Man this was a great episode, the race was once again super satisfying to watch. But before the race we got to see Langa, Reki and even Chinen go through some warmups and ‘practice drills’, all of which had some sick moves and I’m just screaming, “YOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” because everything is so cool to watch. But I gotta say, the wipe-outs man, the worst one was when Langa’s foot-strap snapped and just when flying and skidding on the ground – and man that watching that hurt so much, I had actually shouted (and I quote), “SH-OWWWW OUCH! OUWWW! OUCH!!! OWWWWWWWWWWWWW! HIS KNEES! FUCK MAN! OW!” Sheesh, that made me wince because I know how much that hurts. All I could think of was how messed up his knees were. I doubt he is wearing knee-pads underneath those pants, hahaha (SOBS). BUT YIKES.
In response to that spectacular wipe-out, Reki replaced the broken strap with toe clips. However they were still facing some roadblocks because it’s hard for Langa to make clean turns. The friction for snowboards are the same from the front and sides, but for skateboarding he’s going so fast moving forward that when he try to go turn, he’s suddenly breaking and it sends him flying. Luckily Reki was able to find some inspiration when he stumbled into some chair wheels, the kind that spin 360′. So in addition to switch from straps to toe clips, he also remodeled the wheels so they would spin in the direction of movement. This way Langa can skate sideways like he does when snowboarding. And thus, Reki-L2S is born!
Speaking of snowboarding, I probably sound like a broken record at this point, but I absolutely loveeeeee the way they are find creative ways to implement some of its mechanic into skateboarding, such as seeing Langa sport some sick Rodeo moves. As result, ever since the premiere, all I could think of is, “Oh my god I want to see BONES make a snowboarding anime.” And that desire just keeps growing stronger as each episode goes by, hahaha!
This week we got to learn more about their opponent Chinen (MIKA). He is a rising star and Japanese National Hopeful, but because of his talents and rise to frame, he has been shunned by his friends and turned into an outcast. What used to be a sport where he would have fun with friends has now turned into a lonely ride. That’s why it’s so hard for him to watch friends like Reki and Langa get along so well and have fun while skating, because deep in his heart, that’s all he wants.
Amazingly, Langa won the race by the skin of his teeth- I swear to god it looked like it was going to end as a draw. If it had, I wouldn’t have minded, but Chinen needed to lose in order to see there are two very kind individuals who are set to become his new friends. When Reki told him they wanted to skate with him again, and that they will never disappear from his sight, he was so overwhelmed to finally hear the words he has longed for so long, he almost burst into tears and later make him smile. That’s why Reki (in particular) is exactly what Chinen needs right now. A kind soul who wears his heart on his sleeve, full of courage to pursue justice. He showed us the kind of guts he has to stand up to the powerful when they hurt Chinen, and the legend ADAM was no exception.
But boy… am I terrified for the next match-up. Reki might have bit off more than he can chew when he challenged the ‘legend’ ADAM after he said some terrible things to Chinen. While I whole heartedly support him for having Chinen’s back, I’m scared of the potential consequences he and others will have to face if he loses this match. It certainly doesn’t help that ADAM creeps me out, especially the part when he wanted to touch Langa’s legs because EXCUSE ME SIR. HANDS OFF AND STEP AWAY FROM MY SON. I dread what’s going to be at stake for Reki, because whatever it is, it can’t be good for him or Langa. I am left with the impression this is going to be a double-whammy.
