Despite its title, Sk8 the Infinity sadly doesn’t come with an infinite number of episodes. The season finale of the anime premiered this weekend on Funimation and fans haven’t stopped screaming about it and honestly, it’s easy to see why. Studio Bones and director Hiroko Utsumi have done a great job at creating a fun, adventure-packed story in just 12 episodes.
Sk8 the Infinity starts by introducing Reki, the eager protagonist who loves skateboarding more than anything. Later, we meet new student and ex-snowboarder Langa who learns how to skateboard from Reki and ends up being extremely talented. Reki introduces Langa to the world of “S,” the secret skate track where plenty of skaters (like the reserved Cherry Blossom or brawny Joe) compete in high-speed skateboard races. Throughout the season Reki and Langa share memorable moments with their skateboards and without.
One of the most impressive parts of the season is the character dynamics. Fans fell in love with the dynamic between expressive Reki and quiet Langa. At times, Reki is worried he isn’t enough or he’s worried about Langa’s safety, but his fear and uncertainty shift to trust. Reki learns just how much he loves skateboarding, and Langa learns that too, in addition to discovering how much he loves spending time with Reki. It all builds to the finale, where Langa goes against the wealthy and dramatic skating champion, Adam.
As a whole, Adam’s character development is fairly strange. He’s a bit reminiscent of Hunter x Hunter’s Hisoka, and clearly responsible for abusive behavior such as calling his employee (and ex-friend) Tadashi his “dog.” He only skates to win and to injure his opponent, but he also claims that he’s “in love” with his competitors due to his misconstrued idea of what that even means. Some of the other skaters, like the previously mentioned Cherry Blossomg and Joe, have a past with Adam, which we learn about, but the characters all think that Adam needs to rediscover what skating truly means.
After racing Langa in the finale, Adam begins to accept that skating should be fun and not only a way to win or gain attention, but this whole realization is pretty rushed. Tadashi was the character who taught Adam how to enjoy skating, and him teaching Adam again would have made more sense instead of Langa. In his very last scene, Adam still seems to not really have changed but instead, Tadashi accepts his position beneath Adam and as someone who Adam can walk all over. Tadashi also seems suddenly okay with that? Weird. Adam’s “redemption,” if it can be called that, is pretty random and not fleshed out. If there’s no Season 2, perhaps we’ll all have to settle for that confusing conclusion but if there’s another season, it would be great if this storyline was cleared up.
Something else the show could have done better is further explain the plotline involving inspector Kiriko Kamata who is investigating the secret – possibly corrupt – business Adam is involved in order to uncover the truth about Adam’s business negotiations. Honestly, it’s hard to say what was happening here. It felt like an insignificant side plot that was pushed to the backburner. Sure, it’s hard for anything to be as exciting as high-intensity skate races and Reki and Langa’s fun little moments, but it deserved a bit more attention. In the finale, they also pretty much throw away this storyline. Here’s to hoping that if there is a Season 2, we’ll see Kiriko again – hopefully with a real role this time.
Fans were also reasonably upset by Reki and Langa’s open ending since many viewed them as romantic. Are they canon? Who can say for sure? It’s clear that Langa is aware of where his happiness comes from: Reki. Their hug in the finale also reminded viewers of a moment between canon couple Victor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki in the anime Yuri!!! on Ice. It would have been nice to have that canon confirmation of this couple that seems like a no-brainer as well. If there’s a Season 2, maybe we’ll get to see that happen.
Overall, this sports anime is thrilling and funny, but also unique in its character arcs and dynamics. It’s not perfect, but it’s hard not to love the skaters who befriend Reki and Langa and all of their creative tricks, especially as we learn so much about each character in every episode. The animation is perfect for the fast action of the skateboarding races at the dangerous secret track “S.” The setting itself, with its ample palm trees and sunshine, adds to the lighthearted, feel-good vibe of the series.
And though this season felt short, it wrapped up relatively nicely, finishing with Reki and Langa’s final skateboard race against one another as they promised each other early in the season. Fingers crossed that Sk8 the Infinity does get a Season 2, but if not, seeing Reki and Langa skate off into the sunset isn’t such a bad conclusion.
