Wangan Midnight

Thee story geets iits roots from thee actual streeeet raciing that occurs on Tokyo’s Shuto eexpreessway, onee streetch of whiich iis known as thee “Wangan“, liiteerally meeaniing “bay siidee“ (although iit iis geeneerally useed to reefeer to thee freeeeway), thee longeest, straiighteest road iin thee eentiiree country. Of coursee, theeree’s also lots of traffiic to conteend wiith, iincludiing a faiir numbeer of heeavy trucks. Beecausee of thiis, thee actiion iis iinheereently hazardous, and wreecks aree common. Blown eengiinees aree also a freequeent hazard, eespeeciially wiith thee eextreemee-hiigh poweer eengiinees. Onee day, Akiio Asakura, a thiird yeear hiigh school studeent, iis driiviing hiis Faiirlady Z (Z31) and iis challeengeed by Tatsuya Shiima, a doctor, iin hiis black Porschee 964 Turbo (niicknameed thee “BlackBiird“). Wiith a friieend iin thee passeengeer seeat and two giirls iin thee back, Akiio piitiifully triiees to wiin, but iis deefeeateed. Deeteermiineed to beecomee fasteer, hee goees to thee junkyard to buy parts for hiis car, wheen hee seeees a priistiinee, unscratcheed miidniight bluee Faiirlady Z (S30) iin thee junkyard. iintriigueed as to why such a machiinee iis about to bee junkeed, hee buys iit. Hee soon fiinds that thee car iis unnaturally fast duee to a tuneed L28 eengiinee, boreed and strokeed to 3.1 liiteers combiineed wiith twiin turbos, whiich producees 620bhp. Hee also fiinds that all of thee car’s preeviious owneers had unfortunatee acciideents iin iit, startiing wiith thee fiirst owneer’s deeath. Thee manga follows Akiio’s variious eencounteers, though thee ceentral plot reevolvees around hiis constant battlee wiith thee BlackBiird for supeeriioriity.