SK∞ – 12 (End) and Series Review

While it’s certainly true I felt pretty much nothing with this finale, I don’t think this is an “endings are hard” situation.  Realistically SK∞ has been on a downward trajectory since about the 7th episode (I guess the hot springs trip was about the last gasp for the good half of the series).  The ending was eminently predictable but there was really no righting the ship at this point – just getting out without too much additional damage with eyes towards a likely second season.

I don’t have much to say about the goings on in the episode itself to be honest.  Adam not having to pay any sort of price for his psychotic behavior (and no, losing a race doesn’t count) is a disappointment, but less so a surprise.  Langa turning him with a word during the midst of their race was the height of absurdity, but then the whole race was the height of absurdity.  Maybe it would have helped if his fated Eve was someone with more charisma than the distinctly bland Langa, but I think Adam himself is the bigger problem.

Lacking anything of much interest in the actual finale to discuss, that really only leaves post-mortem.  And again, a lot of it comes back to Adam.  The more he commanded the narrative – and by the end it was pretty much a one-man show – the more SK∞ seemed to lose its way.  Everyone else in the cast besides Tadashi (who has too little self-respect to be remotely relatable), Reki, and Langa became totally irrelevant.  And those two basically became accessories to Adam’s story.  There was never any question that they’d reconcile, so that wasn’t a source of any drama.

I’ll stick to my guns that a story about Joe, Kaoru, and even Adam – a toned-down version – trying to balance their love of skateboarding with their adult responsibilities and fighting societal pressure would have been way more interesting.  But I’m enough of a realist to know that was never getting greenlit, so I was happy enough with what SK∞ was for six episodes.  That is to say, a fun series about a likeable bunch of goofuses and their love of skating, which was ridiculous in a more real-world way.  Joe, Cherry, Shadow, and Miya are all great characters – better than the two mains, arguably.  The six of them were a delightfully mismatched group and a lot of fun to watch, including when they were skating before it got so Adam-ized.

I have little reason to suspect the sequel will be more like that,  and every reason to think it’ll be more like the second half of the series.  For that reason I’ll go into it with a considerable amount of skepticism (assuming it happens).  But when a show delivers as much fun as SK∞ did in its opening half (and looks as great as it usually does), you’re going to go back to the well hoping a miracle will occur and it will recapture the magic somehow.  That’s why we always give more chances to shows that have it and lose it than ones that never had it in the first place.  SK∞ has proved it can be a really winning, entertaining diversion – and that’s more than most series ever do.

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15 comments

  1. R

    I pretty much expected this ending from the moment ADAM was introduced, but I was disappointed in how we got here. As you say, after episode 7, the narrative just didn’t work very well. The ending felt extremely abrupt too. I still liked the characters and it still looked very pretty. But overall definitely the biggest disappointment of the season for me.

  2. Y

    Same…given Utsumi Hiroko’s track record, the ending was fairly predictable. Nevertheless, I was surprised by how much ADAM took over the show. To be frank, it felt like the remaining episodes were written with fanservice prioritized over logic and story themes. So much of ADAM and Tadashi’s plot felt extremely tacked-on and could’ve been removed entirely with little effect on the plot in its entirety. The whole political drama was much ado about nothing (the female officer was basically a red herring), his past friendship with Kaoru and Joe (which never got fully explored…maybe S2?), and all those flashbacks… so many flashbacks.

    I think my main source of disappointment lies in all the potential that could’ve been explored with the material: Langa dealing with his father’s death and moving to a new country, Reki’s desire to improve, Okinawa as a setting, and skateboarding, especially skateboarding. The beefs got way too ridiculous (I don’t think running around trying to swat people with a skateboard is skateboarding) and when you throw physics completely out the window, it kind of diminishes the cool factor of the sport. My favorite parts were in the beginning where Langa learns to skate, and the boys practicing. There’s so much material to work with, so it’s a little frustrating to see the direction the anime decided to take.

  3. R

    I was also surprised by how much ADAM became the focus and yes, the beefs became extremely ridiculous, to the point that they lost a lot of the tension of the earlier ones which I had found quite exciting. I wish the show had stuck to the simpler narrative style of the beginning instead of trying to cram in so much and going so over the top. As you point out, there was already plenty there to work with, and it could have been very compelling if given more room to breathe. Of course, this is a problem that I see all the time in series and movies–the creators overload the story with too much stuff and lose the opportunity to develop the characters, emotions, and plot in a more organic way.

  4. You know who ADAM reminds me of in hindsight? Midousuji Akira, from Yowamushi Pedal. Or rather, Midousuji is an example of this sort of character done well. He’s absurd, but he’s nuanced. He’s phenomenally talented, but within the confines (somewhat) of believability. He’s willing to do anything to win, but not, like, kill people.

    Midousuji became a major player but he never took over the series – he became a driver for everyone’s development. And he had a charisma to him because his desire to win that was almost pure, and a genuinely sympathetic backstory.

  5. H

    This review is spot-on. Good to know there are people disappointed like me since the larger anime community seemed to have liked the show a lot.

    A good story should focus on its best characters, but here it is the blandest that are given the most attention. Just imagine this story with Joe and Cherry as the main characters, and with more focus on Shadow. Another problem is the tone, it is too grounded for its absurd parts to work, but it is not absurd enough for the viewer to completely suspend disbelief, so it is stuck in this terrible place of an unresolvable identity crisis.

    Adam is a personification of all the issues. He is not entertaining enough for his way of speaking and attitude to work, so he is just annoying. And the way his character arc resolves is a huge disappointment, as you’ve mentioned.

  6. Too grounded to be absurdist, too absurd to have any belieavability.

    And ADAM is the ridiculousness of Hisoka with none of the charisma. Or menace.

  7. K

    I didn’t dislike the second half as much as you and I really love Reki and Langa but yeah Adam as a character just never grew on me

    I was also disappointed that the girl Shadow liked had a boyfriend.

    The best episode was definitely the Hot Springs ep

  8. a

    Hey folks, did you know years of much needed therapy (and deserved Jail time) can be replaced by skating to your hearts content with your unhealthy crush, while trying to die with him? Learn this easy life-hack and you don’t even need to say that your sorry…

    This episode left me feeling empty and question, was the series as a whole planned out like that from the beginning? I mean, it wasn’t a deal breaker, but sometimes I wonder, who thinks such a convoluted mess of underused characters (and character-interaction) while half-assing the unfinished story lines, is a good idea.

    Poor Shadow, but I fully support the new ship: Sketchy X Carla! And I would’ve liked to see any interaction between Reki and Langa’s mom. Also boys I know why you legally are not allowed to finish your sentences, but come on!

    A second season? Would I watch it? Yes. But I wonder if there’s enough money to earn by making one.

  9. S

    Your review is spot. The first half reminded me of a similarly enjoyable one, but lest Adam-ized version about running, Madhouse’s Prince of Stride from 2016.

  10. That must have been a pretty forgettable series because I forgot it ever existed.

  11. S

    You didn’t preview it (I check them religiously 🙂 ), but it’s somewhere in the same ballpark

  12. S

    Are they seriously considering a sequel? One of the problem with the later half of the show is Langa hitting the power level ceiling so there’s no meaning to showing anything skate-like anymore. There are no practices, no research, no skating techniques whatsoever, just some weird jumping off steel beam/using the terrain/weather/zone gimmicks that could apply to every other over-the-top anime fight. Every time Reki says “fun!” the more it rings hollow to me, it’s the complete reverse of “showing not telling” their passion for skating in the first half of the season. With no room left for growth, the only thing left they can write about is more drama, what a nightmare.

  13. I just think the writing got Peter Principled, pretty much.

    As to a sequel, the series has proved very popular. Hell, it even had good disc sales. Sequels are primarily contingent on cash concerns, especially with originals. If the PC thinks there’s money to be made, they’ll push for another season (or maybe a movie).

  14. considering Adam had DIO’s voice actor, I dont know why I expected anything more nuanced from this show’s main villian lol. I hated everything about Adam’s plot points!! Man should go to jail!!! lol

    I agree; it’s frustrating to see a show change so much from what made it great in the beginning. I feel like the first few episodes really evoked the warmth and enthusiasm of Tsuritama but it jumped the shark majorly. Throwing both the laws of physics and the theme/characters out the window haha

  15. Tsuritama is so underrated. That was a series that totally got the guy experience, right to its DNA. I realize that’s not the main point of SK∞ but it’s frustrating that it showed signs of that, then pretty much abandoned it.

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