toning-seros

[toning-seros]

overanalyzing the sk8 soundtrack: part 1(?)

in my previous post, i briefly mentioned that i am in the process of memorizing every track in the sk8 soundtrack. for fun. like a normal person.

since a lot of people seemed to like that, here are some more things i noticed in the series as a result of this all in one post since i felt these details would be too small to have an individual post:

"change our lives", the track that plays during reki and langa's reconciliation scene in episode 10, makes a reprise (motif? callback?) of the same notes at 1:26 as the earlier track "when i'm with you" that plays at 1:31.

-> this could be symbolism for renga's new status in their friendship/relationship; they've dealt with adversity in their relationship but they overcame it and turned out with an even stronger bond, building something new with what they initially had, like the notes that play in both of the tracks. (this concept was also discussed as a metaphor in episode 11 when reki fixes langa's board, just thought you should know.)

the track that plays nearing the end of episode 2, when langa successfully does his ollie, is called "possibility to be there" (i am shocked that it wasn't "that's OLLIE!!" that played, as it seemed more fitting) (pls go listen to ptbt its such a good track)

-> this might be a bit of a stretch, but since the line langa says right until his ollie was "after my dad died, i didnt snowboard in canada either. but after getting on a board for the first time in a while, right now, i'm having fun!", the track with this scene could represent langa's progress in dealing with grief. how he was devastated and empty when his dad passed, but skateboarding/reki allowed him to slowly accept that, and move on with his life. that langa has the possibility to be there, to be happy again, to be in a better place.

in the beginning of episode 10, the track that plays during miya and tadashi's short beef is "S" [evolution of speed], which is (I THINK) the only one out of the other "S" tracks that has a classical instrument in it (the killer wind and brass solo at 1:31) and just has a very different, almost jazzy? type vibe to it.

-> in the sk8 soundtrack, disregarding the "S" tracks, you can tell which are associated with adam based on the instruments used; "step like a marionette" and "dance of the philos", just to name a few, uses instruments like classical guitars, strings, and castanets(?), which make the tracks sound like tango music, or just have a classical influence in general (idk music theory), which is a direct contrast to the rest of sk8's hip-hop influenced music. so to have tadashi's "S" theme be a track that also has classical influence to it, albeit only by the addition of the flute and saxophone(?), is fascinating as it could be a nod to how tadashi influenced adam's childhood by introducing him to skateboarding, which can also be visually seen by the way tadashi skates the same way as adam, just less aggressive and more toned down, which is just like how tadashi also has more hip-hop elements in "evolution of speed" than classical, while adam's classical influence drowns out the hiphop elements in his tracks.

that's all i've got from the top of my head right now. if a lot of people like this then i'll probably make another one.

edit: OH! ALSO, i've been thinking of making another post about how each skateboard design reflect it's owner's personality (along with other little details i noticed about each of them), ESPECIALLY joe's, because i've also been a bit of a skateboarding nerd/poser ever since i got into sk8. would you guys want to see that?

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selfless to self-care: reki's character development summarized into one track

i think one of the most underrated aspects of sk8 the infinity is its soundtrack. as a (totally sane and normal) fan of the anime, i've been listening and relistening to its soundtrack to the point where its become a little game of mine where i guess what track plays in a portion of an episode i'm rewatching.

anyhow, the choice of music that plays in sk8 also holds a deeper critical meaning besides it sounding cool. and i wanted to discuss about that today with my home sliced bread sliced no. 1 all-time favorite redheaded kin of all time: reki kyan. because upon rewatching episode 5, i recognized a certain track that played during one scene that also plays later on during one of the most iconic scenes nearing the end of the series, and i don't think enough people are talking about it.

early on in episode 5, reki drops hints that foreshadow his disregard for his own wellbeing (that later gets addressed post-beach episode), prioritizing langa's safety above everything else, even though it was him that was physically recovering and experienced trauma from ad*m. from his unserious attitude when he exited the ER, to him just flat-out saying that his own problems don't matter, he selflessly ignores his own problems to focus on others.

then in the middle of the episode, reki reveals that the reason he's so protective over langa is because his unnamed childhood friend got seriously injured from skateboarding--an event that traumatized both of them, to the point that his friend quit skateboarding, and presumably caused their close friendship to fall apart.

judging from reki's constant need to protect others, his lack of care towards himself, and most notably what he says here as he averts his gaze with a look of guilt on his face, it can be theorized that whatever happened to his friend that caused him to be hospitalized, he was atleast in some way involved in it. maybe he pushed his friend to do a really sketchy trick or something? (i hope this gets addressed in season 2 im begging) whatever it was, it dramatically changed reki's beliefs of himself and his self-worth that made him want to completely ignore his own problems in exchange of helping everyone around him. (until they inevitably build up and come crashing down on him [i.e episode 7])

but we already knew all of that. what i'm really here for is the music that plays in the background during the flashback scene. and the track that played, interestingly enough, was none of than…

change our lives

now, for the more seasoned viewers, you might have already recognized the name of the track as it also plays in a later episode. but if you haven't, then give it a quick listen and tell me if it sounds familiar to you…

that's right, it's the same track that plays in episode 10, when reki and langa finally began talking things out with each other after falling out, and they realize how much they meant to one another in a late night skate session that is the second gayest scene to ever come in a sports anime. however, since this is a reki-centered essay(?) and i'd already yapped enough, i'm only going to explain about how this scene meant for reki (forgive me, langa).

from manager oka (the goat) telling him he was special in his own ways and how it's okay to focus on his self-worth too, even if it feels like doing so would only drag him down even further, to when reki argued with tadashi about how skateboarding is about having fun and persevering through the rough patches because the hard times are what make one appreciate the progress it took for them to get where they are now, episode 10 was about Reki coming to terms with his own problems and allowing himself to address them, and learning how to move forward from them by firstly learning how to love and take care of himself.

so why is this relevant, you may ask? why compare two drastically different scenes from the series that seem to have no connection with each other?

well, it's because the track both scenes were used in serves as a symbol for reki's arc in the series. it highlights reki's character development from being unhealthily selfless, to realizing he needed to love and prioritize himself too in a way that comes full circle. even from the name of the track itself, "change our lives", it signifies how reki's life has been changed twice, both in a harmful way and in a positive way.

in episode 5, "change our lives" marks reki's shift in his mindset pre-series, putting others first and protecting them all the while disregarding his own well being, all because of the hospitalization of his friend that traumatized them both so bad that it caused his friend to quit skateboarding entirely, and leading him to question his own self-worth.

contrastingly, in episode 10, "change our lives" marks reki's realization that his wellbeing and health (mentally and physically) matter just as much as everyone else's, leading to him being more willing to appreciate himself. and he couldn't have done that without langa shower him with compliments that affirmed his self-worth.

two scenes, two people reki loved the most who changed his views of himself, all tied together with one track.

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the great and lovable peridot!!

i've been rewatching a lot of steven universe clips lately and holy crap i did not appreciate peridot as much as i should have when i was younger i literally love her so so so much

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May I use your art as a profile picture? (With credit ofc)

sure! thanks for asking!

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That passage in catcher in the rye where holden is so depressed and out of it he keeps thinking hes going to die as soon as he turns the corner and begs his dead brother to keep him safe... the one where he pretty much said hed been sexually assaulted/abused before... when he loses his shit because Phoebe wants to come west with him and he doesnt want her to miss out on her play because of him... Which motherfucker said he was just a "whiny little misogynist teenager" i just wanna talk

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Reki kyan (+langa) art dump because I kin him so much it’s insane he saved me from art block

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completely forgot I drew this but here’s to feed the horrid Henry henralph fandom!

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ITS HIM ITS THE GUY

holden on

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i don't think alot of people are talking about this brody grant cover because OH MY FUCKING GOD????? HE IS SO FUCKING AMAZING AT SINGING??? FOR NO REASON???? LIKE WHAT???

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Drawing the boys that live in my head rent free instead of doing school work lets gooooooooooo

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horrid henry art dump because im so ill about these three. like SO ILL.

i dont hc peter as transfem/trans but GOD I LOVE THAT HC SO MUCH LIKE THE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL WITH THAT.

like i absolutely hc that peter turns out to be a burnt out gifted kid and that being the thing that breaks her "perfect peter" nickname and she learns that being imperfect is just as good as being perfect and because shes imperfect, she and henry gets closer as siblings and she just hangs with him and ralph as much as she can and I AM SO NOT OKAY RIGHT NOW IM NOT OKAY IM NOT OKA

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no because i will sob actually

i’m currently being insane about of mice and men the many decade old john steinbeck novel btw

i was building an interpretation about lennie being a metaphor for george’s emotions and then it hit me like a truck. emotional dysregulation. emotional disorder. lennie is the disorder and how it affects george.

lennie can’t avoid his impulses, but he follows george and obeys him and defends him because george is The Person in the equation, and he wants george to get better. george wants lennie gone so he can be functional. george DOES get rid of lennie in the end to be functional, with his death representing medication or some other form of forcibly “getting better”.

the farm is their dream. a place where they can live peacefully and away from societal consequences for lennie’s existence. an unrealistic, impossible place where instead of changing to society’s acceptance mold, they can adapt their life to their needs. live their own way. find their own functionality.

and when george kills lennie he heals his own functionality. but he is no longer the same person. the sum of his parts doesn’t total up to the old george milton. he is alone. the disorder was a disorder but it was part of him and now it’s not there anymore and he is incomplete. but “he hadda. he just hadda.” for society. for acceptance. for functionality.

the cost of healing when a disorder is part of you, is something you have lived when since who knows when, and when it is ripped away.

…

elle “everything is a metaphor” ashling with the steel chair

i’m not okay i can’t believe i’m insane about classics again this is like part 2 of when i wrote about gregor samsa and how he emotionally manipulates himself to support his family but worse. losercore era

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so like i zoned out and drew henry again, here's a comparison. left is teen henry, right is kid henry. notice how if you squint you can view how inconsistent my artsyle is, especially with coloring.

wanted to draw ralph too but its like midnight and i have school tomorrow so next time instead.

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been getting incredibly obsessed with horrid henry lately and ive binge read every (good) fanfic of it on ao3 and now im starving for more i need more hurt/comfort in my life. (and id rather shoot myself than read anything that isnt rated below mature)

also tried out some coloring style and i think it turned out really good

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when a holden catch a holden comin thro the caulfield

ive been getting really into classic literature lately. i fully blame tkam. next might be the outsiders. anyone else thinking about an interaction between holden and ponyboy?

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I’m rereading Catcher in the Rye (yes bc of the discourse 🤡) and Holden’s like. I left on a note on my history test so my professor wouldn’t have to feel bad for failing me. I think my little sister is so smart and she’s my favorite person to talk to on the phone. I have to write this essay for my roommate on his shitty typewriter because I already lent my typewriter to someone else. I invite the friendless guy next door to go to the movies with us even though he’s consistently rude to everyone. I got in a fistfight with my roommate because I got so upset thinking about how badly he treats girls and the possibility he’d done so to one of my friends. I think you shouldn’t be intimate with girls you’re not really fond of and it’s confusing that sometimes things that seem rude to do are fun in that context and I don’t know what to do about it. I’m freezing in the snow because someone stole my coat but I still want to say goodbye. I couldn’t stand watching my former headmaster be rude and dismissive to students’ parents who didn’t look perfect and rich. I’m still heartbroken over my little brother’s death from leukemia. 

And people not only call him a misogynist asshole but say things like “I get that’s he intentionally written to be an unlikeable monster, but I still hate this book because I just didn’t like the experience of being in his head.” The book opens with him telling you he’s in a sanatorium. There are other reasons to engage with art than just rollicking good funtimes entertainment jfc

[toning-seros]

my trick for getting through grad school is learning to navigate the quadrants with all their nuances