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rhetorical-ink · 4 years

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Rhetorical Ink Reviews: Yuri on Ice!!!

** SUPERCHARGED SPOILERS BELOW **

One of my friends recommended this show a long time back, but I just now got to it. After watching the sub, then the dub, then the dub AGAIN...yeah...it’s time to review it for you all!

It just so happens that I also get to watching this show as Pride Month begins in June. What a coincidence...anywhoo, without further ado, and ten thoughts are NOT enough, here are:

My Top Twelve Thoughts on Yuri on Ice!!! Season One:

12. I don’t do this a lot for anime, but I actually recommend the Dub. I love the original Japanese, but the dub is just...wonderful.

Plus, the voice actor for Yuri is PERFECT. Can you believe it’s the same voice actor as both Tendo in the Haikyuu!!, Tokoyami in the My Hero Academia dub, AND Tyrion Callows from RWBY?! The RANGE on Joshua Grelle, y’all!

Bonus, the Russian accents for the VA’s of Viktor and Yurio are ADORABLE.

11. The three main leads are just so three-dimensional. I may have never related to a protagonist more than Yuri Katsuki. Yuri starts out the series having made it to the Grand Prix Skating Finals, only to place last. Down-heartened, he slumps into bad eating habits and lacks any motivation; moving back home after being away for five years as a professional figure skater.

We’ll talk more about Viktor and “Yurio” below individually, but Yuri is such a empathetic character and you really root for his development and growth as the show goes on and he grows more and more confident as a skater, and a person.

10. Before we dive into our other main protagonists, I want to say that the side characters are fleshed out, too, for what we see of them. Minako, Yuri’s ballet teacher, is a perfect representation of all us fangirls watching the show, and there are the other skaters, which I’ll go into detail about below, too, but I want to focus on Yuri’s childhood friends Takeshi and Yuuko Nishigori in this point.

When we first meet Yuuko, we get the idea that she was Yurio’s best friend as a kid. There’s this Lily and James Potter moment with Takeshi, as he makes fun of Yurio as kids and comes across as a snot-nosed brat. Just as I think in the first episode that Yurio is about to confess his love to Yuuko, we find out that she’s actually married to their other childhood friend, Takeshi. And they have a set of triplet daughters, appropriately named Axel, Lutz, and Loop. Ha.

I do like that later on we actually see Takeshi’s grown up -- he no longer teases Yuri in a mean way; he’s actually a huge supporter of him. I like that we see how these characters have matured and stayed friends. Not to mention the three girls are pretty much a catalyst to the plot of the story.

9. Okay -- I absolutely LOVE Yuri’s character and relate to him the most -- but how can you NOT LOVE Viktor Nikiforov?

It would have been easy to make Viktor a pompous, playboy, especially given how successful he’s been as a skater from the start of the story.

But instead, they reveal that Viktor is a sweet, determined, passionate dork who loves his poodle Makkichan and is a fool for figure skating. His constant enthusiasm is infectious and he comes across as a character you just WANT to be friends with.

The more the show goes on, though, we learn how Viktor is so entrenched on the positive side of the emotional spectrum that he doesn’t handle emotional distress well -- now, THAT I can relate to a lot. When Yuri has a meltdown, Viktor struggles to respond in a way that’s not awkward or insensitive. But, deep down, he just wants the best for those around him, as we see with him motivating his fellow competitors to do their best. He’s also worried about his thinning hairline -- poor guy, being around Viktor’s age, I feel his pain.

8. Despite coming across as a pretentious punk, Yuri Plisetsky from the first episode, we all agree that “Yurio” as he’s nicknamed is actually a giant Piroshki covered in cinnamon? He comes across as constantly irritated, rough, and displeased. But when he’s around his closest friend and grandfather, he shows a softer side to him. He’s definitely an embodiment of a Russian cat.

I also love that Yurio is impatient to prove his talent, and constantly wants to act more mature than he really is -- WELCOME TO THE MADNESS, ANYONE -- but he is also aware that he’s not going to be that youthful for much longer, and wants to maximize the potential for what he can do in the moment. Should they continue the show into a second season or in the movie, I hope that Yurio growing older is touched on. He makes constant references to Yuri being the age for retirement, and calls Viktor a “geezer” in skating years -- it would be interesting to see Yurio facing the event of aging as a figure skater in the future.

7. We get introduced to the other figure skating competitors, and I have to say that for me, the ones that stand out are Pitchit and Chris, which is funny, since each are friends of our main protagonists Yuri and Viktor. I love that we get their backstories, understand their motivations, and actually see all of their performances.

Phitchit is just a cinnabun, and I love how supportive he is of Yuri in all he does and just radiates positive energy! And then there’s Chris...ohhh, Chris. I have to admit, one of my friends is actually a LOT like Chris -- maybe that’s why I was drawn to him in the show. His flamboyance is comical, but he also clearly has a good heart. The pool scene with him and Viktor is one of my favorites in the show.

6. Now, now it’s time for the MEAT of the show. And I’m not talking pork cutlet bowls, y’all. I really had no clue going into this show that it was going to have these three things: First, the humor.

This show has so much heart and humor -- I found myself laughing so much during this show, mainly with the interactions of our three main leads, but the animation plus the voice acting just NAILS it for me. Viktor being dorky particularly gets me, but Yuri’s reactions are just as golden!

5. Second, and this one is pretty much my jam: The RELATIONSHIPS. Well, specifically, that of Yuri and Viktor. I know I’ve posted this gif in a previous post when I was reacting to Episode 6...but it’s worth re-posting before going further:

I don’t care what gender is involved, if a show has a well-defined and complex relationship, I am ALL IN. Yuri on Ice!!! does not disappoint in this department.

Yuri starts out as a huge fan of Viktor’s skating, putting him up on a huge pedestal, even naming his dog after him as a kid -- though it’s established Yuri and Viktor are only four years apart in age.

But, once Viktor starts to coach Yuri, the two come to this mutual understanding of one another and develop this intense bond. I love that Yuri realizes that he does look up to Viktor, but he doesn’t necessarily idolize him -- he actually respects him and knows that Viktor “meets him halfway” when he opens up to him. Viktor, likewise, realizes that Yuri not only isn’t weak, but has incredible potential, and is a kind-hearted person who gives his all and can match Viktor himself in terms of competitive passion towards figure skating, and winning.

There are so many gifs of these two that I can’t post them all, but these two are probably one of my favorite anime couples, now. This idea that alone, you can only go so far, but together, you can be so much stronger!

Oh, and there’s Yurio -- we get a brief, albeit adorable friendship bloom with him and Otabek Altin from Kazakhstan. Otabek clearly brings out the best in Yurio -- I really hope that we get future development with their relationship, too, since it’s only just started in Episode 10 of 12 in the first season.

4. Okay, and finally, the STORY and the twists got me in this show! The slow burn of the relationship development between Yuri and Viktor is grand, and you can’t deny the seductive fangirl moment of the forehead touching, or how Viktor is so proud of Yuri that he kisses him in Episode 7, but it’s the plot twists in Episode 10 that just tore the whole show open for me!

In the episode, Yuri decides to show his appreciation for Viktor (plus give Viktor a birthday/Christmas/”good luck” charm) and gets them matching rings. Of COURSE, we the audience can see the parallels to them being wedding rings. Later, at dinner with the other skaters, Viktor corrects the confused fellow competitors, saying they’re actually “engagement” rings and that he will marry Yuri once he receives a gold medal.

*Insert the loudest fangirl scream imaginable*

But then, we discover at dinner that Viktor’s first conversation with Yuri wasn’t actually at the Hatsetsu bath house...it was at the banquet after the Grand Prix where Yuri received last. We find out that Yuri, feeling depressed and down-trodden, got drunk and flirted heavily with Viktor, begging him to come be his coach. Viktor, taken with the whole flirting and proposal, and after seeing how much potential Yuri has with imitating Viktor’s moves in the video the triplet’s posted, decides to come coach him. THAT was why Viktor was so flirty at the start of the show -- he thought that was naturally how Yuri was! Everything at the start of the show that seemed so forward and out of place for Viktor’s character suddenly makes SO much sense after we learn this little tid bit.

But also, that ending credit scene for Episode 10. Holy guacamole!

3. And then, there was the final in Episode 12! Honestly, I was actually completely fine with Yuri taking silver and Yurio taking gold in the final, even though they were SO close! Yurio establishes that he wants to keep competing against Yuri -- he doesn’t want Yuri to get complacent and just quit after winning this one time and retire. And I love that. I was happy that Yuri got silver, because that means that Yuri’s at least going to skate one more year -- but NOW, with Viktor AND Yurio competing against him, along with the other competitors! It’s such a great way to hype us up for what we hopefully have with another season or the movie.

2. Okay, just a thought here. I am SO excited to see not only Yuri and Yurio skate again in the next season to come and/or the movie, hopefully, but also VIKTOR skating -- we get previews of it, and they are gorgeous, that I know it’s going to be insane if we have all three competing against one another along with the other competitors.

However, based on the ending of Episode 12 in the Exhibition Skating event, is there a possibility Yuri on Ice!!! could go into the realm of couples skating. I mean, early on in the season, the Russian coach questions whether Yurio is considering couples skating after getting in a tussle with one of his colleagues. Could we go into this in the future of Yuri on Ice? I mean...the possibilities are pretty endless. It wouldn’t have to just be Viktor and Yuri, either...I MEAN...

1. So, yeah, I pretty much fell in love with this anime. It’s only 12 episodes, but by the end, I just wanted...more! More with these characters, more with their developing relationships, and more gorgeous animation.

I’m SO excited that a movie is coming out hopefully within the year. If the animation is on par with the “Welcome to the Madness” OVA clip, shown above with Yurio and Otabek, I know that it’s going to be wild.

Seriously, if you want an anime that has heart, humor, and one of the best anime relationships I’ve seen on screen, give Yuri on Ice!!! a shot, and hopefully, you’ll fall in love with it like I have.

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