5 Reasons to watch "Yuri!!! on Ice"
I'm sure you heard about this huge hype going on about "Yuri!!! on Ice", this (b)romantic ice figure skating anime. Looks just like "Free!", only the pool is frozen, right? Well, not exactly...
[5 Reasons to watch YOI]
5) The characters are pure gold.
Yuri Katsuki is a professional ice figure skater who messed up in a competition after the death of his beloved pet dog. He also struggles with anxiety (which is portrayed very realistically in every episode). But things change when his idol, Viktor Nikiforov, turns up in Japan and announces to become his coach...
Everyone, not only the main characters, has their own style, backstory, personality, flaws, strengths and weaknesses. Yes, they all compete against each other, but they are also a big group of friends that support one another. (Almost) all of them are adults and thus behave like adults (most of the time, anyways). They talk about their problems, play fair and don't make a fuss about everything. I also noticed that there are surprisingly many and well-written female characters in the cast.
4) The producers know what they are doing.
Yes, you can actually learn a thing or two about ice figure skating here. The choreographies and outfits were designed by professionals, so it's all "real". Which is why many ice figure skaters watch Yuri!!! on Ice and like it. Some of the characters are even based on real life figure skaters.
3) The animation is simply beautiful.
I usually don't care a lot about the animation as long as I like the story, but if the animation is beautiful, I won't complain either. So that's a big plus here.
2) One word: Vikturi.
Usually, (b)romantic animes with pretty, bishie-type protagonists are either yaoi or they include only fanservice without anything really going on (which I personally find frustrating as hell). YOI is neither. There is definitely something going on between Yuri and Viktor (yes, they are in love) but that alone doesn't classify the whole anime as yaoi. There's real chemistry, subtext and lots of hugging instead of smooching, porn scenes and plain, corny love confessions. It's much more subtile. And even though I'm a fujoshi and I love yaoi and shonen ai, I found it very refreshing to watch a love story unfold to casually between these two. Yuri!!! on Ice is a sports anime first, and a love story second. That in itself isn't unusual for a sports anime (there's always kind of a love story, right?), but the fact that it's a gay relationship makes YOI so special. Some even call it revolutionary.
1) Overall, it just makes you happy!
Yes, serious issues play a role in Yuri!!! on Ice, mainly the pressure of the competition, the different struggles of the competitors and Yuri's anxiety. Of course, the relationship between Yuri and Viktor isn't always perfect, either. It's not just sunshine and rainbows. But nevertheless, I've never watched such an uplifting anime. It has lots of inspirational, funny and happy moments, without being silly or childish. Seeing the main characters grow and get up every time they fall down is so motivating. And the opening song is so joyful you can't stop replaying it. Overall, Yuri!!! on Ice just makes you happy, and that alone makes it re-watchable.
