Geez, just get a room already.
Actually, I guess that could apply to either of the two main pairs in this series. But here specifically I’m referring to Joe and Cherry Blossom – or should I say Koujirou and Kaoru? Because these two couldn’t possibly be more like an old bickering married couple if they tried. High school sweethearts who know each other almost too well by now, and can’t imagine going through life without the other. SK∞ may or may not decide to call a spade, but it’s pretty clear you could do some serious digging with this couple.
It is a shame Joe had to lose to Langa, because while Snow is a very nice kid he’s frankly about as interesting as kakigoori without any syrup (OK, maybe vanilla). But the rules of the road were pretty clear here, so it was really only a question of how it would come down. It was a fun little race, with Joe using his missile technique and literally breaking through walls. But that brute force attack wasn’t enough to overcome Langa’s ingenuity (and plot armor), albeit the snow bunny needed a kanchou from his soon-to-be full-time designer to get his head back into the race.
It was quite sweet (OK, I give – vanilla syrup) the way Snow felt nothing in his race because he wasn’t doing it to show off for Reki. I still feel like there’s one more burst of competition for Reki before this is over, but he seems fully resigned to going the support route now (and a convenient board snap gives him a chance to test his mettle quickly). We all know who’s going to be facing off in the final, so maybe Langa will even win his next round without his beloved Reki board before his partner has it shipshape and Bristol fashion for Adam.
As for Adam’s showdown with Kaoru, that was as much a foregone conclusion as Joe-Snow, albeit with a very different feel. I confess Kaoru using Carla has never quite sat right with me – seems like that sort of thing shouldn’t be allowed. But when you’re facing an opponent who’ll literally whack you in the head with his board and put you in traction, one can’t quibble over small cheats like that. It’s clear that the friendship between Adam, Joe and Cherry was a very real and important one for them, which makes it just as clear how far Adam has fallen karmically. I actually think a skate series with those three as the main characters would have been even more interesting than what we got – I could see it having a very Tiger & Bunny vibe to it.
That leaves us with one more quarter-final to go, which will pit Miya against Tadashi. Once more it seems almost a fait accompli before it even begins, alas for Miya-chan. What’s going to be interesting is who Tadashi loses to in the semi-finals. A dramatic case could be made either to have him showdown with Adam there and set up the Adam-Snow final, or to have him be an obstacle for Langa to overcome before he gets to Adam (Shadow is already roadkill, sad to say). My money is on the latter.
elianthos
March 7, 2021 at 10:12 pmI’m verrrrah rooting for the Adam vs Snake showdown :°D (go go go SnakEve!). In the end the crux of the conflict and the ‘what/who happiness means for you [Reki’s intro and series theme intro] ‘ is an internal affair between the two Adam&Eve couples there and in Joe’s words to a worried Miya – was it last week or the one before? Time is a construct – it’s something they need to clear between themselves without meddling [outside of a quiet Joe-style li’l push of encouragement XD]. Joe & Cherry feel like they have had a stable Ambiguously Heterosexual Life Partners status achieved since forever so they’re set already. Relatedly: well well well considering how much a Lafitte bottle can cost that’s Joe’s version of Serious Commitment I suppose X°D. I highly doubt he would even consider uncorking an investment good like that for any of his hookup ladies. Also Adam’s endorsement is quite proof (are you done with your skit? LOL ): guy is a patchwork of both unhinged delusions and perceptiveness. The mental wonders of… defensive compartimentalization but that’s also the glitch in his matrixxxxxxx yeyyyy.
For Langa skating is fun as long as Reki is along for the ride, so it might go either way: mending bond & board happens in time for the final vs they mend the thing but Langa is not racing or not motivated to win against his next opponent because #priorities. Depending on how he reacts to Adam’s calling next week… or rather in two weeks if the 9.5 episode thing is true XDD ( mostly recap episode ahoy!).
Re: cheats. Uh-uh do you remember Shadow with whatever those cracker things are called in English and ‘uhuh I’ll break your arm for good’ to Reki and the masked guys trying to sabotage Langa and Joe punching one of them, yes? The rules *are* established as being pretty loose and wild. I was just mildy surpised Adam went for the skatebitchslap vs for instance using those bull horns on his board to wreck Carla’s wheels 😛 (old James Bond movie villians came to mind XDD).
P.S. Ainosuke… Ai No Suke(te)? Skate of Looooooove :,3 *cue Lion King’s ‘Remember Who You Are’ flashbacks. I’m volunteering for the Rafiki Head Whack. The past hurts ohoh *
P.P.S. Blonge guy & former skating Adam’s highschool buddy in the flashback seems the same guy we see seething amidst the beef onlookers. Ohohohoh. It might also make sense narratively for a discarded nobody to be the one to cause the mighty to fall and/or to facilitate some redemptive/realization/rescue moment. Ohohohoh.
animealex
March 8, 2021 at 12:38 amI wonder if Reki will really settle for the support role; the fact that he didn’t feel elated about Langa’s win, makes me think there might be something more to it. Will it be enough, if Langa confesses that he only skates that well, because Reki supports him? Oh well, let’s see how this plays out.
With Adam, I feel he’s equally loosing his mind while his violence escalates more and more. In the past, his “beloved” skate partners were injured through his ruthless, but brilliant skating moves. Now he goes for simple and brutal assault. My dream-scenario would be, if his final opponent simply dodges all of his more and more desperate attacks and Adam eliminates himself from the competition due to self-inflicted injury. Or Langa simply leaves him standing at the start of the race, while saying: Sorry, I only skate with people I like/respect. The ensuing meltdown would be a sight to see. (Following arrest by a certain redheaded cop is optional in either case.)
Vanilla is sweet and simple and sometimes, that’s all you need, even with shaved ice. Will this series call a spade a spade? I would prefer it, but I’m not holding my breath. If it follows the “Free” route, there will be endless teasing and no clear resolution. But this is an anime only series, so who knows. The cynic in me thinks, what will make the producers more money?
Guardian Enzo
March 8, 2021 at 9:30 amIn the end, for am mainstream series I think it’s more profitable to hint at stuff like that and leave the audience to fill in the blanks (and write the doujins).
And yes, I like vanilla. Probably my favorite ice cream flavor. But a show about adult skaters trying to reconcile their love for the sport with the demands of adulthood and the stigma which necessitates secret identities could be really good. SK8 hints at that, but the kids are still the main focus.
animealex
March 8, 2021 at 7:11 pmYeah, I hoped the show creators would’ve made more of the idea of the dual identities as respectable people by day and “wild” skaters by night. But to be blunt, to make a show about the adult trio (Shadow is still one of the boys, even if not age wise) work, they would need more and different characterization. Not impossible if you focus on them in 12 episodes, but it would probably loose the “shonen-esque” lightness, which was a draw for many people in the beginning.
Yukie
March 8, 2021 at 10:07 amngl this was my least favorite episode of sk8 so far. Kaoru and Adam are the least interesting characters for me in the entire show, so the entire backstory felt very much another derivative of Free’s repetitive “we were old friends-what happened” shtick that Utsumi likes to use. Also, I knew Adam was going to win but whacking someone in the face with a skateboard…really? As for Reki and Langa’s situation, I’m still holding onto the hope that Reki will remember Joe’s words to him and turn his jealousy into a motivating force.