This had some really good storytelling and character writing with pretty meaty emotional moments, but wow did it make me angry. I can get pretty heated about competitive children’s sports because of the toll it takes on the children participating, both physically any emotionally. It seemed like not a single character in the entire show even considered the option of just skating casually, like, for fun. Inori is a CHILD and seems to love skating, and I worry both that she doesn’t understand the lasting damage competitive skating will have on her and that the pressure of competition and the time constraints of aging out will suck all the joy out of her. She also very clearly has self-esteem issues that need to be dealt with directly and not only can’t be fixed by winning at a sport, but will probably be made worse when she continues to meet people who are better and better at the thing she’s dedicating her life to.

Ultimately this seems like it’s going to be a good ride, but I personally cannot see past the particular problems I have with its premise, and for that I give it a 3/5.