People who do not like Yuuri!!! on Ice have obviously missed the point of the series.
YOI is phenomenal. It shows, doesn't tell. The characters are complex and deep, realistic, and the narrative touches on issues such as anxiety and depression, but only if you are paying attention.
You see, this is not a series for those who are expecting a casual watch. This is a series for those who tend to analyze, and think deeper. I REPEAT: THIS IS A STORY FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO ANALYZE AND THINK DEEPLY. If you want a series where the answers are handed to you, THIS IS NOT IT. It is a narrative where a lot of things are supposed to be connected by the viewer. They will not tell you Yuuri has an anxiety disorder. The will not tell you that Viktor was battling major depression. They will not tell you why Yurio wants to beat Yuuri so bad. They give you clues and lead you there, but connecting the dots and knowing what is happening is YOUR responsibility, and much like a lot of Eastern media it is not meant to be viewed through a Western lens.
Of course, people will argue that a series SHOULD tell you things. And it does. Yuuri on Ice tells us Viktor Nikiforov is a well accomplished figure skater, yet he was willing to give it all up in an instant, in any way, to get out of it. We know that Yuuri Katsuki panics on the ice and the things he says don't quite add up to the things we see. We know that Yuri Plisetsky is a hot headed, young, talented skater who can't seem to grasp the notion of unconditional love. Why? Sometimes you get straightforward answers (i.e. the amazing plot twist in episode 10) yet sometimes bits and pieces are sprinkled within different episodes. Sometimes you will learn something, which makes information from multiple episodes ago make a lot more sense. This series is MEANT to be looked at from every angle to understand characters ambitions, thoughts, actions. Just like real life. And it's GOOD that way. That is WHY it's so amazing. Rarely is there a series where I am excited for the next, next, next episode because I want to understand the characters more. Because I want to know what the motivation for this decision was. Just like in real life, you do not know everything right off the bat. You have to be patient and attentive, and you are rewarded for it.
You'll see I rated this series a 10, and that's because it truly is a masterpiece. There will never be any series that surpasses YOI. I will never be satisfied with another piece of media as much as I was with this one. I will never be as excited weekly for another show to come out. I will be hard pressed to find better, more fleshed out and complex and realistic characters than I did here. There is nothing about Yuuri on Ice that I do not adore. The music, the animation, the characters, the kinds of love shown throughout the series, everything.
If you don't want to take the time to have a deeper understanding of the series, then this is not a show for you. But if you're willing to pay attention, then you will be rewarded with likely the best series of this decade. And this isn't an over exaggeration; I truly believe nothing will be better than Yuuri on Ice for a very, very long time.
Smile. Sweet. Sister. Sadistic. Surprise. Service. We are Stile!
Blend S is already one of my favourite SOL anime of all time due to its amazing characters, beautiful art and awesome soundtrack.
The story first revolves around Maika and how she can't get a job due to her unnatural scary look. She comes across this cafe, but not just any cafe, this is a cafe out of the ordinary. Luckily for Maika, her unnatural scary look might come in handy. This cafe takes certain archetypes of characters and apply them to our main characters.
Maika is supposed to act like the Sadist in the Cafe, in this case, she can easily succeed in doing so without knowing it. Our beautiful character Kaho (Yunno, the one with huge boobs) is in charge of being the Tsundere. Hoshikawa has the Imouto role, Miu with the Older Sister role, and Hideki with the idol role.
Seeing these types of characters in one single place working, you can see why I treasure this series. It's super funny and super adorable, and the opening is starting to become a meme.
The story so far isn't too plot heavy ofc since it is an SOL series. However, it does kinda focus on Maika and her life at the Cafe and how she improves her Sadist character. While she does that there seems to be a click between her and the Manager. The manager is 26 and Maika is 16. So it's not like that can't work, I mean, a ten year difference??? Idk tho actually lol. They might fit some sort of romantic situation between the two, which is A Ok for me.
Overall this series is super fun and the opening is amazing. This is recommended for anyone who enjoys workplace animes with amazing characters, fun interactions, and great comedy. You should watch this last after watching some heavy anime this fall. It would be a good way to end a nice Saturday. :)
All Comments (5) Comments
YOI is phenomenal. It shows, doesn't tell. The characters are complex and deep, realistic, and the narrative touches on issues such as anxiety and depression, but only if you are paying attention.
You see, this is not a series for those who are expecting a casual watch. This is a series for those who tend to analyze, and think deeper. I REPEAT: THIS IS A STORY FOR THOSE WHO LIKE TO ANALYZE AND THINK DEEPLY. If you want a series where the answers are handed to you, THIS IS NOT IT. It is a narrative where a lot of things are supposed to be connected by the viewer. They will not tell you Yuuri has an anxiety disorder. The will not tell you that Viktor was battling major depression. They will not tell you why Yurio wants to beat Yuuri so bad. They give you clues and lead you there, but connecting the dots and knowing what is happening is YOUR responsibility, and much like a lot of Eastern media it is not meant to be viewed through a Western lens.
Of course, people will argue that a series SHOULD tell you things. And it does. Yuuri on Ice tells us Viktor Nikiforov is a well accomplished figure skater, yet he was willing to give it all up in an instant, in any way, to get out of it. We know that Yuuri Katsuki panics on the ice and the things he says don't quite add up to the things we see. We know that Yuri Plisetsky is a hot headed, young, talented skater who can't seem to grasp the notion of unconditional love. Why? Sometimes you get straightforward answers (i.e. the amazing plot twist in episode 10) yet sometimes bits and pieces are sprinkled within different episodes. Sometimes you will learn something, which makes information from multiple episodes ago make a lot more sense. This series is MEANT to be looked at from every angle to understand characters ambitions, thoughts, actions. Just like real life. And it's GOOD that way. That is WHY it's so amazing. Rarely is there a series where I am excited for the next, next, next episode because I want to understand the characters more. Because I want to know what the motivation for this decision was. Just like in real life, you do not know everything right off the bat. You have to be patient and attentive, and you are rewarded for it.
You'll see I rated this series a 10, and that's because it truly is a masterpiece. There will never be any series that surpasses YOI. I will never be satisfied with another piece of media as much as I was with this one. I will never be as excited weekly for another show to come out. I will be hard pressed to find better, more fleshed out and complex and realistic characters than I did here. There is nothing about Yuuri on Ice that I do not adore. The music, the animation, the characters, the kinds of love shown throughout the series, everything.
If you don't want to take the time to have a deeper understanding of the series, then this is not a show for you. But if you're willing to pay attention, then you will be rewarded with likely the best series of this decade. And this isn't an over exaggeration; I truly believe nothing will be better than Yuuri on Ice for a very, very long time.
Blend S is already one of my favourite SOL anime of all time due to its amazing characters, beautiful art and awesome soundtrack.
The story first revolves around Maika and how she can't get a job due to her unnatural scary look. She comes across this cafe, but not just any cafe, this is a cafe out of the ordinary. Luckily for Maika, her unnatural scary look might come in handy. This cafe takes certain archetypes of characters and apply them to our main characters.
Maika is supposed to act like the Sadist in the Cafe, in this case, she can easily succeed in doing so without knowing it. Our beautiful character Kaho (Yunno, the one with huge boobs) is in charge of being the Tsundere. Hoshikawa has the Imouto role, Miu with the Older Sister role, and Hideki with the idol role.
Seeing these types of characters in one single place working, you can see why I treasure this series. It's super funny and super adorable, and the opening is starting to become a meme.
The story so far isn't too plot heavy ofc since it is an SOL series. However, it does kinda focus on Maika and her life at the Cafe and how she improves her Sadist character. While she does that there seems to be a click between her and the Manager. The manager is 26 and Maika is 16. So it's not like that can't work, I mean, a ten year difference??? Idk tho actually lol. They might fit some sort of romantic situation between the two, which is A Ok for me.
Overall this series is super fun and the opening is amazing. This is recommended for anyone who enjoys workplace animes with amazing characters, fun interactions, and great comedy. You should watch this last after watching some heavy anime this fall. It would be a good way to end a nice Saturday. :)