Following a devastating defeat in a Grand Prix
competition, ice skater Yuri Katsuki begins to wonder if his future is really
on the ice. He returns home to Hasetsu
for the first time in five years to do some soul searching. When a video of him performing a piece by his
idol, Victor Nikiforov, goes viral, the eyes of the world fall back to Yuri…and
so does Victor, who arrives in Hasetsu to become his new coach. It’s a dream come true for Yuri…until Victor’s
other protegee, Yuri Plisetsky, arrives from Russia determined to bring Victor
home. Soon things are heating up, and we’re
not just talking about the rivalry between the two Yuris. The next Grand Prix is the endgame and only
one will be victorious.
Yuri on Ice has steadily become this seasons “second
coming”. By which I mean, this is the
kind of show that stirs massive ripples in the Anime community, drawing near
universal praise and outbursts of emotion-for other examples just look back to
when Attack on Titan, Free, Re: Zero and One Punch Man were at their peak. With all the buzz over some of the most recent
episode developments, I finally decided it’s time to check it out and share my
initial thoughts.
And those thoughts are…it’s not bad. Does it live up to the immense hype? I think it’s too early to tell since it’s
only the most recent episodes that have been blowing up the fandom. The beginning though is an interesting set
up. Figure skating isn’t exactly a topic
id ever expect to be seen broached in an Anime.
Yet here it is, right there on the screen. It feels the opposite of Free for me in terms
of interest, never been deep into ice skating myself. Still, there’s enough here to keep my
attention. And this show definitely demands
it, one way or another. The skating
ensemble pieces are actually quite stunning.
There’s very little cutting away from several of them, they’re played in
full, especially Yuri’s performance of one of Victor pieces that sets the
series in motion. The animation is top
notch and on point. They aimed to make
this look as elegant as possible and I must admit, they succeeded. The ladies will certainly be pleased with the
designs of the characters. Once again,
much like Free, all men are drawn to scale, most definitely Victor but I’ll get
to him in a sec. It’s hard not to
imagine all of the female fandom screaming in the distance whenever Victor is
on the ice…almost like a million voices crying out in ecstasy…and then suddenly
becoming silent…guess it was fun for them?
The story seems standard fare at first glance: hero loses
his way and must recover his confidence to find his future, just like Your Lie
in April. The characters rescue a lot of
that premise and manage to make things fun.
Yuri might’ve been the least interesting of the three for me but there’s
room to grow still as he takes on the challenges Victor presents him. Russian Yuri, or Yurio, is so young,
impulsive and an unpredictable powder that’s super entertaining to watch. Whether it’s fussing out Yuri or storming
Hasetsu to find Victor, whenever Yurio is on screen, I was laughing. And then there’s Victor, the man who doesn’t believe
in pants (or clothes for that matter) unless he’s on the ice. I’m sure there’s a tragic backstory in here
somewhere (there just has to be right).
This guy is so happy, carefree and affectionate. I keep saying that he’s a definite draw for
the ladies. However it’s clear Victor’s
powers of ice dance seduction extend to the men as well. Clearly, Yuri more than idolizes the guy and I
think I’ve all but seen for myself something big that really sent the fandom
into shock (probably a kiss, SPOILERS). Victor
almost reminds me of Tamaki from Ouran High School Host Club, just without all
the self doubt (atm anyway). He could be
the most fun aspect of this series yet.
Despite showing more man butt than I ever expected to see in an Anime,
Victor is a fun character for sure.
For the artstyle and premise, I was actually surprised by
all of the humor I saw in the first couple of episodes. With such a graceful approach to portraying
the sport of competitive ice skating, I expected more of a dramatic flair. Nope, not at the moment at least. Each episode opens with Chibi Yuri detailing
the events of previous episodes and the humor continues to poke it’s head at
intentionally awkward moments. I suppose
that’s fine. I chuckled a bit and I’m
glad they’re not taking the overly dramatic approach that the animation and
subject matter almost suggest at first glance.
Granted, that could change in later episodes (broken hearts, broken
dreams, etc.). Right now though, it’s
fine. The balance of seriousness towards
skating and the humor at the expense of the two Yuri’s and Victor is about as
perfect as you can get.
So, does Yuri on Ice live up to the hype and warrant
continued watching on my end? I might
give it another episode or two before calling that. The real reason for the hype train might come
later than where I am. At the moment
though, it’s fun, a lot of fun. The
animation is perfect for the subject matter, the humor is a welcome surprise,
and the three main characters have a lot to offer to keep things
entertaining. I’m glad I checked it out
to see what all the fuss was about. Not
saying im 100% sold. But as far as first
impressions go, not bad. Who knows, the
show could end up being the next Free for me but that’s a tall order right
there.
As with many of the shows I cover here…we shall see.
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