Yuri!!! on Ice

Reeling from his crushing defeat at the Grand Prix Finale, Yuuri Katsuki, once Japan's most promising figure skater, returns to his family home to assess his options for the future. At age 23, Yuuri's window for success in skating is closing rapidly, and his love of pork cutlets and aptitude for gaining weight are not helping either.

However, Yuuri finds himself in the spotlight when a video of him performing a routine previously executed by five-time world champion, Victor Nikiforov, suddenly goes viral. In fact, Victor himself abruptly appears at Yuuri's house and offers to be his mentor. As one of his biggest fans, Yuuri eagerly accepts, kicking off his journey to make it back onto the world stage. But the competition is fierce, as the rising star from Russia, Yuri Plisetsky, is relentlessly determined to defeat Yuuri and win back Victor's tutelage.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Nikiforov, Victor Main

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Plisetsky, Yuri Main

Uchiyama, Kouki Japanese

Katsuki, Yuuri Main

Toyonaga, Toshiyuki Japanese

Chulanont, Phichit Supporting

Ono, Kensho Japanese

Altin, Otabek Supporting

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Minami, Kenjirou Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Leroy, Jean-Jacques Supporting

Miyano, Mamoru Japanese

Giacometti, Christophe Supporting

Yasumoto, Hiroki Japanese

Lee, Seung-gil Supporting

Nojima, Kenji Japanese

Ji, Guang-Hong Supporting

Honjou, Yuutaro Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Katsumata, Hideo Producer

Noda, Fuko Producer

Ogawa, Takahiro Producer

Reviews

May 15, 2024

Cersil

Recommended

"Yuri!!! on Ice" is a very risky project, in which everything - from the plot to the characters - is served on the edge of silliness. On the one hand, the series literally screams of the shounen-ai genre, and yet it is not about the relationship between men. On the other hand, it's a story about figure skating, which is not very popular with male audiences, but has a specific female audience. Again, a misstep. This is not a story about sport.
This is a story about an impossible dream, about beautiful people who help and support each other, who carry on when there is no ... hope of victory. And this transcendental humanity, this transcendental love, which practically does not exist in real life, is the basis of the series.

The main character, Yuuri Katsuki, is ending his career as a figure skater. His results are poor, Japan is not proud of a 24-year-old who has never won a medal, and he is past the peak of his sporting form. He has spent most of his life praying to the god of figure skating - Russian athlete Victor Nikiforov - and on one of the worst days of Yuuri's life, the living dream walks into his house and announces that he will be his coach. But the Japanese has a rival who will tear anyone to pieces just to get the divine Nikiforov as his teacher. And here's a coincidence! Yuuri's rival is called Yuri!

The first thing that catches your eye is the divine opening, with super expensive, detailed character animation and hand-drawn characters. The title theme immediately "tears your head off" and puts you in the right frame of mind: this anime is not about the love of two men, no, it's a story about the struggle for a dream, about the efforts of people on the edge of the possible, about the beauty and greatness of the human essence, which manifests itself in every work, if only you put your heart into it. And most of the series is a hymn to the human body, its grace and beauty, and the power of the spirit hidden within it.

Almost every episode is well done, with long and well thought-out competition sequences. Each skater has their own unique routine, their own specific movements, their own temperament and pace, and for that alone the animators should be given an Oscar. No one has sweated and worked harder on the anime that year than the MAPPA studio.

But that's not enough! They have worked out the details of the character of absolutely all the characters, the emotions, and not only in terms of animation, but also in terms of directing. You believe in the characters as you do yourself, they are too human, imperfect and so close and understandable. Yuuri looks particularly cool when he goes over the edge and shows such passion on the ice that it gives you goosebumps. The main character himself has so many faces and sides that it is impossible to guess how he will behave: one moment he is a frightened, bespectacled man who has never even held a girl's hand, the next he is a fierce young man ready to tear his idol coach to shreds if he takes his eyes off him and stops following him.

It should be warned that there are hints of BL in this anime, and clear ones at that, but all these embraces and ostentatious gestures seem unexpectedly human, like a powerful movement of the soul that pushes to say the right words, to do something unimaginable for another person, something that can support them, rekindle the flame of enthusiasm in them, and it doesn't matter who is of what gender. And this pseudo-BL romance turns into an unexpected catharsis if you want to believe in human nature, in all the best that is in each of us.

Some seemingly stiff characters suddenly reveal a tender essence, full of grace and of such monstrous beauty that it sweeps you away, leaving nothing but pure delight.

Music. The music doesn't just hook you up, it sometimes tears your soul, bringing you to the pinnacle of bliss, and together with the divine animation and incredibly sharp moments that create a ‘wow effect’ in the same place, the experience is simply unforgettable.

‘Yuri!!! on Ice" is a must-see for everyone. Don't let the BL innuendo scare you away, the comedy of positions on the edge of stupidity. Don't read the comments of enthusiastic yaoi women, it's all rubbish and doesn't matter. The main thing is the wonderful feeling of belonging to the ascent of a lonely soul who suddenly realises that they are not alone, they are loved, that their beautiful essence touches other people. So much so that their eyes light up, they know what they are living for, they open up, dazzled by this beauty and power.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Cersil (16)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jun 29, 2024

langleypilot

Mixed Feelings

I watched Yuri on Ice for the first time in the winter of fifth grade. Absolutely loved it, obsessed, forced my friends to watch it with me, it rekindled my love for figure skating and inspired me to practicing again. This anime had a lasting impact on my life.

That being said, when I attempted to rewatch it this year, it was so ass I had to drop it within 5 episodes (with love). The pace is SO FAST and barely gave the characters space to develop. You won’t know if it’s been 2 weeks or 2 months since the last episode. Especially Viktor’s actions are ... inconcievable. He doesn’t act like a real person would at all.

HOWEVER, my love for figure skating can and will not allow me to give YoI a completely negative review. The art is pretty and the figure skating sequences were animated with love.

TLDR; watch if you like figure skating and pretty boys.

still mourning ice adolescence btw EIGHT YEARS UOOOOORGH

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by langleypilot (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 25, 2023

samyugoburg

Not Recommended

Yuri on Ice has brought a lot of people into ice skating, and that's wonderful. It also starts out being pretty compelling by establishing an interesting narrative of this out-of-shape, anxious, in-the-closet skater trying to drag himself back up to the peak. Unfortunately, it languishes in this mire of protagonist self-confidence issues for which Victor is the only solution, is extremely repetitive (we get to see the same routine again? I wonder what he'll mess up because of nerves this time!), and is absolutely not gay enough. I do not have lived experience as a homosexual person, but other reviewers have spoken about their frustrations ... with this. Yet, the core theme of the show, which is using love to lift you to greater heights, is undermined CONSTANTLY after the first few episodes.

One thing that Yuri on Ice seems to forget is that it is working towards a climax which is... exactly where it started: Yuri at the Grand Prix. This isn't a spoiler, because there is no other conclusion for this show. No matter how aggressively it pushes the angle of Yuri flourishing under Victor, he literally starts the show at the Grand Prix! He is already a top skater worldwide by the metric of success he pursues doggedly throughout the entire show! It would have been wonderful to see him actually grow, rather than only grow more sexually confident. And it would have been wonderful to see him grow more sexually confident, rather than only grow more confident in his sensual dancing. The metrics put in front of us clearly denote one thing: it is everyone's game to lose based on their nerves, and we get mixed signals about where Yuri's and others' confidence stems, and how they handle it.

This show seems to consistently pull back from where it is ready to be in the first few episodes. It is covered in BL tropey scenes and presentations, but the main character is so not worthy of him, and so worried about losing him! I mean, Victor being literally the most important person in the world to most of the cast can certainly feed into anxiety about him going away, but Yuri is the source of the bulk of the drama in this show and his obstinate relationship anxiety gets really old really quickly. The anime tropes at play otherwise are fine, like the mascot trio of little girls, but it is often pretty cringe. Also, the dude who's concerningly into his own sister is absolutely a JP cultural projection and I wish it did not take up as much space as it did.

I only finished this show out of commitment, because I have a partner who is an ice skater. Otherwise, it is not worth watching past the first 6 episodes.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by samyugoburg (5)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Anime that more people need to watch

by Xenia456

25 Entries · 25 Restacks

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ❤️All the canon gays, all countries, all flavors ( づ🏳️‍🌈⊂ ) 🐇

by aedeann

38 Entries · 128 Restacks

Best of Boy's Love Anime!

by Mushrooms18

28 Entries · 52 Restacks

'Yuri!!! on Ice: Ice Adolescence' Anime Movie Cancels Production

The official website of the Yuri!!! on Ice anime series announced on Friday that the Ice Adolescence movie has been canceled due to various circumstances. The movie ...read more

Apr 18, 8:54 PM by DatRandomDude | Discuss (94 comments)

Winners of the 2018 Tokyo Anime Awards Announced

Winners of the Tokyo Anime Awards for 2018 have been announced. Animation of the Year Kono Sekai no Katasumi ni (Film) Kemono Friends (Television) Fan Award Yuri!!! ...read more

Feb 21, 2018 3:59 AM by tsubasalover | Discuss (32 comments)

	Poll: Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Dec 21, 2016	561 replies	by 200px »» Jun 4, 2:26 AM
	Poll: Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Nov 16, 2016	475 replies	by bebelights »» Jun 3, 1:12 AM
	Poll: Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Oct 19, 2016	289 replies	by RGreatDanton »» May 21, 9:49 PM
	Poll: Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Oct 12, 2016	206 replies	by RGreatDanton »» May 21, 9:00 AM
	Poll: Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stark700 - Oct 5, 2016	386 replies	by RGreatDanton »» May 21, 8:48 AM

In Numbers: The Best Anime of the Decade

What's the #1 anime of the 2010s? Which year was the best? What studio had the most hits? We have the answers to all these questions and more!

by Shymander

634,076 views

Why Main Characters Sometimes Have to Lose

Despite the potential satisfaction of seeing the main character succeed, sometimes a loss is far more beneficial than a win.

by MAL_Articles

32,121 views

Spoiler