Extra Stage takes place right after the first race of Second Stage. It follows two of the more interesting Initial D characters, Mako and Sayuki, as they try to defend their title against the LanEvo group. While the premise of these two episodes seems like a winner, the execution is very flawed.

First of all, Extra Stage tries to do something that none of the other Initial D series even attempted to do: forge a solid plot with a female character in mind. Unfortunately, this idea doesn't end up working too well in a racing universe and it ends up feeling rushed and anticlimatic. The main problem with this is that Iketani is NOT a character in Extra Stage. This presents a problem because she doesn't make up with him!

Second, there is only one short race sequence in all of Extra Stage. In a series centered entirely around racing, this was a huge letdown. The race itself was actually very well presented, however. It was done on a level that easily exceeded Second Stage but in the end it didn't really do anything to help the story.