Sk8: The Infinity is an anime that many fans looked forward to this year due to the fact that skating isn't really a sport people made anime about except now, so it brought a lot of excitement and anticipation from all skaters and non-skaters alike.

The entirety of this anime just screams style. With unique character designs, a primarily male cast, a popular but not very talked about sport as the main storyline, and cool streetwear outfits, Sk8 was able to capture the attention of many people. From the trailer to the first few episodes, this anime was not about to disappoint.

At least, until the later half of the season started.

The protagonist, Reki Kyan is a charming character with a passion for skateboarding. The redhead was strong-willed and loud. Every night, he'll go to an illegal event called 'S' where people skated and bet on something to start a ‘beef’. He’s your typical shounen protagonist until we reach the later part of the series. His counterpart, Langa Hasegawa, is more withdrawn compared to him. He also has more inborn talent for skateboarding that was grown by him snowboarding as a child.

The best part for me about this series is the way the characters were written, specificlaly Reki. At the start of the series, we see a Reki who is happy with skateboarding, but then we watch that happiness start to crumble into pieces after his realization that he’s not as good compared to his other extremely talented peers. We watch his love for skating slowly turn into hatred for himself and resentment for the geniuses that surround him. Like a regular person, he crumbles at the realization that Langa, a person he has taught for only a few months, is already so much better than him. We get a (kind of) satisfying end to his character arc, although I would’ve wished to see more.

The other side characters are pretty interesting too. We have Miya Chinen, a talented skater who has lost his friends due to him progressing too fast along with Hiromi Higa (SHADOW) , a character mainly used for comic relief who uses quite the interesting tools to beat his opponent in skating. The other characters, CHERRY (Kaoru Sakurayashiki) and JOE (Kojiro Nanjo) also have interesting backstories with the antagonist, ADAM.

Adam is also a pretty well written character, although he’s heavily overshadowed by the fanbase hating on him because his actions are stalker-like and quite extreme. He has also been violent towards his opponents and has hurt them severly. Don’t get me wrong, I hate him with my entire heart, but the fact that the viewers grew to hate Adam so much is a genuine sign of how well he’s written. His backstory is pretty sad too.

Now, let’s get to the flaws of this series. Sk8 is an anime with amazing visuals and an outstanding OST, but when it comes to the actual skating, it tends to be unrealistic. The moves shown in the anime were well explained, like the ollie, but there are also certain moves in the anime that can never be attempted in real life, like Reki literally flying up in the air and landing semi-safely. Although that isn’t much of a problem, having the skating be realistic would’ve been the ideal. Another big flaw is again— the character development. Reki’s development was amazing but Langa, however, was quite fast and not very impactful. We see his enormous growth from being someone who can’t stand on a board to someone attempting deadly skills on a mountain which is quite concerning.

There are some pacing issues but the anime exceeds expectations in writing both lighthearted scenes and angsty scenes. It’s also amazing at writing bonds even the viewers get attached to, and the characters are extremely lovable and fun to watch. We feel the emotions the character feels in the show, and in my opinion that is EXTREMELY important. The later half of the show gets quite confusing and messy but this anime makes up for it by creating problems and resolving it well.

Overall, this is a very wholesome anime with sprinkles of sadness. It can be quite bittersweet at times, but the episodes will always leave you wanting more. The anime succeeds in making you feel excitement watching the beefs and frustrated when the character you love loses. Do I recommend it? Yes, yes, yes. Despite its issues, this anime is still a good sports anime and it has made me so happy whenever an episode airs. The character’s bonds towards each other is written so well and the fact that despite everything, the group still ends up with each other is quite beautiful. This anime shows just how much a sport can influence one’s life, and how much the way you act can indirectly affect others. This anime teaches you that you can love what you love, even if there’s someone better than you. Your efforts define you and your passion is yours only.

This anime is the type of anime that comes with a bang, and ends with a bang. That’s what’s so good about it.