At first, I was quite hesitant about whether I should watch SK8 the Infinity or not. As cool as a skating anime may sound, I wasn’t sure if it would be done properly or if I would actually enjoy it. But looking back at things now, I’m definitely glad I picked it up.

SK8 the Infinity follows Reki, the redheaded high school teen who loves skateboarding and enjoys watching the underground skateboarding race called “S”, and Langa, an exchange student from Canada who grew up snowboarding before moving to Okinawa with his mother to start anew. At first Langa seems to be a very stoic and indifferent kind of person, barely showing any emotions, but that changes when he meets the easygoing and affable Reki. Reki has no issues befriending Langa and soon after introduces him to skateboarding. Having found a common interest, the two of them start hanging out and the more time they spend together the closer they become.

The story is compelling and exciting, jammed with action and flair. But what is most surprising is that the story is also emotional and touching. I had imagined that a skating anime would mostly be dramatic, thrilling, and intense and while it certainly is like that sometimes, the anime also puts great attention on the complexity of the characters and their feelings. Watching Reki and Langa go up against other skaters like Shadow, Miya or the notorious Adam, certainly is exhilarating to watch but I also enjoyed seeing the main duo grow significantly as the story progressed. Reki who adores skating so much, finds himself in a slump halfway through the season, as he realizes he’s not as talented as the other skaters and begins to doubt his self-worth. He distances himself from Langa and both boys begin to lose that spark in them that really love skating. However, soon after, Reki realizes that his love for skating isn’t because he’s good at it or not but because it is super fun. Similarly, Langa realizes his love for skateboarding comes from the fact that he gets to skate alongside Reki and not because he super talented at it. Their spark ignites once again, and the boys discover what skating truly means to them.

Besides the main characters, the rest of the cast was excellent as well. While they are not on the same level as Langa or Reki, characters like Miya, Joe, Shadow, and Cherry were a treat to watch. They are charming and lovable and there is never a dull moment with them around. The interactions between each other were either always hysterical or impactful such as when Joe gives advice to Reki telling him to never be alone, or when Reki assures Miya that he won’t abandon him like his old friends did. It’s moments like these that had me smiling from ear to ear, glad that I was getting to experience such a great show each week. The animation was good, and the beautiful visuals were dynamic and impactful when needed to be, making the anime even more immersing.

When I see Reki skating and having the time of his life I think of my old friend from High School. When he first started skating, I didn’t think it would last very long. I thought it was another one of his phases and that he would get bored of it easily. But boy was I wrong. In the end he managed to rope me and a couple of other friends into buying skateboards and learning how to skate. While I was never as passionate about skating as my friend was, I certainly did enjoy spending time together with everyone. And because of SK8 and because of Reki, I think I now understand why skating was so special to him and why it meant so much to him as well. Nothing is wrong with being competitive. But you should also remember to have fun along the way. That is something Haikyu!! taught me and SK8 reassured me.

If I’ve learned something today, is that the animes that you’re most skeptical of can end up being a huge favorite of yours, so don’t hesitate to pick something new to watch and enjoy. SK8 the Infinity went beyond my expectations and delivered tremendously. There are a bunch of insignificant things I can nitpick about this show such as pacing and characters, but that’s not important to me. I’m just glad I had something fun to watch this winter season. And yea the skating may not be super realistic but that’s what makes it fun. Plus if it were possible to do such insane tricks you can bet so many skaters would be doing stuff like that. Why? Cause we’re extra. That’s something the anime got right. SK8 captured the true meaning of the sport for me. It was wicked, radical, gnarly, totally tubular and all that other stuff. Check it out if you can.