(CR) Yuri!!! on Ice

[Gan_HOPE326]

Small detail - last week apparently South Park inserted a throwaway reference to Yuri on Ice (featuring it in the middle of an internet chronology). This week Yuri on Ice answered by dressing up Kid!JJ like Cartman .

[Gravitas Free Zone]

Originally Posted by Gan_HOPE326

Small detail - last week apparently South Park inserted a throwaway reference to Yuri on Ice (featuring it in the middle of an internet chronology). This week Yuri on Ice answered by dressing up Kid!JJ like Cartman .

In case anyone needs a refresher: https://twitter.com/discoo_o/status/811631409181782016

[Dop]

Yep, wonderful finale not taking the easy approach (and if Yuri hadn't flubbed in his short program he'd have won Gold) but working really well, and with a promising sequel hook which I am so looking forward to.

I'm hoping when the blu-rays come out there'll be a full length creditless ersion of that performance with Yuri and Victor because I totally wanted to see the whole thing.

Also, "Phichit on Ice" has to be an OVA, right?

So. Great series, good characters, I didn't have any interest in figure skating but the show made it all accessible to people who know nothing about the sport, and all in all very enjoyable.

Certainly would be in my top shows of the year, up there with Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and it's a very close call which I'd say was best.
Best of season, that's for sure.

[SeijiSensei]

I thought that Yurio would win gold and wasn't surprised when he did.

I'm guessing the next season will focus on the Olympics. Another GPF would be anti-climactic, and a new installment in late 2017 or early 2018 would be right on time for the Olympics.

[Wandering Soul]

Great finale. My only real complaint was how short the other competitor's programs were.

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this much when it first started due to now having an interest in figure skating, but this show made the sport very enjoyable to watch and was pretty clear on it's rules.

Easily one of the best shows of the season.

[Gan_HOPE326]

Originally Posted by Dop

Certainly would be in my top shows of the year, up there with Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu and it's a very close call which I'd say was best.
Best of season, that's for sure.

Yeah. For me between this, Rakugo Shinjuu, Diamond is Unbreakable and Mob Psycho 100, 2016 was a pretty amazing anime year. Which is a good thing seeing how it was a pretty shitty ANYTHING ELSE year.

[magnumcyclonex]

I echo the mixed feelings of the finale. While it was good, it wasn't great. I think we can mostly agree that the other competitors' programs were not emphasized as strongly as the two Yuris. Yurio winning was not a big surprise to me. It was quite expected, and the ending hints strongly at another future season so at least we have hope for the future.

If only this was a double length episode, they could've fleshed out the other performances more and make the audience (us watching the anime) feel more invested in their unique quests for gold.

The ending was a nice surprise, but lacks maximum effect as it was also too short. Also, this is following the fun montage of the Yuri/Yurio dance off and Chris on the pole from the episode 10's ending. To put into perspective, if they did something like Hikaru no Go's finale ending, showcasing all the characters' futures with the full extended/ending song (in HnG's case it was their opening song), that would've been great.

One other thing I didn't quite like were the monologues the skaters went through during their performances, especially the negative ones directed at other competitors. Chris', JJ's, and especially Yurio's monologues distracted me. I felt that Yurio's was a bit too childish (yes he's 15, but he's been under the tutelage of the ballet instructor so I would've hoped he'd mature a bit more by now). Showing the flashback of the two Yuris in the bathroom from episode one and calling Katsuki 'baka' was a bit off putting to me. I doubt this is what true competitors think about when they should be more focused on landing their jumps and one upping each other on the rink. I can understand a competitive mind (because I also play sports) but I just felt that scene was a bit too shonen for me and wasn't necessary at all-especially in a finale episode, and especially in a sport where grace is a big part of (although Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan will beg to differ)

Having a real skater chime in as a commentator would most certainly have been icing on the cake for this episode were it not for the above. Sadly, it comes off as a small consolation for what truly could have been a majestic finale.

Overall, the series was very fun to watch. Both the op and ed songs fit the anime very well and I skip my ipod shuffles to go directly to them while commuting to work. I'm a big supporter of the recent trend of realistic sports anime cropping up here and there. Yuri on Ice certainly did not disappoint and the fact that the real skating community has followed, shared, gotten excited about, and praised aspects of the anime is a testament to the show's dedication to represent the sport in the best/realistic light possible.

My personal score: 8.5/10.

It has been fun following and reading all of your comments here. Hope to do so in other anime threads!

p.s. now I just want a Maccachin tissue dispenser to keep reminding me of the anime.

[Veritas]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

That's the skater who's now a coach that's rumored to be putting the moves on his 17 year-old student, right?

What? Where are people saying that? lol, no. Those peeps is dum. Steph is married but is also seriously "affectionate" with everyone of all sexes, genders, and orientations.

Ep 12:

- I thought Victor calling Yuuri selfish was a very Japanese way of looking at the situation. I like it when they fight, though.
- STEPHANE
I love that Victor knows him in canon.
- Wonder if this means they'll include a Latvian skater next season.
- Victor is still the world champion both before and after this competition.
- I think I've mentioned it before, but Four Continents is the European Championships for non-European countries. Basically the whole cast will be there except for the Russian bunch and Chris.
- Both of Phichit's music choices are horrible.
- No way would Chris even be the slightest bit aware of whatever Yuuri and Victor were doing while he was skating in the middle of his program.
- Speaking of, why does everyone look like they're skating 2 miles an hour in places this episode. Ran out of budget?
- Wondering if Victor telling Yakov he was coming back was his way of screwing with Yurio or forcing him to not mess up because they'd be competing against each other again and shouldn't waste a chance to get gold.
- Does he mean Russian Nationals in the current season? He would have an automatic spot despite having not competed once during the GPF, but it's also only two weeks after the GPF. I guess if he's kept himself in shape, but he doesn't even have a program and reusing last season's seems unlike him. That said, he's some sort of skating god and I'm sure there's plenty of contrivance in the writers' pockets to have him be able to whip something together and pull it off. Maybe he'd be Storge or Philia.
- Ahh, Stephane, he's so naturally animated, but takes his jobs seriously, plus it's hard to rival how excited Japanese sports broadcasters get. Please do a cameo against next season with... everyone. Anime should get commentary tracks for their DVDs. I'd kill for one with the skaters featured.
- Was Victor really skating with Yuuri in the gala? I'm thinking no although it would be nice. They should choreograph a Pairs-ish exhibition skate for next year. If Victor can lift Yuuri, they can at least do a throw triple or two.
- This is the first anime I can remember where they've kept the characters' heights relatively consistent.

Well, that was fun. Uneven in some parts, but fun overall and I'm glad it's made some people interested in skating. I wonder if S2 would just be the rest of the skating season (Russian and Japanese Nationals, Euros, 4CC, then Worlds) or if they'll just skip to the next one. Maybe the popularity would help push it to a 2 cour series, since god knows there's enough material. Wouldn't be surprised if someone skated to a piece from this next season, or at least had an exhibition to it. Summer is when skating shows happen, so also wouldn't be surprised if they did Yuuri on Ice on Ice next year.

[Romanticide]

Guess i'll binge this tomorrow around 7 am. And hope and pray season 2 is even better. Now just to wait for the physical release.

[blakstealth]

Cool finale. If I was Yuri, I'd be so salty I lost gold by a fraction of a point. But this just means he won't retire, so awesome. Can't wait for a potential second season.

[heavenswine]

So the translation ambiguity here, when Yuri said, "Intai made, boku no koto. Onegaishimasu~"

On dub and sub, it's translated as "Until I retire, please be my coach~" when Yuri did not say "boku no coach." The correct translation is here https://youtu.be/kAOO4qSEN7g?t=4m59s It should be "Until I retire, please take care of me" or "Until I retire, please let me be under your care"

[AP24]

Seriously!? Yuri on Ice is named as anime of the year for 2016!
http://animefestival.jp/ja/post/5967/

[SeijiSensei]

I'm not surprised to be honest. I'm sure the anime industry likes to look upon itself as progressive the way Hollywood does. Last year's winner was SHIROBAKO, a show which bathed the anime production process in a shower of cherry blossoms. (I like both cherry blossoms and SHIROBAKO, just to be clear.) I'd bet YOI is seen as ground-breaking in its treatment of homosexualty. Shows with messages like that tend to win industry awards.

Plus it has a female director.

[Guardian Enzo]

Plus it's basically a popularity contest.

[karice67]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Plus it's basically a popularity contest.

Although it received the fan award as well, the main awards were voted on by people in the industry.

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I'd bet YOI is seen as ground-breaking in its treatment of homosexualty. Shows with messages like that tend to win industry awards.

Plus it has a female director.

I highly doubt it. The Japanese LGBTIQ community certainly didn't see it as groundbreaking, and most professional critics, from what I can tell, certainly didn't praise it for that either.

I've been reading a lot of interviews, and I suspect it's mostly because of what they achieved in the production overall. The music (creating original music), the figure skating programs, the sound design (admittedly, I actually had problems with this for various reasons), and most of all the animation. Yes, even though it had a lot of production woes, people in the industry were actually amazed by what they did achieve.

[Guardian Enzo]

Yes, it's voted on by members of the industry - members of the industry who want to look contemporary and tuned-in, so almost always give the award to a show with a lot of disc sales and general buzz. Basically a popularity contest.

[karice67]

Originally Posted by Guardian Enzo

Yes, it's voted on by members of the industry - members of the industry who want to look contemporary and tuned-in, so almost always give the award to a show with a lot of disc sales and general buzz. Basically a popularity contest.

And that's why Ping Pong won two years ago?

And why A Silent Voice won over your name. this year?

They do have a tendency to award shows that have a reach beyond the usual anime target audience, that throw a spotlight on the industry in some way. However, I do find it incredibly strange that Western fans in particular are so willing to ignore actual industry people who have praised the shows that have won.

[Thess]

Because they refuse to accept this show is legitimately good with a lot of passion and research, and isn't just niche manchildren fanservice, karice.
(it does have fan-appealing things, but that isn't why it's so popular among famous skaters).

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Thess

Because they refuse to accept this show is legitimately good with a lot of passion and research, and isn't just niche manchildren fanservice, karice.
(it does have fan-appealing things, but that isn't why it's so popular among famous skaters).

Hey, it made my top 20 list for the year, and just missed my top 10 - and it was a good year (but go ahead and use a few extra snark emojis next time, cause louder makes it more true, right?). I like this show fine - the disagreement is over the significance of the award in question (which is, I would argue, not much).

[bakato]

We got a movie!