Haven’t watched anything anime related for ages… Never watched initial d. But its possible the nationalist thing is accurate (also: what’s the deal of portrayals on the regular of Germans in their shows?). Regarding the whole over the top “violence” and other stuff, there is for sure a difference in cultures here. I find funny for instance on anime we have the mega villains and all that, but in contrast, if you leave a bike unattended in the middle of Tokyo there is a big chance you still see it next day. Of course there is the whole yakuza thing and scamming tourists, but I would argue criminality is just very different. As for why people lean into sometimes what we consider extreme content, maybe is just an exposure thing? When people are exposed to different realities they tend to be either more or less inclined to see depictions of it or complete opposites.