SK∞

So, this is my first mal review ever and I'm not a native English speaker but I hope that doesn't affect the review.
This review includes spoilers!

First of all I have to say: I'm absolutely disappointed. This anime wasted it's whole potential.

It starts of really nice, I liked Reki and Langa, even though they are a bit cliche but that wasn’t a big problem. Later some other characters were introduced, for example Cherry and Joe (who had a great dynamic together, gotta say).
The anime first focuses a lot on Reki and Langa and skating in general.
I myself have no clue about skateboarding so I don't know ... whether "S" is realistic or not but I was fine with it because it was kinda fun to watch the beefs. But then a certain someone showed up to ruin the mood.
I don't know what the creators were thinking when they planned Adam but this guy ruined the whole anime in my opinion. He is a really, really bad copy of Hisoka from HxH and he is one of the cringiest characters I've ever seen. His blabbering about marrying Langa and finding his Eve was so hard to watch, I cringed every time he opened his mouth. Also his whole behaviour was just ridiculous (I mean, hitting someone with your damn skateboard has nothing to do with skating anymore).
He is one of the most unnecessary and worst written antagonists I've ever came across (he is nearly as unnecessary as the red haired police officer, like, why was she even there?) And he RUINED the whole anime.
Also something that was quite weird (and unrealistic) were the people watching the beefs. They give a shit about Cherry getting hit by Adam with his skateboard because he is to "boring" in Adams opinion (which is just a big WTF).
Another character worth mentioning is Adam's... secretary (I guess? I already forgot his name lmao) because also WTf!? He’s getting treated like shit by Adam (he calls him dog and it didn't bother the secretary at all) and his only purpose is to bring a bit of "tension" into the tournament and a "sad backstory" for Adam (at which they fail miserably btw).

What I kinda liked was the "arc" focusing on Reki after he realised he is nothing special in comparison to Langa. I know this feeling very well and therefore could empathize with him easily. It was also nice that he didn't overcome this feeling within one episode and actually needed some time.

The last episode was just a cringefest and they didn't spare with cliches. Suddenly Langa makes Adam realise that skating is about fun and not only competing (who would have seen that coming?! Lmao) and they are all best buddies now. Aha.

Overall the anime is full of unrealistic scenarios, bad written characters and a lacking plot (well, if you could call it plot...).
I would have been totally fine watching Reki and Langa improve, competing with "normal" characters and Rekis down phase. That would have been enough...
I wouldn't recommend this anime bcs you don’t really learn anything about skating and the character cast is… something. It had some nice moments but that’s it. Overall it made me incredibly angry lmao (thank you Adam).
Yeah, that's it. Thanks for reading^^

-Note: English is not my native language, I apologize for possible mistakes.

The script for SK∞ has a casual tone that is easy to catch, with the inclusion of comedy overtones that, without being recursive, is effective. But undoubtedly one of the production's greatest strengths is the artistic rendering and technical effort on Bones' part. Because building a current fiction from the foundations of an urban culture alien to current times would not be easy if it weren't for the excellent work of photography, color, music and artistic direction in general, which give the set a great appeal and special magnetism. Special mention, of course, to ... the special level of detail and display in terms of animation, with interesting camera exercises and kinesthesia in the races, offering excellent quality levels that have very little to envy to similar cut products.

SK∞ is a sincere proposal that does not seek to be elusive, since it is very clear about what to offer and where to aim. His treatment of skate culture is as engaging as it is eccentric, and the dynamics between his characters make it incredibly easy and organic to want to follow their learning and see how far they are capable of going not necessarily to win, but to feel good about themselves. Hiroko Utsumi's work transmits passion and fun with a treatment that I wish was seen more often: that of humility, that of enjoying without the need to achieve great feats.

So generic, so often seen, so clichéd...and yet so fun to watch. 'SK∞ The Infinity', a disappointing and at the same time highly interesting show, of which I think that it not only offers something for fans of the shounen or the sports genre, rather something for every person out there that loves anime.

Story - 4/10

Firstly, I have to admit that the idea of a skateboarding anime for sure is revolutionary, because until this show started airing, no other anime featured skateboarding as the main topic. But after all, you could also say that it's just another sports anime with comedy elements. And the concurrence ... in this genre with the likes of 'Haikyuu!!' or 'Kuroko no Basket' is pretty big.

So is this show able to offer something that hasn't been there yet? In terms of the story, sadly not.

You have your funny moments e.g. when Langa tries to learn some tricks and fails, you have your epic moments when Langa pulls off some cool tricks, you have your sad moments when some flashbacks kick in, and so on. And even though I've seen many scenes like this this in different anime, many shows managed to deliver these moments in their own special way. SK∞ relies on something that has been shown so many times in the past, that the effect that it wants to create touches the viewer on such a platonic level that they e.g. may smile about it, but do not really find it laughing because of the lack of creativity. And this is such a shame considering what a writer like Ichirou Ookuchi (Code Geass) is able to deliver. Everything seems so simple and ill-considered that one or the other viewer might even be bored.

Apart from the individual moments that I just mentioned, the story as a big construct isn't really any better. Almost everything is predictable, the actions of the characters, what they are going to say, my god, I could have told you the life story of all of them without knowing anyone. As I said, from someone who created something like 'Code Geass', probably one of the most intelligent stories that were ever written in the anime universe, this right here is a big downfall in terms of complexity and dramaturgy.

Skateboarding for the male audience, hot & cute boys for the female audience. This anime tries to appeal to everbody while at the same time failing miserably to be something innovative or special. And of course are a massive amount of people likely to be drawn to the familiar, but lovers of a well-considered and clever plot are less likely to be satisfied with the story that this anime offers.

Characters - 5/10

Talking about the characters, they show almost the same problem that the story suffers from. And this is, how could it be otherwise, the extreme simplicity of their personalities.

Reki, one of our protagonists, is the loud and slightly dumb kind of person, which also has a strong sense of justice (as seen as in the end of episode 3). The cool dude, which is loved by everyone, apart from the villain of course. You know, the kind of guy that never gives up and believes in the power of friendship. Does this sound familiar? Well, if you think about the fact that characters like this have appeared hundreds and thousands of times in older anime, it's really no surprise at all.

The same goes for Langa, because even though his rather quiet and thoughtful personality might feel a little refreshing for the viewer, this isn't something new, too. Langa serves as the absolute contrast to Reki, which shall create an effect of diversity. The chance that the viewer can relate at least to one of the protagonists is much higher now because of this diversity.

And I want to point out, that those character personalities could have suited the anime very well, e.g. 'Diamond no Ace' does this wonderfully as a sports anime with Sawamura and Furuya, who are constantly fighting for the starting position in their baseball team. However, if the characters have as little depth as Reki and Langa, this can't work.

Both seem to be a mixture of clichéd character traits that typical characters of a shounen anime do possess. The writers try to balance this with the enthusiasm for skateboarding, but just like a story, nothing can just replace a personality.

And like our two main characters, the personalities of the supporting characters are also as intriguing as a blank sheet of paper. Adam as the main villain doesn't differ from those "I want to rule the world for the sake of it" kind of idiots, even though his mysterious appearance gives him at least a little extra in terms of personality. Shadow's appearance as the bad guy who's actually not that bad, Cherry Blossom and Joe as the ones with some kind of rivalry, which just exists to entertain the fans and doesn't have a real meaning at all, Miya as the tsundere, which the viewer is intended to sympathize with, because of his 'sad' past, etc.

I can only say the same thing again as before: None of the people in this anime have anything that sets them apart, that makes them stand out, that makes them special. The roles are clearly distributed, and the fact that I'm able to recognize roles isn't really a good sign, because that means that a well-known pattern has been used here, in which everything is represented as standardized as possible. And something ordinary, something familiar, something worn out can't entertain anyone, can it?

Having said that, after digging through the personality issues, however, I have to give the developers credit for the fact that the character designs are really exceptional and outstanding. The outfits are pretty cool, a crazy and wild style, which perfectly reflects the theme of skateboarding.

Of course, the characters have been designed from their natural appearance in such a way that they correspond to their role model. Although I may have complained about classic role allocations, this fits here perfectly; especially Reki looks exactly how I would imagine a skater (in an anime). But also people like a Shadow or Miya are so well designed, that you can tell that the people who created them actually put some love into their amazing work. These are some great looks right here!

Art & Animation – 8.5/10

And since we were speaking of character designs, I have to admit that the art and animation in general are in a class of their own. I may have complained a lot about the story and the characters, but that is especially well done.

Let's start with the setting: The island of Okinawa, on which our story takes place, is perfectly represented by warm and pleasant colors. I've never been there, but this classic island feeling is conveyed very convincingly.
A scene that convinced me in this regard was when Reki and Langa were practicing tricks and then having an emotional conversation with each other, while the sun was going down in the background. Sitting side by side, both were looking at this beautiful scenery, which highlighted the scene in a wonderful and pleasant way, marvelously illustrating the mood of a perfect summer.

In contrast, the skateboard races and the underground world have a rather dark and dodgy atmosphere. This creates a more exciting mood, very different from the relaxing feeling that is delivered by the setting of the island. But that's exactly how it should be, because through a charged atmosphere, the anime can pull the viewer more into the spell during a race, if the colors had been chosen as with the island, it would not have worked. The rough, which emanates from this other world, fits perfectly.

In general, a wide range of colors has been used in this anime, which adds charm to everything. Using these colors correctly and not just painting around wildly is an art in itself. In this respect, it can be said that creative and inspired people were definitely at work here.

Imaginative, special, colorful, lively, so many words could be used to describe all of this. To get to the point: Great!

As for the animation, it's not a single bit worse. And this can actually be demonstrated in every scene, and not just in the key moments. And that, my dear friends of good animation, is a feast for the eyes.

The characters' movements are flawless, no budget cuts have been made in the skateboarding races, and even the CGI is so damn good that the viewer doesn't even notices it. And apart from 'Ufotable' there are a few exceptions that have managed to do this in terms of animation. And 'Bones' has definitely done this in the past, see e.g. my personally beloved 'Mob Psycho 100'.

To keep this short, the animation is wonderful. There is basically nothing to complain about. Of course it can still be done a bit better, but that would cost so much money and time that this is absolutely secondary. And in that sense, this anime does everything right in that regard.

Sound - 7.5/10

Even though this aspect is often ignored, good soundtracks and songs are irreplaceable for an anime. Well, it seems like this anime solved this in a perfect way.

I don't intend to write a novel about it, so I just want to say that the tracks always underline the scenes very nicely. The mood of the individual moments is reflected excellently in combination with the art and animation; this mostly funky style goes perfectly with the topic and in principle doesn't go wrong.

The opening and ending songs are sensational, especially the opening song is one of the best I've heard lately. All in all very well done and in tune with the anime.

Enjoyment - 7/10

Now one or the other may be wondering why my 'enjoyment' score is so high, even though I was pretty rubbish about characters and story. Well, I'm also only a human, and that's why the cool skateboard races impress me like everyone else. And although the story isn't really creative (I won't change my mind), this show gives me a strong sense of nostalgia precisely because of its similarity to so much anime that aired in the past. I remember my childhood and anime like 'Naruto' or 'Dragonball', which really shaped these shounen cliches. In this respect, 'SK∞ The Infinity' probably won't satisfy lovers of an intelligent story, but I think it still entertains all those who grew up with such shows.

Sometimes you shouldn't think too much about something and detach yourself from your objectivity. Anime like the aforementioned 'Code Geass' may impress the individual much more strongly and intensely, but that can't be the reason why one should only regard such anime as the only ones that are good. Because even something as simple as this anime can make the viewers happy while watching and, even though only for a short time, let them feel very, very entertained.

Overall - 6/10

What should I say what I haven't said already? This anime is far away from being a masterpiece, and the story and characters aren't also that well thought off. But after all, being a dude that simply loves watching all kinds of anime and not trying to be too objective, I quite enjoy watching every episode of it, and I think that many people can understand me very well. So I believe that even if there exist better shows than this, 'SK∞ The Infinity' knows what it is, and because of that, everybody out there can watch it without feeling bored.

Cheers🎶

So, what’s the story?
On 7 September 2013 Tokyo was selected as the host city of The XXXII Olympic Games. Japanese government wanted to promote upcoming event among youth through entertainment industry: music and TV, including anime. Popular anime characters were selected as ambassadors (Sailor Moon, Naruto, Luffy and others) and also new anime projects about different Olympic events were commissioned. Such as rugby (Number 24), artistic gymnastics (Taisou zamurai), volleyball (2:43), baseball (Tamayomi), soccer (Sayonara Watashi no Cramer), surfing (Wave!!), water polo (Re-Main), bouldering (Iwa Kakeru!) and others. Even parasport (Breakers) and male rhythmic gymnastics that will take part at the gymnastic exhibition during ... the final olympic day (Bakuten!!).
“SK8: the infinity” from studio BONES is the part of that big program. This original anime is dedicated to the skateboarding that debuts as a new Olympic sport in Tokyo. Utsumi Hiroko was put at the helm since she was responsible for a successful series about other summer sport (Free!!).
Seems like her original idea included a snowboarder who decided to take part in the illegal skateboard races that were organized by one crazy guy in search of his ideal Eve. There was a police investigation involved, sudden return of a girlfriend, serious money troubles and other typical tropes from you-know-where. But then Utsumi (or someone else from the stuff) thought that MC needs to go through some adjustment to his technique before he will crush everyone in the races. And that’s how Reki was born. As a supporting guy who can’t skate but whose role was to screw the wheels to the board and nothing more.
In the end at the last minute stuff decided to redo everything from the scratch and make the “guy with the wheels” the MC instead. As a result dozens of plot points were cut or thrown out. The scenario was altered so many times so late in the game that they didn’t even had time to cut a girlfriend appearance from one of the first episodes. She never ever appeared again.
As a result of this hot mess we have a story were the villain (former antihero) has more flashbacks and background than any of the leads. Our new MC has a zero background apart from “one time one totally irrelevant to the plot guy got hurt by irrelevant to the plot reason”. Reki’s journey went from the point A to … the point A (from the “even though I can’t skate but still…” to the “yeah, I can’t skate but still…”) with some stupid pity drama in between. Langa’s plot points were thrown out entirely. He has even less substance than Reki. Unnamed girl and mysterious money problems that’s all that left from the original draft and now it leads nowhere.
Adam is obviously Utsumi’s favorite. Not only because he suffered the least damages from redoing the script, but because he’s the one whose character she actually bothered to explore. She even gave him a new “lover” since the old one was “taken away”. But Adam still looked stupid. That’s how this anime looks over all. Its script is ultimately foolish. Maybe if they had kept the original idea everything would have looked much more decent. Or maybe the original idea was a lot more disastrous, that’s why they went to such extremes to redo everything. Anyhow, decision was made and result was awful.
First episodes were awesome production wise. Animation, music, everything was superb. But something (COVID, mess with the script or who knows what else) happened halfway through that resulted in the noticeable drop in quality. They even had to use a recap episode.
Series that started with such a promise ended with a huge “What the Hell was that?!” “Taisou zamurai” is so much better than this. But since “samurai” has never tried to play a fujobaiting game it had zero chances to became popular.

First 5 episodes ranking: 9/10.
Episodes 6-10.5: -1/10.
Episodes 11-12: 5/10.
Overall ranking: 4/10.

As much as I enjoyed watching this anime, I'm pretty disappointed as to what it turned out to be.

Positives:
I'll start off by saying that the art and animation is gorgeous. The colors are so vibrant and exotic that you don't even realize the story takes place in Japan. The animation for the skate tricks was especially good and satisfying to watch. Visually, the anime is refreshing and really good. The sound is good but nothing too special, they did a good job at implementing the skateboard's sound effects apart from a few irrelevant flaws. The enjoyment was reaaally good and each episode only gets better. ... From an European perspective, they did an amazing job at implementing modern trends such as ways of talking, acting, little scenes like the McDonalds one (which I've actually done with a friend) and more. It really allowed me to bond with the characters as if I was in their world, their school, their group of friends. Not to mention, as a skater, they said some pretty relatable stuff along with some cheesy and cringe stuff, but that's all part of the anime bundle we signed up for so it's fine.


Negatives:
As of now, I have a big problem with the plot. What's interesting and refreshing in the anime for me is the skating itself and the chill and relatable moments. But the race competition thing at the moment doesn't impress me at all, in fact it's very unrealistic. Skateboarding isn't about races at all, I'd rather simply watch some friends skate around, go on adventures and chill. The skateboarding race bs feels like a mix between Food Wars's 'Shokugeki' system and a lack of research and reflection on skate culture. In fairness to the plot, it's only just started so I might come to like the racing aspect of the show in the near future even though it has nothing to do with skateboarding. But right now, the race scenes are the ones that I enjoy the least by far. Apart from that, the characters haven't gotten my attention, they don't have distinctive or interesting personalities. I like the main duo a lot (Reki, Langa) but in reality the characters look a bit cliche, artificial, hollow and boring (I do like Reki's character a lot in the latest episodes as his imperfect human behavior is portrayed and built upon). Even the main antagonist isn't very shocking or memorable, he's a mix between Hisoka, that gourmet pedo from Tokyo Ghoul and a touch of Dio. I also haven't seen any main female characters (anime or trailer or character list) which is bothering me, because y'know... I like my anime chicks fam.


TL;DR:
Amazing, exotic and refreshing art & animation, really good enjoyment that only gets better with each episode. Skating theme is very refreshing but sadly the way they interpreted the skateboard culture is completely wrong (skateboard races), that's the worst aspect of the show imo. The characters for now aren't that interesting or memorable (we need some femaaaaaaales).

You should definitely give it a shot, the anime can be relatable, feels modern and fresh.

Hey ya'll, did you know that skating is fun?
Skating is REALLY fun.
You can do it with your friends!
You can do it anywhere!
It's really so fun!
Seriously! It's like the MOST FUN THING!
You know what's REALLY FUN about skating?!
When you hop off your board and smack people in the head with it!
Or, you throw firecrackers in people faces!
Or, you join up in groups and attack people with steel batons for no apparent reason at all!
... FUN TIMES!

You've really got to understand how important it is to know that SKATING IS FUN! Did you know it can save your life?! If you're free-falling off of a cliff, all you have to do is remember that SKATING IS FUN, and you won't die! You can just skate down a sheer cliff leading to jagged rocks 2,000 feet below! You'll be fine!

And don't forget the power of fun in skating can save any broken relationship! Do you have a friend who's a hater because you're so much better than him at skating? Simply remember SKATING IS FUN and he'll stop being salty! You don't even have to talk about it! Have you lost your ever-loving mind simply because a powerless servant didn't stand up for your skating hobby as a kid? And now you try to literally MURDER people in skating competitions? Never fear! Your mind can be saved with the power of skating! Simply get the underage boy you're pedo-ing over to beat you in a race and remind you that SKATING IS FUN, and you'll be okay!

SKATING. IS. FUN. Got it?!

Seriously...this anime is one of the most cringe animes I've seen in a while. Honestly, it didn't seem like it would turn out this way at the start. It seemed like it was just going to be your typical racing type anime, but with skateboards. You had your common MC duo of the wild-haired, boisterous guy (Reki) paired with the quiet, uber-skilled savant (Langa). You had what looked like would be an interesting cast of supporting characters. And it looked like it was just going to be a straight comedy with solid humor. The animation was quality. The Soundtrack was even good. Everything looked set up for an enjoyable anime. With a little luck, it might be as good of a sports anime as Haikyuu or Kuroko's Basketball.

Well, those lofty hopes die pretty quickly, but it still looked like SK8 would settle in as a pretty good comedy... and then ADAM enters the picture. The main villain who looks like he was lifted right out of a Gundam anime from the mid-90s.

SPOILERS AHEAD:

ADAM is a pedophile who becomes obsessed with Langa because of his skill. This grown man is so obsessed with the teen boy that Hisoka actually stopped stalking Gon and Killua for a minute to make a cameo to call Chris Hansen on him. (He did not). ADAM wants Langa to be his "Eve", because he's hard up for a decent opponent and he believes Langa can be that for him. In order to build Langa up to those expectations, the anime basically turns at this point from a comedy to a homoerotic dramedy, that was pretty much focused on gassing up Langa for being good at the expense of his boyfrie--erghm---"buddy", Reki.

Seriously, episode after episode, it's just "Oh, Langa is so great. But, that redheaded guy with him is just the most trashiest of all the trash." (Which didn't even make sense because he could hang with some of the best skaters in the anime. But, whatever, plot's not gonna push itself.) At any rate, Reki can't handle being the Krillin to Langa's Goku, so he turns into a hater, stops talking to him and quits skating. So, now we have to watch the guy who was supposed to carry this anime's comedy aspect, mope and skulk around because he's just a Krillin. And it made him totally unlikable, because nobody likes "friends" who can't celebrate your success. He's just a hater. Fortunately, he remembered SKATING IS FUN after getting jumped in an alley and all of his insecurities just went away and he stopped being a salty hater.

So, now that, that needless drama ended we can get back into the comedy and action--and nope--because now we have to deal with ADAM's psychological problems. What made this guy turn into a flamboyant kiddy-diddling matador? What makes him get off of his board mid-skate and just bash people in the face with his skateboard at 60MPH? Which is attempted murder? (Side Note: Why was this guy even lauded as some kind of a skating legend when his "special moves" consisted of "turning around mid race and standing in your way" and "Hitting you in the face with a skateboard?). What soul-breaking betrayal could've have turned a happy young lad into James Charles?

Well to find that out, we have to be bombarded with flashbacks that this dude lost his marbles because his friend, a mere house servant, said he had "no opinion", when ADAM's father, (the head of the entire family) asked him if he wanted to buck up because he burned his own son's skateboard. What was he supposed to say? "Yeah, guy who can ruin my entire family, let me, a child, step in here and tell you how to raise your kid."? Apparently, this "deep betrayal" and some raps on the wrist with a ruler by his aunts turned him into a guy who consistently keeps trying to throw people off of cliffs. (Don't rap children's wrists with rulers, people. They will start dressing up in grave clothes and wanting teen boys to be the "Eve" to their "Adam".)

At any rate, between the flashbacks of ADAM being destroyed emotionally by the most tame betrayal since my wife ate the last of my ice cream, and ADAM skating with Cherry and Joe, we get a continued story of cringey pedophilia. ADAM begins to literally stalk Langa with drones and is upset that Langa and Reki are reunited. Because ADAM wants to have Langa/Eve all to himself, he targets Reki for a race in the shortest, most predictable, tournament in anime sports history and Reki nearly beats him. (I will give credit where credit is due: the race between Reki and ADAM was pretty good, and was the only race where you didn't know who would win before it began.) ADAM gets all in a huff because he nearly lost to this "terrible" skater, (who, again, nearly beats all the best skaters and only loses because his board breaks or someone throws firecrackers at him) and ADAM then goes from being a matador pedo to being an undertaker/evangelion pilot pedo, and races Langa in the finals. And they race on 2,000 feet tall cliffs and go in the zone, and there's rainbows and white noise and flashbacks of dead dads and Langa falls and should die but SKATING IS FUN, so he doesn't and wins and whatever and I'm wondering why I spent time watching this instead of continuing Wonder Egg Priority.

But even with all of this, I have still not properly conveyed the worst part of the anime. And that is, without a doubt, the dialogue. The dialogue is just so incredibly cringe in the later parts of the anime. I swear Langa should've just stayed quiet. Every other sentence out of his mouth towards Reki would've been proceeded by "How could you say something so embarrassing with a straight face?" in any other anime. If he wasn't spitting the most embarrassing lines to his "friend", it was how he felt empty without Reki around while wistfully grabbing at his heart. (Langa's heart hurts, girls. Buy his merch, ok?)

And it wasn't just confined to Langa and Reki, either. All the characters were just talking nonsense towards the end. "I know what your true nature is now, let's bring this to a finale.", "Adam is skating all alone. That can't be fun.", "SKATING IS SO MUCH FUN!!", "You'll be my dog for the rest of our lives.", "I'll take skateboarding from you...to save you.", "I thought I got rid of these insignificant feelings long ago!". You can't get rid of the feeling that SKATING IS FUN, Adam. "SKATING IS FUN" is a universal law. Man, it was just one bad line after another after another. The dialogue was just atrocious.

This anime doesn't even come close to the 8.05 rating it has as of the writing of this review. Even if it lived up to its potential, at best it would be a 7. But, it hardly does that and I would only give it a 3. 1 point for the funny first couple of episodes. 1 point for the Reki/ADAM race. Other than that, it's a weak anime, with a weak story and awful dialogue. I should also deduct a point for that stupid female cop angle. That served no purpose at all. Why was it even a part of the story? It had no bearing on anything in the end. Down to 2.

I really don't understand why some of these animes are scoring so highly lately...

So SK∞
What a strange anime that I kinda felt like came out of nowhere but holy hell does this anime ooze style. From the street art aesthetic with all the characters clothing and stickers to the fantastic skating animation SK∞ really becomes an anime to behold.
Story: 8 Honestly it reminds me a lot of Initial D (with the one racing spot premise) except a LOT MORE anime which can be a positive and a negative. I personally like the comedy side of the anime which with that already being kind of over the top makes it easier to except all the extremely anime characters that ... don’t really scream ‘realistic’ With all the characters having cool nick names, crazy skating outfits and rules where you can throw firecrackers at your opponent during a race and someone has a room full of wide screens while dancing watching a race, it has that anime cheeziness in spades.
Art: 10 So here is where the anime really shines, the actual skating races are fantastically done and make it clear that this is the main draw of the show. From sparks flying out whenever a character skids there hands on the ground to turn to the fantastically animating complicated skating turns all while being on a fast downhill makes the races exhilarating to watch. Plus I really liked how they did the contrast for Langa’s perspective which…
Sound: 9 I really dig the sound design of this anime though I can see a lot of the over-the-top yelling and cheese being able to get on peoples nerves, but all the skating sounds of the wheels rolling fast on the pavement to the friction full turns make it so the skateboarding honestly sounds like its right in front of you. Also, I really dig the sound effects they used for Langa’s flashback, it really made that first race ooze with style and excitement.
Characters: 8 They’re fine if not a bit generic though again their designs are what makes them all stand out from each other being very distinct and colorful. I really like the 2 main's friendship and seeing how it naturally sort of grows and has been developing so far. Its early on so I won’t say much about character growth yet but it definitely seems to be going strong.
Enjoyment and Overall: 8 If the concept of the show at all sounds interesting to you and you were a fan of things like initial D or Air gear and its rule of cool style of racing against each other than I think as long as your also good with a good amount of cheese then this anime is a good watch for you. Definitely a sort of hidden gem in this godlike season of anime.

This review is edited at the end after 12 episodes because I don't have much to add.

Wow I was not prepared for how much I would like this anime.

There are a few nostalgic things I could compare it to;
Movies: Johnny Kapahala back on board, Brink, Lords of Dogtown (vaguely), Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (very vaguely).

The core of this Anime is the weight of a love for a sport vs. the desire to be the best at that sport and this sport isn't just plain ol skateboarding, it's highly aesthetic wwe style down a dangerous track skateboarding that challenges the ... concept of the sport all together.

But within that trope I don't find the plot to be the most important aspect because there's also a core of friendship vs. individualism which delves into building a really cool group of friends. To me, they were grasping at the hearts of people who grew up around skate culture or any punk like sub culture to evoke memories of that quirky group of friends that came alongside it.

This anime is campy and character based. Love the characters, love the anime.

Reki and Langa pretty cool. They compliment each other very well and prove to be extremely passionate and likable, especially Reki, he's definitely the heart of this show. Their passion and drive is addictive because they made me want to join them because their bond is more like family, a family that they choose.

The development doesn't shy away from challenges. It doesn't stay easygoing at all times. But there's a sort of good indication in a ride or die group of friends that they show here that inspires hope. I really like movies and shows that do stuff like that which is why this rang so positive with me - along with how relatable it is.

The soundtrack is really good. I've heard Indie, Ska, Pop Punk, and more. It'll be good if I can find a good source to dig up all these songs, especially the pop punk song towards the end of episode 4.

The art is also really good. I appreciate the aesthetic of skater stickers and there's so many little details that throw me back to the year 2003 at the height of spencers, hot topic popularity for a certain few groups of subculture that could identify with this anime. They definitely modernize and anime modify these styles so maybe i'm reaching to identify it but I swear it vibes so similar.

This is a feel good anime and I'm really enjoying it. I can't wait to see how this plays out!

---
Edit after episode 12

This is such a good anime. Everything I said before is how I feel now. I really loved the entire progress of this show.

The only thing I want to add is that I hope people who watch it give Langa a little love too. Reki is definitely my favorite but I like Langa almost just as much as him. If Reki is your favorite, try not to let your like for him overshadow how cool Langa is because it might ruin the show for you.

Yes, it's studio Bones...and yes, it's Hiroko Utsumi, director of Free! and Banana Fish. But I believe that this is more than just another passion project of an original sports anime. It's one that's done with lots of respect towards the skateboarding community, more than just being one that's an easy inspiration to Tony Hawk: Pro Skater. Are you ready to SK∞ to Infinity and Beyond?

In the history of anime, sports shows are regular to showcasing what kinds of sports are actually all about, but in rarer cases do we actually get some specific ones, from Welcome to the Ballroom's in-line skating to Yowamushi Pedal's ... bicycle racing. Whereas in SK∞ the Infinity, skateboarding (or it's more correct term of street skateboarding), is a discipline which focuses on flatground tricks, grinds, slides and aerials within urban environments and public spaces. Street skateboarders meet, skate and hang out, in and around urban areas referred to as "spots", which are commonly streets, plazas or industrial areas, or as shown in the anime, the secret place called "S". It's there that like-minded skaters settle for no-holds-barred competition purposes.

It's interesting that Bones has contracted an animation studio known as Studio No Border for the skateboarding designs, and all of this comes from acclaimed French artist Thomas Romain and his small team of multimedia creatives. Having first worked with Shinichiro Watanabe for both spaceship design in Space Dandy and world design on Carole & Tuesday, and working with other studios to produce background design, world art concepts, comics, board games, video games, and animation projects at that time. So it is from that one fateful meeting of just a regular meeting at studio Bones where Thomas Romain and his friends met up with producers who were working on the SK∞ anime, albeit with some reluctance of acceptance since his small team of has had quite the crunch from numerous projects. It's there that they help make the skateboard designs that are strictly peculiar to each and every character in the anime, and knowing director Hiroko Utsumi's extreme sense of attention to detail, Thomas Romain and his small creatives got to work on relentlessly illustrating and negotating with Utsumi from the designs down to the technicals. And that's a hella work that's done to make this show stand out.

For context, Studio No Border designed nine skateboards, and some other designs lke the “S” sticker and the decals, which are the illustrations underneath the skateboard. Here is the list of employees that worked on SK∞:
- Juliette Mercier (skateboard design for Reki, Langa, MIYA, SHADOW, Cherry Blossom, JOE, ADAM)
- Stanislas Brunet (skateboard design and decal for Kikuchi, skateboard rough for Cherry blossom)
- Ayumi Kakei (decals for Reki, Langa, MIYA, sticker of the “S”)
- Thomas Romain (decal for ADAM)
- Loïc Locatelli (decals for JOE and SHADOW)

It's all of these details that tend to miss the public eye, and I really have to commend director Hiroko Utsumi and Studio No Border for creating such a lush show that has skateboarding fans rave in joy of how it mimics the true representation of the sport.

Anyways, since this is the typical "newbie comes into town and learns a new sport" trope, I won't bore too much on its setting, but this is a lil' bit special: Reki Kyan, being an avid lover of skateboarding, working part-time as a mechanic and creating his own custom boards, meets Langa Hasegawa, a half-Japanese, half-Canadian transfer student who grew up as a snowboarder. In typical fashion, both street skateboarding and snowboarding skills can be interchanged as long as the skills required are fit to do so, and Langa immediately gets the hang of skateboarding after the enthusiastic Reki gives him an invitation to the secret "S" skateboarding races and having to race one of its regulars unequivocally, further cementing his position from being the half-assed rookie to a fully-fledged skater.

Being a character drama story, this is where Utsumi places very heavy emphasis onto characterization, and for the most part, has excelled well just like her last series on Banana Fish:
- Both Reki and Langa "Snow" Hasegawa are "brothers for life", from their first initial coincidential meet-up to where they're now: skaters for life, treading through every success and failure, nook and cranny, blood, sweat and tears of relentless training. Whether happy or sad, elated or depressed, these two gay guys definitely have the affinity and not the hots for each other.
The double-parallel life of the "S" skaters:
- Hiromi "Shadow" Higa, kind florist-cum-dirty tactics skater;
- Miya Chinen, junior skater champion whose skills are inspired by pro skater Rodney Mullen's style;
- The double "childhood friend" of Kaoru "Cherry Blossom" Sakurayashiki, calligrapher-cum-AI skater and Kojiro "Joe" Nanjo, chef-cum-childhood rival with Kaoru. These two goofballs are like mature adults that can go head-to-head in the most immature and childish fashion.
- The double Master-Assistant of Ainosuke "Adam" Shindo, politician-cum-legendary "S" skater and assistant Tadashi "Snake" Kikuchi. Even though the wealthy Shindo Family of aunts are of corrupt sound and mind, Ainosuke is but a victim to upholding the family's honours, by hook or by crook. Assistant Tadashi who've been staying by his side since childhood, teaches the lonely Ainosuke the art of skateboarding, not knowing that it'll prove fatal as time passes with Ainosuke associating pain with love, a twist of psyche.

Adam's Kanji name is also interesting: stylized as 愛抱夢 (but spoken in Katakana), his prominent attack is the "Love Hug", and for those of you who know your languages well, it's a direct translation of that. Even down to the symbolisms of the skater status, Adam is labelled as the "Matador of Love", donning a matador costume and mask. Word is that he's looking for his "Eve", someone to match his unequivocal skating skill levels, and Langa is the supposedly new rookie that he has his eye on. Take a step back on that to realize that this is just like the Bible's representation in the Book of Genesis: Adam (Ainosuke), Eve (Langa) and the Serpent (Tadashi), the "Fall of Adam" becoming synonymous with the fall of humanity (skating) that brings forth dissent of their attitudes. It's these symbolisms which add up to the testament of how Hiroko Utsumi is THAT meticulous, and can greatly ramp up the experience of SK∞ as a whole.

I mean, come on, it's studio Bones, you know that you're gonna get some good visuals and animation, that is hardly a surprise at all. The best parts are not just the skating action itself, but what most people will easily miss are the presentation of the visuals for both the OP and ED, and that they're also directed by Utsumi herself. It's rare that songs like Rude-α's "Paradise" and Yuuri's "Infinity" are given the proper treatment of syncing both songs with the animation, beat by beat and coupled with amazing visuals for the OP and funny skateboarding fails for the ED. Just lovin' those pumping beats and chill lo-fi songs.

This is an exemplary example of a show that even with unintended production hell (like Wonder Egg Priority), has maintained with stride and careful planning to deliver the ultimate experience of a passion project, and I can definitely feel the call-backs to said directed shows helmed by one of the most prominent female directors of the modern anime age. A job well done, and a massive thank you to both Hiroko Utsumi and Bones for making this fine show.

SK∞ the Infinity: Skating is Infinite.

DISSAPOINTED

As someone who actually skateboards, hearing a skateboarding anime was in the works had me Stoked. I was ready to get invested in to the plot and the characters but as a skateboarder its nearly impossible to do. I had some expectations. I thought they would at least consult a few skateboarders about tricks and proper jargon when referring to the board at least but this seems like someone made what they thought skateboarding was.

Aside from that, the story is alright. the characters don't have much depth and two are unlikable. I feel like this show is great for anyone around the 12-16 age ... bracket but if you are older the show lacks substance. I will complete the show and watch till the end but i don't see my opinion changing.

For A Skating Anime It seems like they know Nothing about Skating :(

Of what i have seen so far story wise i can say this is one of the worst shows i have ever seen in my life.

CHARACTERS - the first character they introduces was reki and i thought he was going to be the main of the show but just feels like a side character to the "overpowered" langa that learns how to skate in a day. And dont come at me saying that he learns it so fast because he has 15 years of experience of snowboarding bcs i have skated and showboarded and its not the same. the other characters feel super ... hollow to the story and they dont really add anything to the story whatsoever, they are just there as spectators and some comentary for the guy that makes everything that they say is impossible somehow possible. Yes im talking about the overpowered guy called langa.

ART - the art style is cool but that does not make the show watchable.

MUSIC - the opening is decent and the soundtrack is okay but its nothing special, and you can only listen to the soundtrack if you actually try to pay attention to it.

ENJOYMENT - me and my friend that i watched the eps with really disliked the show bcs nothing really made sense. i feel like they try way to hard to make the characters look unique and i feel like they forgot that they actually need to make the characters have some personality.

ANTAGONIST - The reason i put the antagonist in a separate catagory is that i really need to give this a big rant. Adam the antagonist tries to be so unique and intresting that its almost laughable. I get that they want to make the show have a intresting antagonist but they made everything about him to weird.

i made a bet with my friend that i could predict what would happend before reki challanged Adam and my predicting was that he would lose and langa would win the episode after and that is exactly what happend and when i got it right we just bursted out laughing.

Overall the show is bad and i would rather watch something like taboo tattoo over this piece of garbage.

The anime comes off as both knowledgable and uninitiated in the sport it's trying to portray. It’s both futuristic and backwards at the same time. Some parts of the show are astoundingly realistic, while other times throws logic out the door completely. One of the main characters (Langa) has been a snowboarder since he was 2 years old, yet he’s never been exposed to skateboarding before. And when he tried for the first time, he lost his balance just standing on the board.
I’m sorry, but I haven’t met a snowboarder that couldn’t skate, let alone a snowboarder that’s been doing it for 15 years.
He said ... he couldn’t even do one push, but snowboarders push all the time when they’re on flat snow. This should just come naturally to him.

And they keep saying how it’s unprecedented if he could switch to being a pro skater as if this hasn’t happened in real life.
Like currently two of the best snowboarders in the world are also pro skaters. Ayumu Hirano - olympic snowboarder and skateboarder - was literally their consultant on this anime, how could they not even acknowledge this fact despite his involvement.

Don’t even get me started on the shoes. I don’t care if this was set in the future or alternate timeline, you can’t wear geta on a skateboard. Do they want to die? Even the guy on Tiktok who wears hanfu on his longboard wears skate shoes when he’s riding. I can’t believe such an important aspect of skateboarding is ignored like that. Shoes are as integral to the culture and the sport as the skateboards are themselves.

I also hate how they just combined all the disciplines as if they’re all the same thing. Freestyle skateboarding (Miya) is not the same as downhill (everyone else in that dumb street race), and neither are park or street (Reki). Racing and tricks are two distinct philosophies in this sport. The ollie that the main character Reki was so proud of (to the point he made a whole monologue about how you could skate your entire life without ever learning to ollie, but when you do, your whole life changes), aren’t even a part of racing, yet that’s the event he partakes in every night.

The lack of understanding of each others’ sports as the source of Reki's feeling of inadequacy is so juvenile. Langa progressed so far in such a short amount of time because he’s been snowboarding for 15 years, and Reki knows that. He hadn't been left in the dust because of Langa's raw talent. Langa was NOT a beginner. He already had years of experience. The skills carry over. How can someone, fictional or not, be so dense about that fact? And how can Langa catch so much air you ask? Because it’s fucking standard in snowboarding. Just replay Ayumu’s Tokyo olympics run, the commentator literally said “He’s riding this thing like a (snowboard) halfpipe.”

How many times did they forget and remember about having fun? Did all those crashes give them brain damage? There’s so much unnecessary angst that’s not conducive to character development at all.

In a sport that has hundreds of amazing tricks, this anime just had to invent ones that don’t exist or are impossible to do. And they haven’t even included one skateboarder that looks like a skateboarder. A topless bodybuilder? A businessman in a suit??? A ninja cosplayer in a kimono????

And then in the very last episode, they introduced this fictional supernatural state called the Zone, which is completely taken from Kuroko’s basketball. BUT there is a real life phenomena common in action sports called flow state that illustrates what the zone basically is, why couldn’t they just call it what it really is?

It’s supposed to be a kids' show, but why do they have to make it about illegal racing, and make it more illegal by adding combative elements to the races and have people get away with assault? Skateboarding is rebellious enough as it is. The part where they got busted for trespassing in the parking lot was one of the most relatable and realistic parts about skateboarding in this anime, and I wish they included more of that instead.

But I’m glad they didn’t downplay the kinds of injuries you get from this sport. I’m glad that action sports is getting representation in anime, the art is great, even though the story is a letdown. I don’t have high hopes for season 2.

I started to watch this show after seeing it be highly rated by pretty much everyone. I told myself that "it's a shonen about skateboarding, how bad can it be?". Quite bad actually.

STORY: 2/10

How do you make such an interesting concept boring, is beyond my understanding. An amazing concept absolutely butchered by a lack of ideas. Its like the studio held a meeting where one guy said "Lets make an anime about skateboarding" and then they just ran with that whole idea and never talked again. The main characters are interesting but every single other person in the whole show you have probably seen about ... 20 times in an shonen. The pacing is way too quick and the whole show just screams "lack of ideas". I mean, the MC faces up against the main antagonist of the whole show, the best skater ever, in episode 4. Cant see the story heading anywhere.

ART: 8/10

I have said before that i am a huge BONES fan, and if BONES know something, its amazing animation with lack-luster story. The animation is amazing and the show manages to look better than some of the best shows airing this season. On a technical level the show is top-notch. The only issue i would have is the quite obvious short-cuts they take to make things easier to animate. (Like bro, please stop aiming the camera at the ground.

SOUND: 8/10

And that also translates into the sound section, the OP and EP are great and the music during the show is really really good. Can't really complain about anything other than the fact that some music clearly repeats itself trough-out the show.

CHARACTER: 1/10

Horrible, It gets 1 point for the main characters but even they aren't flawless. I would start getting into details but i am afraid of going on a rant so the only thing i'll say is that in one month time you are not going to remember who any of these characters are.

ENJOYMENT: 4/10

If you're favorite anime ever is God of highschool then you might have a blast. Other than that, i think the story is too bad and distracting to enjoy the good animation and music.

ENDING STATEMENT: Really great on a technical level but anime is more than that. The most important thing is the story and this show lacks an acceptable one. Its a huge shame since the concept is really interesting but i highly recommend you don't waste your time watching this. (WATCH WONDER EGG PRIORITY INSTEAD)

OVERALL: 4/10 (closer to a 5)

I love this show so far!!!! The characters are so pretty and the art style is gorgeous! I love watching this show week after week, the only problem I have is the hollow feeling I get after watching the newest episodes :((

The way the antagonist is intimidating to even you, the viewer is phenomenal! I love this show even more because it's the first skateboarding anime! I recently just started getting into skateboarding myself and it just makes me enjoy the show even more.

I love Renki and Langa together, they're just so great together! The other characters are great too!

"When I was a kid, back when I watched heroes on TV and stuff, the hero said, "What is your happiness?"
He absolutely hated ending without knowing what happiness was, he said.
But no one knows the answer to the meaning of happiness.
I thought " Don't say scary stuff to kids that aren't even in grade school yet."
To become rich?
To be popular with girls?
To get into a good school?
To be respected?
Of course, I'm sure that for many, that's what happiness is.
But none of them are my happiness.
... I know... what my happiness is!"

SK8 starts with a relatively common monologue but oh I was so wrong to judge the beginning so fast by such generic words. It surprised me big time.


- Story -

SK8 seems like any other sports Anime with it's simple story line that consists of a quirky, loud MC and a timid, quiet transfer student who become friends and do sports stuff together. But it isn't. Yes, it's plain and ordinary and we saw it so many times before but what makes SK8 so special is the idea of a complete different setting than your average high school sports club. They call it "S", a secret racing route in an abandoned mine. It's refreshing, it's new, it's something else. It doesn't have a big main plot, not even in a slightest, but that's what makes it so entertaining and diverse. They don't want to go to nationals, win tourneys or fight against strong opponents to become the best of the best. They just want to have fun but also test their limits against others. What teenagers actually want to do – have fun while doing the things they love. The story isn't really going anywhere but I don't mind it at all in SK8. They still deliver, they still manage to make it interesting and exciting and they still find things to never make it boring or dull. There are no slow moments in SK8, zero, it's always moving forward. The pacing can feel too fast but for me, it has the perfect progression. There's no big goal or a proper plot but it's still highly enjoyable.


- Art and Animation -

Bones at it's finest! I love the bright colors, the character designs are unique and fresh and the fluid animation is superb. There's not a single thing I dislike about the art. It's appealing to watch and to look at. Especially the skateboard animation in a race (even small things like how the board moves) are totally excellent - visually and animation-wise. You can tell they took their time and effort to animate it so smoothly. Also the outfits of the characters are great and totally fit in the skateboard setting. Amazing.


- Characters -

I was totally surprised by the cast and the MC's. They seem generic and your typical sports Anime characters at first but I was so wrong again. We have Reki, who is your average noisy, shrill and freaky MC that actually struggles hard to find his place in this sports. I was totally shook by his sudden fight against himself after realizing that he can't compete against Langa. It totally gave me a different view on his character. In other shows, the MC never felt like how Reki did. He is scared and uneasy and that's what makes him so human and realistic. He is the opposite of Langa, who seemed calm and gentle at first but developed differently than what I expected. Nevertheless, you directly feel connected to Langa and Reki's relationship, they immediately flow together and I loved their natural bond even though they're so different from each other. You watch them learn, fail, fight and have fun together, it feels genuine. The other characters are also strong and everyone has their own interesting background, struggles, goals, traits and motivation. What brings them together is their passion for skateboarding. Everyone, really..., everyone is so likable and sympathetic in their own way. The dynamics are wonderful, they're amusing to watch and the interactions feel casual and unforced. Miya, Cherry, Joe and even Shadow are also lovable but unfortunately there's nothing special what makes them stand out. Adam can act over the top and unrealistic sometimes but he's still kind of fascinating and when he's on screen, you're promptly entertained. The show definitely knows how to make their characters endearing.


- Sound -

The OST is amazing. It fits well in the scenes and it really stands out. I don't usually pay that much attention to the music but I definitely know when the sound is special and in SK8, it really is. The Soundtrack isn't overshadowed by anything and I love it. OP and ED are awesome, too.


- Enjoyment and Overall-

This is the point, where my scoring of 8 (maybe even 9 when they keep up the quality) is coming from: SK8 gives you this special adrenaline blast while watching. It's fast-paced and thrilling. You're hyped and absorbed in the world of skateboarding. And by the way, you also learn little things about the sport. They don't info-dump or make it complicated but still manage to give you important details. You have a fair amount of drama and a good balance of serious and fun moments. You don't have a super deep plot but it still entertains you from the start of a Episode to the very end. I don't even think, SK8 WANTS to be deep or complex, it just wants to have fun. And sometimes this is enough to be great. The last time I felt this fascinated by an Anime was a long time ago and back then it was Kuroko no Basket, that gave me the 'guilty pleasure' vibes. But SK8 definitely has more to offer: some character traits and the MCs surprised me, the setting is unique and you're not getting bored for one second. Recommended.

The skating isn't realistic at all. It feels like the studio didn't research skateboarding and the culture and created a story about what they thought skateboarders were like. The plot was lacklustre. The anime did nothing terrible, but it did nothing great either. The only decent things were the art and animation.

Nothing was interesting about the characters. The MC is the generic, overly energetic protagonist. The deuteragonist is the stereotypical emotionless and "cooler" character and probably the most interesting character in the show, which says a lot about the rest. And the villain is basically just Hisoka from Walmart. Also, this one's more of ... a personal preference, but as a Christian, I was not fond of the Adam and Eve comparisons in the later episodes. Even objectively, the Adam and Eve metaphors were pointless, didn't make much sense and failed to add extra substance to the characters and the overarching story.

If you were like me and wanted to watch this anime because you are into skateboarding, you should save your time and not watch it. If you wish to watch it for the story and don't care about how realistic the skateboarding is, it would probably be more bearable... but you should also save your time and find something with a more intriguing plot.

This review don't contain spoiler.
Sorry for my bad English.

Sk8 the infinity I would say that it proved to be a nice spokon, I almost seemed to see Initial D on the skate I swear,then obvious Inital D is on a completely different level

Those who expect something realistic and those who are a lover of skate may perhaps be disappointed given that such a thing in reality could not exist, but we are still talking about an anime that is also very crude and at the same time cool at the end.
The skate competitions are really exciting and the characters are nice, I especially liked ... the relationship between the two protagonists.
For the rest there is a lot of already seen and with many clichés, but the fact remains that it is still enjoyable in this context.

The best part of all anime though is the sound, with great soundtracks.
The animations are also of a high standard, but we're talking about Stubio Bones so that's nothing new.
Having said that I would say a very pleasant original spokon, not among the best for many reasons but still not to be missed.

this review contains minor spoilers!

THINGS I LIKED:

1. the realism of the show.

sk8 the infinity isn't exactly the most realistic anime there is. the skating of most of the characters are often something people in real life couldn't ever physically pull off, but i think the show really captured the emotions felt, and the relationships between each character. the characters actually felt like real people, with realistic insecurities and emotions, which i think played quite a big part in why i liked the show so much.
(i would also like to say that despite a lot of scenes in sk8 weren't realistic, it doesn't mean that it's ... like,, bad. shows or stories that is based off an activity we do irl doesn't mean it has the be realistic.)

2. the character designs.

each character in sk8 are different and recognizable in their own way. like in real life, they all had their different personalities and strengths, and they all had their own interesting backstory. i think each character was written and designed really well, and we could see they each had complex personalities despite the show only having 12 episodes.

3. the music/intro.

i don't have a lot to say here, but i really loved the intro. it was super catchy and had an upbeat and positive vibe, which the show itself portrayed.

4. the overall theme/message.

i think sk8 does a good job of making the main message relevant. in my opinion the main message is not how "skating is infinite" or "skating is fun", but is how "anything can be fun if you're doing it with the right people/people you care about". we can see this when (SPOILERS) reki and langa don't feel the appeal of skating when they had their argument, and also when adam doesn't realize how skating is fun and just ends up hurting people. i like how they wrote the story in a way where this message is reflected in not only the main plot but also in the character's emotions.

5. other things i liked were...

in conclusion, i loved the overall vibe of the story and also how they implemented a lot of funny scenes in the story without it feeling forced or just,, unfunny. i think the story flowed really well and there was a backstory or development for a lot (if not all) of the main characters.

THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BETTER:

1. adam.

i don't really need to say more lol. i think how adam acted towards langa was super unnecessary and could have been written much, much better. it didn't exactly ruin my overall enjoyment of the show, but it definitely soured the show a little bit. adam had a super weird personality at times which i couldn't understand, and i definitely think there was a potential to write him to become a better (and less weird) antagonist, as he already had a sad/unfortunate backstory.

2. the lack of female characters + the relevancy of the existing ones.

the show has a lot of complex and great character designs, but i wished there was actually a female character that could have played a bigger role. this fact didn't really bother me when i was watching the show the first time, but when i was looking back at it, i wished that there was more representation.
kiriko, who was the inspector in sk8, wasn't exactly relevant in the plot. she was just,,, there, and i think that was kind of a waste (unless she becomes useful in the future if there's going to be a continuation of a story??).

3. the argument on whether the show is gay or not, and how that affected the show itself.

there were definitely parts where the show seemed like it was hinting that some characters could be gay (?). not only were there scenes like this (especially in the dub), but the show was also directed by the same person who directed banana fish (which was gay). as much as i like my ships in the show, i lowkey feel like the show is taking the route that i like to call 'the yuri on ice route'.
basically, it's where everything else good in the show, whether it be the plot, music, character development, is overshadowed by if the characters are gay or not. i do admit that i would like some pairings to become canon, but i'm just worried that the show would just become known as enjoyable because there are gay people. representation of the lgbtq+ is always welcomed, but just because something is gay/has a character in the lgbtq+, doesn't mean it's good. like, i don't want sk8 to be known as 'the anime that has gay characters!!! they also skate btw but that doesn't really matter because we're here for the ships!!', but rather as 'the cool skating anime. also some characters could be gay but that doesn't really affect the show.' or whatever.



overall, though, i did really enjoy watching the show. ofc, there were some parts i thought that could have been improved (e.g, like, adam as a whole apart from his backstory,,,). sk8 was super fun, and i had a really great time watching the show!

thanks for reading!

this is the only good anime. all other anime is bad.

if you think other anime are good and you haven't seen this one? well you're wrong. and if you have seen this one and you still think there are other good anime? well you're wrong again.

this anime isn't for little babies who sit around picking their nose crying over some garbage slice of life same ol' regurgitated stories.

this anime for da boys. only watch this anime if you like to skate fast, eat ass .

visuals? BANGING
story ? AMAZING
... character? INSANE

if you don't like this anime there is a good chance you are a stupid baby.

Is this show full of generic, cliché moments? Yup. Are the characters really all that unique? Nope. Are the gay undertones extremely strong? hell yeah. But the animation and directing is awesome, and the show is enjoyable as hell. I've always had a passing interest in skateboarding and its cool to see a take on the subject in anime-form. Its by the same director who did Banana Fish (one of my fave anime) so if you enjoyed the visual style of that SK8 has the same vibes. Its got some hilarious moments too, and the pacing is steady. This show managed to distract me from ... the pain of getting my wisdom teeth out, so I'd say its worth a shot.