Established in 2011, the Japanese animation studio MAPPA is now one of the biggest in the industry after creating famous shows such as Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man. However, if we had to pick the one series that skyrocketed the studio’s popularity, it would be the 2016 sports anime, Yuri!!! on Ice. 2016 was the breakthrough year for the studio, after which MAPPA released Banana Fish and several other popular shows. Naturally, Yuri!!! on Ice gathered a massive fan following, who looked forward to the anime film. The series debuted on October 6th, 2016, and concluded on December 22nd of the same year before promising the story’s continuation.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Since it’s an original story, not based on any manga, fans patiently waited to find out what would happen next in Yuri Katsuki and Victor Nikiforov’s careers as ice skaters, especially since the latter decided to continue being a coach. A prequel film, following Victor’s career as an ice skater, was under production for a while and even released a teaser, but fans’ hopes were crushed when MAPPA officially cancelled it in April last year. It’s been over nine years since the anime first came out, and the fact that we will never learn more about Yuri and Victor leaves us with a bittersweet feeling.
There May Never Be Another Anime Like Yuri!!! on Ice
Fluid animation, atmospheric soundtrack, moving character development, beautiful LGBTQ+ representation, the anime had it all. It wasn’t just the sports that drew people in, but the compilation of all these elements that blended together created a masterpiece like no other. We follow Yuri’s growth from a hardworking ice skater struggling with self-doubt and lack of confidence as he regains his passion for the sport after meeting his idol, Victor, a five-time gold medal winner. Victor recognized a potential in Yuri that no one ever did, and despite being at the peak of his career, he decided to take a one-year break and became Yuri’s coach.
Throughout the series, we meet more talented ice skaters who have the same goals and ambitions as Yuri, and each of them is striving for the top. Amid all this, Yuri and Victor’s growing feelings couldn’t be ignored. Even though the romance between Yuri and Victor is compelling, it’s not the main focus of the story. They share the same passion and dreams, and eventually fall in love as if they were always meant to be together. They got their matching rings and had plans to spend the rest of their lives together, and it all happens so naturally and subtly that you can’t help but root for them.
Yuri!!! on Ice’s Ending Leaves Room For the Story to Grow
Initially, Victor was only supposed to coach Yuri for a year before making his comeback. Yuri felt guilty since he believed he was holding Victor back from his booming career, even though the decision was entirely the latter’s. However, by the anime’s ending, Yuri barely missed the gold medal and won silver instead, which wasn’t his goal at all. Instead of beating himself up over it, he requested Victor to keep being his coach for another year, which represented his significant growth compared to the first episode. On the other hand, Victor didn’t hide his happiness and instead swore to keep coaching for the next five years so Yuri could win as many gold medals as he did.
As the anime draws near its end, we see them performing together after Victor had made a comeback. This implies that the final performance of the anime happens in the near future. The story concludes with Yuri meeting both Victor and Yuri Plisetsky, the winner of the Grand Prix Finale, who scored higher than the protagonist. Even though the story ended this way, we could’ve seen so much more from the characters, especially Yuri winning the gold medal and Victor’s comeback, but now there will never be a chance to see their journey continue.
Yuri!!! on Ice the movie: Ice Adolescence Could’ve Given More Depth to Victor’s Character
Victor’s journey from a young prodigy to becoming a five-time gold medalist at the age of 27 was nothing short of marvelous. He won the hearts of countless people all over the world and reached heights rarely achieved in the sport. However, this also meant that he had done everything he could, and his passion for ice skating was slowly fading. Victor loved surprising people with new tricks, but there came a time when, no matter what he did, the audience would enjoy it but wouldn’t feel surprised since they always expected Victor to pull off something unique in his performance.
So, when he saw Yuri’s viral video, in which the 23-year-old perfectly imitated his free skate routine, Victor found a new purpose in his career and decided to take a year off from competitions and work as a coach. However, since the story primarily focused on Yuri’s growth, Victor’s role was mostly to support him as his coach, idol, and lover. It doesn’t feel like the story explored such a nuanced character as it should have. This is all the more reason why a film centering around him was necessary, as it would’ve helped us better understand the character and see things from his POV instead of how other characters view him.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
image courtesy of 20th Century Studios -
Image courtesy of 2th Century Studios -
Image Courtesy of MAPPA -
images courtesy of New Line Cinema and Orion Pictures
