(CR) Yuri!!! on Ice

[Yamada II]

Episode 1

The visuals. So good. And I like how they didn't cut corners when Yuri was copying Victor. There weren't any still shots or shots of the audience or anything. There was only switching from Yuri to Victor. And the movements were too smooth. This season was lacking good visuals and this one is giving me just that.

I initially thought that the MC would be some figure skating fan who would be just starting and would reach the top. But Yuri here is crazy good at this stuff. He just gets a bit too nervous and ends up screwing up But the reason he lost in the grand prix was probably because the others were way better. And Victor sees the viral video Yu-chan's imoutos. And he's now here to train the Japanese Yuri instead of training the Russian Yuri. He's probably retiring too since he's too old now. But the guy's still in top form winning tournament after tournament. And the Russian Yuri will come after Victor here based on the next episode preview. Let's see if they become training partners or something. Then it'll be Yuris on Ice. And the Japanese Yuri will get a new hairdo based on the ending sequence. He needs one so that he looks better and not like such a loser.

The OP was good but I prefer that ED. The ending sequence was kinda cool. The artwork was damn good and I liked that thing they did there. It was different from what other shows do for their ending sequences (was it Instagram or Tumblr? I don't use this stuff).

This was a good enough start and I'll be watching more of this show.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Veritas

Not really. Despite the contributions of gay skaters, figure skating is as insanely homophobic and conservative as any other sport. There have been about three skaters who have been out of the closet while competing (and zero gay women) because to be out is to hurt your career and the "image" of the sport. And part of this stereotype is just cherry picking - we expect male skaters to be gay and men in other sports to be straight, even though this is certainly not the case.

You're not responding to what I actually said. I never said homophobia doesn't exist in men's figure skating - of course it does. But that doesn't change the fact that there are several openly gay men who've competed at the highest levels of the sport, and there almost surely have been several more (as in every sport) who aren't comfortable being out in public because of that homophobia. So a depiction of same-sex romance in the sport wouldn't implicitly be the "fujo-baiting" the haters dismiss it as - it would be a reflection of the reality of the sport.

Like everything, of course, it all comes down to how it's handled. And frankly, Yamamoto's track record in this respect doesn't inspire confidence. But we're getting way ahead of ourselves at this point.

[GDiddy]

Originally Posted by LKK

English was my assumption as well.

I watched the episode again this afternoon. Once again, Viktor's expression while watching the viral clip of Yuuri's skating worried me. Viktor doesn't look pleased. He looks as if he feels that he's being mocked. He definitely doesn't look like he's found someone he can nurture into a great skater. I fear he's in Japan to make Yuuri's life miserable in revenge. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not, I hope Viktor quickly changes his mind about Yuuri.

I didn't get that impression. I got more of a maybe amused/bemused/interested vibe, but that's me.

Besides, if he was really pissed off about it, he could've just dismissed Japanese Yuri with a snarky comment. I dont think he'd go out of his way to show up in Japan and the ED obviously has him nurturing Japanese Yuri.

Overall, I liked this more than I thought I would. Kind of meh on Japanese Yuri so far, but Victor seems cool. And I liked Japanese Yuri's family and friends, especially the drunk sensei.


All I kept thinking watching this was 'Japanese Yuri is a deadringer for the MC from Parasyte'

[Irenesharda]

Originally Posted by Yamada II

And Victor sees the viral video Yu-chan's imoutos.

They're her daughters I think. She married his old childhood bully.

[Wandering Soul]

Pretty strong first episode. The ice skating scenes were beautiful. I also find myself fond of the OP and ED.

[abhjetgon]

Yuri on ice 1 : Amazing. Wonderfully directed & storyboarded. The animation wasn't just good, but careful, delicate. Liked the comedy bits. Characters are human & not just anime archetypes. The development was quite fast with the video & victor, but passable. The OP had me smiling, the re-used animation being it's only downside. We've got something promising here, folks. 4.5/5

[bakato]

Wow. This blew every expectation I had out of the water. I've seen Olympic figure skating, but never has the sport enthralled me like this show has. I haven't read this homo debate, but I'm greatly reminded of the film Blades of Glory. Male figure skaters aren't homo. They've just grown accustomed to each other's bodies. After seeing this episode, the very notion that skating is a gaysport is just ludicrous. It's beautiful! I'm putting this up as the best anime of the season.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I really like this one. The lovable characters (except for that Russian punk, so far), beautiful visual, the fluid animation, the atmosphere, the comedic antics, and the personal conflicts of the MC reminded me of Shigatsu, and that’s a very good thing in my book. Definitely a keeper for this season. I like the humor too coz, as mentioned before, it reminded me of Shigatsu and a bit of Kill la Kill’s comedy antics. The story itself looks serious and melancholic and possibly will have some heavy drama along the way. So, some moments of (comic) levity is welcomed.

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

You know, the second part of your qualifier reminded me very much of my initial reaction to Shigatsu - and we know how that turned out.

I don't know about you, but Shigatsu turned out just fine to me. Maybe because I didn't let some small "defects" hinder my enjoyment of the show and its general good message. Sure, it has some flaws, but it's still a fine series.

[Triple_R]

Speaking as a Canadian who has watched a lot of hockey and a fair bit of figure skating...

The rinks in this show are marvelously true-to-life. I actually felt nostalgic during any scene inside of a rink. They could not have done a better job of capturing what these hockey/skating rinks are like in real life when converting them to animation. It is breathtakingly accurate and beautiful.

The actual figure skating is similarly amazingly accurate. The animators for this show have done an unbelievable job, and deserve loads of applause.

Viktor is a glorious character so far. So appealing. Such a true sportsman.

Yuri, the male lead, is very solid so far. There's some quibbles I could make, but nothing major.

The comedy is so/so for me, but it's not a major problem anyway. Some bits did make me chuckle.

On the whole, excellent start for a sports drama.

[Pocari_Sweat]

Shigatsu aside from maybe diamond no ace is enzos biggest butthurt in the last few years. Let him mourn

[PreSage]

Originally Posted by R.LocK

I assume that they were speaking in English. And that your pun was absolutely intended.

Hmm, interesting that that assumption didn't arise in my head but then I guess I expected them to try speaking actual English like in some other anime.

Pun...

Originally Posted by LKK

English was my assumption as well.

I watched the episode again this afternoon. Once again, Viktor's expression while watching the viral clip of Yuuri's skating worried me. Viktor doesn't look pleased. He looks as if he feels that he's being mocked. He definitely doesn't look like he's found someone he can nurture into a great skater. I fear he's in Japan to make Yuuri's life miserable in revenge. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not, I hope Viktor quickly changes his mind about Yuuri.

I didn't feel Viktor's expression was that of someone being offended. I actually thought his expression was more in line with him realizing something significant when he was watching Yuuri's viral video. I think he noticed real potential in Yuuri but I also think his "frown" was his thought of how this potential is being wasted by Yuuri not developing a unique, independent style but copying his style. That was the reason why Viktor travelled to Japan to coach Yuuri...and also the fact that he may have found his successor.

[leongsh]

Originally Posted by PreSage

I didn't feel Viktor's expression was that of someone being offended. I actually thought his expression was more in line with him realizing something significant when he was watching Yuuri's viral video. I think he noticed real potential in Yuuri but I also think his "frown" was his thought of how this potential is being wasted by Yuuri not developing a unique, independent style but copying his style. That was the reason why Viktor travelled to Japan to coach Yuuri...and also the fact that he may have found his successor.

Neither do I think that Viktor was feeling offended. My take on it is that he saw Yuuri's attempt as that he could technically skate his routine but more raw and honest in feelings. We've already been shown that Yuuri's skating is done alone and is for a private audience and he performing the routine to his crush. Viktor also saw in Yuuri the talent and potential that needed the refinement and, yes, probably his actual successor instead of the younger Yuri who only wants to do enough to win.

[Triple_R]

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."

That's an old saying, and there is some truth to it. It isn't always true, but it often is (think of Elvis Presley impersonators - most if not all of them are big fans of the King of Rock N' Roll). It's possible that Viktor was flattered by Yuri's performance. And Viktor will likely soon discover that Yuri's performance was made by a sincere and passionate fan.

But most importantly, I agree with leongsh. Viktor has enjoyed a tremendous career, and has already won a lot. He's now at a stage where he's thinking of what legacy he wants to leave behind, and he probably wants to find a good heir of sorts, someone for him to pass the torch to. And Yuri's imitation of Viktor is very technically precise and strong, and so that gives Viktor hope that Yuri may well be a good person to take Viktor's place.

[Veritas]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

You're not responding to what I actually said. I never said homophobia doesn't exist in men's figure skating - of course it does. But that doesn't change the fact that there are several openly gay men who've competed at the highest levels of the sport, and there almost surely have been several more (as in every sport) who aren't comfortable being out in public because of that homophobia. So a depiction of same-sex romance in the sport wouldn't implicitly be the "fujo-baiting" the haters dismiss it as - it would be a reflection of the reality of the sport.

And I'm saying that it's not a reflection of reality any more than it would be in any other sport. That it seems so is because it fits into an existing narrative - that figure skating has more gay men in it than other sports, that it's "gay-friendly," that a man who does figure skating must be gay or he would take up a more manly sport. No, you're not saying this explicitly, but that's because of how stereotypes work.

This show doesn't need a justification for gayness and lingering shots of Victor's ass, for the same reason that no one asks why there are 100000 shows that feature meaningless panty shots and Gainax boobs. Gayness isn't something that must be endured for the sake of accuracy because gayness isn't bad. Same with why fujo-baiting doesn't need to be defended or excused (at least for now). It's all fan service, just this is the type that's designed to appeal to women. That is still something radical and a lot of people are uncomfortable with it, given all of the crying that was going on about this show before it had even aired.

Re: Yuri being a successor to Victor.

this is why I think it's so weird that Yuri is already 23 years old. He is solidly in the middle age of his athletic/figure skating career. They'll probably trot it out later for the dramaz, but the body of a skater in their mid-20s is already breaking down. I can't even think of any Men's singles skaters that age who haven't injured their knees or backs or hips or suffered multiple concussions and had to take time off.

[bakato]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Speaking as a Canadian who has watched a lot of hockey and a fair bit of figure skating...

The rinks in this show are marvelously true-to-life. I actually felt nostalgic during any scene inside of a rink. They could not have done a better job of capturing what these hockey/skating rinks are like in real life when converting them to animation. It is breathtakingly accurate and beautiful.

The actual figure skating is similarly amazingly accurate. The animators for this show have done an unbelievable job, and deserve loads of applause.

Viktor is a glorious character so far. So appealing. Such a true sportsman.

Yuri, the male lead, is very solid so far. There's some quibbles I could make, but nothing major.

The comedy is so/so for me, but it's not a major problem anyway. Some bits did make me chuckle.

On the whole, excellent start for a sports drama.

Good to know the creators have done their research unlike DAYS. Now that I think about it, this is the first original sports anime I've ever seen.

Originally Posted by LKK

English was my assumption as well.

I watched the episode again this afternoon. Once again, Viktor's expression while watching the viral clip of Yuuri's skating worried me. Viktor doesn't look pleased. He looks as if he feels that he's being mocked. He definitely doesn't look like he's found someone he can nurture into a great skater. I fear he's in Japan to make Yuuri's life miserable in revenge. I hope I'm wrong, but if I'm not, I hope Viktor quickly changes his mind about Yuuri.

He looks serious. That's it. We know from the presentation of Yuri's performance spliced with Victor's that they were perfect. Victor was analyzing Yuri and made a very important decision.

From that gorgeous ED, we can tell that Victor isn't just a professional. He loves the sport and I think he saw that same passion in Yuri's video.

[karice67]

Originally Posted by Veritas

- The scores listed at the GPF are ridiculously high.

Victor's score was more than 5 above Yuzu's record. And that's even though he only seemed to have two jump combos in his free skate, vs. the three that pretty much everyone seems to do in real life. Though given the base values of the quad lutz and the quad flip, it's possible that if he had another two quads in the short program...

Originally Posted by Veritas

- To even get to the Grand Prix Final, you have to be really good. The Grand Prix series, which they touched on in but didn't really explain, is a series of 6 competitions held once per week in the fall. (Skate America is usually the first and is in a couple of weeks.) The Grand Prix Final is for the 6 skaters who did the best in their discipline. For Yuri to have placed, he would have had to have been assigned 2 Grand Prix comps and almost certainly placed on the podium in both of them so I don't buy this whole struggling skater who's only recently seen success.

Well...it actually happened with a Japanese skater last year...first GPF at the age of 24, but in 6th place with a score about 100 pts behind the winner... That said...

Originally Posted by Veritas

- Going to guess that Y!!! wasn't able to do the jumps the Victor could do since he'd just be destroying his competition if he had multiple quadruple jumps.

...like you, I'd hazard a guess that Yuri would have made at least some of those quads triples instead.

On the other hand, I wonder if (Russian) Yuri will be facing growth spurt challenges...

Originally Posted by Triple_R

The actual figure skating is similarly amazingly accurate. The animators for this show have done an unbelievable job, and deserve loads of applause.

The choreographer, Miyamoto Kenji, apparently skated the programs so that the staff could record them for reference.

Originally Posted by bakato

Good to know the creators have done their research unlike DAYS. Now that I think about it, this is the first original sports anime I've ever seen.

This blogger has been covering some of the promotional events and material if anyone wants to know more about how Yuri!!! came to be...

[konart]

It's time for some authentic russian cosplay https://twitter.com/barimor_d/status/785138712673980416

[Stark700]

Episode 2:

Another great episode. I can't help but like Victor because of the personality he shows. Like he is really normal to talk to despite being an international celebrity. Of course, I like how he wants to test Yuri and Yuuri of their abilities by making them take risks.

Yuri Plisetsky has quite an intimidating presence in the show as well. He already establishes a rivalry with Yuuri and I'm really interested to see how far this goes. Would like to know more about his past as well.

The comedy is still pretty funny to watch with the character reactions.

[drawr]

Didn't enjoy this episode as much as the first at all. Maybe my expectations were too high. I find RUS Yuri insufferable and Victor's careless attitude a bit grating. JP Yuri is decent. I'm assuming Victor is dying or going to retire to explain his weird decisions. Because it's baffling to just ditch so many people on a whim. But if that is the case wouldn't the younger one be a better protege.

Also this episode had a lot more QUALITY than expected.

[R.LocK]

So, apparently, Yuri Plisetsky is based off Yulia Lipnitskaya.

I'm so done. I'll see myself out.