2026 is turning out to be an exciting year for anime fans, as the Winter season lineup brings a new range of exciting series. Although Netflix didn’t have a long list of new series coming to the platform, unlike Crunchyroll, it announced a new partnership with MAPPA. Established in 2012, MAPPA became one of the most renowned anime studios in Japan, for Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, and Attack on Titan: The Final Season, among many more incredible anime. The latest partnership secures exclusive global streaming rights for anime by MAPPA and aims to establish an integrated world-class animation studio model, showing every step of the creative process.
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The anime industry is bound to see some major changes, as it remains unknown which projects will be announced. While anime fans are mostly divided over the latest update, Yuri!! on Ice gets new hope over the series’ continuation. Released in 2016, the original sports anime became one of the most beloved series, marking the breakthrough year of the animation studio. Even after Yuri!!! on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence was cancelled in 2024, but fans haven’t given up on the series.
Yuri!! on Ice Fans Wait for a New Anime After Netflix’s Partnership With MAPPA
While it only released 12 episodes in one season, the story concluded with the official confirmation that it will return again. The prequel film was announced in 2017, promising to follow Victor’s journey as he became a five-time gold champion. However, after making fans wait for years, the studio officially cancelled the film in 2024, with no promise of ever returning to the series. After the latest Netflix announcement, fans on social media began hoping for the story’s continuation, as many posts from fans, including @mousyymou and @yoidaily, went viral with thousands of likes and many accounts echoing the sentiment.
Unfortunately, with no confirmation from either Netflix or MAPPA, fans can only hope for the story to be continued later on. Since it’s an original anime, there’s no manga or novel to turn to to know what will happen next. The story ended with Yuri continuing to strive towards his goal as Victor promises to be his coach until he becomes a five-time gold champion like him. As the anime draws near its end, it features the couple performing together after Victor’s comeback.
This implies that the final performance of the anime happens in the near future, likely when Yuri has already accomplished his goal. However, instead of continuing Yuri’s journey, MAPPA first decided to follow Victor’s past to shed more light on his character. Since the story primarily focused on Yuri’s growth, Victor’s role was mostly to support him as his coach, idol, and lover. It didn’t explore such a nuanced character as much as it should have, which is why a prequel was more necessary. It would’ve helped viewers better understand the character and see things from his POV instead of how other characters view him. You can catch up with all episodes of the anime on Crunchyroll.
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