Video Option
Encyclopedia
was introduced in March 1988 by Sunpro as a monthly direct-to-video
magazine version of the long running Option magazine
.
The video has always being presented by Daijiro Inada, who do many of the tuner car road tests, either on a test track, on public road with Daijiro's adventures at Bonneville. During the video early days, the series used to cover illegal races usually in expressways, which is sometimes contributed by an anonymous figure called "Chiba Kun". Nowadays the series features Wangan competitions and unlike the rival Best Motoring series, the show is more focused on drift, drag, time attack, speed tests and mountains rather than pro racing techniques or circuit practises.
The series also covers Inada's escapade at the Silver State Classic from the unfortunate (1999), to having narrowly escaped (2003) and the unintentionally hilarious (2005)
Option Video has always covered drifting, even hosting one of the first drift contests in 1989 with Keiichi Tsuchiya called the Ikaten. Option would continue to cover drift events especially their own Ikaten, until in October 2000, they would introduce the D1 Grand Prix which appears exclusively on the videos. They also gave the Americans their very first drifting events in 1996 at Willow Springs International Raceway, California
, which incidentally was won by a Honda Civic
, it was not until seven years later Option gave them their first oversea D1 Grand Prix event. In 2005, the video series followed the season of former judge turned competitor Manabu Orido
in his quest to compete in D1. Other highlights in the show includes the owner of tuner Top Secret, "Smokey" Nagata run-in with the law in both the UK and New Zealand in 1998 and 2000 and the video contribution of Chiba-Kun and his exploits in his Nissan Skyline GT-R
at the Bayside (Wangan) line of the Shuto Expressway
especially his run-ins with the law.
Beside the series high speed adventures, there is a segment called Go-Go Daijiro (Go!Go!大二郎) in which the Inada test drives other unusual form of transportation not normally covered in by the magazine, for example VIP style cars (customised luxury saloons) and the sex discrimination segment called D1 Gals Sex harassment which the stars of the segment (Kazumi Kondo and the D1 Gal of previous year, Hatsuno Sugaya) are tested in for example, their knowledge in car maintenance and what car they drive for comedy results. The show tends to cover Takayasu Ozaku's (more commonly known as Zaku) close up shot of campaign girls at the Tokyo Auto Salon
, especially sequences which he upskirt
s them.
Magazine contribitors Keiichi Tsuchiya
, Eiji Yamada, Ken Nomura
, Manabu Suzuki
, Manabu Orido
are also guest presenters.
In 2004, to satisfy the demand of US D1 Grand Prix fans who watched the Irwindale
round, Sunpro introduced an English language version called JDM Option. Unlike many Japanese orientated videos, JDM Option retains many of the original voiceovers with English narration. This segment was dropped from the Japanese version altogether 2007 onward. Another feature to be omitted from the Japanese version are the commercial
s that has been a feature since 2005, these commercials only apply to D1 coverages. Also many segments from the Japanese versions are omitted, whereas many features from the non-Japanese version, such as the US events do not appear in the Japanese versions.
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
magazine version of the long running Option magazine
Option (car magazine)
Option is an automotive magazine founded by Daijiro Inada in 1981, to meet the demand for enthusiasts of modified Japanese cars in Japan....
.
The video has always being presented by Daijiro Inada, who do many of the tuner car road tests, either on a test track, on public road with Daijiro's adventures at Bonneville. During the video early days, the series used to cover illegal races usually in expressways, which is sometimes contributed by an anonymous figure called "Chiba Kun". Nowadays the series features Wangan competitions and unlike the rival Best Motoring series, the show is more focused on drift, drag, time attack, speed tests and mountains rather than pro racing techniques or circuit practises.
The series also covers Inada's escapade at the Silver State Classic from the unfortunate (1999), to having narrowly escaped (2003) and the unintentionally hilarious (2005)
Option Video has always covered drifting, even hosting one of the first drift contests in 1989 with Keiichi Tsuchiya called the Ikaten. Option would continue to cover drift events especially their own Ikaten, until in October 2000, they would introduce the D1 Grand Prix which appears exclusively on the videos. They also gave the Americans their very first drifting events in 1996 at Willow Springs International Raceway, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which incidentally was won by a Honda Civic
Honda Civic
The Honda Civic is a line of subcompact and subsequently compact cars made and manufactured by Honda. The Civic, along with the Accord and Prelude, comprised Honda's vehicles sold in North America until the 1990s, when the model lineup was expanded...
, it was not until seven years later Option gave them their first oversea D1 Grand Prix event. In 2005, the video series followed the season of former judge turned competitor Manabu Orido
Manabu Orido
is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes in the Super GT series for Toyota Team Tsuchiya in a Lexus SC 430 sponsored by Eclipse and AdvanOrido began his racing career as a street racer and then progressed to touge racing...
in his quest to compete in D1. Other highlights in the show includes the owner of tuner Top Secret, "Smokey" Nagata run-in with the law in both the UK and New Zealand in 1998 and 2000 and the video contribution of Chiba-Kun and his exploits in his Nissan Skyline GT-R
Nissan Skyline GT-R
The Nissan Skyline GT-R is a Japanese sports car based on the Nissan Skyline range.The first GT-Rs were produced from 1969–1973. After a 16 year hiatus since the KPGC110 in 1972, the GT-R name was revived in 1989 with the Skyline R32. This car was nicknamed "Godzilla" by the Australian motoring...
at the Bayside (Wangan) line of the Shuto Expressway
Shuto Expressway
is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the .Most routes consist of elevated roadway above other roads or over water, and have many sharp curves which require caution to drive safely...
especially his run-ins with the law.
Beside the series high speed adventures, there is a segment called Go-Go Daijiro (Go!Go!大二郎) in which the Inada test drives other unusual form of transportation not normally covered in by the magazine, for example VIP style cars (customised luxury saloons) and the sex discrimination segment called D1 Gals Sex harassment which the stars of the segment (Kazumi Kondo and the D1 Gal of previous year, Hatsuno Sugaya) are tested in for example, their knowledge in car maintenance and what car they drive for comedy results. The show tends to cover Takayasu Ozaku's (more commonly known as Zaku) close up shot of campaign girls at the Tokyo Auto Salon
Tokyo Auto Salon
The is an annual auto show held in January at the Makuhari Messe, Chiba City, Japan for Performance and custom dress-up parts and technology display. Hosted by the Nippon Auto Parts Aftermarket Committee ....
, especially sequences which he upskirt
Upskirt
Upskirt refers to the practice of making unauthorized photographs under a female's skirt, capturing an image of her crotch area and underwear. The term "upskirt" can also refer to a video, illustration or photograph which incorporates the upskirt image. The term is also sometimes used to refer...
s them.
Magazine contribitors Keiichi Tsuchiya
Keiichi Tsuchiya
is a professional race car driver. He is also known as the "Drift King" for his nontraditional use of drifting in non-drifting racing events and his role in popularizing drifting as a motorsport...
, Eiji Yamada, Ken Nomura
Ken Nomura
is a drifting driver from Japan. He made his debut in the D1 Grand Prix in the 3rd round in 2001, driving the Blitz D1 Spec ER34 Skyline which he still drives...
, Manabu Suzuki
Manabu Suzuki
is a former racing driver, journalist, sport announcer and radio and TV presenter for the automotive industry. He is a Japanese citizen and is nicknamed Mana-P .Suzuki competed in the Formula Toyota and Saurus Cup until the mid nineties...
, Manabu Orido
Manabu Orido
is a Japanese racing driver who currently competes in the Super GT series for Toyota Team Tsuchiya in a Lexus SC 430 sponsored by Eclipse and AdvanOrido began his racing career as a street racer and then progressed to touge racing...
are also guest presenters.
In 2004, to satisfy the demand of US D1 Grand Prix fans who watched the Irwindale
Irwindale Speedway
Toyota Speedway at Irwindale is a motorsports facility located in Irwindale, California, United States. It features banked, paved 1/2- and 1/3-mile oval tracks and a 1/8-mile drag strip. It opened on March 27, 1999, as Irwindale Speedway and held that name until Toyota purchased the naming rights...
round, Sunpro introduced an English language version called JDM Option. Unlike many Japanese orientated videos, JDM Option retains many of the original voiceovers with English narration. This segment was dropped from the Japanese version altogether 2007 onward. Another feature to be omitted from the Japanese version are the commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s that has been a feature since 2005, these commercials only apply to D1 coverages. Also many segments from the Japanese versions are omitted, whereas many features from the non-Japanese version, such as the US events do not appear in the Japanese versions.
Highlights
- The video magazine, always had numerous scrapes with the law in the past, the most notable was the Super Street Series (abbreviated as SSS), the series involves speed runs on public roads in the mid to late '90s.
- The series featured a segment which "Tarzan" Yamada as a human guinea pigGuinea pigThe guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
, where he was tested for various dangerous stunts.
See also
- List of Video Option episodes
- Import sceneImport sceneThe Import Scene or Import Racing Scene or Tuner Scene refers to the subculture that revolves around modifying imported brand cars , especially those of Japanese brands, for street racing.-History:...
- Japan domestic marketJapan domestic marketThe term Japanese domestic market refers to the local market in Japan for Japanese-made motor vehicles and components. Within the car and motorcycle hobbyist import scene, this term, and the related term Japanese domestic model, most commonly refer to Japanese-brand automobiles and parts designed...
- Option (car magazine)Option (car magazine)Option is an automotive magazine founded by Daijiro Inada in 1981, to meet the demand for enthusiasts of modified Japanese cars in Japan....
- D1 Grand PrixD1 Grand PrixThe , abbreviated as D1GP and subtitled Professional Drift, is a production car drifting series from Japan. After several years of hosting amateur drifting contests, Option magazine & Tokyo Auto Salon founder Daijiro Inada, and drifting legend Keiichi Tsuchiya hosted a professional level drifting...