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Yuri on Ice is the second anime series I have watched after Death Parade. I stumbled upon this anime series on YouTube after reading so many positive comments about it.
Yuri on Ice is a sports anime written by Mitsurō Kub and released in 2016. Tadashi Hiramatsu was in charge of the character design. The music was composed by Taro Umebayashi and Taku Matsushiba. The figure skating was choreographed by Kenji Miyamoto.
The anime won a Japan Character Award, seven awards in Crunchyroll and three awards at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival. It was also the eighth-most successful media franchise in Japan for 2017.
Promotional poster
Plot:
The anime illustrates the story of Yuri Katuski, a Japanese figure skater, who decides to make a pause in his career after losing in the Grand Prix Final, a senior-level international figure skating competition.
On the other hand, Victor Nikiforov is a famous Russian skate figure who always wins competitions. Regarded as the best ice skater in the world by many, Victor fears not being able to surprise his fans anymore.
After watching a video of Yuri performing one of his dance choreographies he decides to move to Japan to become Yuri’s coach. Yuri finds motivation and encouragement on Victor and Victor finds inspiration on Yuri. Together they build a strong relationship and overcome challenges along the way.
My opinion:
This was my first time watching a sports anime. In the beginning, I was slightly reluctant because I’m not really into sports so I wasn’t sure if I would actually enjoy this sort of anime but after giving it a chance, I have no regrets.
The illustrations are incredible. All the characters are beautifully drawn. In fact, I found Victor really attractive. It could also be because of the hair colour. I don’t know why but I have a thing for grey hair on anime characters.
The opening of the anime is also amazing. It’s so good that I never skipped it and the song gets easily stuck in your head.
As I said earlier this a sports anime and, in this case, the main focus is on competitive figure skating meaning that in all episodes you will see them performing in diverse competitions. This may sound a bit boring and repetitive but their performances are enjoyable and mesmerising which makes the anime interesting from the beginning until the end.
In terms of characters, the main focus is on Victor and Yuri. Their relationship is on point. They have a strong bond and you can notice that they truly care for each. Victor does a really good job encouraging Yuri. Ever since Yuri lost the Grand Prix Final, the confidence in himself decreased. He often compared himself to other skaters which made him feel even more insecure, nervous and stressed. Luckily, Victor noticed his insecurities and helped him to overcome them.
However, there is another character that also has a strong presence in the anime and that is Yuri Plisetsky, a Russian skater. Victor had promised to help him on his senior debut. When Yuri finds out that Victor travelled to Japan to help the other Yuri, he felt outraged and deceived. Therefore, he follows him. Yuri Plisetsky comes across as a disrespectful teenager and some of his actions and attitudes are rude but as the anime unfolds you get to see that he is not actually a bad person.
An aspect that made me like this anime, even more, is that it shows the anxiety that most ice skaters face before a competition. Behind all the incredible performances there is a lot of hard work and effort. It may seem simple and easy but they also go through hard times. They feel pressured and worried so it was nice to see the reality that it is often hidden to the public.
I also liked to see the ice skaters cheering on each other. It shows that even though it is a competition, they should motivate each other instead of bringing down. If I’m not mistaken, Victor asked Yuri “How can you motivate yourself if you can’t motivate others?”. I actually agree with him. By encouraging others, you are encouraging yourself because this proves that you’re not an egoist. At the end of the day, they all worked hard and they all have the dream to win the competition or at least to make their best.
The ending of the anime caught me off guard. I was expecting Yuri to win the competition. Maybe it’s because I’m used to endings where the main character always gets want he wants. I wouldn’t say that because of this, the ending was disappointing. It was different and unexpected in a good way. Also, the way it ended made me believe just like everyone else that there will be a season 2. I’m not sure if a season 2 will be released but in my opinion, it is possible to develop the story even further in a new season.
In conclusion, I totally recommend everyone to watch this anime. It’s interesting, motivating and enjoyable.
What do you think about Yuri on Ice?
I hope you have a lovely day!
Jesika x
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