TGIF! Here we are again with another Fangirl Friday! After cancelling last week’s FM post, I am back in full form, with a fun anime related Fangirl Moment write up. But, first I should probably explain what Fangirl Moments are, since I’ve gotten few new followers recently… *ahem* Fangirl Moment posts are short weekly posts that cover a wide range of subject matter (usually anime, manga, books, or films). I choose the topic at random and they always come out on Fridays, if you are curious about my previous FM posts, click HERE, for the Master list or use the top menu to view posts by topic!
So this week’s post is about an anime series that I’ve recently started watching, an anime series that has been the biggest ship tease I have ever seen… I’m talking about *drumroll* Yuri!!! On Ice…
So, I guess now would be the time to admit that when I first saw the announcement for this series a few months ago, I was actually planning on not watching it at all… In general, I’m not a huge fan of sports anime, with Haikyuu being the only exception, so when a friend from Line demanded I watch the series with her, I wasn’t very enthusiastic…
Yuri!!! on Ice is an ongoing sports anime series, with only 8 episodes under it’s belt so far. The story follows the exploits of a 23 year old Japanese figure skater, Yuri Katsuki, as he attempts to qualify for and win the Grand Prix with the help of his coach Victor Nikiforov, a legend in the sport!
Yuri Katsuki carried the hope of all Japan on his shoulders in the Figure Skating Grand Prix, but suffered a crushing defeat in the finals. He returned to his hometown in Kyushu and hid away in his family’s home, half wanting to continue skating and half wanting to retire. That was when the five-time consecutive world champion, Viktor Nikiforov, suddenly showed up with his teammate, Yuri Plisetsky, a young skater starting to surpass his seniors. And so the two Yuris and the Russian champion Viktor set out to compete in a Grand Prix like none the world has ever seen!
I’ve only ever really seen figure skating during the Winter Olympics so I’m in no way the authority on the sport, but I can say that the choreography in this series is amazing! But, it had better be great, seeing as all of the routines in the show were choreographed by retired skater, Kenji Miyamoto. Each one does an excellent job of showcasing each character, and it’s really cool to see each skater build on their routine as the series progresses. Also, the soundtrack for Yuri!!! On Ice is fantastic, after each week’s episode, I find myself trying to track each song down with varying levels of success…
The characters are fun and don’t really stick to traditional character archetypes, nor do they fall into common stereotypes. Yuri is a great underdog protagonist, he’s the kind of guy you just can’t help but root for, because he’s just so dag on relatable. So far, we have seen some phenomenal growth from Yuri, and I can’t wait to see where he goes as the story progresses! Then there is Yuri’s coach, Victor… *fans self* that man is too hot for his own good! He’s like a ray of sunshine on a cold winter’s day, and a damn good figure skater… but, he’s still trying to figure out how to be a coach. It’s really nice to see Victor and Yuri play off of each other’s strengths and weaknesses, as they make their way to the Grand Prix finals.
In fact, the entire cast is great, be they rivals or allies, each one brings something special to the show and I wish I had the space to talk about each one. *sigh* There is so much more to talk about, but I’m already well over my limit, so for now I’ll leave you all with this… GO WATCH THIS SHOW NOW, if not for the ship tease, do it for the outstanding choreography!!!
Are any of you guys fans of sports anime? What’s your favorite sports anime series? Let me know what you think in the comments section, I really want to know what you think! Also, do you have any suggestions for Fangirl Moment post? Want me to review a specific book, film, anime, manga, show, or webcomic? Let me know what you think in the comments section. If you like what you see, like this post or follow Nice Job Breaking It, Hero! As always THANK YOU FOR READING!!
It’s so funny. I wasn’t gong to watch it at all. But everyone kept talking about it. Now I’m hooked hahah
Yes, exactly!! Everyone kept raving about it, so i figured why not… now I look forward to the new episode every Wednesday lol
So funny
I’m not a big watcher of sport anime either. Fave show from the genre? Haikyuu gets my vote too and I also enjoyed Bamboo Blade (follows the exploits of a female Kendo club.)
Haikyuu is amazing !! I have yet to watch Bamboo Blade, but I’ll be sure to look it up because of your recommendation! 😀
Easily my favorite after Haikyuu this season! Victor is perfection. The moment I saw him on screen I was floored. How can such a character express that much beauty and elegance both in dance and personality!. Ahh I fan girl over him so much in this series! Haikyuu is my ultimate fave in sports anime!
Victor is too much for my heart!! *swoon* I spent the first few episodes wishing I could be his dog, just so I could cuddle up to him lol! Imagine if he was real!!
But, Haikyuu is my bias!!
Ahh!! Yes! I wish i was Makkachin! T-T Victor is way too adorable! Even moreso when his mouth makes a heart shape! Too cute!! If he was real it would be too much!!! LOL
We’d probably all implode from the sexiness lol! XD
/nudges
Don’t forget you started Daiya!!
/nudges
YoI 😻
lol Daiya is gonna be on hold for awhile 😛
I just want to be both Yuri and Victor, so I could feel all their feels with them. Obviously I do anyway (help me, I can’t take much more of their sweet love) at least to some degree. But it’s the strangest thing, I want to be able to embody all their passion for each other and Yuri’s skating. The looks they get in their eyes sometimes, I wish I could dive in there and be part of those moments myself. Haha, I rarely feel so powerfully about idolising characters, it’s like a more mature version of my teenage fictional character crushes.
I definitely feel you there… you could cut the feelings between Yuri and Victor with a knife…
That’s not strange at all, their passion is contagious and the love filled routines aren’t helping at all!
I just want them to be together and happy…
Haha, I’m glad I’m not the only one. Every time I see the Eros routine I think, eventually they’re just going to end up rolling around on the rink together 😂 Too much seduction! Not really… 😍
Aye! Me too. Whatever happens with Yuri and the competition, I want them to go on skating together.
Of course not! YOI just gives me so many feels!! I really want them to roll around on the ice… at this point in the game I demand that they add it in soon!!
Did you see the newest episode?! KYAAAAAA
Gahhhh no I haven’t yet, I’ll be playing simulcast catch-up tomorrow. So I’ll get back to you on that for eps 9 and 10 😆
Oh my gosh, yes! Definitely get back to me either here or on twitter when you catch up!! Those last two episodes were fangirl heaven!!
Wow. Oh wow. I adored the ending to episode 9. All of Yuri’s thoughts on the ice as he was missing Viktor’s presence, and then both of them running together on opposite sides of the glass 😭 But I have to say, I wasn’t crazy about the exchange of rings in episode 10. Yuri all but said outright in episode 9 that he wants to spend the rest of his life with Viktor, so the rings felt a bit like shoving it in our faces. Considering that they haven’t said “I love you” to each other yet, it’s starting to feel like they’re dancing around the matter of making it unequivocal that these are two gay men in love. If there hasn’t been a love confession by the end of this season, I will be disappointed and starting to wonder whether it will happen at all.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve loved this show as a BL indulgence. But especially now it’s become an international breakthrough, it can either take the responsibility of becoming a text in support of LGBTQ folks, or not and be a bit of a letdown.
Anyway, that got very serious very fast. But the fact remains, squeeing over how adorable the two of them are, and the fact that Yuri made it into the Finals even without Viktor holding his hand. He’s grown up so much!
yes! that scene was so beautiful, it definitely summed up all of their feelings from throughout the season. The ring exchange was just the icing on the cake, but I definitely get what you’re saying… We need something concrete or else this is just another sports anime tease.
Hopefully we’ll get one before the end of the season, possibly after the Grand Prix!
Oh no I appreciate the thoughtful commentary!! Everyone is busy fangirling (myself included) that we’re kind of missing this level of insight! Yes, there has been so much growth by Yuri over the course of this series and I can’t wait to see what new heights he reaches by the end!! This is by far one of the most relatable coming of age stories ever!
Dominic and I are both hoping for a dramatic fall on the ice from Yuri, only for Viktor to shout over that he loves him, and to get off his arse and finish the routine. That would be so perfect! 😂
LOLOLOL I wish I had gotten to this comment sooner! After seeing the final ep, any answer I give will be spoilery!
Oh god 😳😖 We’ve ended up behind again, we will catch up eventually 😆 With all this Christmas business, simulcasts have snuck ahead of us. Yet another new season in a couple of weeks! 😱
Lol I know exactly how that is! I am always behind with anime! Plus these anime cycles are too much for me to keep up with
Glad you started watching it! I knew you’d like it! 🙂
Oh my gosh, yes!! You were so right!! I absolutely LOVE this show!! You missed all of my twitter fangrling while you were away, but rest assured I will be back with more on Wednesday!! XD
Yes, loved this series. Even though the series often veered in joyful silliness (and nothing wrong with that), I agree that Victor’s character was interesting because he was so confident yet was evolving through his new role as a coach. Loved the pork cutlet bowl meme too!
YOI is one of those series that just took the anime community by storm!
Such great characters and the story was so much fun!! LOL the memes! So many fun memes!! XD