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Ani-One Asia Streams Skate-Leading Stars Anime

Hong Kong content distributor MediaLink Entertainment Limited's Ani-One YouTube channel began streaming the first episode of J.C. Staff's original television anime Skate-Leading Stars on December 27, two weeks before its January 10 premiere in Japan. The second episode, which debuted on Sunday, is now also available.

The anime's official website describes the anime's story:

"You will never win against me."

Figure skater Kensei Maeshima stopped his career when he heard those words from his rival Reo Shinozaki. Some years after, Maeshima, now a high schooler, uses his physical talent for to help other clubs with various activities, while never committing to any one thing. One day, he sees a press conference where Shinozaki announced that he was shifting from single skating to "skate-leading." After that, he met a boy named Hayato Sasugai, who knew of Maeshima's single skating career. With the words, "I need you," Sasugai invites Maeshima to the world of skate-leading, or competitive team-based skating.

Skate-leading is a fictional figure-skating competition, in which each team of five skaters earns points for technical skills (such as unison formation) and artistry (such as composition and entertainment) from an automated camera-based system and nine judges. There are three positions on each team: the lead who is the point-getter with many combination jumps, the wings who are mainly responsible for twist lifts and similar elements, and the guards who perform with such elements as lifts and steps.

The anime stars:

• Yūma Uchida as Kensei Maeshima
• Makoto Furukawa as Hayato Sasugai
• Gen Sato as Tomoyuki Kubota
• Yuichiro Umehara as Izumi Himekawa
• Reo Tsuchida as Akimitsu Mochizuki
• Shōya Chiba as Sōta Jōnouchi
• Satoshi Hino as Jōtarō Terauchi
• Tomoaki Maeno as Itsuki Kiriyama
• Natsuki Hanae as Yukimitsu Mochizuki
• Hiroshi Kamiya as Reo Shinozaki
• Kaito Takeda as Toranosuke Kurayoshi
• Yūki Ono as Taiga Himuro
• Sōma Saitō as Noa Kuonji
• Hirofumi Nojima as Hajime Ishikawa
• Kenji Nojima as Susumu Ishikawa

Goro Taniguchi (Planetes, Code Geass, Maria the Virgin Witch) is the chief director, with J.C. Staff in charge of animation production. Yana Toboso (Black Butler) is the original character designer. Toshinori Fukushima (Tamayomi) is the director. Noboru Kimura (Gundam Build Divers, Amagami SS+) is writing and supervising the anime's scripts. Yōko Itō (Amanchu!) is designing the characters for animation, and is also the chief animation director. Osare Company is credited for the original clothing concept. TETSU from the Bugs Under Groove dance company is the performance director and is also in charge of choreography, with former competitive figure skater Hirokazu Kobayashi (Prince Ice World) also collaborating with choreography. Ryō Takahashi is composing the music. Takao Sakuma is performing the opening theme song "Chase the core." Shugo Nakamura is performing the ending theme song "Jump."

The anime is inspiring a manga adaptation by Chiaki Nagaoka (Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens Dai 2-Maku) and Sumika Sumio.

Sources: Ani-One's Facebook page and YouTube channel (link 2)