SK8 The Infinity Should Respect Their Skateboard builders
Ok,Ā Iāve got a lot of issueās with how the culture works inĀ āSā, but for right now Iāve got a bone to pick on howĀ āSā disrespects Reki and skateboard makers. Itās a crime and I need to talk about it.Ā
Ā (Disclaimer: I havenāt finished the show yet, so if Iāve missed something, I apologize in advance. Also there may be some spoilers ahead, youāve been warned.)
First and foremost, I donāt get whyĀ āSā doesnāt respect skateboard makers.Ā
Thereās a lot of cool boards in the show: Adamās horn(y) board, Cherryās i-board, Langaās snowboard-on-wheels, etc. I personally think itās a waste and a crime that theĀ āSā community - and Sk8 in general - barely glances at the endless possibilities that can come from creative board making (especially in a show that makes a point of talking about the endless possibilities and freedoms of skateboarding) and doesnāt even TOUCH on how important board makers HAVE to be to their lifestyle.Ā
Youād think in a culture where the people live and breath by the board, theyād be elevating the artisans who make that life possible to the realm of kings, or, at the very least, respected members of the community. Ā Iāve never seen any of the skaters offer any kind of respect to those people, and honestly it irritates me to no end. And the wasted potential for creativity there!
Can you imagine how awesome it would be to have the skaterās treat having a cutting edge board the same way most other hobbyists treat their collection? The sheer diversity of boards that could exist? Why is Cherry not selling i-boards? Why arenāt people clamoring for Reki to make them a swivel board? Why is no-one trying to get an advantage with an awesome unique board when their whole club is based on competition??? It makes no sense!
You could argue that their purists, but if that was the case theyād be giving Cherry and Langa smack for their boards, and since they donāt, I truly canāt see a reason. Therefor, if for no other reason than to get a cool board, theĀ āSā community should be treating their board builders with HUGE respect, or at the very least, acknowledge their existence and contributions.Ā
And for those who want to @ me saying that the real skater community doesnāt work that way, I want to remind people that this is an anime. Were dealing in fantastical fantasies here, and itās a wasted element that could have added to the story. Especially since Reki, a main character, himself is a board maker and it could have added a new element to his role in the community.
Which brings me to Reki, and the sheer DISRESPECT theyāre giving my boi.Ā Ā
Ā Yes, I will admit, heās not a genius skater, and I honestly am grateful that Sk8 allowed a main character to be painfully normal for once, and really dig into the feeling of being the average guy surrounded by geniuses. But! While heās not the best skater ever, he is a talented and skilled skateboard maker, which I personally think puts him on par with the rest of the group.Ā
The only other board maker acknowledged in the show is Cherry, who created an awesome board, hands down, but even he stuck to the basic (three?) shapes that create an average skateboard.Ā
Reki, on the other hand, created a whole new hybrid that melded together snowboarding and skateboarding, essentially allowing Langa to create a whole new style of skateboarding. Yes, Langa is the skater here, but my point is the possibility wouldnāt even EXIST without Rekiās creativity and Iām SALTY about it.Ā
Iām upset that not one single person there, besides maybe Langa, even acknowledges how big a break through that must be for the skating community, and instead treats him like Langaās sidekick. Reki opened a whole new world of skating possibilities, and heās not given a shred of credit for it.Ā
Itās an absolute disrespect to Reki, and further to all other board makers - both unique inventors and otherwise - and I would be throwing hands at the shitheads if I could.Ā
