Crucial Viewing: DVD Round-UpGrab your drink and popcorn, kids, because it's movie time! We reviewed some of the import scene's newest DVD releases.
Hashiriya"Hashiriya," backed by Mainstream Productions, MotoRex, Tanabe, Kid's Automotive Repair and Signal Auto, is essentially a tour of Signal- and Tanabe-sponsored cars. The cute and bilingual Kyoto Nagamatsu narrates the DVD in English, while interviews are dubbed over. "Hashiriya" is divided into six parts and covers drifting, drag racing, circuit racing, shop tours, feature cars and show cars. The majority of the DVD takes place in Osaka, Japan, with the show cars shot in California.
The first feature is of drifting at a popular port industrial area in Osaka. About 30 cars are out that night and after three interviews, all the cars go in parallel drifts. First, the famous drifter "Chunky" Bai introduces us to his $42,000 400-hp River Side blue S15 and provides drifting tips. Then a man named "Boss" discusses his 600-hp Toyota Chaser with a 2JZ-GT motor, the merits of horsepower and tips for making the car lighter. Finally, Fumiaki Komatsu, aka "Drifter X," divulges how he got into drifting, what he likes about the sport, how it has evolved and the future he sees in it, among other things.
Part Two of "Hashiriya" takes place at the Central Circuit Track for drag racing and track racing footage, and serves as a motivational bit for beginners. Four average Joes take their not-so-average cars to the track that day, demonstrating that if they can tear up the track, you can do it too.
Our favorite part of the DVD is Part Three, which features touge racing in Osaka. Two perspectives are shown, from within the car and outside, as Drifter X and others tackle the downhill mountain course. The highlight is when the cops bust them, shouting over the loudspeaker "What the f--k do you think you're doing?" We could have certainly used more footage in this section.
Next is a tour of Signal Auto in Osaka and an interview with General Manager Kazuhiko Kida. You'll recognize pictures of this shop because Turbo has covered it. Seeing Signal's "everyday" 780-hp GT-R gave us flashbacks of our ride in that street-legal monster. Mr. Kida then unveils the company's other GT-R, a 1,200-hp beast that still possesses street license plates. This is the same vehicle that won the HKS Nationals. We wish we could see track footage of that puppy.
The DVD then moves onto a tour of Auto Select in Osaka. Owner Yasushi Uejima shows off the Yellow Shark R34 GT-R. With 800 hp, it's won many time attack and circuit races. Notable features on the vehicle are the 3,000-4,000 rivits placed in between the sport welds.
Finally, "Hashiriya" hits stateside, visiting the Import Show-Offs in San Diego and Los Angeles. You get a glimpse of Tina Nguyen and other "Import Tuner" cover models and some hoochies propped up on cars. Yawn. We've been to these car shows already, but perhaps those who haven't been fortunate enough will care to see them.
"Hashiriya" is worth a watch, but it consists mainly of interviews and needs more racing footage. It may also be redudant for dedicated Turbo and "Import Tuner" readers who've previously read about many of these features in the mags.
Turbo: Thumbs upOn a scale of 1-10Rating: 7.5Girls: 2Action: 5Cars: 8
Hyper Street Racing - Type AThe DVD "HypeR Street Racing - Type A" is brought to you by Rise Above Entertainment and backed by Teckademics. Be thankful we painfully reviewed it so you don't waste your time and money. This DVD concentrates mainly on spliced-together footage of burnouts, doughnuts, racing on the street, blowing stuff up and more doughnnuts. There are no closeups of any feature cars; you can only see them from a distance.