| Even disregarding Reki and Langa's near-text relationship, Adam PROPOSED TO TADASHI IN THE FINAL EPISODE AND TADASHI SAID YES WHILE BLUSHING. So no, it's can't be queerbait. |
| Personally, I don't need explicit-on-screen-confirmation for me to consider characters LGBT+ or not. As long as there is evidence to support your claim, it's absolutely valid to consider characters as just friends and/or lovers. There also is a difference between queercoding and queerbaiting- and I think sk8 definitely has a lot of emphasis on the coding part. (For example, if you look at skating as a symbol for homosexuality, then Adam/Tadashi's story is about two men struggling with sexuality vs society. On the flip side- Adam adds to the harmful villain trope that stereotypes queer men as creepy pedos sooo...). I just think people throw around the work "queerbaiting" too loosely (especially when compared to the writing for shows like BBC's Sherlock). Just because your favorite ship doesn't kiss on screen doesn't mean the writers were queerbaiting you. Sometimes hints are all we can get because- as shown above in a previous comment- LGBT+ still isn't fully accepted in society, and producers don't want to risk alienating audiences. |
Weebslayerr69 said: platonicswords said: Even disregarding Reki and Langa's near-text relationship, Adam PROPOSED TO TADASHI IN THE FINAL EPISODE AND TADASHI SAID YES WHILE BLUSHING. So no, it's can't be queerbait. Uhmm I guess we didn't watch the same episode then, he literally said you're gonna be my dog, y'know? Like he's always be been Nah that's not possible because that would mean Adam didn't go through character development which is false. You missed the key part, which was "You'll be MY dog FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES". The "dog" is a pet name, because he used it to refer to Tadashi derogatorily at the beginning it's a callback but he uses it affectionately now? He's literally saying "Be mine for the rest of our lives" and if you can't see how that's a proposal then you are just willfully ignoring the text at this point. And Tadashi's blushing reaction would make 0 sense unless it was a proposal. |
| I think it is, but isn't every sports anime queerbaiting to some extent? I'm kinda used to it at this point honestly. SK8 is tipotoeing the line between platonic and non platonic. But without anything explicit or het pairings in the end, it can get away with the ambiguity and still be fun imo. There's room to be interpreted by the audience as a friendship or as a friendship and a romance. It depends on what each person wants to see. Now, the fact that m/m relationships sell well is a different story. I find the queerbaiting in shows like Free! a lot more blatant personally. |
| I think the series handled it pretty well tbh! Lots of sports anime have at least one bromance that comes across as more than that but to the fans dismay a lot of those series try hard to make the characters straight in the end. In this case it's totally ambiguous and it heavily depends on how you want to read the subtext that's been there the whole time. So here are my thoughts on Langa/Reki: Reki might be straight but might be bi without knowing. To me he doesn't seem the type to be experienced in romance at all. Especially considering that skateboarding was all that's on his mind pretty much. There is one scene at the beach episode where he wants to talk to the girl on the boat but to me that seemed super innocent, like idk typical elementary school boy behaviour "Oh a cute girl omg!" Does that 100% confirm that he must be straight? Nah I don't think so. Sexual preferance is way deeper than that and must also be explored, most people start out thinking they are straight or behave that way because that's just the status quo in our society. Reki is a little dummy and I doubt he ever really worried about that stuff. THIS might change completely now that he got to know Langa and got so close to him. Langa on the other hand is way more obvious imo. There is the mom conversation but also the very soft looks he has for Reki only. not only that but he is very protective of Reki as well(beach scene, monster escape scene, scene where he gets between Reki and Adam when Adam approached Reki etc.) Also the ending sequence "what makes me happy..." and the whole heart beating thing while skating. There are also so many small details in their body language, like Reki continiously holding onto Langa in a lot of situations. Again even in the ending sequence when Adam just fell from the sky about to crash their party, everyone just fucks off while Reki is just holding Langa lol. At the end of the day people can interpret it the way they want and that's incredibly fun! I want to see it that way but other people might be put off or just like them better as friends and that's okay as well. I like it better this way than just outright trying to make the characters heterosexual in retrospective. One last thing...I don't like Adam at all but damn that guy screamed gay the entire series if you ask me and don't get me started with the whole 'be my dog for your entire life', come on aaah xD |
Only_Brad said: I really hope so, I don't want this anime to be ruined by gay romance. It would be a shame because I would have to drop the score to 2/10. Agreed. It was a good and wholesome friendship between Reki and Langa, no need for them to be gay. Would completely ruin their dynamic. Adam would've been a better character if he wasn't constantly spouting gay lines. Threads like this never cease to amaze me in showing how broken our culture is. |
astupidfreakApr 4, 2021 8:43 AM
platonicswords said: Weebslayerr69 said: Uhmm I guess we didn't watch the same episode then, he literally said you're gonna be my dog, y'know? Like he's always be been Nah that's not possible because that would mean Adam didn't go through character development which is false. You missed the key part, which was "You'll be MY dog FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES". The "dog" is a pet name, because he used it to refer to Tadashi derogatorily at the beginning it's a callback but he uses it affectionately now? He's literally saying "Be mine for the rest of our lives" and if you can't see how that's a proposal then you are just willfully ignoring the text at this point. And Tadashi's blushing reaction would make 0 sense unless it was a proposal. tadashi always loved adam.  2 hearts in a pool for who? being adam's dog forever = skating infinitely with you forever |
| HACKs! 🤢🤮 |
| People read too much into these scenes Lmao. They are biased simply because they see what they want to see. And the hole scene in episode is a gag, used in many anime. I hate how now days boys can't actually be intimate without being labeled gay/bi. |
“Now I have neither happiness nor unhappiness. Everything passes. That is the one and only thing that I have thought resembled a truth in the society of human beings where I have dwelled up to now as in a burning hell. Everything passes.” ― Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human |
Weebslayerr69 said: platonicswords said: Nah that's not possible because that would mean Adam didn't go through character development which is false. You missed the key part, which was "You'll be MY dog FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES". The "dog" is a pet name, because he used it to refer to Tadashi derogatorily at the beginning it's a callback but he uses it affectionately now? He's literally saying "Be mine for the rest of our lives" and if you can't see how that's a proposal then you are just willfully ignoring the text at this point. And Tadashi's blushing reaction would make 0 sense unless it was a proposal. I guess whenever somebody blushes then it immediately means their in love? Bc that's what people were saying about Langa too, till they got butthurt over their ship not working out Yeah exactly that's what I'm saying. Think of it in the perspective of the writers - what other purpose could blushing serve other than to hint at romantic feelings? Tadashi clearly isn't embarrassed from his expression. They KNOW what they're doing and they know adding blushing will add a romantic implication to a scene. Even without the blushing what Adam said was enough to imply it was a proposal So yes I am saying that I think Langa and Reki are in love too, but it isn't explicitly shown because you don't HAVE to to explicit to know two characters are in love. And according to your logic that would also mean Banana Fish and Utena's TV anime would be queerbaiting. |
| Oh my god, some of the "If SK8 turns out to be a gay anime, I'mma drop it-" comments here gives me lowkey homophobic vibes, I hate it. For me, I felt it was obvious Langa have unrequited feelings for Reki (I would be fine if that was the case, but still a bit upset xD) The gestures, how much they care for each other and etc. And no, I am not doing this because two guys have a strong bromance bond, it is how I LEGIT feel about their relationship. |
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| no, just vibing and homies skating together. |
 |
| There is such thing as queer coding. Queerbaiting is mostly tryna attract an audience of gay people to boost their views and ratings Queer coding is by making the characters sexuality ambiguous but clearly obvious to people who are queer/gay. Queer coding is a lot more "harmless" and is a better way of representation without showing everything. |
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| Lmao these shows are not queer baiting, they're fujo baiting |
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Weebslayerr69 said: platonicswords said: Yeah exactly that's what I'm saying. Think of it in the perspective of the writers - what other purpose could blushing serve other than to hint at romantic feelings? Tadashi clearly isn't embarrassed from his expression. They KNOW what they're doing and they know adding blushing will add a romantic implication to a scene. Even without the blushing what Adam said was enough to imply it was a proposal So yes I am saying that I think Langa and Reki are in love too, but it isn't explicitly shown because you don't HAVE to to explicit to know two characters are in love. And according to your logic that would also mean Banana Fish and Utena's TV anime would be queerbaiting. When did they ever say their in love? Just because the care about each other as friends? Their literally two dudes that live skating this isn't a romance and has nothing to do with it, go ship somewhere else tf Go back to school and take a literature class because I'm sure they teach you what "show don't tell" is. The audience isn't so dumb that they need everything spelled out to them to know what's going on. You need a lesson on how to analyse texts... Langa's Mom: (Thinking Langa's talking about a girl) "You like this person right?" Langa: "Yeah" (blushes) Langa: I wanna skate INFINITELY with you! (basically saying they wanna be with each other forever) Langa: "My happiness is..." (Camera cuts to Reki) Adam: Calls Reki a "third wheel" and sees him as an "obstacle" to him and Langa's relationship The S Tournament: Literally called "White Eden WEDDING Beef" The flying hug in Ep 12 is blatantly a reference to Yuri on Ice Ep7 kiss scene. And there's a Drama CD in the first BD/DVD volume where Reki dreams that he's Cinderella and Langa is the prince, and they were about to get married before being interrupted by Adam. Why can't this show be about two dudes who love skating AND also each other? That's a really weird argument you're making because the skating part and romance part aren't mutually exclusive. Plus they did confirm Adam and Tadashi are Together. |
platonicswordsApr 5, 2021 7:49 AM
Weebslayerr69 said: platonicswords said: Go back to school and take a literature class because I'm sure they teach you what "show don't tell" is. The audience isn't so dumb that they need everything spelled out to them to know what's going on. You need a lesson on how to analyse texts... Langa's Mom: (Thinking Langa's talking about a girl) "You like this person right?" Langa: "Yeah" (blushes) Langa: I wanna skate INFINITELY with you! (basically saying they wanna be with each other forever) Langa: "My happiness is..." (Camera cuts to Reki) Adam: Calls Reki a "third wheel" and sees him as an "obstacle" to him and Langa's relationship The S Tournament: Literally called "White Eden WEDDING Beef" The flying hug in Ep 12 is blatantly a reference to Yuri on Ice Ep7 kiss scene. And there's a Drama CD in the first BD/DVD volume where Reki dreams that he's Cinderella and Langa is the prince, and they were about to get married before being interrupted by Adam. Why can't this show be about two dudes who love skating AND also each other? That's a really weird argument you're making because the skating part and romance part aren't mutually exclusive. Plus they did confirm Adam and Tadashi are Together. Guess I just found myself one of those weird toxic shippers lmfao, yeah I need a lesson how to analyze texts just because I didn't blow a simple thing out of proportion, again, they both like skating they aren't in love, simple as that, if you think they are then continue day dreaming about it. To each their own. I DO NOT CARE if you think they're just friends and it's fine if you do. But seriously, it was asshole of you to call people who interpret things differently than you as "weird toxic shippers" and "daydreaming/blowing things out of proportion" when people are free to see it how they like. And I have repeatedly stated evidence that my interpretation has basis in the text, yet you conveniently ignored it and decided to insult me instead lmao. |
Weebslayerr69 said: devastatingdance said: To each their own. I DO NOT CARE if you think they're just friends and it's fine if you do. But seriously, it was asshole of you to call people who interpret things differently than you as "weird toxic shippers" and "daydreaming/blowing things out of proportion" when people are free to see it how they like. And I have repeatedly stated evidence that my interpretation has basis in the text, yet you conveniently ignored it and decided to insult me instead lmao. If you don't care then don't reply simple as that, "interpret things differently than you" no, people that exaggerate anything and everything just so their ship can sail, we don't need another mha fandom ruining the anime community, they can see however they like but if it's stupid then it's stupid, there's no changing that, you insulted me first by telling me to go back to school just because I don't ship people whenever they look at each other or sm. Uhh the people in this fandom smh I think it was you who replied to my interpretation first asking whether we were watching the same show. Once again you're quite insistent on ignoring my points, you know very well that what I said was much more than "they looked at each other so they're in love" yet you try to paint me as ridiculous and stupid when I have offered sound reasoning. I apologise for that insult, but I only retaliated because YOU tried to invalidate how I saw it. You could've just said that you didn't agree, you preferred them as friends and left it there but you had to insist I "go ship somewhere else tf". |
Fruitpie said: Have to agree. The biggest problem of this anime (and SK8 has A LOT of problems) is its dreadfully toxic fandom. lol, straight boys crying toxicity whenever it's about communities where they don't dominate the discussion. has anyone noticed? |
Fruitpie said: doily said: lol, straight boys crying toxicity whenever it's about communities where they don't dominate the discussion. has anyone noticed? Don't know, since I'm not a boy and not crying but saying the plain fact. You're the one who is trying to attack me. Thus confirming my point. what's your point exactly? you attacking this community and when you get called on it, play the victim? |
Weebslayerr69 said: devastatingdance said: I think it was you who replied to my interpretation first asking whether we were watching the same show. Once again you're quite insistent on ignoring my points, you know very well that what I said was much more than "they looked at each other so they're in love" yet you try to paint me as ridiculous and stupid when I have offered sound reasoning. I apologise for that insult, but I only retaliated because YOU tried to invalidate how I saw it. You could've just said that you didn't agree, you preferred them as friends and left it there but you had to insist I "go ship somewhere else tf". Okay what points have you brought up that are actually worth noting? Langa "saying" he likes Reky? You said Langa and Reky are in when Reky never showed any interest in a relationship with Langa, I'm guessing you're a gir and assume when guys are close then they are in love. I'll ask again what good points have you brought up? Since you keep complaining over me ignoring them - Langa's Mom: (Thinking Langa's talking about a girl) "You like this person right?" Langa: "Yeah" (blushes) - Langa: I wanna skate INFINITELY with you! (basically saying they wanna be together forever, and Reki says something similar too) - Langa: "My happiness is..." (Camera cuts to Reki). This is a parallel to the very first scene in Ep1, where Reki also says the same line but it was left ambiguous as their relationship had not developed at that point so it couldn't be shown. - Adam: Calls Reki a "third wheel" and sees him as an "obstacle" to him and Langa's relationship - The S Tournament: Literally called "White Eden WEDDING Beef". The final scene is Reki and Langa making up to their (failed) promise to skate together in the tournament finals. - The flying hug in Ep 12 is blatantly a reference to Yuri on Ice Ep7 kiss scene. - The flying hug in Ep12 and Ep10 when Langa crashes into Reki is also a parallel to Adam's "love hug". - Reki blushes around Langa more than he blushes at the girl in Ep6. - Langa's heart "doesn't feel anything" unless he's skating with Reki. Only when Reki calls out his name he regains the motivation to skate and wins. Similarly in Ep12 he was about to die until he saw the skateboard Reki made him. - Langa's mother comments that Langa was an "empty shell" until he met Reki. - Visual cues such as facial expressions and gestures - the way they look at each other fondly could suggest a romantic implication. - There's a Drama CD in the first BD/DVD volume where Reki dreams that he's Cinderella and Langa is the prince, and they were about to get married before being interrupted by Adam. - The director's previous works are Banana Fish and Free, both feature gay subtext. Ash and Eiji are commonly viewed as a canon couple. I can assure you she knows the implications of what she's writing. - The manga artist drew them in wedding outfits after the last ep came out. I'm not a girl. I don't get your argument about male friendships considering I don't really care about gender when it comes to these stuff. I am not saying that my interpretation of them being in love is absolute. However, you cannot deny that there is basis in my interpretation, and it is not, as you stated, "stupid" and "weird toxic shipping". It's almost like they're deliberately written so that they could be read as being in love so the audience can ship them. |
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