Anime Review:
Yuri!!! On Ice Season 1
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars
Overview
Pros
- Phenomenal LGBTQ+ representation
- The cutest romance ever
- Good animation
- Nice art style
- Accurate depictions of figure skating
- Unique concept
- Beautiful outro and intro
- Two individualized outros
Cons
- No complaints here
Warning: Spoilers Ahead!
Review and Reflection
Yuri!!! On Ice is about a figure skater whose recent failures have made him ready to give up professional figure skating. After one of his practice sessions is posted on the internet, Yuri’s idol Victor Nikiforov sees it and decides to come to Japan to be Yuri’s coach. A Russian skater also named Yuri wants Victor to come back to Russia to coach him, but he ends up losing a contest to win over Victor.
Yuri and Victor at first have mutual admiration that deepens into love for each other. Even though the writers did not initially intend for Yuri and Victor’s relationship to be romantic, when the story started to go in that direction, they embraced the idea.
When I saw the way Yuri and Victor interacted with each other, I couldn’t help thinking that I would love a relationship as intimate and pure as theirs. Though personally, my love language is certainly not touch, it is the genuine, deep love that they had that was what really stood out to me. They were so sweet and sincere, and were truly better together.
I have seen some people complain that the romance was too vague, but my god, I don’t see how it could have been more obvious. Yuri blatantly speaks of how his figure skating shows how he loves Victor. Victor surprises Yuri with a kiss after one of his performances. And yes, it was confirmed to have been a kiss, for all you naysayers. Victor cries at the idea that he may not continue to be Yuri’s coach. Earlier on, Yuri cries at the same thought. Yuri buys the two of them matching rings as a gift, and watching them put them on each other is adorable.
It’s so unbelievably cute. I was so worried about the ending, but it turned out really well and I was impressed and so happy for them.
The figure skating aspect of the show was phenomenally done, even according to professional figure skaters. I saw some people complain that a lot of the performances were to the same music, but that was because each skater made two main programs and honed them to perfection. I was on the edge of my seat because they would make subtle changes and also there was always the danger of slipping up and falling. If I learned anything about figure skating from this anime, it’s that falling at some point it is inevitable, and it’s the recovery and persistence that matters. Another thing I learned is that figure skaters are only competitive for a short time–they retire young. Yuri is only 23 years old and is considering retiring already.
I love that the hotheaded Russian Yuri, nicknamed Yurio, was given the sweet Agape program and that the gentle and awkward Japanese Yuri was given the “sexy” Eros program. They both have to get out of their comfort zones for the programs choreographed by Victor. To do Agape, Yurio thinks of his beloved grandpa. It is cute to see that someone so prideful can still appreciate a doting grandfather. To do Eros, Yuri envisions a pork cutlet bowl. Now, I definitely can understand this choice. I’ve never understood what is “sexy” or what the appeal of sexual love is. So I would probably choose something like books to inspire me, just as he picks something he just wholeheartedly enjoys.
One of the funniest parts is when Victor is not there, and Yuri is so used to getting a hug from Victor that he literally hugs a bunch of random people. He’s really missing his Victor. It’s so sweet.
The other skaters have such vibrant and fun personalities too, so they are easy to love, even the ones that are a bit full of themselves
The animation and art style are attractive, especially in the intro and outro. There were even two unique outros, one featuring a drunk dance battle with Yuri and some of the other skaters. Overall, this anime is beautiful.
The humor and heart of this anime is part of what makes it an amazing anime, perhaps even my favorite. It’s the sort of anime I could watch again and again, like RWBY. The romance is inspiring. The sport is exciting. The drama is hilarious. If you want a good LGBTQ+ romance or if you just like sports anime, I would 100% recommend this one. This anime is pure joy.
Links
The Queer Schizophrenic 