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Spoiler-Free review of episodes 1-4 :)

Where to begin... This show has become the bane of my existence.

I'd put the story and art at a high 9. The main/background plot is very entertaining and creative, but there are a few dry spots every now and then. I'm mainly referring to episode 4, however, that was made up for by a reveal near the end of the episode that helped us understand Cheng Xiaoshi's character much more. The premise is amazing, and super engaging~

The art style is great and I really enjoy it! However, it's not quite as smooth at times as "regular" animation/art style, so it ... may not be for everyone.

The op and ed are both absolute bangers and I rewatch/listen to them all the time~
On top of that, the lyrics of both hint at and foreshadow something much deeper and/or possibly darker later on in the show. This was made a little more obvious with the ending scenes of the first episode.
The music and sound effects used in the show are also stellar and really immerse you in the show! I especially love the sound effect used whenever Cheng Xiaoshi enters a photo and says "Dive."

The characters themselves along with their developments and relationships are hands down my favourite part of the show. A core part of the background plot is slowly revealing more about Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang and their relationship. Within the last four episodes we've learned a lot more about how they met and how much they rely and depend on each other. They fit each other perfectly, their powers working in tandem and their personalities complimenting each other extremely well. They give off a strong yin-and-yang vibe, even aside from the fact that Cheng Xiaoshi has black hair and Lu Guang has white hair.

This show is so much fun to watch, and overall deserves a 10/10. The premise is original, well thought out, and is going down a great path! I can tell that there'll be quite a few twists and great plot points within the next seven episodes. I would really like to go into even more detail about this, but that would require going into an extremely deeply analysis and include spoilers. There's only four episodes out so far, but so much content in them already.

If you do anything this summer, watch this! It's totally worth it, and if you're still wrapping up school like me, it can be a nice distraction from finals. It's popularity is slowly growing, and I can't wait to see where it goes~

Edit on July 10th (last episode airing date): y'all.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
GET READY FOR SEASON TWO I AM LOSING MY MARBLES OVER HOW GOOD THIS WAS THE PLOT TWISTS THE CLIFFHANGERS-

Skate-Leading☆Stars is... I don't really know. Honestly, I was hoping for much better, and I still am. Still, it's worth checking out.

The story itself is pretty average, with the main character's only motivation being to beat his childhood rival. Maeshima said he would quit ice-skating if he lost to Shinozaki when they were kids, and he lost by less than a point and came in second place. He quit skating, and continued to be a sore loser about it. When Shinozaki switches over to skate-leading, his brother decides to get Maeshima to help him beat out Shinozaki in skate-leading. There's not really any drive for ... self improvement, creating friendships, or making skate-leading into a career for himself. All Maeshima is concerned about is beating out Shinozaki, and then... who knows. It feels pretty lackluster, so I'm not really sure what direction they're going to go with the plot.

The art itself and animation is good, no complaints there. The art style is more simplistic, but that fits the show well in this case.

The ED isn't too great, but the OP is really catchy and stuck in my head. I'm not too sure if that's a good thing or not, but it made its way into my playlist, so that counts for something. The sound effects match the setting and the atmosphere, which helps them match with the visuals and world itself and sound realistic enough.

The characters are the biggest fault of the show. More specifically, the main characters, Maeshima and Shinozaki. Shinozaki just seems detached from everything in general, more so than what would seem natural for a detached, nonchalant character. Maeshima on the other hand, manages to get on every single one of my nerves. He's cocky, annoying, stubborn, arrogant, loud, and just frustrating to watch. He doesn't ever really think about others, and is only concerned about beating Shinozaki. He makes messes and causes problems without thinking about the effects of them, and typically drags others into those problems. I'm really hoping he gets some character development, and it seems the other characters in the show hope so too.

Overall, it's pretty fun to watch, as Maeshima's annoying moments are pretty brief. The story should begin to pick up soon, as they begin to train for competitions and actually compete.

Would this be my first recommendation for someone looking for a new anime to watch? Absolutely not. But if you like ice skating and attractive-ish boys, then sure, give it a whirl and see how you like it. I'm a pretty hopeful person, so I still give it a 7 overall with expectations for the plot to expand upon itself and for lots of character development. If I were you, I'd watch the first couple episodes and see for myself if I enjoy it or not, but you won't really miss out on anything by not watching it.


Hope this helped and have a great day :)