I tried very hard to view YOI as objectively as possible while watching. Throughout each episode, I kept in mind both the hype of the series as well as its complaints and flaws since I figured this would give me the best chance of viewing it with a fresh mind.
And having said that, I absolutely LOVED YOI and every moment of it. Everything from the beauty and hardship of figure skating to the character development and sense of unity, YOI is honestly a treasure. As an early 20s lesbian hoping to see more down-to-earth same-sex relationships in her share of anime, I loved the brazenness of a m/m relationship beneath a sports anime. Some people have complained that this is an arguably 'gay for sake' series but I've seen more than enough BL series and other eye-candy sports anime and I've never seen anything come close to what Yuri on Ice has put out. The controversial moment when Yuri and Victor exchange rings, for example, is downplayed of course but I was more interested in the reaction from their friends. The thought of them being married is met with unadulterated congratulations and there's no overwhelmingly stupid 'But! We're both men!!' overshadowing it, which seems to preside in most BL material. Instead it is viewed as merely another thing they can strive towards.
On that note, I really, truly believe calling YOI 'queerbait' is kind of offensive and a disservice to the meaning behind the series as a whole. Throughout Yuri's performances we are constantly reminded of the different types of love whether it be platonic, sensual or otherwise and are shown how it can be integrated in the skaters' routines to deliver artistically beautiful performances. I mean I get it: certain scenes could be purely fanservice, but isn't this the case with most comedic romance series'? I'll fall over if I have to watch another dramatic f/m scene or see some 'hilariously' perverse misunderstanding involving boobs and hot tubs. YOI offers a fraction of this and actually puts out meaningful sequences and story alongside it instead.
YOI isn't a masterpiece, but comes close to being so to me personally. The characters in all their diverse glory are exquisitely developed in such a way as to remind us of the people behind the performances and the pressure. Yuri(o!) for example (Yuri's rival), develops in the series to become more personable than arguably Yuri himself, showing his true intentions and will to further encourage others in order to better himself. Hell, even JJ won me over a little after I got over his annoying catchphrases. A prevalent theme in YOI is unity and sportsmanship: the skaters come together to cheer each other on and show their support when they make errors. It's a really heartwarming thing to see.
As a sidebar, a really cool thing about this anime I noticed was the integration of social media. It's done is such a subtle way it made the series pretty endearing and a lot more down-to-earth. The end Insta-credits are seriously cute.
So yeah, I loved it. Sorry.
And no, I don't have Yuri on Ice as my ringtone.
