I've got some more evidence that Sk8 is gay and Joe/Cherry & Reki/Langa are in love: Utsumi (the creator of Sk8 The Infinity) has confirmed in an interview that Cherry AND Joe were both attracted to Adam in high school before they fell apart, so it's basically canon that Joe is bisexual and Cherry is at least homosexual. She also said in a separate interview that Langa isn't the type to be attracted to someone's looks but is more interested in the personality, LIKE WITH REKI. She continues on that Langa didn't think Reki was amazing from the start and it took time for him to learn about Reki. She then repeats that Langa doesn't care much about looks. So basically she confirmed Langa is attracted to Reki because of Reki's personality and energy and somehow that's even sweeter. (Because of this, many fans headcanon Langa as gay and demisexual) Utsumi also revealed that there was an original plan where Langa receives the roses from Adam right before their beef in episode 5, and the original cut was that Langa would then hand the flowers over to Reki but then Shadow would take them because he doesn't trust those teens to take good care of them lol. Utsumi says she had to cut that scene "while crying" because it didn't fit the serious tone of the beef too well. (I can't remember this one too well but I'm pretty sure I'm correct) Utsumi was asked when she "fell in love" with each character. When Utsumi talked about Reki, Langa and Miya she said "they're minors so it's not literally love but it's when I became super interested in them I suppose". She then explained that she "fell in love" with Langa in episode one when he basically starts flying over Shadow's firework and creates a snowflurry. She says "that's when I fell in love with him, JUST LIKE REKI." There's also an official side manga of Sk8 which has jokes and little side stories about the characters and there is a part where Miya asks Reki if skating is his love language and Langa has a flashback of his first meeting with Reki and asks himself if Reki was hitting on hm back then. Later on Reki and Lang are like messing around in a room and having fun but they're kinda loud and then the manga pans to Joe right outside the door questioning if it's safe for him to go in, basically implying that Joe thought Reki and Langa were..... doing something else. There's ALSO this official Sk8 Cinderella CD where Reki plays Cinderella and Langa plays the prince. (Reki's pronouns are she/her and the creators gave Reki the name Cindereki to make it less gay but wait until I've explained everything.) I recommend listening to it by the way before I spoil it in this comment. Simply type "Cindereki CD in TH-cam and the CD with subtitles should pop up. OKAY so "Cindereki" goes to the ball and meets prince Langa who immediately says "Beautiful!" And Reki is like "Huh??" but then Langa says he thinks Reki's skateboard is pretty and Reki responds "Oh, you mean the skateboard..." so they skate and laugh and have fun until the clock hits twelve and Reki has to leave, blah blah you know the story. And the end of the story, Langa finds Reki again and Reki says "Thank you for finding me." and then a snow path appears which will lead Reki and Langa to their wedding but Adam interferes and basically steals Langa and Reki is like "Nooooo!" Turns out, at the end of the CD, Reki was dreaming all of this in canon. Reki dreamed about marrying Langa. If that isn't gay then I don't know what is. THERE IS MUCH MORE EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT THE MAINS IN SK8 ARE GAY but I feel like this is enough explanation.
Also the fact that Langa didn't fall in love immediately is obvious when rewatching the show, you can see how much less Langa is smiling and that he was thinking of just getting into the sport to make himself happy again but as it was shown he found happiness in Reki with skating being more of a hobby he doesn't want without him. Which is adorable 💕
ALSO, when she said they did the Host club AND the Cindereki CD and said that Reki and Langa would somehow always end up being friends, no matter their gender or where they were or how they met. So this implies two things: 1. They're canon soulmates 2. LITERALLY ANY AU IS REAL IF THEY END UP TOGETHER
Didn’t start shipping Renga until that scene with Langa and his mom at the table in episode 8, she said “You like this person right?” And he got all flustered
I cant not mention the scene with Cherry and Joe at the restaurant after Cherry left the hospital. After Cherry fell asleep, Joe came back and poured the two wine glasses and basically made a fucking love confession. He talked about how Adam is alone but they're stronger TOGETHER, then clinked the 2 glasses together on his own. I personally interpret this as Joe expressing his one-sided love. Not only that, its always been Joe who expresses his affection more, Cherry does also shows that he cares about Joe but its never been directly face to face. In conclusion, there are no hetero explanations for this. Joe secretly loves Cherry but Cherry's too occupied with getting the old Adam back. I'm sure there's a fanfic with that prompt somewhere
Yes! That restaurant scene is so good! And I think so much is left “unsaid” between them but still comes across so clear in their actions in relation to the other even if the other isn’t aware of what’s going on.
May I just mention that Cherry canonically has anxiety and insomnia and that he feels so safe at Sia La Luce (Joe's restaurant) and with Joe that he fell asleep without a problem, despite the previous traumatic event and his injuries. I just think about it a lot and it's so sweet!! Also unrelated, but Langa stares at Reki SO MUCH! By that I mean All The Time! I dunno about you but I don't think that's a thing friends do
@@bloody_jaydee2405 Ohh yeaahh That kinda makes me think he’s glad that cherry finds his restaurant as a safe and calming place for him cus the way he looks at him seeing him fall asleep lol
I would just like to point out that the english voice actor of joe is bisexual and the voice actor of cherry is gay and they do try as much as they can to make their scenes “flirty” or kind of romantic
@@GnomesAndPotions This is the youtube channel of Joe's voice actor: th-cam.com/channels/-UkMSf_3GLQ8Y9TfCWhbHw.html He has some twitch highlight videos talking about sk8 (also with other sk8 voice actors) so I would just skim through those. I think he specifically mentioned being bi and trying to make joe very flirty with cherry in this video (which also features cherry's va and gives his perspective!): th-cam.com/video/f6bFMlEf6D0/w-d-xo.html
Reki and Langa are the sweet couple of best friends turned into lovers, while Joe and Cherry read as exes who are still in love. I refuse to believe nothing happened between them when they were younger.
Oh! 1 thing that I wanted to mention that’s nuanced is the use of costuming at “S”. I feel that S is a allegory for a queer space (such as a drag bar) where everyone can be their truest self. It’s not lost on me that the older gays (Cherry and Adam) wear costumes and have alter egos/names because they can’t be ‘out’. They grew up in a time period where it was social suicide to be out and proud. However, Reki and Langa, a younger generation of queers, don’t have to worry about that so much. And maybe because Langa is from the West, he’s may feel less afraid of being labeled gay and is more progressive.
I haven't finished the vid so idk if u say it but watching the end of the renga clip where you talk about Joe being a clear gay mentor... When langa sees reki at the hospital and runs after him without hesitation, and joe jut smirks and goes "go get him kid." BRO THERE IS NO HETEROSEXUAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS. Langa loves reki and Joe is Supportive Gay Dad™.
less than halfway in and this just sounds like me in my bathroom mirror, to myself, at 2 am, explaining the subtext of a certain piece of media. perfect.
I also like to mention the eye reflection scenes when talking about reki and langa, it happens twice (once in the first episode and once in episode 9) and idk how true that is but they feel VERY romance coded to me, add that to the fact that the director has said in an interview that facial expressions are her favorite way to express emotions and it all seems somehow even gayer
Yes! I’ve seen screenshots of the eye reflection scenes, so I totally know what you mean. Combined with everything else in the anime, it doesn’t feel as just awe of the skill and/or passion Langa and Reki have for each other’s skating. It seems like it could easily read as them both going like this 😍
There is also the scene where cherry sneaks out of the hospital to see joe, cherry falls asleep and Joe gives him THE SWEETEST FUCKING LOOK (KDNDMDM I can't-)
Joe definitely is in love. Most likely he was he had feelings for cherry while cherry was infatuated with Adam. Joe is just playing the long game of patience for cherry to be willing to try for something.
SPOILERS FOR END CREDITS OF EP 12 i didn't see anyone point this out yet but at the end credits of the last episode shadow finds out that the manager/coworker at the flower shop is already taken/has a partner. Earlier in the end credits in the background, he is seen giving flowers to manager oka, which is the guy who owns the skate shop. I didn't notice this the first time I watched it but someone pointed it out and I thought it was interesting...
It's quite gay but it's also super charged with Masculine Energy. As a VERY straight man I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. The Flamboyance and bromance were absolute life goals.
Sk8 is the sports anime that took over my life this year and I haven’t regretted a single moment! It’s so gay but subtle, nuanced and poetic in its gayness that there should be a master class on it. I just ❤️it so much. 🤣
I feel like Adam could honestly also be read as pansexual since he just cares that they are a good skater and stuff (I don't remember the exact stuff ok its been a few months-) and while yes all the potential "Eves" are men, if they were women or a genderqueer person, I don't think he would care because he doesn't care about the gender and that's been clearly stated but we don't have any actual content for that but I think it can clearly be seen as pan if someone aka me wants to yeah lol
Other ✨Fruity✨ moments in the show: Note: All these moments are in the English dub, if you haven't seen it, I recommend checking it out! Episode 4, 9:22: "You're cute" 😳 Episode 5, 3:08: "LANGAAAAAAA" Episode 5, 9:34: "Hello"~ Episode 6, 7:06: There is no heterosexual explanation for this Episode 6, 20:00: I know he only caught him, but it's cute as heck Episode 6, 20:47: Two bros, chilling in a hot tub, 5 feet apart cause they're not gay Episode 8, 16:20: Little blush Episode 10, 15:52: "Reki, my love, OF SKATEBOARDING, is because of you"
If we go into the Miya may have a crush on Reki Idea it kinda reminds me of Percy and Nico, Nico sees this older cooler guy helping him and his sister out, and he crushes on him, but as he grows on himself he also grows out if it and moves on. Seeing it now as more of an admiration
If you haven’t seen the dub even tho I’m late, the dub is like 2000000x as gay and the VA’s, especially Cherry’s and Joe’s have said that they did it on purpose
Can we talk about when Joe and Cherry are both saying they want to take on Adam in a skate fight or sum and Cherry told him he wanted to go first (aggressively) and Joe replies with “YOU’RE CUTE, BUT IM NOT BUDGING” It was probably them being aggressive but 😭
I think Cherry, Joe and Adam were in some sort of love triangle. Joe and Cherry are childhood friends who got into skating as teens. Bi Joe has been crushing on Cherry for years although he'd never admit it, which is why he's trying to get girls all the time (he's trying to get over Cherry and ignore his love for him). Cherry is gay (either a guarded gay person or a homoromantic demisexual) and ended up feeling something like a crush mixed with admiration for Adam as they were skating, but Adam did not reciprocate. Gay Adam, being raised with a servant and abused, has always had a super twisted vision of love and never knew how to love and what it actually was. His relationship with Tadashi is the closest thing to love he's had, as Tadashi cared for him (by teaching him how to skate, for example) in a way no one really did. Adam sees love purely as conquest, as something to win, so he tries to win dominance over other guys (being Tadashi's master, winning over the best skaters). Winning is what gives him the most satisfaction and is what he's solely focused on, so he doesn't truly care about Joe and Cherry - he's satisfied with skating with great skaters. When Adam ditched Joe and Cherry, his "skating buddies", he essentially broke Cherry's heart. Joe saw that Cherry was too invested in Adam and it broke his heart as well. Hence the falling apart. If Joe only saw Cherry as his friend, he still would've skated with him, or if that weren't possible, Joe wouldn't have minded and wouldn't have been so upset. After the falling apart, Cherry has been trying to get the old Adam back (the Adam he loved), but without success. Joe and Cherry bond over how mad Adam is, and despite not being on very good terms, they still care about each other (though they would never admit it, especially not Cherry lol). They understand each other very well as they've known each other for a long time, after all. Ironically, the falling apart made them closer. Adam whacking Cherry with a skateboard officially broke Cherry's heart, so I'm hoping that'll make Cherry try to get over Adam and see that someone else cares for him. Sorry for the word vomit woops 😂
Did Joe and Cherry actually have a fallout? They traveled around Europe together after graduation and after Adam left and it seems they often spent time together (Joe was absolutely used to Cherry spending his time in his restaurant), they still both visited S. I think in terms of friendship, there was no fallout, bickering and teasing have just been their dynamic since high school. As for romantic feelings, I agree with your headcanon on Joe. With Cherry, I have a headcanon that he got over his crush on Adam a long time ago (he still wanted to see the old Adam as a friend who inspired him in skateboarding, sure) and he has feelings for Joe (like they're always in each other's faces, their pet names, the tension from both sides, etc.) but he believes Joe is a straight fuckboy (the way he makes comments about Joe being a womanizer lol). so there is still a lot of miscommunication and they both think it's one-sided when it's clearly not. I mean the kids see them as parents, jokingly or not, they do give off old married couple vibes so I hope it will help them realize things.
@@valeriyav2149 I love your Cherry headcannon! About the falling out, now that you said it, I'm not even sure about whether that happened anymore. I think I need to rewatch the series just to make sure I haven't made this up or seen this in my dreams or smth 😆
@@RhythmAddictedState tbf it's easy to miss because of their bantering 😂they were mentioning a lost wallet in London, a random restaurant in LA, and a night out to a Paris bar all while arguing about who got them lost or smth lmao I remember it only because they sounded like an old married couple on vacation and thought "they really traveled the world together huh"😆
I made this post on Tumblr a while ago: (I watched the dub, which is arguably gayer) If Sk8 The Infinity is not a BL... Why are there next to no girls? Why just incredibly pretty men? Why does Reki says he is not really interested in girls in the opening monologue? Why does Langa say talking to girls isn't his thing on the ferry? Why does Reki chase Langa's image while hearts flash on the monitors in the opening and then literally fall down a rainbow hole? Why does Reki say Langa's questions always involve feelings, and Langa says the fact that he won't answer them makes it hard to make a move? Why all the blushing and longing looks? Touching? Hugging? Leaping into each other's arms? Why multiple Yuri on Ice nods? Why is there an encouraging mentor bi voiced by Jonah Scott? Why all the Joe and Cherry sexual tension? Why the allusion to Cherry having a crush on Adam when they were kiddos? Why background yaoi cats? What does Renga mean when Langa says Reki is being obvious about checking out the girl on the ferry and he replies with, "Like you would know?" Like Langa is oblivious to his attraction to him? Why does Langa go back for Reki when the others left him behind at the spring? Why a breakup scene? Who says, "We aren't a good match?" to a friend? So much Langa pining when Reki broke up with him. So much I'm good enough for him, I can't measure up BS from Reki. Why have Langa basically come out to his mom? Why a sunset, I want to be with you for infinity, make-up scene? Why does Langa say, "Like our relationship" and not friendship when discussing things he took for granted? Why is the audience allowed to know "after the finals" future plans were made but not allowed to hear them? "Reki, my love...for skating boarding is... because of you? " Why does Reki get offended when Langa is like, "Reki, you're awesome...for fixing my skateboard? Langa's heart only beats fast when he is skating with Reki. All that heart clenching! Why does Langa, Viktor leap into Reki's arms before he even knew if he won? "Let's get the feelings?" I have a lot of feelings about this show.
Oh and in that one scene where reki mixed up the two magazines (skate fun and skate fan) he looks at Langa and says « well they’re both about liking things right? » like maybe I’m delusional but that sounded pretty gay to me
Adam and Tadashi are parallels to Reki and Langa. Tadashi is super reserved and keeps his feelings close to his chest except for when he was skating as a kid. He represents a slightly smarter more aware Langa, and also was the one to tempt him with the skateboard (forbidden fruit). Only there is a roll reverse where he was the teacher and Adam was the learner. Adam only felt joy as a kid when he was with Tadashi. And is extremely vibrant when he puts on his mask. But as a kid he was the less experienced, less talented boy always trying to impress the other. The big difference is the environment surrounding the two, and that when they had their "break up" as it were, they took it in an entirely more toxic level until they became what they are today. When Adam is looking for his "Eve" what he's really looking for is someone who can remind him of Tadashi. Someone who can skate/ act like him and make him feel like before they broke up. And would you know it Langa has a similar skill level, was around the same age before the break up (just guessing on looks alone) and temperament as Tadashi. It's why he wanted him so bad as his eve, and likewise why he hated Reki so much. The kid might have reminded him of what he was like before he grew toxic. And more than that he and Langa represented what he and Tadashi use to be. It isn't until he loses at the end and that Langa reminds him of how Skateboarding should be fun and he remembers what Tadashi did/ how he really felt and let go of all his anger that he finally realized what he was missing for his life. Maybe Tadashi standing up to him for the first time in their lives was also a bit of a wake up call.
i remember thinking that Tadashi had been Adam's Eve all along when I watched the show. and that Adam kind of realized it in the end. they both have too many issues still and need a therapist honestly lol
Have of the English cast is queer and English Va’s for joe is bi and va for cherry is gay and they ship it lol and I saw somewhere that Langa‘s wiki says he’s gay And it comes from the craters of free!
I didn’t catch any parallels with Banana Fish 🤔 buuuut that could just be because I’ve rewatched Yuri on Ice a few times and I’ve only seen Banana Fish once 💀
@@pastelwriter the parallel that I caught from banana fish was the scene in the first episode of sk8 where langa made a jump when shadow threw fire crackers in the air, and you saw langa in the reflection of reki’s starstruck eyes. That’s is the exact same scene in banana fish where eiji pole jumped a tall brick wall, and we see him flying in the air through the reflection of ash’s starstruck eyes. Also it’s interesting to note that the creator of Sk8 is the same woman that directed banana fish
I wholeheartedly agree w you but I kinda see Miya and like pans, or questioning, maybe even aroace but for sure he’s like a very mature child figuring it out
I think Miya might be pansexual just judging from the show. There is a small easter egg with Miya's phone case. His phone case has pansexual flag colors but that's the only hint. You can see it in episode 2 at 07:15.
It is gay lmao when I saw Free! With my innocent naive youth I did see friendship but this one was straight up gay if Adam wasnt hinted on . It's no hard to analyze even Cherry and Joe. But honestly it not confirming and the teasing is what makes the anime amazing with the comedy I love it!
I both love and hate the lack of confirmation in the anime itself. I think it’s so obvious, but I’ve been looking at media from a lgbtq perspective for years now 😂
@@pastelwriter I highly recommend The Disastrous Life of Saki K if you havent seen the dub yet. Comedy gold and the protag is straight up aro/ace although not confirmed ofc.
Not sure if you're still making content and I'm sad I'm so late finding this video and your channel, but just wanted to show my appreciation for this video ❤Hope to see more video essays(?)/'unhinged bisexual rants' like this in future. There are so many other amazing LGBTQ+ anime out now (both overt and coded), would be great to see your response to them ☺
Hi! Thank you so much for watching 💖 It’s true I’m not really active on here anymore… All I’m currently considering is possibly a video on Bungo Stray Dogs, but it might not happen.
¿Cómo es que recién me entero que existe este video?! o(╥﹏╥)o amé tu análisis, solo por esto y más me suscribo, espero tu canal crezca （〜^∇^)〜 Y Renga Canon. Quisiera agregar información sobre la imagen oficial donde ellos están vestidos de blanco con un estilo occidental, lo dibujó quien estaba a cargo del manga. Simplemente hermoso 💕✨
Personally, I can see why theoretically Miya could have a crush on Reki, but it doesn´t show, I would say he was sad because it´s his first friend since his ex friend leaving him who promised he wouldn´t leave yet left, plus I see that scene at the hallway as him finally leaving that behind. Tbh the only reason he would be lgbt+ that I found is his phonecase having the pan color palette and it´s a normal color palette so I don´t think we can say what his sexuality is
Watched Sk8 for the gay, but absolutely loved the skating lmao 🤣 But yeah, there ain’t no heterosexual explanation for some of the things these boys do
I've also seen somebody say that shadow is a heterosexual dragqueen because of the way he puts out an persona when he is skating that is very diffrent from the real him we see at the flower shop
Cherry being demisexual was also one of my first thoughts. And I also think that Joe is definitely bisexual. But I was wondering if he might be sort of demisexual towards men ( in this case it's Cherry ). What do you think? And I have another thought that Cherry might be nonbinary. I don't know if it's just because I realized not long before I watched Sk8 that I'm nonbinary (agender), but he is the only character I can relate to the most.
With Joe I’m more inclined to just think he’s bi because he is more responsive to his female fans and we do actively see him trying to pursue girls (there’s the scene where Miya cuts in about home-wrecking while pointing at Cherry). In my mind he’s obviously in love with Cherry. That’s his rock, solid foundation, but he definitely gives more attention to women. I definitely am also inclined to view Cherry as nonbinary. I don’t really have anything to back it up. Kind of like I always view him as Autistic as well. I have some backing for this second view, but nothing close to solid evidence.
I came into the show vaguely knowing it was about skateboarding and had the same reaction of not thinking that Reki and Langa had much vibes of being into each other. I saw them as very good friends until the later episodes. The scene at the beach was funny and it totally confirmed Joe as bi for me and I found Reki doing that voice and grabbing Langa as hilarious. Joe and Cherry though, yeah I picked up on their vibes pretty quick.
I’m so sorry, I haven’t gone through the video much yet but! Just with the disclaimers I had to say, hello fellow biromantic ace latina :O Also yes, Sk8 is exceedingly gay lmao
Though I respect your opinion. But even if a monkey sees the show they can get sk8 is gay. And I'm not gay but I love the show. Friendship is a cliche thing in anime. And I love the gay couples. But I can understand why you need to speak out loud it's gay it's gay itsa gay. But generally the fandom who say it's about friendship they are toxic and immature. Mature fandom understands what's queer and they can like it. Like my fav anime is banana fish. And at the end I even cry on that couple..... *spoilers*... One of them dies.
As my first video on this kind of thing, I felt it necessary to cover my bases in case anyone wanted to come at me for reading the anime as being very gay. In my mind, there’s no doubt that it is. But I know there are viewers out there that totally miss the point. And I know that there’s also other brilliant youtube creators that are frustrated by the lack of confirmation in the anime itself, and I think their perspective is valid as well. And yeah! I’ve watched Banana Fish. My next anime video will be on them (still in the works bc life stuff has gotten in the way).
@@pastelwriter yup waiting for your banana fish review. And a word of advice once you complete the anime try to you know read 2 side story of banana fish. One is prequel and the second is aftermath. That would make your experience even better. They are not very long.
I didn’t personally have that reading. But that’s bc I have my own biases when it comes to different identities. Aka I’m more likely to read certain characters as trans, ace, or bi. Or a combination of all three 😂
For me it is gay and that's all :u First Renga, Langa canonnically admits he had love feelings for Reki in episode 8 👌, or the fact that in the last episode Langa jump into Reki arms like taking him as his precious price or like after skating the unique thing he wants to do was to be with his beloved hugging him, or how Langa's heart just beat in beefs if he knows that Reki is there waiting for him, or the fact that Langa laughed just with Reki, or how Reki sees Langa in the episode where Langa skates against Shadow Second Matchablossom, the part at Joe's restaurant where he said: ''But we are not alone.. right, Kaoru?'', and how they are like exes who still having feelings for each other Third Adashi, can somebody talk about the fact that at the end of chapter 12, Ainosuke said: ''You are my dog for the rest of OUR lives'' and how Tadashi just smile and say: ''Yes
And one thing I forget to say..., that: ''I want to skate with you for the infinity'', is like a confession of like a marrying proposal 👁👄👁👌, so yes, Reki and Langa are gay and are a canon couple
From least favorite to favorite it would be: Adam, Shadow, Tadashi, Miya, Joe, Reki, Langa, and Cherry. I absolutely adore Cherry and I despise Adam with everything in my heart 😂 Tbh tho Miya and Joe are tied bc I love them both a lot but in very different ways. And despite being third on my list, I would protect Reki with everything in my heart. He’s a sweetheart 💖
@@pastelwriter Nice! I love all the characters but my favorite is the villain, Adam! He’s such an interesting and complicated character IMO. And the fanart- phew! And if I was to rank from least favorite to favorite: Shadow, Miya, Joe, Langa, Cherry, Reki, Tadashi, Adam.
@@tsuyayaka1 Interesting! I would love to say I get the appeal but I don’t 😂 But everyone can like whatever character they want! Tadashi is cute tho! I do like him.
@@pastelwriter lol I understand! He’s a ‘love him or hate him’ kind of character for sure. I haven’t seen anyone have lukewarm feelings towards him. 😆Honestly you can justify favoriting any of the characters.
In my head l choose to believe for one am not much for shipping characters but joe and cherry through 10yrs they are like a married cuple that bickering it so fun to watch especially one of the two sceen one when they m have been to a few trips together rome , LA 🤣🙌🫶 the other is episode 6 l saw checking cherry out so much going on in that head of you the look l have a craving again 🤭 l keep replaying that the first time
I’m about three years late to this show but here’s my HORRIBLY put together presentation on why reki and Langa are GAY: Reasons why reki and Langa from sk8 the infinity are not straight Reason 1: Reki, in the first episode, said he was not into kissing girls. Like I know that wasn’t meant to sound gay, but I’m putting on my list anyways. Reason 2: Langa helping reki out in episode 2-5 like bro you just met this dude and you’re defending him with your life like ok 🤨🏳️🌈? Reason 3: Reki dreamed about Langa that one time. Like I ONOW I’m interpreting it wrong because he was actually just scared for Langa to go against Adam but my point still stands. Reason 4: after reki and Langa get into an argument, Langa asks his mom for help. HOLD UP ima take a minute to talk about how much I love Langas mom like she’s so cute iconic I love her, anyways. That whole interaction was just.. his mom thought he was in love with a girl and they had a misunderstanding and when his mom is like “you like this person right” as in /r, and Langa gasps, blushes, and replies “yeah I do.” Like Langa I can feel your rainbow aura. Reason 5: Omg this is proving to me that Langa is so much gayer than Reki, but here I am. Talking about another reason Langa is definitely not a part of the heterosexual gang. Reki is langas only reason to skate and he feels as if there’s no point in skating without reki. Also his heart apparently races when he’s skating with reki. I know what you are Langa. I know what you are. Reason 6: So I totally left this out, but the beach scene where reki and Langa are impersonating Joe. I don’t think it’s all that gay, but It was a great scene, so I’ll consider this more of an honorable mention. Reason 7: I 100% forgot to add this but when they make up and Langa starts talking about how much he loves spending time with reki. It just sounds like a confession IMS ORYY. Reason 8: When Langa says “reki. My love of skateboarding is because of you.” It sounds like “reki, my love.” Like I know that the va was expecting the line to just be “reki, my love.” Reason 9: The way they look at each other, like OMG KISS ALREADY JESUS.. Reason 10: “We’ll be the last two skaters.” -Langa “I’d like that.” -Reki GUYS IF YOURE GAY JUST SAY IT. Reason 11: Reki confuses fan and fun and looks at Langa and says “well they’re both about liking stuff right” and blushes kind of. Then Langa says “that’s deep aye” Reason 12: Episode 12, 18:34 seconds in. No explanation needed.
I would never ship it, but I’m also not going to deny the vibes were there. Especially in the flashbacks. But current time line? Cherry x Joe all the way 💖
Why can't they just be bros ? Platonic friendships are most common in most asian cultures. You can be close friends and bond without actually being gay or bi. I'm a straight person and i enjoyed the whole show, and Besides a couple of things in a few scenes, nothing about this screamed gay to me. Nothing against it, it just isn't. I really just feel like queer people just want it to be that, for representation. And the few scenes i do think are a little sus are because of Adam. He might be a little bi 🤷♂️. Besides that this is just a normal based cool af show. Please don't read too much into it.
Just like you can enjoy it as straight media, I can enjoy it through a queer lens. It ultimately doesn’t change anything or make the actual content of the story different 🤷🏻♀️ So you can do you, and I can do me
@@pastelwriter Well, you can enjoy it with your own lense nothing wrong with that. But if let's say the gay/bi thing is real, it completely changes the relationship dynamics between the characters, their motives and in large the story as a whole. Unless if that's what the writers were actually aiming at that I guess. It just sometimes stings that just because a guy has cool drip and like to dress up or be flamboyant he's automatically associated with being queer. Again, nothing against it, it's just limiting. But then again if the author comes out and says that they were aiming it to be that, then I don't have an argument. Though it would affect my enjoyment of the show as I won't be able to relate to the characters like I did.
@@karthikvonteru8166 I think the way you engage media is sad if changing the sexuality of the characters stops you from being able to relate to them. I relate to plenty of straight characters without problem even though I’m not straight. Queer content is not made to be ONLY enjoyed by queer people. The same way straight content isn’t enjoyed just by straight people. Stories are more powerful than that when they’re good. I also agree that the way characters dress shouldn’t impact if they’re viewed as queer or not, but that isn’t even a main point I make in my video. Anyone can be of any sexuality and wear cool clothes.
@@pastelwriter I think you misunderstood me. I can empathize and relate to characters that have different sexuality for example the 3rd episode of last of us show or the movie 'Whale' it didn't alter my enjoyment of it. But that's because it was already established. You cannot out of the blue come and say this is not the way it was portrayed. For example in Harry Potter, Dumbledore is supposed to be gay, doesn't change my opinion on his character, I actually like him regardless of his sexuality because it was not a plot point or change the narrative in any way.
you got rekt the director said in the last interview "One of the few anime focused on skateboarding as a sport, SK∞ (SK8 the Infinity) is a tale of male friendship and bonds between athletes" stop forcing stuff you wierdos
@@SmolLikeapenny But the creator didn't say anything about any of that, so nah. Besides, their vibe is friendly, there's a shīt ton of bait "could-be" romance scenes there that didn't become romance scenes too.
@@psychopompii yeah, the creators also didn’t specify if they were straight, people are allowed to ship. These ‘could be’ are able to be imagined into ‘will be’ situations. It’s quite obvious it’s lgbt in ways, and I’m hoping it becomes an anime that shows representation
@@SmolLikeapenny I'm hoping it doesn't. It doesn't look LGBT to me, more or less just showcasing close friendship ties that you guys are reason too much into. I don't blame y'all though, anything works for you people.
@@psychopompii okay, I really feel negativity behind what you’re saying, why not? It’s great representation, as well as it already shows some lgbt representation blatantly (eg the dub, Adams ‘bitches, bros, and no binary hoes’ As well as Adam being gay. It literally is gay. You’re also subjecting a whole community into one opinion ‘you people’ which is quite offensive. We are also able to relate to the experiences of the characters, and if you don’t want to see it that way, sure. It doesn’t make us unable to view it through a queer lens, as it shows non stereotypical representation
I've got some more evidence that Sk8 is gay and Joe/Cherry & Reki/Langa are in love:
Utsumi (the creator of Sk8 The Infinity) has confirmed in an interview that Cherry AND Joe were both attracted to Adam in high school before they fell apart, so it's basically canon that Joe is bisexual and Cherry is at least homosexual.
She also said in a separate interview that Langa isn't the type to be attracted to someone's looks but is more interested in the personality, LIKE WITH REKI. She continues on that Langa didn't think Reki was amazing from the start and it took time for him to learn about Reki. She then repeats that Langa doesn't care much about looks. So basically she confirmed Langa is attracted to Reki because of Reki's personality and energy and somehow that's even sweeter. (Because of this, many fans headcanon Langa as gay and demisexual)
Utsumi also revealed that there was an original plan where Langa receives the roses from Adam right before their beef in episode 5, and the original cut was that Langa would then hand the flowers over to Reki but then Shadow would take them because he doesn't trust those teens to take good care of them lol. Utsumi says she had to cut that scene "while crying" because it didn't fit the serious tone of the beef too well.
(I can't remember this one too well but I'm pretty sure I'm correct) Utsumi was asked when she "fell in love" with each character. When Utsumi talked about Reki, Langa and Miya she said "they're minors so it's not literally love but it's when I became super interested in them I suppose". She then explained that she "fell in love" with Langa in episode one when he basically starts flying over Shadow's firework and creates a snowflurry. She says "that's when I fell in love with him, JUST LIKE REKI."
There's also an official side manga of Sk8 which has jokes and little side stories about the characters and there is a part where Miya asks Reki if skating is his love language and Langa has a flashback of his first meeting with Reki and asks himself if Reki was hitting on hm back then. Later on Reki and Lang are like messing around in a room and having fun but they're kinda loud and then the manga pans to Joe right outside the door questioning if it's safe for him to go in, basically implying that Joe thought Reki and Langa were..... doing something else.
There's ALSO this official Sk8 Cinderella CD where Reki plays Cinderella and Langa plays the prince. (Reki's pronouns are she/her and the creators gave Reki the name Cindereki to make it less gay but wait until I've explained everything.) I recommend listening to it by the way before I spoil it in this comment. Simply type "Cindereki CD in TH-cam and the CD with subtitles should pop up.
OKAY so "Cindereki" goes to the ball and meets prince Langa who immediately says "Beautiful!" And Reki is like "Huh??" but then Langa says he thinks Reki's skateboard is pretty and Reki responds "Oh, you mean the skateboard..." so they skate and laugh and have fun until the clock hits twelve and Reki has to leave, blah blah you know the story. And the end of the story, Langa finds Reki again and Reki says "Thank you for finding me." and then a snow path appears which will lead Reki and Langa to their wedding but Adam interferes and basically steals Langa and Reki is like "Nooooo!"
Turns out, at the end of the CD, Reki was dreaming all of this in canon. Reki dreamed about marrying Langa. If that isn't gay then I don't know what is.
THERE IS MUCH MORE EVIDENCE TO PROVE THAT THE MAINS IN SK8 ARE GAY but I feel like this is enough explanation.
Thank you for blessing me with all this content 💖 I didn’t know about most of this!
Also the fact that Langa didn't fall in love immediately is obvious when rewatching the show, you can see how much less Langa is smiling and that he was thinking of just getting into the sport to make himself happy again but as it was shown he found happiness in Reki with skating being more of a hobby he doesn't want without him. Which is adorable 💕
ALSO, when she said they did the Host club AND the Cindereki CD and said that Reki and Langa would somehow always end up being friends, no matter their gender or where they were or how they met.
So this implies two things:
1. They're canon soulmates
2. LITERALLY ANY AU IS REAL IF THEY END UP TOGETHER
@@febbledebble ooh probably I had reread the comment and this wasnt it with the VAs lol
@@SemekiIzuio got it lmao, I'll delete my reaction to your first comment
And let's not forget about the iconic
" Reki, my love
of state boarding "
The dub was just too good 💀👌
THE WAY YOU TYPED THAT IS PERFECT LMAOO
Literally the first time l head it was like ooh my word l had to pause and squil 😸🙀❤️🔥the moment ❤
Peak dub!
Didn’t start shipping Renga until that scene with Langa and his mom at the table in episode 8, she said “You like this person right?” And he got all flustered
That scene is SO GOOD 💖
SAME
Same soo good 😍
And then when his mom says “show her she’s a lucky girl!” and he’s like “what girl.”👁️👄👁️
I cant not mention the scene with Cherry and Joe at the restaurant after Cherry left the hospital.
After Cherry fell asleep, Joe came back and poured the two wine glasses and basically made a fucking love confession. He talked about how Adam is alone but they're stronger TOGETHER, then clinked the 2 glasses together on his own. I personally interpret this as Joe expressing his one-sided love. Not only that, its always been Joe who expresses his affection more, Cherry does also shows that he cares about Joe but its never been directly face to face.
In conclusion, there are no hetero explanations for this. Joe secretly loves Cherry but Cherry's too occupied with getting the old Adam back. I'm sure there's a fanfic with that prompt somewhere
Yes! That restaurant scene is so good! And I think so much is left “unsaid” between them but still comes across so clear in their actions in relation to the other even if the other isn’t aware of what’s going on.
May I just mention that Cherry canonically has anxiety and insomnia and that he feels so safe at Sia La Luce (Joe's restaurant) and with Joe that he fell asleep without a problem, despite the previous traumatic event and his injuries. I just think about it a lot and it's so sweet!!
Also unrelated, but Langa stares at Reki SO MUCH! By that I mean All The Time! I dunno about you but I don't think that's a thing friends do
@@bloody_jaydee2405 Ohh yeaahh
That kinda makes me think he’s glad that cherry finds his restaurant as a safe and calming place for him cus the way he looks at him seeing him fall asleep lol
I would just like to point out that the english voice actor of joe is bisexual and the voice actor of cherry is gay and they do try as much as they can to make their scenes “flirty” or kind of romantic
They are amazing!
Hey I'm writing an analysis essay for my class do you have proof of this
@@GnomesAndPotions This is the youtube channel of Joe's voice actor: th-cam.com/channels/-UkMSf_3GLQ8Y9TfCWhbHw.html
He has some twitch highlight videos talking about sk8 (also with other sk8 voice actors) so I would just skim through those. I think he specifically mentioned being bi and trying to make joe very flirty with cherry in this video (which also features cherry's va and gives his perspective!): th-cam.com/video/f6bFMlEf6D0/w-d-xo.html
Reki and Langa are the sweet couple of best friends turned into lovers, while Joe and Cherry read as exes who are still in love. I refuse to believe nothing happened between them when they were younger.
Oh! 1 thing that I wanted to mention that’s nuanced is the use of costuming at “S”. I feel that S is a allegory for a queer space (such as a drag bar) where everyone can be their truest self. It’s not lost on me that the older gays (Cherry and Adam) wear costumes and have alter egos/names because they can’t be ‘out’. They grew up in a time period where it was social suicide to be out and proud.
However, Reki and Langa, a younger generation of queers, don’t have to worry about that so much. And maybe because Langa is from the West, he’s may feel less afraid of being labeled gay and is more progressive.
Ooohh!!! I love this idea! It makes a lot of sense tbh 🤔
@@pastelwriter It would also explain why Cherry slapped Reki (episode 5) when he said his alter ego name in front of everyone at his art show thing.
Ooooooooo!!!! I have watched the anime three times already and never thought of this! I love this idea and it makes a lot of sense!!
I just realised they are also the only main character ones that wear masks to hide their face. It would definitely make sense in that fact
There's also the clear implication with Adam's dad burning his skateboard to punish Adam. Skating as a whole can be read as a metaphor for queerness.
I haven't finished the vid so idk if u say it but watching the end of the renga clip where you talk about Joe being a clear gay mentor... When langa sees reki at the hospital and runs after him without hesitation, and joe jut smirks and goes "go get him kid." BRO THERE IS NO HETEROSEXUAL EXPLANATION FOR THIS. Langa loves reki and Joe is Supportive Gay Dad™.
less than halfway in and this just sounds like me in my bathroom mirror, to myself, at 2 am, explaining the subtext of a certain piece of media. perfect.
😂💖 I’m glad our energies match. I can promise you I was awake till late talking through everything to say in this video before I even hit record
I also like to mention the eye reflection scenes when talking about reki and langa, it happens twice (once in the first episode and once in episode 9) and idk how true that is but they feel VERY romance coded to me, add that to the fact that the director has said in an interview that facial expressions are her favorite way to express emotions and it all seems somehow even gayer
Yes! I’ve seen screenshots of the eye reflection scenes, so I totally know what you mean. Combined with everything else in the anime, it doesn’t feel as just awe of the skill and/or passion Langa and Reki have for each other’s skating. It seems like it could easily read as them both going like this 😍
It happens a lot in *romance-heavy* action series (Very prominently Banana Fish)
There is also the scene where cherry sneaks out of the hospital to see joe, cherry falls asleep and Joe gives him THE SWEETEST FUCKING LOOK (KDNDMDM I can't-)
Yessss!!! That’s a good scene 💖
Every time you said “there is no heterosexual explanation for this” I smiled because I couldn’t agree more
Joe definitely is in love. Most likely he was he had feelings for cherry while cherry was infatuated with Adam. Joe is just playing the long game of patience for cherry to be willing to try for something.
Every day, this is more and more my interpretation of the dynamics between Joe and Cherry.
SPOILERS FOR END CREDITS OF EP 12
i didn't see anyone point this out yet but at the end credits of the last episode shadow finds out that the manager/coworker at the flower shop is already taken/has a partner. Earlier in the end credits in the background, he is seen giving flowers to manager oka, which is the guy who owns the skate shop. I didn't notice this the first time I watched it but someone pointed it out and I thought it was interesting...
People ship them because of that! I never noticed that part, just the part with shadow sobbing his eyes out after learning manager has a partner.
Oh so that's why people ship them
Also like Langa literally jumps into hugging Reki as he finished the beef with Adam. Like if that’s not THE GAYEST THING!!
100%
It's quite gay but it's also super charged with Masculine Energy.
As a VERY straight man I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. The Flamboyance and bromance were absolute life goals.
The most important woman in Cherry's life is an AI.
Facts.
Sidenote: Miya's phone case is literally the colors of the pan flag
personally, i believe miya is non-binary and pan (there was a scene showing a phone case with a pan colored poop emoji lmao) anyway great video
Sk8 is the sports anime that took over my life this year and I haven’t regretted a single moment! It’s so gay but subtle, nuanced and poetic in its gayness that there should be a master class on it. I just ❤️it so much. 🤣
YES!!! It took over my life too. It was just so good! And had such sweet moments! Truly a master class in subtle gay storytelling 😂💖
Came for Reki, stayed for Reiki
Reki is lovely 💖
i stayed for all of them lol even adam is fun to watch
YES
I feel like Adam could honestly also be read as pansexual since he just cares that they are a good skater and stuff (I don't remember the exact stuff ok its been a few months-) and while yes all the potential "Eves" are men, if they were women or a genderqueer person, I don't think he would care because he doesn't care about the gender and that's been clearly stated but we don't have any actual content for that but I think it can clearly be seen as pan if someone aka me wants to yeah lol
I totally respect that, and see your point. Plus. If you see him as pan, no one at all can stop you
@@pastelwriter yeah😌✨
no i dont accept him in my comunity /hj
Still a creep tho 💀
@@decristal48 never said he wasn't!!
Ok I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought everyone was gay in this anime!!
You are not alone 💖
Other ✨Fruity✨ moments in the show:
Note: All these moments are in the English dub, if you haven't seen it, I recommend checking it out!
Episode 4, 9:22:
"You're cute" 😳
Episode 5, 3:08:
"LANGAAAAAAA"
Episode 5, 9:34:
"Hello"~
Episode 6, 7:06:
There is no heterosexual explanation for this
Episode 6, 20:00:
I know he only caught him, but it's cute as heck
Episode 6, 20:47:
Two bros, chilling in a hot tub, 5 feet apart cause they're not gay
Episode 8, 16:20:
Little blush
Episode 10, 15:52:
"Reki, my love, OF SKATEBOARDING, is because of you"
If we go into the Miya may have a crush on Reki Idea it kinda reminds me of Percy and Nico, Nico sees this older cooler guy helping him and his sister out, and he crushes on him, but as he grows on himself he also grows out if it and moves on. Seeing it now as more of an admiration
Yes!!! This is a perfect comparison 💖
If you haven’t seen the dub even tho I’m late, the dub is like 2000000x as gay and the VA’s, especially Cherry’s and Joe’s have said that they did it on purpose
I’ve seen some of the gifs and it’s truly iconic at times 😂 but haven’t watched the actual dub
@@pastelwriter you 10000% should it’s beautiful lol
Well, Cherry and Joe’s relationship is a lot more gay, but Reki and Langa’s seems a bit less romantic with the subtext.
@@Error-gz3pp nononono you are very wrong on that
Can we talk about when Joe and Cherry are both saying they want to take on Adam in a skate fight or sum and Cherry told him he wanted to go first (aggressively) and Joe replies with “YOU’RE CUTE, BUT IM NOT BUDGING”
It was probably them being aggressive but 😭
For me, everything they do when engaging with each other (regardless of how it looks on the outside) is done out of love 😭💖
Adam is a politician and it was said he was the youngest diet member in his political party
Thank you! I totally failed to get that bit.
9 months later, still searching for heterosexual explanations in Sk8 Infinity😂
I think Cherry, Joe and Adam were in some sort of love triangle.
Joe and Cherry are childhood friends who got into skating as teens. Bi Joe has been crushing on Cherry for years although he'd never admit it, which is why he's trying to get girls all the time (he's trying to get over Cherry and ignore his love for him).
Cherry is gay (either a guarded gay person or a homoromantic demisexual) and ended up feeling something like a crush mixed with admiration for Adam as they were skating, but Adam did not reciprocate.
Gay Adam, being raised with a servant and abused, has always had a super twisted vision of love and never knew how to love and what it actually was. His relationship with Tadashi is the closest thing to love he's had, as Tadashi cared for him (by teaching him how to skate, for example) in a way no one really did. Adam sees love purely as conquest, as something to win, so he tries to win dominance over other guys (being Tadashi's master, winning over the best skaters). Winning is what gives him the most satisfaction and is what he's solely focused on, so he doesn't truly care about Joe and Cherry - he's satisfied with skating with great skaters.
When Adam ditched Joe and Cherry, his "skating buddies", he essentially broke Cherry's heart. Joe saw that Cherry was too invested in Adam and it broke his heart as well. Hence the falling apart. If Joe only saw Cherry as his friend, he still would've skated with him, or if that weren't possible, Joe wouldn't have minded and wouldn't have been so upset.
After the falling apart, Cherry has been trying to get the old Adam back (the Adam he loved), but without success. Joe and Cherry bond over how mad Adam is, and despite not being on very good terms, they still care about each other (though they would never admit it, especially not Cherry lol). They understand each other very well as they've known each other for a long time, after all. Ironically, the falling apart made them closer.
Adam whacking Cherry with a skateboard officially broke Cherry's heart, so I'm hoping that'll make Cherry try to get over Adam and see that someone else cares for him.
Sorry for the word vomit woops 😂
This comment is a 10/10. I agree with everything you said ✨
@@pastelwriter Thank you, I'm glad someone shares the same view! :3
Hi from a fellow ace btw
Did Joe and Cherry actually have a fallout? They traveled around Europe together after graduation and after Adam left and it seems they often spent time together (Joe was absolutely used to Cherry spending his time in his restaurant), they still both visited S. I think in terms of friendship, there was no fallout, bickering and teasing have just been their dynamic since high school.
As for romantic feelings, I agree with your headcanon on Joe. With Cherry, I have a headcanon that he got over his crush on Adam a long time ago (he still wanted to see the old Adam as a friend who inspired him in skateboarding, sure) and he has feelings for Joe (like they're always in each other's faces, their pet names, the tension from both sides, etc.) but he believes Joe is a straight fuckboy (the way he makes comments about Joe being a womanizer lol). so there is still a lot of miscommunication and they both think it's one-sided when it's clearly not. I mean the kids see them as parents, jokingly or not, they do give off old married couple vibes so I hope it will help them realize things.
@@valeriyav2149 I love your Cherry headcannon! About the falling out, now that you said it, I'm not even sure about whether that happened anymore. I think I need to rewatch the series just to make sure I haven't made this up or seen this in my dreams or smth 😆
@@RhythmAddictedState tbf it's easy to miss because of their bantering 😂they were mentioning a lost wallet in London, a random restaurant in LA, and a night out to a Paris bar all while arguing about who got them lost or smth lmao I remember it only because they sounded like an old married couple on vacation and thought "they really traveled the world together huh"😆
I didnt Start shipping renga till I heard
“Show her she’s a lucky girl!”
“What girl?”
I made this post on Tumblr a while ago:
(I watched the dub, which is arguably gayer)
If Sk8 The Infinity is not a BL...
Why are there next to no girls? Why just incredibly pretty men?
Why does Reki says he is not really interested in girls in the opening monologue? Why does Langa say talking to girls isn't his thing on the ferry?
Why does Reki chase Langa's image while hearts flash on the monitors in the opening and then literally fall down a rainbow hole?
Why does Reki say Langa's questions always involve feelings, and Langa says the fact that he won't answer them makes it hard to make a move?
Why all the blushing and longing looks? Touching? Hugging? Leaping into each other's arms?
Why multiple Yuri on Ice nods?
Why is there an encouraging mentor bi voiced by Jonah Scott?
Why all the Joe and Cherry sexual tension?
Why the allusion to Cherry having a crush on Adam when they were kiddos?
Why background yaoi cats?
What does Renga mean when Langa says Reki is being obvious about checking out the girl on the ferry and he replies with, "Like you would know?" Like Langa is oblivious to his attraction to him?
Why does Langa go back for Reki when the others left him behind at the spring?
Why a breakup scene? Who says, "We aren't a good match?" to a friend?
So much Langa pining when Reki broke up with him.
So much I'm good enough for him, I can't measure up BS from Reki.
Why have Langa basically come out to his mom?
Why a sunset, I want to be with you for infinity, make-up scene?
Why does Langa say, "Like our relationship" and not friendship when discussing things he took for granted?
Why is the audience allowed to know "after the finals" future plans were made but not allowed to hear them?
"Reki, my love...for skating boarding is... because of you? "
Why does Reki get offended when Langa is like, "Reki, you're awesome...for fixing my skateboard?
Langa's heart only beats fast when he is skating with Reki. All that heart clenching!
Why does Langa, Viktor leap into Reki's arms before he even knew if he won?
"Let's get the feelings?"
I have a lot of feelings about this show.
@@jennisherwood7455 all of these are great points! Comments like this always make me want to rewatch sk8 😂💖
Oh and in that one scene where reki mixed up the two magazines (skate fun and skate fan) he looks at Langa and says « well they’re both about liking things right? » like maybe I’m delusional but that sounded pretty gay to me
Adam and Tadashi are parallels to Reki and Langa.
Tadashi is super reserved and keeps his feelings close to his chest except for when he was skating as a kid. He represents a slightly smarter more aware Langa, and also was the one to tempt him with the skateboard (forbidden fruit). Only there is a roll reverse where he was the teacher and Adam was the learner.
Adam only felt joy as a kid when he was with Tadashi. And is extremely vibrant when he puts on his mask. But as a kid he was the less experienced, less talented boy always trying to impress the other.
The big difference is the environment surrounding the two, and that when they had their "break up" as it were, they took it in an entirely more toxic level until they became what they are today.
When Adam is looking for his "Eve" what he's really looking for is someone who can remind him of Tadashi. Someone who can skate/ act like him and make him feel like before they broke up. And would you know it Langa has a similar skill level, was around the same age before the break up (just guessing on looks alone) and temperament as Tadashi. It's why he wanted him so bad as his eve, and likewise why he hated Reki so much. The kid might have reminded him of what he was like before he grew toxic. And more than that he and Langa represented what he and Tadashi use to be.
It isn't until he loses at the end and that Langa reminds him of how Skateboarding should be fun and he remembers what Tadashi did/ how he really felt and let go of all his anger that he finally realized what he was missing for his life. Maybe Tadashi standing up to him for the first time in their lives was also a bit of a wake up call.
I loved this in depth comment! Wish I could say more than just, I totally see where you’re coming from and I’m inclined to agree!
i remember thinking that Tadashi had been Adam's Eve all along when I watched the show. and that Adam kind of realized it in the end. they both have too many issues still and need a therapist honestly lol
Great video! Gave me lots of ideas for an essay I'm writing for university about LGBT representation in anime ^w^
Glad it could be of help! 💖
"why is that? .... why is that indeed" i'm dead this is great. I am convinced and I haven't even watched the show yet lol
side note: the matte lipstick and matte shirt is chefs kiss
Thank yooouuu! 💖
im just friggin LIVING for this vid XD and your look is just *amazinggg*
Im glad you enjoyed my chaos ✨
Have of the English cast is queer and English Va’s for joe is bi and va for cherry is gay and they ship it lol and I saw somewhere that Langa‘s wiki says he’s gay
And it comes from the craters of free!
Actually Langa Lasagna is actually confirmed lol. He admitted to his mom at dinner he had feelings for Reki. It’s episode 8 time
stamp 15 : 13!! :)
I loved this. Totally agree. Its soooo gay and cute. We need more of these boys. ASAP.
Then at least say so! My kids are watching these.
@@angelbaby1811 😂 you sound like my mom
I swear Reki better be at least bisexual and they better come out with a season 2 🌈 🛹
DONT WORRY SEASON TWO’S CONFIRMED
@@danalynch118 yasssss
18:15 actually at that shot there’s a split second heart on the screen
I did not catch that while I was watching but 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
@@pastelwriter it’s hard to see because it’s a single frame but it’s at the point of impact when the colors invert.
Sk8 The Infinity has a lot of parallels with Banana Fish, and Yuri On Ice. like so many scenes from those animes are remade with reki and langa
I didn’t catch any parallels with Banana Fish 🤔 buuuut that could just be because I’ve rewatched Yuri on Ice a few times and I’ve only seen Banana Fish once 💀
@@pastelwriter the parallel that I caught from banana fish was the scene in the first episode of sk8 where langa made a jump when shadow threw fire crackers in the air, and you saw langa in the reflection of reki’s starstruck eyes. That’s is the exact same scene in banana fish where eiji pole jumped a tall brick wall, and we see him flying in the air through the reflection of ash’s starstruck eyes. Also it’s interesting to note that the creator of Sk8 is the same woman that directed banana fish
@@mxwinnie Ooohhh!! That’s true! I think I might have heard something similar before but totally forgot
Bestie look at the English dub cast streams, they think everyone is gay too especially Jonah Scott (joe’s voice actor)
How does this woman does not have more followers? I’m subscribing now ✨
ok but after like a year i’m still here crying over them 🫠
I wholeheartedly agree w you but I kinda see Miya and like pans, or questioning, maybe even aroace but for sure he’s like a very mature child figuring it out
31:48 the line in the dub is “I know what true joy is” and that’s just even gayer lmao
Cmon people it has female fan service AND males with rainbow hair of course it has a 80% bl loving community
Love you mentioning the rainbow hair as a selling point for bi viewers 😂
@@pastelwriter it is common for yaoi anime
I think Miya might be pansexual just judging from the show. There is a small easter egg with Miya's phone case. His phone case has pansexual flag colors but that's the only hint. You can see it in episode 2 at 07:15.
Listening to you is enjoyable enough for me to subscribe and give thumbs up !
I’m glad you enjoyed listening! 😊
miya gives me solid trans/nonbinary vibes
“You’re way too close…” (I wanna make out with you and I can’t with the kids around)
Me encanta que estés hablando de Matchablossom con libros rosados y verdes de fondo
Amo
Fue pura coincidencia pero gracias por mencionarlo ya que no me había dado cuenta de eso 😂👌🏼
Espero que te haya gustado el video ✨
I clicked so fast, hello! (If you haven't seen the dub you totally should, because it's even more gayer)
I have so many comments telling me to watch the dub 😂 but I resist on principle (not a big fan of dub)
Outside: This is such a nice video! Love it!
Inner fangirl: Yes! Yes! YES! YES YES YES AHHHHHHHHHHHH OMG!!!! MATCHBLOSSOM!!!! RENGA!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHH
lmao the heated energy radiating from you right now is off the charts
cherry and joe's sub va ship matchablossom and renga yall
As they should 🔥
It is gay lmao when I saw Free! With my innocent naive youth I did see friendship but this one was straight up gay if Adam wasnt hinted on . It's no hard to analyze even Cherry and Joe. But honestly it not confirming and the teasing is what makes the anime amazing with the comedy I love it!
I both love and hate the lack of confirmation in the anime itself. I think it’s so obvious, but I’ve been looking at media from a lgbtq perspective for years now 😂
@@pastelwriter I highly recommend The Disastrous Life of Saki K if you havent seen the dub yet. Comedy gold and the protag is straight up aro/ace although not confirmed ofc.
@@SemekiIzuio I haven’t seen it! Thanks for the rec! 💖
This video made me want to rewatch Sk8 Infinity but, you talking about Yuri on ice.....made me watch to watch that more haha, I love Victuuri sm!
Yuri on Ice is just SO good!
Not sure if you're still making content and I'm sad I'm so late finding this video and your channel, but just wanted to show my appreciation for this video ❤Hope to see more video essays(?)/'unhinged bisexual rants' like this in future. There are so many other amazing LGBTQ+ anime out now (both overt and coded), would be great to see your response to them ☺
Hi! Thank you so much for watching 💖 It’s true I’m not really active on here anymore… All I’m currently considering is possibly a video on Bungo Stray Dogs, but it might not happen.
well, what can I say.. I completely agree with you!
¿Cómo es que recién me entero que existe este video?! o(╥﹏╥)o amé tu análisis, solo por esto y más me suscribo, espero tu canal crezca （〜^∇^)〜
Y Renga Canon. Quisiera agregar información sobre la imagen oficial donde ellos están vestidos de blanco con un estilo occidental, lo dibujó quien estaba a cargo del manga. Simplemente hermoso 💕✨
Que bueno que te gustó el video! Espero pronto tener más contenido pero he estado en un slump 😩
@@pastelwriter esta bien, no te preocupes, todo a su debido tiempo 💝✨ cuídate mucho “ψ(｀∇´)ψ
Personally, I can see why theoretically Miya could have a crush on Reki, but it doesn´t show, I would say he was sad because it´s his first friend since his ex friend leaving him who promised he wouldn´t leave yet left, plus I see that scene at the hallway as him finally leaving that behind. Tbh the only reason he would be lgbt+ that I found is his phonecase having the pan color palette and it´s a normal color palette so I don´t think we can say what his sexuality is
This video has brought me in within 2 seconds lol
Watched Sk8 for the gay, but absolutely loved the skating lmao 🤣
But yeah, there ain’t no heterosexual explanation for some of the things these boys do
Yruly no heterosexual explanation
“I raise you two scenes which are parallel to the gayest anime in existence which is Yuri on Ice”
TA-RUTH.
at 19:23 lmao WE NEED MORE OF THIS canonically!
Agreed! Media focuses a lot on young queer people which in a way makes sense, but we're really missing out on the voices of older queers!
I've also seen somebody say that shadow is a heterosexual dragqueen because of the way he puts out an persona when he is skating that is very diffrent from the real him we see at the flower shop
Cherry being demisexual was also one of my first thoughts. And I also think that Joe is definitely bisexual. But I was wondering if he might be sort of demisexual towards men ( in this case it's Cherry ). What do you think?
And I have another thought that Cherry might be nonbinary. I don't know if it's just because I realized not long before I watched Sk8 that I'm nonbinary (agender), but he is the only character I can relate to the most.
With Joe I’m more inclined to just think he’s bi because he is more responsive to his female fans and we do actively see him trying to pursue girls (there’s the scene where Miya cuts in about home-wrecking while pointing at Cherry). In my mind he’s obviously in love with Cherry. That’s his rock, solid foundation, but he definitely gives more attention to women.
I definitely am also inclined to view Cherry as nonbinary. I don’t really have anything to back it up. Kind of like I always view him as Autistic as well. I have some backing for this second view, but nothing close to solid evidence.
“Reki my love..
Pause
OF SKATEBOARDING IS BECAUSE OF YOU “
BRO ???
I came into the show vaguely knowing it was about skateboarding and had the same reaction of not thinking that Reki and Langa had much vibes of being into each other. I saw them as very good friends until the later episodes. The scene at the beach was funny and it totally confirmed Joe as bi for me and I found Reki doing that voice and grabbing Langa as hilarious.
Joe and Cherry though, yeah I picked up on their vibes pretty quick.
ik this video is old but the true way to see if an anime is truly queer is if homophobic people see it too
100% GAY
Whatch yuri on ice, just do it
I’m so sorry, I haven’t gone through the video much yet but! Just with the disclaimers I had to say, hello fellow biromantic ace latina :O
Also yes, Sk8 is exceedingly gay lmao
Though I respect your opinion. But even if a monkey sees the show they can get sk8 is gay. And I'm not gay but I love the show.
Friendship is a cliche thing in anime. And I love the gay couples. But I can understand why you need to speak out loud it's gay it's gay itsa gay.
But generally the fandom who say it's about friendship they are toxic and immature.
Mature fandom understands what's queer and they can like it.
Like my fav anime is banana fish. And at the end I even cry on that couple..... *spoilers*... One of them dies.
As my first video on this kind of thing, I felt it necessary to cover my bases in case anyone wanted to come at me for reading the anime as being very gay. In my mind, there’s no doubt that it is. But I know there are viewers out there that totally miss the point. And I know that there’s also other brilliant youtube creators that are frustrated by the lack of confirmation in the anime itself, and I think their perspective is valid as well.
And yeah! I’ve watched Banana Fish. My next anime video will be on them (still in the works bc life stuff has gotten in the way).
@@pastelwriter yup waiting for your banana fish review.
And a word of advice once you complete the anime try to you know read 2 side story of banana fish. One is prequel and the second is aftermath. That would make your experience even better. They are not very long.
Also am I the only one that reads Miya as pansexual??
for like. no reason. whatsoever. except vibes.
because yeah :D
I didn’t personally have that reading. But that’s bc I have my own biases when it comes to different identities. Aka I’m more likely to read certain characters as trans, ace, or bi. Or a combination of all three 😂
@@pastelwriter that's your choice i mean i have no basis either it's just what I get from the vibes lmao
well, his phonecase's colors are exactly the pan flag colors
Omg i love this Video thank you:) But i don´t think that Miya has a crush on Reki
For me it is gay and that's all :u
First Renga, Langa canonnically admits he had love feelings for Reki in episode 8 👌, or the fact that in the last episode Langa jump into Reki arms like taking him as his precious price or like after skating the unique thing he wants to do was to be with his beloved hugging him, or how Langa's heart just beat in beefs if he knows that Reki is there waiting for him, or the fact that Langa laughed just with Reki, or how Reki sees Langa in the episode where Langa skates against Shadow
Second Matchablossom, the part at Joe's restaurant where he said: ''But we are not alone.. right, Kaoru?'', and how they are like exes who still having feelings for each other
Third Adashi, can somebody talk about the fact that at the end of chapter 12, Ainosuke said: ''You are my dog for the rest of OUR lives'' and how Tadashi just smile and say: ''Yes
And I am a Latin person too \(:D)/
And one thing I forget to say..., that: ''I want to skate with you for the infinity'', is like a confession of like a marrying proposal 👁👄👁👌, so yes, Reki and Langa are gay and are a canon couple
I LOVE THE TITLE LOL
How would you rank the characters from least favorite to favorite?
From least favorite to favorite it would be: Adam, Shadow, Tadashi, Miya, Joe, Reki, Langa, and Cherry. I absolutely adore Cherry and I despise Adam with everything in my heart 😂 Tbh tho Miya and Joe are tied bc I love them both a lot but in very different ways. And despite being third on my list, I would protect Reki with everything in my heart. He’s a sweetheart 💖
@@pastelwriter Nice! I love all the characters but my favorite is the villain, Adam! He’s such an interesting and complicated character IMO. And the fanart- phew! And if I was to rank from least favorite to favorite: Shadow, Miya, Joe, Langa, Cherry, Reki, Tadashi, Adam.
@@tsuyayaka1 Interesting! I would love to say I get the appeal but I don’t 😂 But everyone can like whatever character they want! Tadashi is cute tho! I do like him.
@@pastelwriter lol I understand! He’s a ‘love him or hate him’ kind of character for sure. I haven’t seen anyone have lukewarm feelings towards him. 😆Honestly you can justify favoriting any of the characters.
Are cat boy is pan
I do NOT understand how my friend doesn’t ship renga they’re so homosexual
No langa is actually canon lol (he had a talk with his mom and she said “show her she’s a lucky GIRL“ and he said “what girl“)
can u try watch / read tian guan ci fu or heaven officials blessing
I already have a video on my channel talking about the donghua of heaven official’s blessing! So you can see that too
In my head l choose to believe for one am not much for shipping characters but joe and cherry through 10yrs they are like a married cuple that bickering it so fun to watch especially one of the two sceen one when they m have been to a few trips together rome , LA 🤣🙌🫶 the other is episode 6 l saw checking cherry out so much going on in that head of you the look l have a craving again 🤭 l keep replaying that the first time
Cherry and Joe 100% give old married couple energy, and I love that for them. They’re one of my fave ships 💖
Has the writer said he wrote the characters gay?
I just pinned a comment that summarizes different instances the creator has talked about the characters and their identities. You can check that out.
*she, and she’s definitely implied it. She was also previously the director of the Bananafish anime adaptation, which is known for being gay.
The only one I wish wasn’t gay was Adam… because duh.
I’m about three years late to this show but here’s my HORRIBLY put together presentation on why reki and Langa are GAY:
Reasons why reki and Langa from sk8 the infinity are not straight
Reason 1:
Reki, in the first episode, said he was not into kissing girls. Like I know that wasn’t meant to sound gay, but I’m putting on my list anyways.
Reason 2:
Langa helping reki out in episode 2-5 like bro you just met this dude and you’re defending him with your life like ok 🤨🏳️🌈?
Reason 3:
Reki dreamed about Langa that one time. Like I ONOW I’m interpreting it wrong because he was actually just scared for Langa to go against Adam but my point still stands.
Reason 4:
after reki and Langa get into an argument, Langa asks his mom for help. HOLD UP ima take a minute to talk about how much I love Langas mom like she’s so cute iconic I love her, anyways. That whole interaction was just.. his mom thought he was in love with a girl and they had a misunderstanding and when his mom is like “you like this person right” as in /r, and Langa gasps, blushes, and replies “yeah I do.” Like Langa I can feel your rainbow aura.
Reason 5:
Omg this is proving to me that Langa is so much gayer than Reki, but here I am. Talking about another reason Langa is definitely not a part of the heterosexual gang. Reki is langas only reason to skate and he feels as if there’s no point in skating without reki. Also his heart apparently races when he’s skating with reki. I know what you are Langa. I know what you are.
Reason 6:
So I totally left this out, but the beach scene where reki and Langa are impersonating Joe. I don’t think it’s all that gay, but It was a great scene, so I’ll consider this more of an honorable mention.
Reason 7:
I 100% forgot to add this but when they make up and Langa starts talking about how much he loves spending time with reki. It just sounds like a confession IMS ORYY.
Reason 8:
When Langa says “reki. My love of skateboarding is because of you.” It sounds like “reki, my love.” Like I know that the va was expecting the line to just be “reki, my love.”
Reason 9:
The way they look at each other, like OMG KISS ALREADY JESUS..
Reason 10:
“We’ll be the last two skaters.” -Langa
“I’d like that.” -Reki
GUYS IF YOURE GAY JUST SAY IT.
Reason 11:
Reki confuses fan and fun and looks at Langa and says “well they’re both about liking stuff right” and blushes kind of. Then Langa says “that’s deep aye”
Reason 12:
Episode 12, 18:34 seconds in. No explanation needed.
@@14_eden I love this list of reasons! It’s never too late to enjoy something 💖
Maybe you can pronounce it like RAY KI
Istg PLEASE DONT SAY CHERRY X ADAM 😰😰😰😰😰😰PLEAS- NOSOSOSOSSOOOOOO
I would never ship it, but I’m also not going to deny the vibes were there. Especially in the flashbacks. But current time line? Cherry x Joe all the way 💖
Watch Lego monkie kid it has some what gay vibes
My very straight husband tried to watch it with me and said it was too gay for him to watch. So even straight people think it is gay.
The bio confuses me
What do you mean?
sk8 the infinity is gayer than gays animes like given, and its not even a bl/yaoi anime
Its was made for women i japan fujoshi.
in japan
Why can't they just be bros ? Platonic friendships are most common in most asian cultures. You can be close friends and bond without actually being gay or bi. I'm a straight person and i enjoyed the whole show, and Besides a couple of things in a few scenes, nothing about this screamed gay to me. Nothing against it, it just isn't. I really just feel like queer people just want it to be that, for representation. And the few scenes i do think are a little sus are because of Adam. He might be a little bi 🤷♂️. Besides that this is just a normal based cool af show. Please don't read too much into it.
Just like you can enjoy it as straight media, I can enjoy it through a queer lens. It ultimately doesn’t change anything or make the actual content of the story different 🤷🏻♀️ So you can do you, and I can do me
@@pastelwriter Well, you can enjoy it with your own lense nothing wrong with that. But if let's say the gay/bi thing is real, it completely changes the relationship dynamics between the characters, their motives and in large the story as a whole. Unless if that's what the writers were actually aiming at that I guess. It just sometimes stings that just because a guy has cool drip and like to dress up or be flamboyant he's automatically associated with being queer. Again, nothing against it, it's just limiting. But then again if the author comes out and says that they were aiming it to be that, then I don't have an argument. Though it would affect my enjoyment of the show as I won't be able to relate to the characters like I did.
@@karthikvonteru8166 I think the way you engage media is sad if changing the sexuality of the characters stops you from being able to relate to them. I relate to plenty of straight characters without problem even though I’m not straight. Queer content is not made to be ONLY enjoyed by queer people. The same way straight content isn’t enjoyed just by straight people. Stories are more powerful than that when they’re good.
I also agree that the way characters dress shouldn’t impact if they’re viewed as queer or not, but that isn’t even a main point I make in my video. Anyone can be of any sexuality and wear cool clothes.
@@pastelwriter I think you misunderstood me. I can empathize and relate to characters that have different sexuality for example the 3rd episode of last of us show or the movie 'Whale' it didn't alter my enjoyment of it. But that's because it was already established. You cannot out of the blue come and say this is not the way it was portrayed. For example in Harry Potter, Dumbledore is supposed to be gay, doesn't change my opinion on his character, I actually like him regardless of his sexuality because it was not a plot point or change the narrative in any way.
you got rekt the director said in the last interview "One of the few anime focused on skateboarding as a sport, SK∞ (SK8 the Infinity) is a tale of male friendship and bonds between athletes" stop forcing stuff you wierdos
Oh nooo what shall I ever do? 😱 you got me!
I don’t care, weirdo ✨
It isn't, though.
Did they tell you that? The voice actors ship the characters too
@@SmolLikeapenny
But the creator didn't say anything about any of that, so nah.
Besides, their vibe is friendly, there's a shīt ton of bait "could-be" romance scenes there that didn't become romance scenes too.
@@psychopompii yeah, the creators also didn’t specify if they were straight, people are allowed to ship. These ‘could be’ are able to be imagined into ‘will be’ situations. It’s quite obvious it’s lgbt in ways, and I’m hoping it becomes an anime that shows representation
@@SmolLikeapenny
I'm hoping it doesn't.
It doesn't look LGBT to me, more or less just showcasing close friendship ties that you guys are reason too much into.
I don't blame y'all though, anything works for you people.
@@psychopompii okay, I really feel negativity behind what you’re saying, why not? It’s great representation, as well as it already shows some lgbt representation blatantly (eg the dub, Adams ‘bitches, bros, and no binary hoes’
As well as Adam being gay. It literally is gay.
You’re also subjecting a whole community into one opinion ‘you people’ which is quite offensive.
We are also able to relate to the experiences of the characters, and if you don’t want to see it that way, sure. It doesn’t make us unable to view it through a queer lens, as it shows non stereotypical representation