There isn't really a plus side to Yuri on Ice beside being an ice skating show with guys. Although there are a few good moments and the ingredients for a sport anime are here, the love story overwhelms everything. As it unfolds, you quickly notice nothing else than romance matters: rivalry, friendship, family, other skaters and even competitions lose most of their appeal fast, sometimes to the point of becoming trivial. It doesn't help that the protagonists are a bit shallow and rely too much on surface caricature to build a personality; the story rapidly becomes a weak excuse and a routine for romance, joining the routines on the rink. Sadly, the performances on ice are also repetitive and bear no thrilling, giving you the feeling you've seen one, you've seen 'em all!
Without the support of inventive and stylish art and animation in its execution, Yuri on Ice ends up as a failed soufflé. Lacking in every aspect of its writing, breathless in the artistic ambitions that could have redeemed the show, it falls short of everything. Not bad enough to fall below the appreciation of "average", but there's nothing more to expect from it.
