THE UNCOMPROMISING OPTIMISM OF SK8 THE INFINITY

DEVON NGUYEN - Third Year, Anthropology

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Spoilers For Sk8 The Infinity

There are certain expectations that come with watching a sports anime for the first time. Whether they be engaging storylines of overcoming the toughest of obstacles or breakneck action that accurately portrays what’s being depicted, there are tried and true formulae for a successful series. Studio Bones’ SK8 the Infinity breaks all of those expectations though, giving viewers a uniquely different premise that transcends the typical mold that’s expected with sports anime. This transcendence is none the more obvious with its message of never letting your passions dwindle in the face of insecurities and growing up.

In a world where Okinawa’s best skaters race each other every night in an abandoned mine, Reki Kyan is painfully average. He can put together a pretty darn good board from scratch and fully understand every move that goes on during these races, but when he’s on the track himself? His success rate is a little dismal. It wasn’t until he met his best friend, Langa Hasegawa, and taught him how to skate did Reki begin to realize how average he really was. Langa, who had never touched a skateboard before he moved to Okinawa, was suddenly better than him–much better than him actually. So much better that he managed to wake the sleeping beast of a skater from hibernation and become the target of his over-the-top affections.

And Reki, well, Reki doesn’t take this well. At all. He becomes reckless and reclusive, afraid of Langa leaving him behind viewing himself as someone who’s not good enough for him. It isn’t until Reki realizes that even though being super passionate

about something doesn’t always equate to talent, you can still keep that passion to continue on in what you do. Yes, it’s incredibly frustrating to not be the best at something that you love so dearly, but it’s infinitely more rewarding if you’re able to do that thing with overwhelming love and be the standard, than to be completely burnt out and at the top.

On the other side of the spectrum, we have Cherry and Joe, who remind viewers that there isn’t a limit to loving what you love. You can be a successful calligrapher or a world-class chef and still be one of the top skaters in the underground skating society you’ve been a part of since you were a teen. I really appreciate how the adults in SK8 are treated the same way that the younger characters are in terms of their love for skating. They get to be just as invested and excited about the world of skateboarding just like everyone else. Growing old doesn’t automatically mean that you have to give up everything once you finally establish a career. If anything, it makes your passion much more special in the grand scheme of the rest of your life.

And then there’s Adam and Tadashi, whose alignment with the theme is much more subtle than that of the other two duos. In the same vein of Cherry and Joe, both of them remind us that your hobbies should never stop once you reach a particular age. Adam is violent and unhinged in his quest to find meaning in skating while Tadashi tries to be unfeeling towards the thing that brought the two of them together. Suppressing your passions and hiding them away will only cause you more harm than good. They’re a way for you to be able to express yourself, to reveal who the real you is. To deny that is to deny your true self, and we can see how much pain this denial has caused these two over the course of the show, and why we’re able to feel happy for them once they finally let go and find their purpose in the final episode.

SK8 the Infinity aired during my final semester of high school, and now as a junior in college, I’ve never understood its message more. Unabashedly love what you love. You don’t have to be the best at it nor do you have to leave it behind as you grow older. What’s most important is your happiness and all the ways that you receive fulfillment from it.