YURI ON ICE
While I was focused on other seasonal anime in 2016, Yuri on Ice came out, and with it, a very loud fanbase made sure everyone knew how good the anime was. So after pushing it aside for months, I gave it a chance when my bus got stuck in the traffic on my way home.
And I ended up binging the whole series, yup! So, years later, here is its review!
Yuuri Katsuki, a representative ice skater from Japan, suffers the most embarrassing defeat in his career. Overcome by his nerves, he not only gives the worst performance of his life, but he does it in front of his childhood idol-Viktor Nikiforov, the Russian sports star with five gold medals in the world championship. This is how he decides to return to his house after years, in a state of internal struggle to determine if it is time to retire or continue skating. After a series of fortunate events, Viktor Nikiforov decides to leave his skating career for a moment to train him for an unprecedented Grand Prix.
Contrary to what many tend to think, the story does not have a romance as its center but rather shows the protagonist's evolution in his quest to achieve his goals. It is also an anime that is based on an artistic sport. It is not only a sport that consists of physical skill to win. It is a sport that involves making your presentation art and connecting with the public with it. In this sense, mental strength, life experiences, and motivations mixed with the feeling you want to express on the ice are essential for choreography development.
Probably for this reason too, the best scenes have to do with the protagonist’s mental state before and during competitions. However, it doesn't manage to exploit this element as much as I would have liked, which I could have made a solid anime from the plot alone.
It is thus entertaining and an anime based on being dorky and giving good vibes in a contemporary world (one of the great themes of this anime is the management of social networks and the contextualization of characters living in a real-world). Due to its silly nature, I think the series loses specific opportunities and sometimes its direction.
Yuri on Ice has well-developed, three-dimensional, rich, and colorful characters. Yuri, the main character, is shy, naive, has trouble making friends and interacting with people. During the 12 episodes, he fights against his worst enemy, himself, and his lack of self-esteem. It is not strange to see yourself even a little bit reflected in it.
Victor is the opposite, a boy who dazzles the most reluctant to art, who does everything well, and who sometimes seems like a child despite having a leg in his 30s. And the other Yuri (Called Yurio to avoid confusing him with Katsuki Yuri) is a young man (aka crazy Russian) obsessed with victory who represents a potential mean athlete but is more fragile than he thinks.
The good thing about it is that while skating, the viewer is a participant in what they think inside, although, on the outside, they are shown in a very different way as if it were a breastplate. That helps the viewer empathize with the characters and see them in a little more natural light. For example, it is known why they choose the music they choose, the meaning of each of the choreographies, and the link to what is essential for each of them.
First of all, I recognize the beautiful character design of this anime. It is no secret that many of the designs were inspired by stars and real personalities from the world of skating. That is why many of them ended up falling in love with Yuri on Ice when they discovered that they had a version of themselves in the anime.
We must add that there are several small details and references in the anime that only the otakus of this sport will notice, which I think is excellent. Yamamoto is a fan of the sport, so it is not surprising that you find several references to the world of ice skating and, so if you are also knowledgeable, you can enjoy it even more.
Finally, we must not forget to point out the dedication that he put into topics such as the creation process of the choreographies and the costumes' design in this anime. The choreographies shown were made by Kenji Miyamoto himself, retired figure skater and choreographer for famous skaters today. Likewise, the production commissioned a studio - if I'm not mistaken, a ballet specialist - to design the costumes that the characters would use in their presentations.
Now, applauding this first, we must put our hands on our hearts and say that Yuri on Ice had several problems in its production, resulting in a notorious decline in quality. Common issues in the industry, but ultimately the ones that cause deterioration in the quality of many animes.
It is no surprise that episode 4 of the anime, for example, ended up delivered in two different versions to two different networks (TV Asahi and Crunchyroll). This was because the production team was making corrections until the last minute before delivering each of the episodes as they lacked time. For the time, budget, and other limiting elements that the production crew had, they decided to focus a lot on providing us with the skating scenes.
Yuri on Ice is a series that makes you root for the characters as if they were real people and leaves you wanting more of them. It's not the most incredible show of all time, but it manages to hook you. It's confirmed that there will be a second season, but no date has been established in writing. What all the fans of this series know is that they will wait all the time needed. I recommend it to anyone who would like a casual watch of something full of good vibes.
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https://pinnedupink.com/blogs/random-thoughts-because-mondays-suck
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Yuri on Ice Official Trailer English Dub.
