Oh man, I am such a sucker. LOL

As I've made my way through Fourth Stage of Initial D, in the back of my mind, I've been aware of the fact that Keisuke's character design had gradually changed from first stage to fourth. I mostly chalked this up to better animation, since 1999 animation was very different from 2004 animation. (And seriously, the only things that didn't look fug in first stage were the cars)

So out of curiosity, I rewatched some older episodes, and when I saw Keisuke and made a direct comparison, my eyes sort of did this: o_o

WHAT THE HELL, he looks completely different! It makes me crack up b/c it's so stupidly obvious what the character designer was thinking when he did the fourth stage designs: Oh no, Keisuke is a more important character this season. Must make him hotter! Bring in larger female audience! I mean, even his clothes are noticeably more designer-looking! xD

And of course, the funniest thing of all is that I, too, did not fangirl over Keisuke hardcore until fourth stage rolled along. I tip my hat off to you, Character Designer-san. You really got me, hook, line, and sinker. Oh Japan, you bring out the superficial in me!