infamous Takumi Fujiwara in a race down Mount Akina. As Takumi questions his identity as a racer, he finds that, there's more to lose than just a simple race. When another member of the NightKids causes Takumi's friend to crash his car, Takumi takes on the treacherous twists and turns down Mount Akina in his most challenging race yet.

About Initial D Legend 3: Dream
Takumi Fujiwara has garnered the attention of the legendary street racer Ryosuke Takahashi, leader of the Akagi RedSuns. As he prepares for the biggest race of his life, Takumi finds himself trying to juggle his passion for racing with his personal life. With his girlfriend Natsuki wondering about their relationship, and his friends conflicting agendas, can Takumi find the answers behind the wheel?

About Azoland Pictures, LLC
Azoland Pictures is a film distribution company that offers Japanese anime and live-action films to the audience in North America. The company also organizes movie premieres, anime relatedfilm festivals, and J-Pop events in the Los Angeles area. In 2017, Azoland Pictures has theatrically distributed Love Live Sunshine!! Concerts, Kizumonogatari Part 3: Reiketsu, Sword Art Online The Movie – Ordinal Scale – English dub, No Game No Life Zero, and Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel Chapter 1. More information available at www.azolandpictures.com.

About Sentai Filmworks, Inc.
Sentai Filmworks is a leading global supplier of anime and official anime merchandise, distributing and curating one of the industry's most diverse libraries of top trending and classic titles. Offering thousands of hours of content across both traditional and digital platforms, Sentai is dedicated to bringing captivating stories and iconic characters directly from Japan. With hit series that include Parasyte –the maxim–, No Game, No Life, Food Wars!, Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, and Akame ga KILL!, Sentai's catalog continues to grow with new favorites like Himouto! Umaru-chan and Monster Musume: Everyday Life with Monster Girls, as well as classic anime series such as Legend of the Galactic Heroes. For more information, visit www.sentaifilmworks.com.