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| THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE. ---------------------------------------- Tbh, I feel like this episode kinda dragged but they did manage to add some excitement to the tournament. The diversity of the skaters in partcular has my interest. Plus, everyone wants to push themselves to be the best. Shadow's win was short but well deserved. I guess they're trying to get the jobbers out of the first rounds before the real games begin. |
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| The "S" tournament of "love" has begun...and Reki is still reeling in the frustration from last week. It's creepy thinking that Adam's experience of "love" is birthed from family expectations, plus the beefs in "S" with Cherry Blossom and Joe's discernment of the past. But besides that, the preliminaries are there to solidify the main character cast together for the final stretch...EXCEPT for one outlier: his own personal assistant "Snake" Tadashi beating out Shadow. See the Christian biblical symbolism there between Adam, Eve, and the Serpent/Snake? Reki is the epitome of "Expectation feeds frustration", and things begin to go very wrong for Adam's political position, to which Inspector Kiriko is gaining her lead on the bribery case. But no worry, the tournament is Priority No. 1, and Tadashi has been prepared as the "sacrifical lamb" of Adam's. The separate downtime the character cast, I'd thought it's a nice moment as the calm before the storm. Though I feel like Langa and his mom's conversation was the funniest, apart from being a familial parent-child talk. Shadow vs. Harry, PASS. "Snow" Langa vs. Joe, this is the real deal as it's the first time these two are pitted against each other. NGL, Joe's battle sense is impressive, and Langa's gonna have a tough beef on his hands. |
KANLen09Feb 28, 2021 5:21 AM
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| Is there going to be a come back arc of some sort? Doesn't look like there are enough remaining episodes to do this. If not then one of the main characters became sort of pointless to the actual story. |
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| The mother trying to help Langa relationship thinking he was talking about a girl was pure gold, lmao. |
| Damn, the SNAKE guy was something else. Like surpassing Adam is a huge deal. Langa's mom was so hilarious. Also, in the first round, Shadow won. Then we've to look forward to the winner of the next match between Langa and Joe. More matches comin' up. |
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| There was so much happening in this episode, I don't even know where to start. Reki giving Langa the cold shoulder was foreseeable, but hurt nonetheless. He's still hurt and frustrated, but also ashamed of how he treated Langa, but he doesn't know how to resolve the situation. The depiction of an argument/misunderstanding between two awkward teenagers is really on point. It's good to see that Langa misses Reki a lot and that skating isn't much fun for him when his best friend isn't there. He also seems to have a hunch now what might be wrong with Reki, even though it's sad that he seems to blame himself when he's not the only one at fault. I count Reki showing up to the race as progress though, but I sincerely hope that they don't make him give up skating and "degrade" him so just building boards. I get what they're trying to say, that you don't have to be on top of the list to live and love your passion, that you can pursue it through other ways as well. But sometimes you can accept that you're not a genius but still fight for your dream and I hope that Reki will be a fighter. Tadashi turning out to be a skater as well was kinda obvious, but I would'nt have thought that he was the one that taught Adam how to skate. Also the last scene with the symbol, their relationship seems to be much deeper and much more comlicated that I'd thought. And now we also know why Adam has this twisted concept on love, no wonder when you're abused as a child and told that pain equals love. Again, I wished there were more episodes. There was a lot of plot in this one episode and it was kinda hard to keep up with it, but as a whole I still like where this is going. This upbeat, fun anime really got a deeper thoughtful side to it that I like. |
| SNAKE is here to put Adam in his place! At least Reki has the balls to spectate the tournament now. I wonder if he's going to have a good comeback soon, or if the series just ends with him regaining his love for skating. |
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| Well, what I like about this show is that it is unapologetically over-the-top and has great skate scenes, and both were on full display this episode. ADAM’s secretary joining the tournament as SNAKE is so in-your-face that I gotta respect it. JOE jumping off a rock at full speed and CHERRY’s computer board adds to this as well. Reki needs to get over himself though, and I was completely on the money with the BL vibes I got earlier in the season. |
| Great episode. A lot of background infos. Liked the thing with Tadashi. But the story about Adam and the old females (his aunts I think?) was a bit too much. Ha ha. I guess this will focus in Langa and Adam and Tadashi now. Reki probably will become a guy that creates skateboards. Already thought of this direction in the previous episode. Him watching a guy in tv that was a runner and later went to make shoes ... might give him an idea. |
| As expected, Reki will be on a support role after this since he's the only one without super-power in this serie. (Aka normal person) Since this anime is only a 1 cour thing I don't think there's enough room for Reki to suddenly get a big bump in the end like other shonen sport anime (With much longer story and multiple seasons ) However, he shows talent of being a skateboard maker/ instructor , so it'd probably end up being him supporting Lenga fully to win against Adam . The power of friendship type of theme. Afterall Lenga's board is completely customized by Reki to begin with. PS: I know this anime is kinda Free/ Yuri on Ice vibe since it's a full male casts, but it still cracks me up when the official themselves declare this love relationship. (Aka great job mom!) |
| "From a narrative perspective, I really dislike this decision to designate Reki to a "support" role which is clearly where this is headed. It doesn't solve any of his character problems and just goes to the path of him acquiescing and changing in order to fit the story. For me, their skating relationship can only really work as equals as Reki had always desired from the start since he lost his friend due to an injury - it's a very weak narrative to then ignore that completely and have him be a skater on the side that just supports Langa. I also don't buy the "it would be unrealistic if Reki improved massively" because firstly Reki has always been great, and most of it right now is just a mental block which only happened when people started teasing him about it directly. Secondly, in a show where someone can become "Japanese national team level" in 2 months of skating (regarldess of snowboard experience), and gravity-defying skateboard tricks and AI-skateboards that are decades away technology-wise in real life, it simply isn't that unrealistic for Reki to break out of his mental block and realise his worth as a skater. From an audience standpoint, it's not satisfying either if "Reki is a support" is what they go with considering Reki has been less relevant than about 4 other protagonists throughout the show till now, despite him supposedly being a protagonist and we've all noticed this week after week in the discussions." Read this elsewhere and I pretty much agree on all of this. Also Joe vs. Langa next episode, huh. Well I hope for the writers sake, they make Langa finally take a loss here. This episode says it all. He was never skating for the adrenaline, but enjoying skating with Reki. Joe and Cherry actually have a motive and it'd be stupid for Langa who's unrelated to be the one to beat Adam considering the past is tied to all 3 of them. Joe or Cherry need to be the one bring Adam back, not Langa. Plus, no matter how good everyone says Langa is (each freaking episode), it'd be stupid to see on-screen a beginner win against someone as experienced as Joe and Cherry. The snowboarding since he was 2 excuse is dry af. |
CEOAmaterasuFeb 27, 2021 12:20 PM
| Everyone competing in "S" has something riding on it. Some want to knock sense into ADAM, others want to be the best and one cannot lose for unexplained reasons. Interesting. |
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| Oh, common Reki, 3 episodes of the "emo" phase are way too much for 12 ep anime, wake up! |
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| It would be a shame if Reki just got discarded and ended up being nothing special. I hope Reki improves. |
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| Really interesting episode! Reki X Langa feels a little more canon with the wisdom of Langa's mother. Who was that Harry? He seemed to be at Reki's level, good but not great at dodging Shadow's tricks. On the topic of Reki, I really hope he starts skating again, for fun at least, competition isn't for everyone. Here's something I noticed; Tadashi taught Adam how to skate, then Adam got really good at it, and Tadashi worked hard to end up beyond Adams level. Then we have Reki teaching Langa, who got really good at it, but will Reki keep going and working hard like Tadashi? The two relationships are very different, but maybe there's something to it. I feel like I'm missing info. Also, at the beginning of this episode, I think the person skating with Adam is Reki's old friend who got injured. That certainly complicates things. I wonder if Reki knows it was Adam. |
IamVermillionFeb 27, 2021 12:36 PM
Ryuk is somewhat relatable |
| the "coming out" scene was soooo cute <3 i'm honestly glad they're going this far. i didn't expect this anime to be this gay at all, and i appreciate it. still, i don't think any of the gay ships will actually be canon, but it's great to see the staff taking the gayness this far. |
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| I wouldn't be surprised if they released a new key visual and didn't put Reki on it lol. Reki fulfilled his life's purpose at the moment Langa learned how to skate. Creators treat him like shit. I don't know why but Langa can't skate like a god without Reki's cheers apparently. I hate these kind of forced drama episodes. I liked Langa and her mother's conversation. Joe's move at the end was sick. |
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Gokalp said: the "coming out" scene was soooo cute <3 i'm honestly glad they're going this far. i didn't expect this anime to be this gay at all, and i appreciate it. still, i don't think any of the gay ships will actually be canon, but it's great to see the staff taking the gayness this far. One of the director in this serie is the director from Free/ Banana Fish, so it is to be expected. I mean you can already see who the anime is targeting to from how cute the OP is alone. |
Ventus_SFeb 27, 2021 12:54 PM
El3na said: I’m so annoyed with the patient of this episode like I was hoping for some sort of reunion or maybe more reki content and him slowly finding his skating style but noo once again he barely is included and is in the sidelines. There aren’t enough episodes for some sort of Arc to happen and I’m just disappointed with how they are portraying him as some sort of supportive extra. Like give my boy a break and show his evolvement and how he grows and finds his own skating style and reaches langa and them being besties again:( we get it the rest are geniuses BUT I WANT REKI TO SUDDENLY WOW US AND LEAVE EVERYONE SPEECHLESS COME ONNNNN if not its a waste of a good character like whats his purpose?!? im just disappointed to not see reki as a contestant i hope he suddenly shows up and beats everyone the only thing that got me excited was langa basically confessing he likes reki and then joe and langas match Be patient dude. I think this tournament is for Langa to actually recognize how important Reki is to him. So reunion can come a bit later, but surely too. (Heck Reki is there already so I can see where this is going. Reki gonna cheer for Langa in the end for the match.) |
Ventus_SFeb 27, 2021 1:22 PM
| shiiiiiiiiit now I wanna see Langa's mom have her own spin off series loool, maybe a prequel before olivers death or smth but tbh didn't expect the assistant dude to end up being involved in this competition at all lmao, thought he was just gonna be on the sidelines the whole time z00nex said: I don't know why but Langa can't skate like a god without Reki's cheers apparently. I hate these kind of forced drama episodes. it's most likely a psych issue. He probs feels like he can skate at his best because he knows Reki is there cheering and supporting him. That or, the drama that surrounded the Reki situation is stuck on the back of his mind, so he isn't able to properly focus on skateboarding |
 'On-Hold' is another way for a completionist to say 'Dropped' |
| I can understand why some are critical of Reki possibly being turned into a support character, when the past episodes have built him up to wanting to be a skater. But with only 4 episodes left, I think it would be a bit of an asspull for him to magically get better at skating. I mean, he can't enter the tournament anymore can he? I've seen some speculate that Langa's skateboard might break, and Langa will go to Reki to fix it for him, and then they'll make up. There's a lot of reasons to hate Adam, but all the melodrama btw him and Tadashi is like watching a soap opera or reading a trashy-drama BL manga. That scene at the end with Tadashi touching that heart symbol was so damn cheesy haha. It's hard to take it seriously because of how over the top it is. I'm guessing Adam will lose to somebody, whether it's Tadashi or Langa. During Langa's conversation w/his mom, it was obvious that she thought Langa was talking about a girl. I see folks on twitter screaming that Reki and Langa is canon because Langa came out as gay for Reki. But as much as that would be nice to see, I don't see it happening at all. I wouldn't call it queer bait either though, despite how heavily queer coded this anime is. |
Short_Circut said: Yeah I can get that but he didn't even think about how Reki felt before Reki started ignoring him. Not that I'm a fan of Reki, I just find their relationship weird. z00nex said: I don't know why but Langa can't skate like a god without Reki's cheers apparently. I hate these kind of forced drama episodes. it's most likely a psych issue. He probs feels like he can skate at his best because he knows Reki is there cheering and supporting him. That or, the drama that surrounded the Reki situation is stuck on the back of his mind, so he isn't able to properly focus on skateboarding |
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expired_0 said: It would be a shame if Reki just got discarded and ended up being nothing special. I hope Reki improves. I think he's at a really low point right now. Things can get better, especially since Langa, Miya, ect care about him. |
| Ryuk is somewhat relatable |
Ventus_S said: El3na said: I’m so annoyed with the patient of this episode like I was hoping for some sort of reunion or maybe more reki content and him slowly finding his skating style but noo once again he barely is included and is in the sidelines. There aren’t enough episodes for some sort of Arc to happen and I’m just disappointed with how they are portraying him as some sort of supportive extra. Like give my boy a break and show his evolvement and how he grows and finds his own skating style and reaches langa and them being besties again:( we get it the rest are geniuses BUT I WANT REKI TO SUDDENLY WOW US AND LEAVE EVERYONE SPEECHLESS COME ONNNNN if not its a waste of a good character like whats his purpose?!? im just disappointed to not see reki as a contestant i hope he suddenly shows up and beats everyone the only thing that got me excited was langa basically confessing he likes reki and then joe and langas match Be patient dude. I think this tournament is for Langa to actually recognize how important Reki is to him. So retunion can come a bit later, but surely too. (Heck Reki is there already so I can see where this is going already. Reki gonna cheer for Langa in the end for the match.) I agree very much. Also, if all this adorable gay shit doesn't become canon, me any ma homies will be throwing hands! There's so much hinting, and if that doesn't go anywhere in terms of proper representation, it's queer bait. Period. |
| Ryuk is somewhat relatable |
| I hope Reki won't decide to become a "support" by making skateboards but train and imrove in skating instead. It would be kinda disappointing otherwise. Great episode like always though, really loving this anime. |
minfairys said: langa's mom: you like that person right? langa: well... yeah *blushing* langa's mom: you have to act on it if you really care abt her langa: her? langa's mom: huh langa's mom next morning: "google, what to do if son is gay?" me: blushing as I read your post because I've found an epic person |
| Ryuk is somewhat relatable |
El3na said: I’m so annoyed with the pacing of this episode like I was hoping for some sort of reunion or maybe more reki content and him slowly finding his skating style but noo once again he barely is included and is in the sidelines. There aren’t enough episodes for some sort of Arc to happen and I’m just disappointed with how they are portraying him as some sort of supportive extra. Like give my boy a break and show his evolvement and how he grows and finds his own skating style and reaches langa and them being besties again:( we get it the rest are geniuses BUT I WANT REKI TO SUDDENLY WOW US AND LEAVE EVERYONE SPEECHLESS COME ONNNNN if not its a waste of a good character like whats his purpose?!? im just disappointed to not see reki as a contestant i hope he suddenly shows up and beats everyone the only thing that got me excited was langa basically confessing he likes reki and then joe and langas match Be patient my friend. The last thing we need is a Promised Neverland treatment where we skip shit just to get to a certain point. |
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| I held out thinking Reki would somehow pick himself back up, but I'm afraid the show is implying they'll designate him to a support role, making skateboards for Langa. If that is the case, that would be a devistatingly bad move on the writers' part. That would not solve any of the issues he's having. Reki loves skateboarding and wants to be on equel footing with Langa, that's the whole point. Their friendship and love of skateboarding is what fuels the show. This is deeply concerning as I've enjoyed this show greatly. A little clever there naming Adam's brother or whatever the hell he is Snake, mirroring Satan in thd story of Adama and Eve, the one who convinced Eve to eat the forbidden fruit which ultimately got them kicked out of Eden. It appears he's just as good if not better than Adam himself. |
| Yeah, this might turn out disappointing if Reki decides he wants to "support the better skater" Langa by making boards for him |
| This anime shit is addictive |
| Another extremely enjoyable episode! I knew it was Tadashi the moment I saw him, but it’s an interesting twist that he was the one who taught Adam how to skate. I wonder what direction the anime would go with that. Adam was being creepily obsessed with Snow as always, but it was very amusing to see him not getting any attention from him. It seems at this rate, Reki would realize the importance of being a mechanic and will maybe fix up Langa’s skateboard for the tournament, which would help the two make up. That’ll be really predictable though so hopefully not….but damn, I almost slammed my head against my laptop when the episode ended right there and then. C’mon, not in the middle of a race! Most likely Langa will win, but I hope not lol. |
  "As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower." |
| It was exciting to see Tadashi (SNAKE) skate and also talk back to Adam lol. Ahhh it's frustrating that Reki and Langa haven't made up yet. I don't know how much sad!Langa I can take ;( Also, I'm wondering what direction the writers will go with Reki's character arc. Langa's mother is adorable as always. I didn't expect a glimpse of Adam's childhood, but I'm not complaining. He's an interesting character. Great expectations for him to succeed, his aunts abused him in the past, and basically care more about family image than him as a person. |
Esmera said: Another extremely enjoyable episode! I knew it was Tadashi the moment I saw him, but it’s an interesting twist that he was the one who taught Adam how to skate. I wonder what direction the anime would go with that. Adam was being creepily obsessed with Snow as always, but it was very amusing to see him not getting any attention from him. It seems at this rate, Reki would realize the importance of being a mechanic and will maybe fix up Langa’s skateboard for the tournament, which would help the two make up. That’ll be really predictable though so hopefully not….but damn, I almost slammed my head against my laptop when the episode ended right there and then. C’mon, not in the middle of a race! Most likely Langa will win, but I hope not lol. Another interesting reference here. Adam is finding his Eve. But instead SNAKE shows up (Lilith) Apparently SNAKE is also rebel against Adam and try to drag him down. This anime use a lot of christian symbolism. |
| It's official, Reki and Langa are gay, which is great. I hope that Reki decides to improve his skateboarding rather than just give up. Tadashi looks to give ADAM a taste of his own medicine. This is getting interesting. |
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| Woops lol, guess it's not Adam and Miya again next week. I don't mind if Reki stays bad. His friendship with Langa and the others shouldn't rely on him being as good at them or skating for the same reasons they do. Maybe he can train like crazy in the next few episodes, but idk, it doesn't seem like what he wants. Would also be nice to show that you can enjoy a sport even if you're not a prodigy. |
IsaidlunchFeb 28, 2021 12:14 PM
| I wasn't expecting Adam's assistant to secretly enter the tournament. It seems like he's relatively equal to Adam in terms of skill, which makes sense since he's the one who got Adam into skating. As others have mentioned, it looks like the show is setting Reki up to become a support for other skaters. We've already seen his aptitude for making skateboards, and that interview he was watching seemed to foreshadow that as well. Idk if I like that narrative decision, I'd rather see him improve and continue competing tbh (he's supposed to be the MC right? lol). But then again, they could also be doing that as a way to show that maybe it's better to set aside what you're not super good at to pursue something that suits you even better. |
| People on MAL refuse to actually enjoy watching anime. Your taste in anime isn't a personality trait. MAL is literally just anime Twitter as its own website lol. |
RENGA NATION RISE  |
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