Episode 13:
I guess they were not planning on 2nd season when working on this episode. It felt somewhat bittersweet and definitely anticlimactic. Yes, part of it was, definitely, the fact that the test for 6th level was more like an exam than a competition like previous ones, but I am sure there was a way to make it more "punchy", more "dramatic" than what it was. It felt like a formality, almost like a filler episode rather than an ending of a season. Only the post-credit cut suggested that there may be a 2nd season, but even then I had to startpage to confirm that.
It does not detract from the show overall, though. It is good. I do not care for skating in any form, but the teacher-student relationship, the growth of both (or of the 3 later in the show, I guess) - it's great. I wish I had that, I'm jealous. That's what I would call "mature". Most of the teachers/mentors I've known were the "I know better" kind, while I strongly believe, that even when you "teach", you can learn new stuff from your "student", as well, and grow alongside them.
So if you want to experience that, at least, vicariously, - this is a must-watch.
