Yuri!!! On Ice || Anime Review

Welcome to the tamandeggs blog, guys! My comeback definitely means more anime reviews to come. Today I want to start it off with one of the most high-praised anime of 2016, and that is Yuri!!! On Ice. It comes from the studio that gave you Terror In Resonance and Punch Line. It is directed by Sayo Yamamoto (Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, Michiko and Hachin) and written by Mitsuro Kubo (Moteki, Tokkyuu!!). It is deemed as best anime of 2016 in a couple of Anime Awards like Crunchyroll. It was actually the best for many things. But setting fangirling aside, is this anime truly worth its praises? For this review, we will try to see why it is considered the best and how a sports anime was able to top the other shows that aired in the previous year. So sit back and relax, fangirls (and boys). Let's make history!

This review is spoiler free.

Ok let me break it down for you: Katsuki Yuri suffers from a great defeat in the Grand Prix Final. He was considering giving up figure skating altogether until his idol, Victor Nikiforov, visits him in Japan and proposes to be his coach in the next competition. (Source: That's Normal)

Warning: As a way to commemorate Pride Month and gender equality in general, the post will talk about matters regarding anxiety, homosexuality, and how it plays into the anime series. If you are personally offended or not in full support of such things, then I highly suggest to read my other posts or anime reviews that do not touch upon such topics. This site is a place for everyone and there are posts that will certainly appeal to your other interests. 

Plot

Based on my summary, this anime is very straightforward and simple. Yuri prepares for the next competition with his idol and mentor, Victor. While doing that, he has to learn how to overcome his feelings of insecurities and anxiety that he suffers from during his performances. Easy to understand right? Now, how exactly did it receive such recognition? If there's one reason why most people watch Sports Anime, it is the influence these characters give to the viewers when it comes to their passions. In this case, Yuri expresses his love for ice skating, but also has this struggling fear that he is incompetent (or not worth it) for the sport because of the many demands and limitations that it entails. That is one thing the show nailed, in my opinion. Its depiction of anxiety being pretty much the antagonist of the entire series, since it is the only thing that holds Yuri back. It was able to show how anxiety can control a person, and what worse it could do to someone. The dialogue did well in explaining what was going through Yuri's head. It was even able to suggest how you should approach someone who is going through such a thing. And I definitely praise the show for that. What better way to show how to talk to someone dealing with their mental health by representing it in a relationship between a coach and a student in training. 

I guess this is also where the "yaoi" or the implied homosexuality has started to brew. But the relationship...friendship...whatever you'd like to call it...  between the two, is actually what made the series worth watching. Yuri and Victor's chemistry on the anime is beautiful, and they teach the audience how one should treat another. It's very genuine, somewhat innocent, and encouraging. Each scene between them becomes better and better in time. So you can't help but assume if there is something more between the two, and you earnestly hope in your heart that there is. But either way, the pair are a remarkable example of what companionship should be like. You not only support the person, but let that person learn how to stand on their own feet. It makes the fangirls excited probably because they had something that they fail to see that in other relationships that they have seen in other mainstream media (or even yaoi, for that matter). 

The thing is, you only get to see such magic between Yuri and Victor. And its effective for the show because they are the main characters and you follow them along the ride. So you can't help but root for them in the end. But I think the show struggled in bridging the gaps between these moments, as the series progressed. Issues of Yuri's anxiety and other things sometimes take a break and we get to know the other characters--or competitors of the show. Not only that, Yuri would sometimes shoehorn comedic exposition on how figure ice-skating competitions really work. Basically my issue relies heavily on the remaining substance, which is a plays a huge part on the show as well, and it is surprisingly the ice-skating part. It has done so well on establishing the heart and emotion of this show, but when those moments are over, it decides to glaze over the mechanics of ice skating and a quick background on the other competitors. This series was at least twelve episodes long, so it is understandable that they cannot give elaborate motivations and stories for the other characters. But in my perspective, the story of the other characters that were abruptly introduced felt forced, and I sometimes ended up not caring. I could not seem to find a damn on the other characters who had forced background stories, even if those stories drive them to become better skaters. Like yes, that competitor is adorable and deserves all the hugs, and that skater is probably the greatest person you would ever meet. But I'm afraid they didn't really add that much to the show (don't kill me). I like how each competitor showed different things on what could possibly happen during something major like the Grand Prix Final, but they had to shoehorn other things that forces you to care. I wished the show gave a much more intricate way on how ice-skating works and why the audience should care more about the sport itself, instead of giving detailed introductions to these characters like you would see more of these guys, when you are not. It would have been much more eye-opening to have elaborate and seamless explanations about the mechanics and the ropes during these kinds of competitions, like how they showed the limitations and demands of being a professional ice skater at the start of the series. But no, we get a chibi Yuri Katsuki breezing through explanations on how the scoring works. Like that's something we would not be able to understand if we just see it. 

Understanding figure ice-skating, by having random minor characters explain why they do it is not the best approach. It can work for some, but not all. I'm sure the studio recognized that since not all characters were given some dramatic monologue on why they do skating, because it does get repetitive. To me, these scenes in the show seemed like commercial breaks in the end because I was more interested in getting back to Yuri and Viktor. But as I said, I wished they focused more on explaining the essence of ice-skating a bit more. Please do not kill me. 

Score for Plot:  

Characters

Left to right: Yuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov (Source: Tokyo Girls' Update)

It is safe to say that the relationship between the characters are whats makes the show what it is. But in spite of some shoehorned motivations here and there, I can say that these characters are realistic portrayals for an anime. You can say that this anime can be categorized as Josei (Adult genre in anime where it shows much more realistic situations, compared to the slice-of-life genre), for highlighting certain issues. The main characters of this are definitely Yuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov, and Yuri Pilsetsky. Let us talk about the two Yuri's, for a while. They have a great dynamic, because these two are not only perceived as rivals but they are also polar opposites of each other. If Yuri Katsuki is shy and gentle, Yuri Pilsetsky is tough, straightforward, and more bold. But he is also arrogant and spoiled. Yuri Pilsetsky--also known as Yurio to differentiate him from the main Yuri--had a very interesting take on the series, because we get to see what it is like to be seen as this young boy who had a lot of going on in his life. He had many fangirls, he was constantly watched by his mentors, and we get to see how he handles and ultimately thinks about it. In other words, we get to see more to him than just being a bratty young prodigy. 

Yuri "Yurio" Pilsetsky (Source: Tumblr)

The development of Yuri is also very interesting to watch. You can tell that he really loves skating and you can immediately understand why he does. But Yuri's sensitive side tells him that he's not good enough for such a competitive sport. If there is one thing Yuri's character will teach anyone, it would be that you don't fully depend on someone to save you from your inner demons; you do it yourself. We don't really see Yuri drastically change in a short span of time, but you will notice that he changes his ways bit by bit until you realize by the end that he was completely transformed. And this is because of the support he gets from the people around him, even from his rivals. 

Victor is...... charming. But surprisingly, out of all the characters, we do not get much from him. Instead we get screen time from this character or this character, and not much of Victor. I wished the anime paved more for Victor's perspective and how he grew to love skating and shit. Instead, he is this lovable, mysterious, transient being that we have yet to fully understand. And that is one trope most anime uses when they have someone like Victor. I honestly wished they didn't and gave more to Victor's character that could have made him a bit more human and not this icon. 

Like I said, there are many more characters in the show that you will probably give a sh*t about no matter how "filler"-like they appear to be. They will give a impression, without a doubt. Because everyone is designed uniquely and behave in many ways. And right off the bat, they impose what kind of personalities they have and what is their perspective of competitive figure skating. But again, they are only there for your entertainment, and not really there for substance. I'd imagine that the show would just work really well, even if you don't put too much emphasis like they did in this anime. 

Score for Characters:  

Music

The soundtrack of this anime depends on the choice of music the skaters use for their performances. And although some of the music played here are like parodies to some original scores, I give points to this anime for putting the effort into making new music for the performances done here. And even if they get played over and over, they eventually become white noise that you get used to. Opening and Ending themes do not disappoint, either. You will get hooked on the song of Dean Fujioka's "History Maker". The animation for this is very simple but powerful, since the opening theme is all about not giving up and that your reason to continue could be because of the encouragement you would give to someone. And that is a great way to begin any episode that surrounds itself in such a message. 

Score for Music: 

Art

Pinterest

Props to this anime for great animation and character design, considering how diverse the characters were. I appreciate the art more when the scenes become funny and a bit more exaggerated because they make the overall scenes more enjoyable to watch. As for the art style in the ice-skating performance, I'd say it is 50/50. Although the anime had a figure skater to choreograph the performances, I didn't think the studio did not give it their all when it came to animating all of them. Sometimes it is amazing and mind-blowing,  and you end up replaying that scene over and over. But other times it can get underwhelming and mediocre, especially when the scene doesn't need that much attention. I am not an expert in ice-skating nor in animation, but I wished some scenes were not so glazed over. But overall, I love the art style and how everything is designed. 

Score for Art:  

Even if this anime was not really about the ice-skating, I'd still think that the show can pull it off because it focused more on the relationships and how important it is to surround yourself with people who will give you the right motivations in life. And it doesn't really matter if you think that the characters are practically are married or not, but they teach you on how you should treat others no matter how different and unconventional they seem. Above all, it tells us the most cliched yet most important lesson of all, which is to believe in yourself. That's probably the beauty of watching sports anime; seeing characters who care about their respective sports so much, definitely makes you question your life and it can inspire you to put yourself out there to try something new. 

YURI!!! ON ICE HEREBY RECEIVES A

RECOMMENDATION

Recommended if you like: Ice-skating, simple plots, something realistic, Sports Anime, Yaoi, something to encourage you, food
Not Recommended if you don't like: Implied or forced gay romances, sports in general, a straightforward plot, fanservice

I think its definitely worth watching, but considering the structure and formula it follows, it may also be not everyone's cup of tea. This anime has a lot of heart and soul, but I don't think it manages to give that much appreciation to ice-skating as of yet (don't kill me). That's it for my anime review, and I hope that is civil enough for you. Stay tuned for more anime reviews in the future. For now, till the next post~

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