Drama Digest
Reki Kyan is a high school student extremely passionate about skateboarding. He often heads to āSā, an illegal underground race held inside a mine in the middle of the night. After an unfortunate accident that results in a broken skateboard and a fractured arm, Reki is entirely unable to practise skateboarding.
Enter Langa Hasegawa, a Canadian-Japanese boy who has no clue about skating whatsoever and needs money urgently. After Langa and Reki visit āSā, they find themselves embroiled in a bet where the former has to skate in a race. Unbeknownst to Reki, Langa might have the means to turn things around in their favour.
The Feel-Good Part
Some things make this anime fascinating. The story starts strong, showing a lot of promise with skating as its highlight, a unique subject which I have not quite seen in other animes. We witness some remarkable growth in temperament for several characters. The art and animation are impeccable. The landscapes and the character designs are excellent, and the colour gradation is impressive. It also experiments intones, with the island of Okinawa having warm shades that radiate an aura of comfort while the āSā feels a lot more dreary and dark. It also features a soundtrack that fits the moods of the anime at different points in time.
The Disappointing Factor
The story starts floundering after the first few episodes. Reki and Langa are the only two interesting characters in this mess, and the antagonist, Adam, has one personality trait, and that is being insufferable. All the other characters are just present for the sake of it. That said, Reki and Langa are not anything new. There have been several characters with the same traits and capabilities as these two, and their personalities feel like an amalgamation of too many generic anime tropes. The creators also seem like they are in a dilemma about the relationship dynamics between the characters.
In-Depth Analysis
This anime has some evident positives. The animation and soundtrack are exceptional, and the story is interesting in quite a few parts. The plotline where Reki comes to terms with the fact that he cannot compare to Langa is brilliant. It is highly relatable, and the story gives him the space to process those emotions instead of getting over them the very next day.
However, some of the cons outweigh the pros of this anime. The antagonist does not have any proper character arc, and neither do many of the others, and it becomes evident that not much effort was put into them. Although some jokes are funny, they do not hold out till the end and become running gags. The lack of female skateboarders is also jarring and unrealistic, considering skateboarding is a sport that draws the interest of people of all genders.
Star Power
Hatanaka Tasuku does an amazing job at voicing Reki.
Overall Opinion
Sk8 is inconsistently entertaining and veers the grounds the term āmediocreā encompasses. However, the animation and the soundtrack are two solid reasons to continue watching this if you have already started watching this.
