Anime: Yuri On Ice
... alternately titled "How Yuri On Ice Saved 2016."
It's hard to find bright spots in a year that has been so strangely and specifically terrible, but Yuri On Ice, with its adorable and sympathetic characters, fresh take on sports anime, progressive take on relationships, and masterful ability to make you invested in a story, makes it pretty damn easy. If you know anyone who's even slightly into anime, chances are you've heard of it. Or if you haven't, you're reading this, so now you have!
One thing that makes YOI so appealing is that it features familiar themes in such refreshing ways. While sports anime have been around since... well, since anime was invented, an anime focused on figure skating is new, and while featuring gay relationships is not (at all, lol) new in anime, the treatment of one as a regular relationship is the kind of thing that makes you go, "Huh. This hasn't really been done before. How'd I miss that?" If anything, and just to get the oblig pun out of the way, Yuri On Ice has definitely been born to make history - in more ways than one.
YOI tells the story of Katsuki Yuri, a 24 year old Japanese figure skater and his journey to (of course) win gold in the figure skating Grand Prix. At the start of the series, he suffers a crushing defeat in the previous year's Grand Prix final, but wins the heart of many via a viral YouTube video where he skates the routine by his idol, world-renowned Russian skater, Viktor Nikiforov. Viktor himself sees the video and immediately makes his way to Hasetsu in Kyushu, Japan in literally one cut to insert himself into the narrative, as it were, as Yuri's coach. The end of the first episode is Viktor surprising Yuri, buck-naked in the latter's family-owned onsen.
Bigger spoilers whited out below! Highlight to read.
Socially progressive
In the first few episodes, especially given the gratuitous shot of Viktor's backside, there's a feeling of, "Oh, okay, it's that type of anime," and also, "WHY WASN'T THIS TAGGED," but as it goes on, you're able to more easily see the difference between how Yuri and Viktor's relationship develops and how other male-male "bromances" develop in other notable sports anime (whomp, there it is). The two go from being acquaintances, to being mentor-mentee, to openly being in a relationship (which I assume they're in since they're able to kiss on national television), to being out and out engaged. It's an insane ride which more than once has left me asking, "Where can we even go from here??"
Still, while their relationship is arguably front and center right along with figure skating, there's not really any feeling of it being exploited or fetishized for appeal. Some people have (rightfully) argued not to categorize the show as "yaoi" or "boy's love" (BL), but especially the former, since Yaoi as a genre glorifies and exploits gay male relationships primarily to appeal to women. Yaoi also encourages the (frankly outdated) concepts of assigning people as either seme (top) and uke (bottom), which is not the case in this anime - and hopefully, not the case in the fandom, though I haven't checked. In YOI, while the development of Yuri and Viktor's relationship is arguably fast-paced, we're still shown how they interact, how much they care for each other, how they make each other better - and that's not something we've ever really seen in any gay couple in anime before. There's a real sense of an emotionally supportive relationship - Yuri bares his soul and insecurities to Viktor, who himself struggles to communicate his love. In one instance, Viktor asks if he should just kiss Yuri to comfort him, and Yuri rejects the idea, not for lack of wanting it, but because what he needed then was Viktor's faith and support.
In the same vein, what really makes this world so different is the fact that no one hates on Yuri nor Viktor for being together. The most hate Yuri has gotten has been for "stealing" Viktor away from the world of figure skating - a conflict they both address in the season finale, with much emotion. The fact that all the other skaters and their friends/family accept their relationship so easily, with Phichit even proverbially shouting from the rooftops about their love, lends to the progressive way the anime has tackled (or more appropriately, the way it intentionally hasn't) Yuri and Viktor's relationship. Never has "Their love is so pure!" rung so true.
Tbh, we as an audience have become so used to queerbaiting (calling myself out for giving in to this - and continuing to do so HAHA #cantstop) that personally, I was dumbfounded in the face of this anime. At around episode 5, there seemed to be an overall feeling of, "Oh wait... it's actually canon??" It's nice to be rendered happily speechless once in a while.
It's also of note that the show isn't just socially progressive - it features modern technology too. I don't know how normal it is to feature mainstream social networking sites in anime, but this is the first one that really utilized it that I know of. Given its international cast of characters, it had to, just to have them interacting with each other, but it's also pretty cool to see Yuri being able to reach Viktor through YouTube, Phichit being extra thirsty for Instagram likes, or Yurio being unable to control his need to Instagram local fashion. It adds a layer of relatability(?!) in the otherwise pretty far removed world of professional figure skating.
Transformation as a theme
Transformation and development seem to be a central theme in the story. It's a smart theme to utilize too - it can be applied to various characters, it has a positive connotation, and it allows the narrative to focus on both the sports part of "sports anime" (aka the figure skating) as well as the relationship development between characters. That's a balance that was pretty well-kept throughout the series.
Yuri goes through this - is still going through this - as he constantly struggles with feelings of anxiety and worthlessness. The first scene in the first episode is him breaking down in a cubicle as he calls to apologize to his family for failing in the Grand Prix. He constantly questions his worth - whether in terms of figure skating or in terms of his relationship with Viktor. In a more physical sense, we also see him transform as he undergoes training for his next (and last) competition - another thing you don't often see in anime.
Viktor also undergoes transformation - from his extroverted, public-persona-involved self to a more reserved let's-focus-on-others-first side of him taking over as Yuri's coach. Where Yuri learns to be the protagonist in his story, Viktor slowly learns how to be a supporting character - something that, given his reputation and achievements, he's not used to. It's interesting to see different sides of his character - the one that's flamboyant and brash a la Tamaki from Ouran or Atobe from Prince of Tennis (they're all voiced by the same guy too lol), and the one that's more intimate and sincere, which he shows mostly when he interacts with Yuri, whether as a coach or as a boy/friend.
Even the rival skaters are given the space to develop - Yuri Plisetsky is the most notable example of this. He embraces his Agape side, we learn about his tight-knit relationship with grandfather, and his unexpected love of Katsudon. He's also able to show more sincere sides to himself despite being the resident ~brat of the show. In fact, of all the characters in the show, he seems to be the most thirsty for competition and winning - and that's strange, since you usually expect the main characters to have this mindset. He too undergoes transformation in the hands of Coach Yakov and his ex-wife, Lilia Baranovskaya, a prima ballerina. While his moments in the show usually show his internal transformation (finding his Agape side, befriending Otabek, etc.), his physical transformation is most notable in the season finale.
Other skaters are also featured not as evil rival characters to be beaten because "強くになりたい！(Tsuyoku ni naritai! / I want to be stronger!)", but as actual people with similar goals to Yuri, whom he supports and who support him (some of them are even reduced to tears in the face of his success, and vice versa). I don't know if that's the culture in RL figure skating, but it makes for a pretty good anime where you can be invested in various characters without being afraid of their fates.
A+ Storytelling/Animation
Everything from the simplistic plot to the character development lends itself to some pretty masterful storytelling. Since the time I've decided to start watching YOI, I've been able to convince a good number of other people to do so, and they've all gotten hooked - even the not-really-anime-watchers bunch. The first three episodes in particular are some of the most gripping storytelling I've watched in recent anime memory. I didn't just want to continue watching - I had to. Between the adorable characters, my desire to see Yuri succeed, and the appeal of a competition-based short arc that was just the right amount of ridiculous and interesting to keep me interested, there was no way it was never going to be a hit.
The art/animation is another thing. The plot lends itself well to TV because the series was made for TV (aka not based on a manga), but its art style is recognizably and easily so ANIME-like, and it includes various anime tropes that make it accessible to both anime watchers and non-anime watchers alike. Most importantly, it makes figure skating accessible to people like myself, who wouldn't have looked at it twice otherwise. I particularly enjoy the little breakaways where chibi!Yuri teaches us about various figure skating mechanics and terms. The art showing Kyushu is also pretty amazing - someone on Facebook took pictures of the art overlayed on the actual places they were based on, and it was pretty breathtaking. The animation of the actual figure skating can get a little repetitive, especially since Yuri skates the same routine a few times over, but there's definite (though I'm not sure if it's intentional?) improvement in the skating animation as Yuri himself improves.
Weaknesses
I should say, though, that the show isn't without its weaknesses or problematic countenances. There is the element of fat-shaming Yuri into getting into shape - he is constantly called piggy, little piggy, fatso, etc. People can chalk it up to their degree of closeness, but you can count the number of times Yurio has called Yuri by his name on one hand (on one finger?). I think Yuri takes it well because 1) he's an athlete and he's probably used to it, and 2) his parents don't seem to give the proverbial poop about it, electing instead to give everyone as much Katsudon as humanly possible, haha.
Also creepy: Italian skater Michele Crispino's creepy crush on his twin sister, Sala. What even??? WHAT IS IT WITH JAPAN'S CASUAL TREATMENT OF INCEST (do we need to recall Matusjun's Boku Imo)? Chris doing questionable things while skating (or when he ~finishes skating, as it were, lmao), and also, JJ was annoying, but we're good now. /changes Twitter bio to "I'm the king JJ no one defeats me"
With and despite all these strengths and weaknesses, I'd recommend this anime to everyone 10/10, A+, and all that. You will definitely not regret it. In terms of everything you need in an anime - complete with catchy opening theme and beautiful closing theme - this has it all.
This not a show about gay people - it's a show that happens to feature gay people. In treating it this way, we're able to focus more clearly on Yuri and Viktor's growth and development as other things - as each other's significant other, as athletes, as friends, etc. The show is not rooted in their sexuality, nor their struggles with coming into terms with their feelings, nor their struggles with being accepted by society. This is a world where there's no such thing as discrimination, where the aforementioned things are normal enough to be assumed (and what a world it is!).
Creator/writer/producer Mitsurou Kubo tweeted this about it:
In the same vein, combining both Viktor and Yuri's relationship, as well as their respective themes for their programs, the overall theme of the anime can pretty much be summed up as Love.
And like they said at the end of Yuri's skate in episode 6...
愛は勝つ！(Ai wa katsu!)
It's hard to find bright spots in a year that has been so strangely and specifically terrible, but Yuri On Ice, with its adorable and sympathetic characters, fresh take on sports anime, progressive take on relationships, and masterful ability to make you invested in a story, makes it pretty damn easy. If you know anyone who's even slightly into anime, chances are you've heard of it. Or if you haven't, you're reading this, so now you have!
One thing that makes YOI so appealing is that it features familiar themes in such refreshing ways. While sports anime have been around since... well, since anime was invented, an anime focused on figure skating is new, and while featuring gay relationships is not (at all, lol) new in anime, the treatment of one as a regular relationship is the kind of thing that makes you go, "Huh. This hasn't really been done before. How'd I miss that?" If anything, and just to get the oblig pun out of the way, Yuri On Ice has definitely been born to make history - in more ways than one.
ICONIQUE
YOI tells the story of Katsuki Yuri, a 24 year old Japanese figure skater and his journey to (of course) win gold in the figure skating Grand Prix. At the start of the series, he suffers a crushing defeat in the previous year's Grand Prix final, but wins the heart of many via a viral YouTube video where he skates the routine by his idol, world-renowned Russian skater, Viktor Nikiforov. Viktor himself sees the video and immediately makes his way to Hasetsu in Kyushu, Japan in literally one cut to insert himself into the narrative, as it were, as Yuri's coach. The end of the first episode is Viktor surprising Yuri, buck-naked in the latter's family-owned onsen.
 |
| "WHAT IS HAPPENING" -me while watching (and Yuri too, probably) |
Socially progressive
In the first few episodes, especially given the gratuitous shot of Viktor's backside, there's a feeling of, "Oh, okay, it's that type of anime," and also, "WHY WASN'T THIS TAGGED," but as it goes on, you're able to more easily see the difference between how Yuri and Viktor's relationship develops and how other male-male "bromances" develop in other notable sports anime (whomp, there it is). The two go from being acquaintances, to being mentor-mentee, to openly being in a relationship (which I assume they're in since they're able to kiss on national television), to being out and out engaged. It's an insane ride which more than once has left me asking, "Where can we even go from here??"
Still, while their relationship is arguably front and center right along with figure skating, there's not really any feeling of it being exploited or fetishized for appeal. Some people have (rightfully) argued not to categorize the show as "yaoi" or "boy's love" (BL), but especially the former, since Yaoi as a genre glorifies and exploits gay male relationships primarily to appeal to women. Yaoi also encourages the (frankly outdated) concepts of assigning people as either seme (top) and uke (bottom), which is not the case in this anime - and hopefully, not the case in the fandom, though I haven't checked. In YOI, while the development of Yuri and Viktor's relationship is arguably fast-paced, we're still shown how they interact, how much they care for each other, how they make each other better - and that's not something we've ever really seen in any gay couple in anime before. There's a real sense of an emotionally supportive relationship - Yuri bares his soul and insecurities to Viktor, who himself struggles to communicate his love. In one instance, Viktor asks if he should just kiss Yuri to comfort him, and Yuri rejects the idea, not for lack of wanting it, but because what he needed then was Viktor's faith and support.
In the same vein, what really makes this world so different is the fact that no one hates on Yuri nor Viktor for being together. The most hate Yuri has gotten has been for "stealing" Viktor away from the world of figure skating - a conflict they both address in the season finale, with much emotion. The fact that all the other skaters and their friends/family accept their relationship so easily, with Phichit even proverbially shouting from the rooftops about their love, lends to the progressive way the anime has tackled (or more appropriately, the way it intentionally hasn't) Yuri and Viktor's relationship. Never has "Their love is so pure!" rung so true.
Tbh, we as an audience have become so used to queerbaiting (calling myself out for giving in to this - and continuing to do so HAHA #cantstop) that personally, I was dumbfounded in the face of this anime. At around episode 5, there seemed to be an overall feeling of, "Oh wait... it's actually canon??" It's nice to be rendered happily speechless once in a while.
It's also of note that the show isn't just socially progressive - it features modern technology too. I don't know how normal it is to feature mainstream social networking sites in anime, but this is the first one that really utilized it that I know of. Given its international cast of characters, it had to, just to have them interacting with each other, but it's also pretty cool to see Yuri being able to reach Viktor through YouTube, Phichit being extra thirsty for Instagram likes, or Yurio being unable to control his need to Instagram local fashion. It adds a layer of relatability(?!) in the otherwise pretty far removed world of professional figure skating.
Transformation as a theme
Transformation and development seem to be a central theme in the story. It's a smart theme to utilize too - it can be applied to various characters, it has a positive connotation, and it allows the narrative to focus on both the sports part of "sports anime" (aka the figure skating) as well as the relationship development between characters. That's a balance that was pretty well-kept throughout the series.
Yuri goes through this - is still going through this - as he constantly struggles with feelings of anxiety and worthlessness. The first scene in the first episode is him breaking down in a cubicle as he calls to apologize to his family for failing in the Grand Prix. He constantly questions his worth - whether in terms of figure skating or in terms of his relationship with Viktor. In a more physical sense, we also see him transform as he undergoes training for his next (and last) competition - another thing you don't often see in anime.
SQUISHY YURI >>> HAIR SLICKED BACK YURI THERE I SAID IT
Viktor also undergoes transformation - from his extroverted, public-persona-involved self to a more reserved let's-focus-on-others-first side of him taking over as Yuri's coach. Where Yuri learns to be the protagonist in his story, Viktor slowly learns how to be a supporting character - something that, given his reputation and achievements, he's not used to. It's interesting to see different sides of his character - the one that's flamboyant and brash a la Tamaki from Ouran or Atobe from Prince of Tennis (they're all voiced by the same guy too lol), and the one that's more intimate and sincere, which he shows mostly when he interacts with Yuri, whether as a coach or as a boy/friend.
Even the rival skaters are given the space to develop - Yuri Plisetsky is the most notable example of this. He embraces his Agape side, we learn about his tight-knit relationship with grandfather, and his unexpected love of Katsudon. He's also able to show more sincere sides to himself despite being the resident ~brat of the show. In fact, of all the characters in the show, he seems to be the most thirsty for competition and winning - and that's strange, since you usually expect the main characters to have this mindset. He too undergoes transformation in the hands of Coach Yakov and his ex-wife, Lilia Baranovskaya, a prima ballerina. While his moments in the show usually show his internal transformation (finding his Agape side, befriending Otabek, etc.), his physical transformation is most notable in the season finale.
Other skaters are also featured not as evil rival characters to be beaten because "強くになりたい！(Tsuyoku ni naritai! / I want to be stronger!)", but as actual people with similar goals to Yuri, whom he supports and who support him (some of them are even reduced to tears in the face of his success, and vice versa). I don't know if that's the culture in RL figure skating, but it makes for a pretty good anime where you can be invested in various characters without being afraid of their fates.
A+ Storytelling/Animation
Everything from the simplistic plot to the character development lends itself to some pretty masterful storytelling. Since the time I've decided to start watching YOI, I've been able to convince a good number of other people to do so, and they've all gotten hooked - even the not-really-anime-watchers bunch. The first three episodes in particular are some of the most gripping storytelling I've watched in recent anime memory. I didn't just want to continue watching - I had to. Between the adorable characters, my desire to see Yuri succeed, and the appeal of a competition-based short arc that was just the right amount of ridiculous and interesting to keep me interested, there was no way it was never going to be a hit.
The art/animation is another thing. The plot lends itself well to TV because the series was made for TV (aka not based on a manga), but its art style is recognizably and easily so ANIME-like, and it includes various anime tropes that make it accessible to both anime watchers and non-anime watchers alike. Most importantly, it makes figure skating accessible to people like myself, who wouldn't have looked at it twice otherwise. I particularly enjoy the little breakaways where chibi!Yuri teaches us about various figure skating mechanics and terms. The art showing Kyushu is also pretty amazing - someone on Facebook took pictures of the art overlayed on the actual places they were based on, and it was pretty breathtaking. The animation of the actual figure skating can get a little repetitive, especially since Yuri skates the same routine a few times over, but there's definite (though I'm not sure if it's intentional?) improvement in the skating animation as Yuri himself improves.
S P O I L E R S
Don't click or watch or even read the thumbnail if you dont' want spoilers
Weaknesses
I should say, though, that the show isn't without its weaknesses or problematic countenances. There is the element of fat-shaming Yuri into getting into shape - he is constantly called piggy, little piggy, fatso, etc. People can chalk it up to their degree of closeness, but you can count the number of times Yurio has called Yuri by his name on one hand (on one finger?). I think Yuri takes it well because 1) he's an athlete and he's probably used to it, and 2) his parents don't seem to give the proverbial poop about it, electing instead to give everyone as much Katsudon as humanly possible, haha.
Also creepy: Italian skater Michele Crispino's creepy crush on his twin sister, Sala. What even??? WHAT IS IT WITH JAPAN'S CASUAL TREATMENT OF INCEST (do we need to recall Matusjun's Boku Imo)? Chris doing questionable things while skating (or when he ~finishes skating, as it were, lmao), and also, JJ was annoying, but we're good now. /changes Twitter bio to "I'm the king JJ no one defeats me"
With and despite all these strengths and weaknesses, I'd recommend this anime to everyone 10/10, A+, and all that. You will definitely not regret it. In terms of everything you need in an anime - complete with catchy opening theme and beautiful closing theme - this has it all.
This not a show about gay people - it's a show that happens to feature gay people. In treating it this way, we're able to focus more clearly on Yuri and Viktor's growth and development as other things - as each other's significant other, as athletes, as friends, etc. The show is not rooted in their sexuality, nor their struggles with coming into terms with their feelings, nor their struggles with being accepted by society. This is a world where there's no such thing as discrimination, where the aforementioned things are normal enough to be assumed (and what a world it is!).
Creator/writer/producer Mitsurou Kubo tweeted this about it:
この作品を現実の皆さんがどのように思われても、この作品の世界の中では絶対に何かを好きになることで差別されたりはしないです。その世界だけは絶対に守ります。— 久保ミツロウ (@kubo_3260) December 8, 2016
"Regardless of how people in the real world feel about this work, inside the world of this show, there will be absolutely no discrimination toward the things one loves. I will absolutely protect this world." (credit)
In the same vein, combining both Viktor and Yuri's relationship, as well as their respective themes for their programs, the overall theme of the anime can pretty much be summed up as Love.
And like they said at the end of Yuri's skate in episode 6...
🌈🌈🌈
愛は勝つ！(Ai wa katsu!)
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