Where: Funimation
When: Sundays at 8:00 a.m. CDT
Genre: Sports, Slice of Life
Synopsis: Kensei Maeshima left the world of figure skating after his rival said, “You’ll never beat me.” Years later, he’s using his athleticism to help several high school teams, never focusing on one. But when his adversary publicly announces a shift to a team sport, a kid familiar with Kensei’s past finds and offers him an invitation to lace up his skates and join the world of skate-leading.
I am a sucker for ice-skating anime. One of my all-time favorite anime is Yuri on Ice, so I was super excited for another ice-skating anime. The first episode did not disappoint.
MIGHT CONTAIN POTENTIAL SPOILERS.
The show begins with our protagonist, fifth-grade student Kensei Maeshima, declaring to his rival, “If I lose to you, I’ll quit skating!”
He skates a flawless performance and yet still falls second to his rival. Realizing that he doesn’t really want to quit skating, he tries to joke with his rival who then tells him to just quit. He will never beat him.
Fast forward to high school – Maeshima excels at every sport he plays, but refuses to join any official club. His friends feel as though he is wasting his talents. We are introduced to a “new” type of skating called “skate-leading”. Basically, it is a team skating sport. Maeshima is approached by his rival’s younger brother who wants revenge on his older brother. He convinces Maeshima back on the ice which sparks him to want to return to skating.
Overall, it set the tone. We have a protagonist that is squandering away his talents. We have the catalyst who is bringing Maeshima back into the fold. However, will the skate-leading team allow Maeshima to join? That is where we are left at the end of episode 1.
Honestly, the episode did not disappoint. I look forward to continuing this show for the season!
Filthy Casual for Life 