#Sk8 infinity series#

He feels no rush for skateboarding UNTIL he hears Reki cheer for him, and when he wins his beef against Joe, the first thing he does is try and find Reki. Langa has spent the past two episodes calling out to Reki, not enjoying skateboarding one bit EVEN IF he was looking forward to the tournament. This isn’t uncommon in sports anime where two characters drift aimlessly until they find their way back to each other, but this? This is a lot. Meanwhile, Langa is CLEARLY lost without Reki. Now Reki’s questioning everything about himself and skateboarding. There was no “I’ll improve so I can beat him next time,” just a quiet, “Langa, please, don’t face him.” Reki’s own defeat didn’t matter nearly as much as Langa’s safety so the two of them could continue to enjoy skateboarding together. How quickly we lose love for things because of other people’s opinions.Įven after his disastrous match against Adam, Reki’s only concern was Langa not going against him because he didn’t want him to get hurt.

Reki just LIKES skateboarding, so much so that he can appreciate others who are out there doing it, at least, he could until everyone started making comments about him. I talk more about that in my anime round-up here, but as sad as I am about what’s going on with Reki, it’s extremely realistic and relatable. Turns out Langa’s the prodigy, which Reki’s actually fine with until people start making him feel insecure about his skills.

#Sk8 infinity series#

Reki’s boy crush wonderment on the amazing new guy, Langa, and Langa’s quiet smiles over Reki’s excitement over skateboarding are the stuff sports anime ships are made of.īut it turns out SK8 had bigger plans for these two.īefore watching the series I thought Reki would be the skateboarding prodigy, especially since he ends up teaching Langa the basics. I knew this was gonna be the ship of the series. My Heart Doesn’t Respond To Anyone (or Anything) But You: Reki and Langa (Renga).So I’m gonna dive into the ships, discuss the ridiculous amount of context for said ship, and bemoan the fact that we only have a few episodes left and it’s been weeks of rainy day angst. Oh, and the series himbo looks at this man: Characters calling their matches dates, bringing roses to said “date,” and the whole Adam and Eve reference aside (Adam, can you chill for two seconds, please?), there are moments where certain characters just can’t function, like, at ALL, unless if a particular character is cheering them on. SK8 the Infinity is no exception, as to be expected from Hiroko Utsumi (director for Free! and Banana Fish), but this series has been, well, way more boy’s love implied than I thought it would be. Sports anime is heavy on the emotional weight behind the sport in question, complete with themes of friendship, lifelong bonds, and plenty of conflicts that make you scream JUST KISS ALREADY.

Shipping is just a part of the sports anime experience.

Can we talk about SK8 the Infinity ships, please?īecause after nine episodes of anime skateboarding antics that dares to be headed toward a RECAP episode after what happened in that ninth episode I kinda need to talk about my boys.