***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Yuri on Ice. Reader discretion is advised.**
Series Synopsis
What happens when you give it your all, and it’s nowhere near good enough? Such is the case for figure skater Yuri Katsuki (voiced by Toshiyuki Toyonaga). After finishing last in the Grand Prix Final, Yuri’s confidence has broken. So much so, he's decided to retire from the sport he loves.
Returning to Japan, Yuri is at a loss of what to do next. However, he decides to do one last performance. A perfect match of World Champion, and Yuri’s idol, Victor Nikiforov's (voiced by Junichi Suwabe) routine. Unbeknownst to Yuri, a video of his feat leaks and becomes a viral hit. Reaching the attention of Victor himself.
In an inspirational slump, Victor makes a controversial decision. He is going to give up skating and coach Yuri personally.
The world of figure skating stunned, but there's no one more shocked than Yuri. For someone as talented as Victor to choose someone like him is hard to imagine. A sentiment shared by rising star, and Victor's teammate, Yuri “Yurino” Plisetsky (voiced by Koki Uchiyama).
Yuri wonders if he can rekindle the passion he once had. But if there's one thing Victor's known for, it’s surprising everyone with the unexpected.
Series Positives
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| Yuri |
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have certain expectations when going into this show. I also can’t say some of those expectations weren’t met. Still, Yuri on Ice turned out to be a much bigger surprise. In many ways, this was not the series I thought it would be.
For one thing, it was much funnier than I anticipated. This wasn’t a full on dramatic, inspirational sports anime. The elements of one existed. And in that regard, Yuri on Ice played the role well. Yet, this show knew how to have fun too. It was during these moments when the series was at its most charming.
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| Victor |
And that was the greatest surprise of all. Yuri on Ice had a charm. It was easy to get sucked into the story. I don’t know the first thing about figure skating. Hell, I can’t even stand with skates on without falling on my ass. This series did a great job of illustrating the appeal of the sport.
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| Yurino |
Yuri on Ice demonstrated the amount of dedication it takes to be the best. And it did it in a way that didn’t feel nauseatingly whimsical. Characters didn’t speak in motivational speeches. Or at least they didn’t that do all the time.
This was a strong series. It was a sports anime that didn’t rely on the fantastical. Because of this, it felt believable. If I didn’t know better, you could say based on a true, and I'd believe you.
The Animation
F@#$ me, this was a beautiful series.
Going back to what I said about expectations, Yuri on Ice was unexpectedly expressive. It was well animated and provided a lot of visual feedback.
While I mean this for the show as a whole, the skating routines shined the brightest. There was a solid chunk of this series that never left the ice. Each skater got plenty of time alone on screen. Because of this, one could examine the level of detail of a given scene at length.
The danger with this, flaws have a better chance of becoming noticeable. Your eyes can see the tiny touches which would otherwise go unseen. The unnatural becomes clearer the longer it’s in view. For example, the CG used during the concerts in Love Live shone like a beacon. No matter how long it was on screen for. Love Live Sunshine improved on this. The CG was more difficult to pick out, but it got used too many times. It hadn’t gone away.
Yuri on Ice didn’t have this problem. Actually, the opposite ended up happening. The amount of time and the level of effort that went into each scene stood out. Some of these routines were well over a minute long. These must have taken awhile to produce. And not without a payoff.
Every movement felt fluid. Each jump had strain. Each fall, which was a real nice touch, was frustrating. You knew what it felt like? It was like watching an actual skating competition.
If only the show had dropped the constant commentary. Sure, it may have added realism. But why not just let the animation do all the talking?
Character Relationships
It’s not a huge enough point to go into length later, but Yuri wasn’t that interesting of a character. At least he wasn’t when compared to the likes of Victor or Yurino. Yuri's best role was of rival and companion.
In the case of Yurino, his skating was like an exposition. It was powerful and got the job done. But it lacked focus and precision. That was what Yuri provided. To Yurino, here was a skater with a ton of raw talent who appeared undeserving of it. Yuri lacked confidence and didn’t have much of a drive. Thus, when Victor chose Yuri, Yurino became upset.
Yuri became Yurino’s focus. If he could triumph over this, it would legitimize his career as a skater. Seeing Yurino grow from undisciplined to refine was fascinating. I wish the series spent more time exploring this road because what it had was great.
With Yuri and Victor, the show was at its strongest. Where Yuri was timid and reserved, Victor was everything but. Victor loved skating. It was his passion. And he saw that same passion in Yuri. Plus, Victor was at the top of his field. There was nowhere else for him to climb. When he saw Yuri struggling, he also saw an opportunity.
The show could have had Victor know all the answers. He could've been infallible. But doing so would've also made him much less interesting. Sure, when it came to skating, no one could beat him. Through this, he was a good teacher for Yuri. But he had never been a coach before. He never needed to inspire confidence in someone through his words. This was where Yuri came in.
Yuri wasn’t the person who could tell Victor how a coach should act. Instead, Yuri was the new challenge Victor had been looking for. This passion allowed them to elevate past the point of teacher and student.
Yuri and Victor became companions. They relied on each other. Both added something to their relationship so it wasn’t all one-sided. These two together didn’t work just because the story said so. You could feel that they were meant for each other.
This isn't an easy connection to make. But Yuri on Ice pulled it off.
Series Negatives
The first few episodes were great. They shattered my preconceptions about what this series was going to be. Yuri on Ice was on pace to get bigger and better.
And boy did it hit a f@#$ing wall.
The moment this series started getting into actual competition, it slowed down. While these may have been the best-animated parts of the show, they were also the longest. A huge wave of new characters got introduced. And we got a backstory for damn near all them.
This wouldn’t have been that bad, if, you know, most of them mattered. This series went through three tournaments. And we saw each stage of them. This show was padding. And that was what made it annoying.
There was never any doubt if Yuri would make it to the finals. The amount of tension this show tried to create was unnecessary. The focus got taken away from the main characters and spread across the field.
Well, at least we got to see all the different routines. Twice. Yes, they were well animated. But it was only one animation. Yuri on Ice always felt like it was repeating itself. The same shots, the same scenes, the same moves were done over and over and over again.
Yuri, himself, was the worst culprit. Since this was his story, we got to see his full routine, SIX TIMES.
When you’re watching this play out, it’s not as bad as I’m making it out to be. But it was clear when the show was having the most fun. It was when the story was off the ice.
Commentating
I hinted at this earlier. But it's a much deeper problem.
Yuri on Ice always wanted to explain itself. Since not everyone's familiar with figure skating, exposition of this nature was helpful. But anymore was obnoxious.
When the skaters were doing their routines, let the animation do the storytelling. We don't need to hear the announcer’s comments. Or the skater’s internal monologues. And you can believe we don't need both. Let the skating doing the talking. Several characters made a big point of being able to see a story play out during a routine. Hey, that would've been a great thing to see happen for ourselves.
If a story feels it necessary to remind the audience how they should be feeling, there's a problem. The more you tell me how I should feel, the less I’m willing to go along with you.
Final Thoughts
The issues with Yuri on Ice are blemishes. Blemishes on an otherwise solid production.
This show did have a tendency to drag at times. But when it was in a stride, it knew how to keep your attention. A brilliant mix of animation and character, Yuri on Ice has a lot more going for it than what you might think.
It succeeds more than it fails. There’s much more to praise than there is to criticize. That’s why I have no problem giving this one a recommendation.
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