Yuri on Ice sets itself apart from its counterparts immediately by having ice skating as its sport rather than more cliche sports we’ve seen done time and time again in anime (football and baseball come to mind; good heavens, there can never be enough baseball anime). On the other hand, however, there’s also the fact that it features a gay relationship between its two main leads, a fact that has both caused its merits to be overrated and looked down on by both fan and detractors alike respectively. I don’t take any merit in judging the show purely on that basis alone; it’s one aspect of the show, certainly, but while a core part of the show I’d almost dare say that it isn’t the focus, or hell (and here come the pitchforks) even the best part of the show.
Yuri on Ice’s story is driven completely by its characters, and as such the show’s enjoyment varies wildly on the viewer liking said characters. I can confidently say that the characters are likeable, varied and incredibly interesting and fun to watch interact with one another. While fans of Yuri and Viktor would often point to that dynamic being the best done part of the show, I personally found it solid (once its uniqueness is taken away) and nothing more. The characters came off as more interesting when strictly discussing ice-skating and whenever the show focused on their feelings about the sport, and the overall theme of WHAT makes them play the sport makes for some absolutely amazing scenes (special mention here needs to go to the last 3 minutes of episode 11). That isn’t to say I’d recommend the show if you have no tolerance whatsoever for Yuri and Viktor’s relationship, but it’s worth mentioning to those apprehensive about watching it because of that (as well as the rather annoying fanbase it has gathered) that it really isn’t the whole show.
A particular aspect that has received a lot of praise (even winning the 2016 anime awards on Crunchyroll) as well as disdain is the show’s animation quality, and there’s no either way to say this without splitting the answer both ways to answer both. Yuri on Ice’s overall animation quality is above average, and the ice skating scene generally look gorgeous in movement (though stillshots tend to not look good at all on the show). However, there’s also the fact that animation quality clearly takes a hit during slower parts of the show, and this ends up in a fair number of derp faces and moments of repeated frames, even during ice skating scenes. So the overall answer to this is that Yuri on Ice is overall a good looking show, but not an exceptionally beautiful and certainly not deserving of being the best looking show of 2016.
Artwork, on the other hand, looks gorgeous; backgrounds look fluid and pleasing to look at, with absolutely beautiful CGI. This extends to the character designs as well, which are distinct and very pleasing to look at; this extends to uniform designs as well being based on real skaters’ uniforms, and I honestly find the overall look at the show to have very little to complain about (minus the derp faces that I’ve already mentioned before).
I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the show’s absolutely fantastic soundtrack, or the fact that all the main cast have their own unbelievably catchy themes. The voice acting is also absolutely amazing, with special mention needing to go to Mamoru Miyano’s amazing performance as the petty, arrogant but loveable JJ, and I hope to hear more of him in future seasons.
Overall, Yuri on Ice is a show where its reception is its own worst enemy, in spite of being a show filled to the brim with merits.
Its two main leads’ relationship is heartwarming but ultimately solid and nothing more, its character dynamics are fantastically done and it’s very pleasing to look at and listen to. Is it deserving of the dominance it had during the 2016 anime awards? No, but I’ll be damned if I can’t call it a really good show in its own right. Here’s to hoping studio Mappa can expand on their great work in future seasons.
Thank you for reading my review, any and all feedback would be appreciated.
