I don’t think there’s any question that SK∞ is about the most ridiculous thing going, in a good way. But add Adam to the mix and that gets cranked up to eleven. Once thing for sure, the seiyuu here aren’t being paid for subtlety – and they’re earning every penny. I suspect the only piece of direction sound director Mima Masafumi has offered so far is “No! Go bigger!”
Adam may or not be the final boss, but at the very least he seems not to be headed for a breakneck redemption like Old Man (“I’m still only 24!”) Shadow. All of the other sk8ers are admirably working-class (or at least not rich in Angel’s case) or kids, but Adam checks all the boxes. He’s loaded, he’s arrogant, he’s insanely good, and apparently he loves to physically injure the skaters he beefs with. They all (the adults, anyway) have secret lives apart from the skating world, but Adam’s secret life is basically that of a supervillain.
Joe and Angel – especially Joe – seem to have the respect of their younger peers as elder statesmen of “S”. Over a bowl of ramen Joe tries to warn Reki off skating his beef with Adam, on the grounds that he’s put all his other opponents in the hospital. My favorite part of this sequence was Joe playing up the beloved sempai card and offering to pay for Reki and Langa’s ramen, then throwing a ¥1000 note on the counter. He and Angel have their own grudge (“seven years ago”) with Adam, but for now the line forms behind Reki.
Miya takes up the mantle of trying to warn Reki off this match. He too has experience with Adam above and beyond being publicly humiliated by him, and it’s clear that Adam knows what he’s talking about where skateboarding is concerned. I’m still not totally clear what Adam’s connection to skating in his “respectable” mode is, but once he slips into the “Matador of Love” (seriously, Bones?) character, all bets are off. The fans adore him, but his peers know his dark side. The Matador isn’t really interested in Reki at all – this challenge is just a way for him to get at Langa (who the circuit has taken to calling “Snow”) – who he definitely does have an interest in.
It’s nice to see Reki come back into focus as a skateboarder and not just a mechanic (or tech, or whatever they’re called). But there’s not much indication that he’s a talent on the same level as the big dogs in SK∞. Miya desperately tries to get him to train properly (including eat properly), and to teach him a few techniques he’ll need against Adam. The big fear is Adam’s “love hug” move, which supposedly allows him to skate uphill, which I guess would be a pretty big deal to a skater. It’s not immediately clear why that would be so useful, but Adam makes it abundantly clear during the beef with Reki.
Tasty or not, Langa is certainly going to prove more of a challenge for Adam than Reki did. I’m still not sure where all this is headed, and what Reki’s role is going to be – there’s no obvious endpoint for the plot as you’d find in some sports series. But that’s not as big a problem for SK∞ as it would be for most shows, since the appeal here is mostly just these likeable goofuses make goofuses of themselves, followed up by some gorgeously animated racing sequences. And so far at least, that’s plenty appealing enough.
Derrick
January 31, 2021 at 7:48 pmslice of life sports, cranked up to whatever director’s fancy.
animealex
January 31, 2021 at 8:40 pm“Old man” Shadow is quickly becoming one of my favorites, while Miya is an adorable little shit (“I’ll tell that lady!”). These two are a great addition to team Reki&Langa and I hope we’ll see more of their antics together.
As for the “Matador of Love” Adam, I said last week that I really don’t like him and I like him even less. There’s his rudeness towards his faithful follower (“You’re just a dog.”), also his manifest sadism (poor Reki) and the fact, that he’s already being compared to real Super villains like Hisoka. (Sweety, real Super villains don’t need a mask to hide behind!)
My prediction from last week still stands: Adam will try to drive a wedge between Reki and Langa. How the show handles that, will determine how good it really is. Apart from the great production values, the humor, the likable cast etc.
Damn, never had I thought, that an anime about skating would be one of my Saturday highlights. This is so much fun!
Guardian Enzo
January 31, 2021 at 9:45 pmHeh, I’ve seen the Hisoka comparisons and while I agree Hisoka would have him screaming and hiding under the bed in 5 seconds, I do get it – there’s clearly an homage factor there. And Koyasu is really chewing the scenery with the best of them.
Agree about Shadow and Miya – they’re a winning pair and add something to the mix. I like Angel and Joe too, especially Joe. Like I side, a cast of likeable goofuses making goofuses of themselves.
Snowball
February 1, 2021 at 1:07 amAdam reminds me more of Dio from JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures since he is also voiced by Koyasu and is sadistic, menacing and entertainingly ridiculous.
Guardian Enzo
February 1, 2021 at 7:33 amDiosoka.
Yukie
February 1, 2021 at 1:43 amI have a hard time taking Adam as a villain seriously tbh. The mask, the outfit, Koyasu hamming it up, and his ridiculous names: “Matador of Love” and spelling Adam with the Kanji for “Love”, “Hug”. and “Dream” combined are just not that threatening.
I do like that we got to see Reki skate again, and the rest of the cast are really winning me with their adorkableness. I would like to see more of the storekeeper and his Fennec fox too.
Guardian Enzo
February 1, 2021 at 7:34 amYou’ll see at least the latter next week. I agree, I like that goofy dude too.
Riv
February 1, 2021 at 1:55 amI’m not convinced ADAM will ultimately remain a “villain”. I think there’s a lot hinting that he is very unhappy in his “regular” life and is trying to find in skating what he can’t find there. Obviously, he’s going about it in the wrong way, but the suggestion that he was once friends with JOE and Cherry, the veiled concern of his assistant, and Reki’s flashback that suggests he, too, once injured a friend skating– all of that says ultimate redemption to me. The setup reminds me a lot of Rin in Free! who also was not really a villain. But we’ll see– either way, I am loving it a lot!!!
Princess Usagi
February 2, 2021 at 12:39 amI really like how they give each of the characters a normal working life persona (i.e. Shadow as the florist, Adam as businessman/family head, Cherry as calligraphist, etc.) that is drastically different from their skating persona, it makes them more interesting!
Guardian Enzo
February 2, 2021 at 7:50 amAgreed, that’s very important for the overall tone of the series.