Featuring actual choreographies by two times Japanese National ice skating champion Kenji Miyamoto, and dealing with homosexuality almost as much as with the sport itself, “Yuri!!! On Ice” is definitely not your everyday anime. The fact that it was one of the most successful shows and digital releases in Japan, though, is a testament to its quality.
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The film revolves around Yuri Katsuki, Japan’s number one ice skater, who, as the anime begins, has suffered a humiliating loss at the Grand Prix Final, and is ready to retire from the sport completely. However, when his idol and five-time champion Victor Nikiforov decides to come all the way to Japan just to be his coach, Yuri changes attitude completely and decides to give it all to be successful in the sport at an international level. However, both their decision take a toll on Yuri Plisetsky, a rising 15-year-old Russian prodigy skater, who also expected Victor to help him, not to mention a chance to surpass his idol on competition. As the “fight” between the two Yuris grows, so do the feelings Katsuki and Nikiforov share. The road to success though, has many obstacles, mostly having to do with the other competitors.
Probably the most interesting aspect of the title, at least in entertainment terms, is the way Sayo Yamamoto has managed to combine the basics of the shonen genre with ice skating and the LGBT element, in a style that allows all three to thrive.
The shonen element derives from the theme of the underdog trying to reach the top, the training, the tournaments, and the competition with other athletes, whom the anime also makes a point of presenting quite thoroughly.
The ice skating part is depicted in detail, both in terms of explaining the basics, the rules and in its implementation, in a style that combines accuracy with entertainment. These two aspects benefit the most by the actual choreographies and the way MAPPA studios has animated them, the rather detailed drawing of the characters and the background, and the coloring. Special mention should also be given to the music of the anime, which features 24 excellent tracks, with the intro (“History Maker” by Dean Fujioka), the ending theme (“You Only Live Once” by Wataru Hatano) and the insert song “Yuri On Ice” being rather memorable, with the fact that they have been also released as singles being a testament to their quality.
The homosexual aspect is presented eloquently but also in kind of a subtle way, with a number of facts being implied rather than depicted, as in the scene with the kiss, for example. The comments coming from the LGBT community accused the title for being unrealistic in this aspect, since the reception the relationship between the coach and the athlete is “too easy”, with no signs of abuse or even criticism by the public being presented on the anime. And although this may contain much truth, I felt that overall aesthetics benefit from this tactic, as the anime focuses more on entertainment than on social implications, and a harsh realism on this subject would seem somewhat unfit.
The only part I did not like about “Yuri on Ice” is the repeated motif of the characters having extreme facial expressions, an aspect though, that seems almost necessary in the anime world, as it provides an element of slapstick comedy the Japanese seem to enjoy. And as I refer to the comedy part, I have to say that it is there, particularly presented through the relationship of the skaters with the people around them (sisters, coaches, “adversaries” etc) but is toned down in general.
Character analysis, the concept of the ice skater, the presentation of the sport, the great drawing and animation and the impressive score, make “Yuri on Ice” one of the best titles we have seen the latest years, in an anime that definitely deserves a watch.