Yuri!!! on Ice
Produced by: Dentsu, TV Asahi, Movic, Avex Pictures, CIC, Cygames
Studio: MAPPA
Genre(s): Comedy, Sports
Episodes: 12
Synopsis: Yuri Katsuki carried the hope of all Japan on his shoulders in the Figure Skating Grand Prix, but suffered a crushing defeat in the finals. He returned to his hometown in Kyushu and hid away in his family’s home, half wanting to continue skating and half wanting to retire. That was when the five-time consecutive world champion, Viktor Nikiforov, suddenly showed up with his teammate, Yuri Plisetsky, a young skater starting to surpass his seniors. And so the two Yuris and the Russian champion Viktor set out to compete in a Grand Prix like none the world has ever seen! – Crunchyroll
My Yuri!!! on Ice binge started all because a friend of mine was wearing a shirt and my husband complimented him on it. I on the other hand had no clue what it was from. It was funny to look at, I just had no clue what it was referencing, I didn’t know exactly where it was from. This shirt had an anime guy on it winking and it said “I am going to become a super tasty pork cutlet bowl” I looked at my husband and gave him the confused smile which he knows exactly what it means (being married over 11 years he should know the signs, lol), I had no clue what show this was from. He then preceded to tell me “oh, it’s from Yuri!!! on Ice”. Our friend was shocked I hadn’t seen it and told me I need to fix that. Well I did, and I binged and finished all 12 episodes in 2 day.
My first reaction was total amazement because I just fell in love with the Intro song. The opening animation was super awesome with how it flowed with the music. I am seriously in love with “History Makers” by Dean Fujioka. I love the lyrics to it and what they are saying. I was pleasantly surprised the Opening intro was in English so that I really could sing along to it.
There’ll be no more darkness
when you believe in yourself you are unstoppable
Where your destiny lies, dancing on the blades,
you set my heart on fire
I love the message of how once you believe in yourself you are unstoppable, it’s such a great message and fits the series so well. The ending theme was just as great, “You Only Live Once” by YURI!!! on ICE feat. w. hatano. This song is upbeat and flows well with the series. The songs also used for all the skaters’ routines were excellent and each differed showing each ones personality and theme for their routines.
The Story itself is great to watch, I loved the buildup of the characters. Yuri Katsuki is an interesting character and through the series you see how much he grows with Victor Nikiforov as a skater and as a person as well. He grows from an unsure second guessing kind of guy to someone who knows what the needs and what he has to do to get it. Victor Nikiforov is such a fun, lighthearted character and I liked how he was learning as Yuri’s coach. I liked how he was funny and lighthearted most of the time, but when he was needed to be serious he could do it, even when he really didn’t know what was needed in that situation. Together they are such a cute couple. Through the series, they give and take from each other, learning more about themselves and about one another.
And then there was Yuri Plisetsky, he’s a young skater who wants to be on top and he thinks he knows what he needs. He is a tough guy, who seems just to have a bad attitude at times, but you see that exterior crack during the series and how much of an impact everyone really has on him especially Yuri and Victor. He even gets a cute nick name, Yurio, since there are 2 Yuri’s.
The animation and drawings were nice and clear with great details on the costume pieces. Each costume piece popped with color, as well as the locations they visited. I enjoyed the skating sequences and the animation on all the skating moves. They flowed really well and the techniques were amazing.
I really can’t wait for the next season and see how everything changes for everyone. I’d love to see more about Yuri and Victor’s relationship. They really do make a cute couple. I’m totally a big fan of Yuri!! on Ice now. Yay me!
