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Yuri on Ice

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Yuri!!! on Ice
Main visual
ユーリ!!! on ICE
GenreSports (figure skating)
Anime television series
Directed bySayo Yamamoto
Written by
  • Mitsurō Kubo
Music by
  • Taro Umebayashi
  • Taku Matsushiba
StudioMAPPA
Licensed by
Original networkTV Asahi, BS Asahi, STS, NCC, Sun TV, AT-X
Original run October 5, 2016 – December 21, 2016
Episodes12 (List of episodes)

Yuri!!! on Ice (ユーリ!!! on ICE) is a Japanese sports anime television series about figure skating. The anime was produced by MAPPA, directed by Sayo Yamamoto and written by Mitsurō Kubo. The character designs were by Tadashi Hiramatsu, and the music was composed by Taro Umebayashi and Taku Matsushiba. The figure skating choreography was by Kenji Miyamoto.[2] The series first premiered on October 5, 2016 and finished airing on December 21, 2016 with a total of 12 episodes.[3] The series revolves around the relationships between Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki; his hero, Russian figure skating champion Victor Nikiforov, who becomes Yuri's coach; and young Russia rising star skater Yuri Plisetsky, who becomes Yuri Katsuki's rival.

Plot

See also: List of Yuri on Ice characters

After suffering a crushing defeat during the Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final and other failed showings at other skating competitions, Yuri Katsuki develops mixed feelings about ice skating and puts his career on hiatus, going to college in Detroit and later returning to his hometown of Hasetsu in Kyushu. He visits his childhood friend Yuko at an ice rink known as "Ice Castle Hasetsu" and perfectly mimics an advanced skating routine performed by famous Russian figure skater Victor Nikiforov, who is Yuri's idol. When secretly recorded footage of Yuri's performance is uploaded to the internet, it catches the attention of Victor, who travels to Kyushu and offers to coach Yuri and restart his figure skating career. Together with Victor, Yuri aims to win the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating series as he battles against his rival, Yuri Plisetsky, a 15-year-old rising star skater from Russia.

Production

Location

As Yuri!!! On Ice follows a professional skater taking part in competitions across the world, several real-life locations were used in the series, or were inspirations for fictional places. Yuri K.'s hometown of Hasetsu, Kyushu, is based on Karatsu, Saga, and Ice Castle Hasetsu is based on Iizuka Ice Palace in Iizuka, Fukuoka.[4] In December 2016, Saga Prefecture's "Sagaprise!" project announced plans to use Yuri!!! On Ice as a way of promoting tourism to the area.[5] Real-life locations that feature in the show include the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Tokyo; the International Skating Rink, in Okayama; Sochi and St. Petersburg in Russia; the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit, Michigan, United States, with Windsor, Ontario, Canada; Beijing in China; and Barcelona in Spain.[4][6]

Media

Anime

See also: List of Yuri on Ice episodes

Yuri!!! on Ice began airing on TV Asahi from October 5, 2016 to December 21, 2016. The anime was produced by MAPPA, directed by Sayo Yamamoto and written by Mitsurō Kubo, with character designs by Tadashi Hiramatsu, music by Taro Umebayashi and Taku Matsushiba, and figure skating choreography by Kenji Miyamoto.[2] The series was simulcast by Crunchyroll as it aired in Japan,[7] while Funimation has released an English dub of the series,[1] starting on October 24, 2016, at 10:00 p.m. ET.[8]

The opening theme was "History Maker" by Dean Fujioka, while the ending theme was "You Only Live Once" by Wataru Hatano.[9]

Yuri!!! on Ice will have six Blu-ray/DVD sets, the first Blu-ray/DVD set is scheduled for release on December 30, 2016. Each Blu-ray/DVD will include special goods and bonus features, such as booklets, staff audio commentary, costume designs, and choreography videos about the anime.[10]

Music

A CD titled Oh! SkaTra!!! Yuri!!! on ICE (Oh! スケトラ!!!　ユーリ!!! on ICE) compilation CD, including all original 24 songs used in the anime was released on December 21, 2016.[11]

Reception

The series has received positive reviews from critics, mainly over the relationship between Yuri K. and Victor, although other characters have been praised too, with Yuri P. named by James Beckett of Anime News Network as one of the best anime characters of 2016;[12] while a poll for Charapedia found that Victor was the fourth most attractive anime character of 2016, with Yuri K. coming 12th and Yuri P. 19th in the same poll.[13] It has also been praised for the quality of the animation and the racially diverse cast.[14][15] However, it has also been criticized for a lack of explanation for the technical aspects of figure skating.[16] In the Anime News Network's review of "The Best and Worst Anime of Fall 2016", five out of nine reviewers writing named Yuri!!! on Ice the best show of the season.[17]

In Crunchyroll's Anime Awards 2016, Yuri!!! On Ice has been nominated for "Anime of the Year",[18] "Best Boy" (for Yuri K.),[19] "Best Animation",[20] "Most Heartwarming Scene" (for "The Kiss" in episode seven),[21] "Best Couple" (for Yuri K. and Victor),[22] "Best Opening (OP)",[23] and "Best Closing (ED)".[24]

The anime has attracted a large following of fans online. According to the Kadokawa Ascii Research Laboratories content and information trend analytics company, Yuri!!! On Ice was the most tweeted anime of the season, collecting 1,440,596 tweets. It had collected over a million tweets more than its closest rival, the volleyball-based anime Haikyū!! which had 348,109 tweets.[25] Additionally, on the day the last episode of the first season was aired the anime streaming service Crunchyroll reportedly crashed, presumably due to high network activity.[26] A poll by video hosting service Nico Nico Douga of 306,568 viewers found that Yuri!!! On Ice was the fourth most popular TV anime series of the year, and the most popular overall among women, who made up 34% of the total number of voters.[27] At the Tokyo Anime Award Festival, an online poll of 480,004 people to choose the top 100 best anime that were aired or screened between between October 18, 2015 and October 15, 2016 named Yuri!!! on Ice top of the 90 TV anime series of 2016, receiving 64,774 votes.[28]

The series has been well received by figure skaters including Johnny Weir, Evgenia Medvedeva, Denis Ten, Evgeni Plushenko and Masato Kimura.[29][30] It also featured cameo appearances from skaters Stéphane Lambiel and Nobunari Oda.[31] The closing sequence of the tenth episode in which Yuri K. is drunkenly pole dancing was praised by professional pole dancers for its accuracy.[32]

Yuri!!! On Ice has been referenced in other animated series. In the American animated comedy South Park, the episode "The End of Serialization as We Know It", Ike Broflovski's browser history shows that he has searched for the show.[33][34] In reply, the twelfth episode of Yuri!!! On Ice features a flashback in which a young J.J. Leroy is seen dressed in a way that is similar to South Park's Eric Cartman.[35]

The opening song History Maker reached number 43 on Billboard's Japan Hot 100.[36] You Only Live Once peaked at number 11 on Billboard's Japan Hot 100.[37] An album of music from the anime, Oh! Sketra!!! Yuri!!! On Ice, ranked number 3 on Oricon's CD chart in it's first week of sales.[38]

Depiction of same-sex relationship

Yuri!!! On Ice has been praised for what is considered to be a same-sex romantic relationship between Yuri K. and Victor.[39] Among the moments highlighted by critics indicating this are a kiss scene between the two characters in the seventh episode,[40][16][41] an exchange of gold rings seemingly indicating a marriage or engagement in the tenth episode,[26][42] and Victor crying when Yuri suggests ending their partnership in the twelfth episode.[26] The exchange of rings between Yuri K. and Victor in the tenth episode is considered to be the first time such a relationship has been depicted. Writing for Anime News Network Gabriella Ekens says that: "Yuri!!! on Ice, in depicting a sincere and uncomplicated engagement between two dudes, is unprecedented in anime. There hasn't even been a for real gay marriage in Japan, so this show is depicting something that isn't legally possible in its country of origin",[42] while Ian Wolf for Anime UK News said the ring scene was, "the best scene in the series."[26]

The series has also been notable for highlighting issues concerning homophobia in both figure skating and other areas. For example, the seventh episode features a flashback in which a younger Victor performs in a costume based on those of real-life openly gay figure skater Johnny Weir, who was subject to homophobic comments throughout his career.[40] The finale of the series features a sequence in which Yuri K. and Victor skating together, something which has never happened in an actual competitive skating competition.[26] Also, it has been highlighted by critics that the series depicts two characters who come from countries which have problems concerning LGBT rights.[16]

It has also been commented on how Yuri!!! On Ice differs to other anime that cover same-sex relationships such as yaoi and yuri. Carli Velocci from Geek.com wrote: "Their relationship exists somewhere beyond any sexuality, meaning it doesn't fall into the same traps that a lot of yuri and yaoi relationships do" and, "While this isn't the first anime with a same-sex couple at the forefront, it's one of the first to present a story that isn't strictly sexual and is mutual. Yuri and Victor complement each other, but both also admit that they've grown as people because of the presence of the other. The equality in their relationship is revolutionary, even if it wasn't the first to depict one. You can assign the "seme" or "uke" label to Victor and Yuri, but when it comes to their psychological bond, it's more equal. … Yuri and Victor aren't just another gay anime couple. They're almost real."[43]

There has also been criticism of the way the relationship was depicted. Some people have criticized the show for not depicting the relationship realistically enough, with Yuri K. and Victor not getting any of the homophobic abuse they would receive if their relationship existed in real-life.[42] Others have attacked the way that some viewers have refused to acknowledge the nature of their relationship due to the homosexuality not being made explicit. The kiss between the two characters is covered by Victor's arm and is thus not explicitly shown on screen, but it is implied that the kiss did happen. Some critics such as Amelia Cook from Anime Feminist attacked the way that some people refused to acknowledge the relationship without solid proof, claim that way it was seen by some fans was that of: "Victor's arm obscuring where his lips meet Yuri's cannot possibly be an artistic decision; either we see them kiss or there was no kiss. Disagree? Prove it. Never mind that obscuring a kiss is completely consistent with the show's storytelling style so far, leaving deliberate information gaps and inviting viewers to read between the lines. Pics or it didn't happen."[40]

In response, Ian Wolf of Anime UK News, who is pansexual, commented that he did feel the need to see proof due to his own upbringing and said: "I'm 99.999% sure the kiss did occur, but that 0.001% is horribly getting to me. I don't want to go by what everyone else sees – I want to see what is actually going on, and share in the reaction of the characters at the same time as them",[16] but by the twelfth episode he said that the scene in which Victor cries was the proof he wanted, saying: "For all this time, I was hoping to see something happy to indicate their love, but in the end, it was something that was sad. The idea that your relationship might end, the possible heartbreak, is for me the final indicator. If the kiss is the initial spark, and the rings the visible sign of love, then the tears are proof that you don't want it to end. I have been saying all the time that what I wanted was text rather than subtext – but in end, I think the subtext did actually pay off."[26]

References

  1. ^ a b "FUNIMATION UNVEILS SIMULDUB SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2016 SEASON". Funimation. October 10, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Yuri on Ice TV Anime's 1st Teaser Reveals Staff, Cast". Anime News Network. March 27, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2016.
  3. ^ "Yuri!!! on Ice TV Anime Reveals Story, Key Visual, Character Designs, October Premiere". Anime News Network. July 29, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Donko, Wilhelm (October 23, 2016). "FEATURE: Anime vs. Real Life – "Yuri!!! On ICE"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  5. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (December 27, 2016). "Yuri!!! on Ice Promotes Main Character's Home Prefecture". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  6. ^ Donko, Wilhelm (December 11, 2016). "FEATURE: Anime vs. Real Life – "Yuri!!! On ICE" [Part 2]". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  7. ^ "Crunchyroll to Stream Yuri on Ice Anime". Crunchyroll. October 2, 2016.
  8. ^ "FUNIMATION UNVEILS SIMULDUB SCHEDULE FOR FALL 2016 SEASON". Funimation. October 4, 2016.
  9. ^ "Yuri!!! on Ice (TV)". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  10. ^ "Yuri!!! on Ice Blu-ray & DVD". October 31, 2016.
  11. ^ "Yuri!!! on Ice BD/DVD/CD". Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  12. ^ The Anime News Network Editorial Team (December 27, 2016). "The Best Characters of 2016". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 27, 2016.
  13. ^ Green, Scott (December 24, 2016). "Japanese Fans Pick 2016's Most Magnetic Anime Characters". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  14. ^ Cirugeda, Kevin (November 9, 2016). "The Biggest Animation Highlights of Fall 2016". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  15. ^ Harker, Clover (December 15, 2016). "ANIME REVIEW: Yuri!!! On Ice - Eps. 1-3". UK Anime Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  16. ^ a b c d Wolf, Ian (November 24, 2016). "Streaming review of Yuri!!! On Ice, Episodes 1-8 (Crunchyroll)". Anime UK News. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  17. ^ The Anime News Network Editorial Team (December 23, 2016). "The Best and Worst Anime of Fall 2016". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 23, 2016.
  18. ^ "Anime of the Year". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  19. ^ "Best Boy". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  20. ^ "Best Animation". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  21. ^ "Most Heartwarming Scene". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  22. ^ "Best Couple". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  23. ^ "Best Opening (OP)". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  24. ^ "Best Closing (ED)". The Anime Awards. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  25. ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 21, 2016). "Yuri!!! on Ice Dominates Fall Anime on Twitter Rankings". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Wolf, Ian (December 22, 2016). "Streaming review of Yuri!!! On Ice, Episodes 9-12 (Crunchyroll)". Anime UK News. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  27. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (December 27, 2016). "Nico Nico Research: 306,000 Japanese Fans Pick Best TV Anime of 2016". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  28. ^ Komatsu, Mikikazu (December 28, 2016). "Tokyo Anime Award Festival Announced Top 100 Anime of 2016". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  29. ^ Medlna, ND (December 21, 2016). "'Yuri On Ice' Season 1 Episode 12 Finale: Winter 2016's Best Anime Hastily Sets Up For Season 2". iDigitalTimes. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  30. ^ Stimson, Eric (October 28, 2016). "Real Figure Skaters Endorse Yuri!!! on ICE". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  31. ^ "Yuri!!! on Ice Anime Casts Swiss Skater Stéphane Lambiel as Himself". Anime News Network. December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  32. ^ Stimson, Eric (December 9, 2016). "Pole Dancers React to Ending Sequence of Yuri!!! on Ice Episode 10". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  33. ^ Green, Scott (December 10, 2016). "South Park Name-Checks Crunchyroll And "Yuri!!! On ICE"". Crunchyroll. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  34. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (December 9, 2016). "South Park's Ike Watches Naruto on Crunchyroll, Googles Yuri!!! on Ice". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  35. ^ Sherman, Jennifer (December 22, 2016). "Yuri!!! on Ice's JJ Flashback Responds to South Park's Reference". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  36. ^ "Japan Hot 100". billboard.com. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  37. ^ "Japan Hot 100". Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  38. ^ "Oricon Style". Oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
  39. ^ Chapman, Jacob (November 2, 2016). "What's So Gay About Yuri!!! on Ice?". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  40. ^ a b c Cook, Amelia (November 18, 2016). "Straight guys!!! on ICE". Anime Feminist. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  41. ^ Ekens, Gabriella (November 17, 2016). "Yuri!!! on Ice: Episode 7". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  42. ^ a b c Ekens, Gabriella (December 8, 2016). "Yuri!!! on Ice: Episode 10". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  43. ^ Velocci, Carli (December 27, 2016). "'Yuri on Ice' is a Non-Traditional Gay Anime Romance". Geek.com. Retrieved December 28, 2016.
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