Did The 'Yuri On Ice’’ Movie Secretly Slip Fans An Update?

For fans of Yuri on Ice, it feels like the show has been gone for ages. The series made its debut in 2016, and the sports anime became one of the most buzzworthy anime projects of the year. Now, fans are waiting for a Yuri on Ice movie to drop, and some are thinking a special teaser for the feature just dropped.

However, if that is the case, the hint wasn't okayed by anyone at MAPPA.

Recently, the Yuri on Ice fandom rose up when a little Instagram post caught its attention. Jeffrey Buttle got fans buzzing when he posted a photo of himself at the Aqua Rink Chiba in Japan. The decorated skater said he was up skating for a movie shoot, and Buttle is seen wearing Xsense 3-D motion tracking gear in his photo.

"A 5am, after being at the rink since 9:30pm. The sun was coming up as I was finishing my last take. Can't wait to see how the movie turns out," Buttle wrote.

Given the athlete's gear and movie nod, anime fans are wondering if Buttle will be used in the Yuri on Ice film. The feature may use the skater's choreography and translate it into anime using the motion gear Buttle performed in. The show's debut season used actual ice skaters for choreography when it debuted, so there is a clear precedence for MAPPA tapping professional talent — and Buttle is no amateur.

No, really, just look up Buttle is you need a full resume. The Canadian skater earned a bronze medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. He's also taken home the gold medal at the 2008 World Championships and collected other medals at the Grand Prix Final and Four Continents Championships.

So far, MAPPA has kept mum on the subject, but fans are keeping their fingers crossed. After the Yuri on Ice movie was announced last year, the studio has kept fans in the dark about the feature, but Buttle filming motion-capture for the project would mean the movie is still chugging through production.

If you are not familiar with Yuri on Ice, then you have plenty of time to get acquainted with the series. The show premiered in October 2016 and tells the story of Yuri Katsuki. The young man is a professional figure skater who suffers from crippling anxiety, and Yuri chooses to break from the sport after a dismal appearance at the Grand Prix Final. However, things begin to change for Yuri when a video of him skating to a routine by Victor Nikiforov goes viral. The latter skater is world-renowned for his beauty and skill - and Victor comes all the way to Japan to coach Yuri. The two grow closer as they come to rediscover their passion for skating, and sparks fly when Yuri realizes his admiration for Victor goes further than he once thought.

Do you think this post is too big to be a coincidence? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!