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Tear Jerker / Sk8 the Infinity

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     Episode 1 
  • Langa's first few appearances has an air of distant sadness as he stares out the window of the car and notes how there really was no snow in Okinawa. When his mother asks if he's going to be okay, Langa just mutters it doesn't matter. While we don't find out about his father until later, it's clear Langa is incredibly sad and all his mother could do was take them to Okinawa in hopes the scenery change could improve her son's mood.
  • While we don't learn about Reki's backstory until later, it's clear he's lonely at school as no one there shares his passion of skateboarding and he lost his old friend because of it.
  • Counts as a bit of foreshadowing, but as Oka tries to console Reki about his match against Shadow Reki claims he's alright. Oka points out whenever Reki says that he's not really fine. Reki brushes off Oka and mutters he only has himself to blame for the loss because he "sucked".

     Episode 2 
  • While it's only a small moment, when Reki asks Langa why he moved back to Okinawa with his mom, Langa replies it was because his father passed away and how he used to snowboard with him. Reki realizes why Langa acted to distant earlier and apologizes for bringing up the topic along with giving his condolences. He understands how important snowboarding must have been for Langa in that very moment.
    • Quickly turns to heartwarming where Langa then tells Reki now it's different since he's now grown to love skateboarding.

     Episode 3 
  • Miya's backstory. He's a skating prodigy, and as he got better his friends became jealous and accused him of thinking he was better than them, leaving him alone and making him think good skaters can't have friends.
    • It doesn't help that despite his claims that he's fine alone, he still gets bullied during his photoshoot and his old friend ignores him as if they were never friends to begin with. At home he still pretends to be okay in front of his parents as he takes awya the photo of him and his friend and crushes it behind his back.

     Episode 4 
  • Reki beginning to doubt himself when Adam barely goes all out on him, but still terrifying the teen. He starts questioning his worth and realizing that Adam and the others around him are on an entirely different level.
  • Adam deciding to stop playing around and finishes off Reki with his "Love Hug". Reki ends up getting a concussion and a broken arm, and while he's barely conscious all he can think of is apologizing to Langa for losing.

     Episode 5 
  • As Cherry is explaining his calligraphy to his audience, he say it's meaning is that no one is too far gone for redemption. As his eyes drops, it becomes a bit clearer he's referring to Adam and how he feels Adam can still come back from whatever destructive brink he's currently walking on.
  • Reki telling Langa exactly why he's worried over his friend skating against Adam as he recalls his last friend who got hurt while skating and ended up quitting the sport altogether. While Langa assures Reki that even if he got hurt he would never quit skating, Reki can't help but worry.

     Episode 6 
  • Langa reminding Reki that he's injured so he shouldn't be performing tricks. While this is brushed off, this moment does seem to make Reki a bit more frustrated when he has time to himself and thinks about it more.
  • The episode that is the calm before the storm. Reki finds Joe and pulls him aside to ask for advice on how to get better. He's also slightly annoyed that Langa is acting like a helicopter parent over him because of his injuries and doesn't want to feel like a burden. Joe gives him the best advice he can give, but Reki doesn't seem convinced that he can actually keep up with the others.

     Episode 7 
  • Adam may be a bastard, but it's heartbreaking to see him not only beaten by his aunts as a child, but accept the beatings as their "love" with a smile and to the present day thank them for it.
  • Shadow's words can come off as incredibly insensitive as he jokes that maybe the reason Reki didn't show up was because he was scared. His words also twist the knife more when he earlier joked that Reki was only known as "the guy who hangs around Snow" and not an actual skater like the others.
  • Unlike earlier, Reki is so lost in his head, he doesn't greet Langa when they meet up and looks hurt when he thinks Langa seems to realize why he's upset. When Langa thinks Reki's just out of it because he stayed up late making more boards, Reki hides behind a smile and pretends everything is alright.
  • Reki torturing himself as he continuously tries to make the jump Langa did earlier, only to keep failing and getting more frustrated the more he tries. He's on to about attempt number twelve and refusing to answer his phone as Langa is flooding him with texts, worriedly asking where he was.
  • During his and Reki's fight, Langa finds that he doesn't feel the same way he did about skateboarding, constantly checking his heart during races. Even with the rest of the crew behind him, he simply doesn't feel right without Reki.
    • Langa's heartbroken looks around the time Reki leaves him, especially the one in the rain and after Miya (at first) snaps about how maybe Reki didn't want to be around him anymore.
  • It's easier to miss than Langa's, as his relationship with Reki is the focus, but it's implied Miya's skating suffers due to how upset he is about Reki drifting away, saying "He promised me, and yet he..."

     Episode 8 
  • Langa still attempting to talk to Reki even after Reki makes it clear he doesn't want to talk about S. Langa is desperate to return to how they once were but doesn't understand why Reki continues to keep pushing him away.
  • Reki acting as a shell of his former self and not only ignoring all of Langa's messages, but also rewatching the videos he has of when Langa was still learning and wondering why he was falling so behind now.
  • Joe attempting to comfort Reki and talk him through his problems with his advice being for Reki not to end up alone. Joe is likely taking his experience from what happened to Adam and doesn't want Reki to go down that same path.
  • Without Reki at S, Langa becomes more laser focused on trying to match Adam's skill, causing him to become more reckless of his own wellbeing as well as others. It's likely he throwing himself into it because it gets his mind off of why Reki is not speaking to him anymore.

     Episode 9 
  • Langa slowly giving up on the race as he doesn't feel the rush of excitement he used to get when skating. He even starts to wonder why he bothers doing this before he sees Reki, but it's clear how much Reki's absence is affecting Langa's love for skating.
  • The sad look Langa has on his face as he inspects his broken skateboard, looking like he's trying to put the pieces back together. When Joe asks why Langa can't just buy a new one, Langa insists it has to be this board. No other board besides the one Reki made especially for him would suffice.
  • Despite Langa beating Joe, Reki still doesn't feel happy and breaks down into tears. He realizes all he wants is to skate with Langa, not just cheer for him on the sidelines, but his skills aren't on par with his friend. The next shot of Reki shows him deciding to leave S for good after he gives one of the guards his pin.
    Guard: You sure about this?
    Reki: (defeated tone) Yeah, I'm sure.
  • As Cherry is chosen to go against Adam, Joe quickly gets back up the hill after his race against Langa and looks like he's trying to plead with Cherry not to go through with it because of how dangerous Adam is.
  • Cherry's race against Adam. Remembering the times they had when they were teens and Adam wasn't like how he is today. He clearly wants Adam to stop using his skating to hurt others, but it doesn't sink in. It culminates with Adam grabbing his skateboard and smashing it over Cherry's face, who in shock recalls their teen years before that image smashes to pieces and he falls to the ground in a heap. Adam even coldly tells a conscious Cherry that the reason he never accepted his previous beefs was because he was boring.
  • Cherry sneaking out of the hospital to rest at Joe's restaurant and Joe quietly talks about how despite Adam being so amazing at skating, he's all alone with no one really there for him.

     Episode 10 
  • Joe running to check on Cherry, delicately holding him up and trying to make sure he was still alive. Just the way he yells "Kaoru" shows that despite all their bickering, Cherry getting hurt, especially because of Adam is clearly hurting Joe.
    • In the English dub, Joe's voice is audibly distraught as he screams Kaoru's name.
    Joe: Kaoru! Come on, get up!
    • Joe also seems ready to fight Adam after he calls Cherry "boring", likely knowing how those words would affect Cherry. In the English dub, he even gets to drop this line.
    Joe: Seriously? You son of a bitch.
  • Then there's also Cherry's fans who are openly distraught over what happened and are attempting to comfort one another. Even some of the other skaters look shocked at how brutal Adam can truly be.
  • Tadashi's flashback of Adam when they were children and how they became friends and he taught him skateboarding. The day Adam's father took Adam's skateboard and burnt it drove Adam over the edge while Tadashi stood the side and quietly complied with Adam's father.
  • Adam spying on Langa and looking at the boy's expression, which hasn't brightened once since he and Reki split.
  • As Reki runs to the hospital after hearing that Shadow got assaulted, as the elevator doors open, he quickly closes them when he sees Langa and Joe. He then curls up inside and muttering how he didn't want to see Langa right now.
    • Miya finding Reki and trying to slap some sense back into him, with the teen not listening. As he ignores Miya, Miya angrily asks if Reki wasn't going to keep his promise to him. Reki then remembers he promised Miya he wouldn't leave him like his other friends, but ends up pushing the younger teen aside. Miya's screams towards Reki makes him sound incredibly close to tears.
    Miya: You lying little slime!!
  • Tadashi attempting to convince Reki to give up skating, believing it was safer than putting himself up to get hurt over and over again. While Reki objects and tries to talk some sense into the adult, Tadashi is clearly at his limit and is doing everything he can to pin the blame of Adam on himself.

     Episode 11 
  • Joe's words on telling Langa to not be alone hits a lot harder after Reki loses to Adam but gains the respect and adoration of all the other skaters. He's surrounded by friends who are just happy to see he came out of the race alive whereas Adam has no one to support him after everyone else just laughs at him. Even when Tadashi appears, it's just to tell Adam he's forfeiting his race against Langa because he should race against someone who could make him "happy".

     Episode 12 
  • As Langa gets into the "zone", he starts to recall that this felt like the time his father died, and how empty he felt. All the joy is sucked out of him and he can't even remember why he's doing what he's doing.
  • Langa talking with an image of his father who's asking if he's having fun and Langa gently replying back that he was.

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