To begin with, it was a dark horse. A show that a lot of people didnt even realize existed until the internet exploded. Then it still went widely ignored. Being that it is my favorite show of the winter season i have bias but, to be honest. It got the attention it deserved.
The show follows two main characters and a very dynamic cast of sides. Reki and Langa. Langa being a Canadian, after his father passed his mother decided to return to her homeland of japan.
Being thrust into this new land with very little preparation Langa is lost. There are not any mountains or snow where he is. so he would need to find a new hobby. He would also have to used to a new language. More specifically how to read and write with it.
But he finds quickly finds a new friend to help.
Reki is skateboarder and when he meets Langa he takes him under his wing. Being obsessed with the sport his whole life, he reads magazines, works in a skate shop, and designs his own boards. His whole life is skate and he finally has someone to truely share it with. Someone who can see it the way he does rather than someone that does it to look cool.
Reki is also a part of an underground club called S. A place where all the best skaters gather to race downhill with no rules.
After some plot, Reki and Langa get roped into a race. Rather, Langa gets roped in despite being new to the sport.
And as you can guess he performs surprisingly well. Why? Because he was a snowboarder. And the gap is not that far.
The show now follows the two friends and their adventures with S.
If you know the team that made this show, you can guess the tone of the story as it is very similar to Bananafish. It also shares the wonderful art. If you are not familiar, the show is very friendly to people that like shipping men together. So that may turn you off like it did with Bananafish viewers.
Then if you couldn't care less, the story keeps you strapped in but im not spoiling quite yet.
Now back to me mentioning the show getting the attention it deserved. It doesn't do anything to separate itself from other shounen in it's subgenre let alone the genre in general.
The underdog main character isnt an underdog for long. Now he is comparable to the best if not better. Now we watch as he looks to snatch the crown for himself weather he wants to or not.
We've seen this a thousand times in anime, so it comes down to execution. Even the obligatory beach episode hits all the notes.
Thing is, the show executed more than perfectly. Hey, if you are new to anime it will feel like one of the best shows youve ever watched with little competition. But, if you happen to be bored with shounen sequence, the art and skating will keep you engaged. Everyone is happy.
Now for heavy spoiling. Like i mentioned. Langa is talented. He immediately becomes a god at the sport. This of course grabs the attention of the number one skater Adam. The man that started S. The man who started it only to find someone who can grab his attention. Someone different from the others, special. Be it how unpredictable Langa is or how he uses snowboarding tricks for skating or whatever else. Langa is everything he has been looking for all these years. And Adam will have him.
Not that our side characters wont get the way. Than handsome and musclebound Joe. The beautiful and graceful perfectionist that is Cherry. (These two approach skating in opposite ways so the rub each other the wrong way. Joe is a brute that relies on muscle and instinct. Cherry uses a computer and only wants the perfect way down the mountain.)
There is also rookie hunter that likes to play dirty in Shadow. And much much more.
The important one here being, Reki. One of the weaker skaters in S. Who of course becomes jealous of Langa. Sad that he feels like Langa is skating way from him. And mad that Langa cant keep a promise. So eventually the two break up until Reki finds his love for skating again.
I've been rambling. Its an amazing show. If you want to watch it. Just do it.
