The dog also walks and hits an anime. No.25] "Yuri! on ICE" can be enjoyed both meekly and deeply! Figure Skating Anime

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Yuri! on ICE," which began airing in October, came to an end in December. It was billed as the first "full-fledged figure skating anime," but when it opened, the overly close relationship between Viktor, the coach, and Yuri, the skater, caused a lot of "oohs" and "aahs" among female fans.

In addition, the skating depiction that made viewers feel as if they were actually watching the competition, and the drama of the passionate athletes who put their hearts into their competitions attracted many people, including actual figure skaters.

The author, who watched the film in one sitting, introduces the charm of the film, which can be fully enjoyed even if you watch it now.

A sporty figure skating drama with the theme of love!

Yuri! on ICE" is a full-fledged figure skating anime that depicts the Grand Prix competition, is a sport roots story, and the male characters are a little too close to each other (!). It is an anime full of excitement with "love" as its theme.

After all, the title is "Yuri! on "Aisu" (I'm pretty sure it's a play on the word "love").

The word "love" has a very broad and deep meaning, and it is rare to find an anime with the theme of "love" in its title. But "Yuri! on ICE" was a short TV series of 12 episodes, but it did what it set out to do in detail and left a refreshing and wonderful aftertaste.

The story is a comical and sometimes deep sports drama, so I hope that people of both sexes will watch it again and again.

This film is full of "love" in various forms. I am sure that one of them will hit the spot and move the viewer's heart.

The legend you admire is your coach!

The main character, Yuri Katsuki (23), "a Japanese figure skater everywhere," and his coach, legendary Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov (27), really captured the hearts of the viewers.

Yuri is in his fifth year as a senior. After losing badly at his first Grand Prix Final and graduating from university, he is about to take on the challenge of his last season with nothing left to lose.

Victor has become his coach. He is a living legend who has won five consecutive World Championships. He suddenly takes an interest in Yuki and comes to Hasezu, a hot spring town in Kyushu, Japan.

He is delighted that Viktor, whom he has admired since his junior days, agrees to coach him, and he desperately tries his best to keep up. Viktor, whose motto has always been to surprise people as an active athlete, has not been able to find his next path, but he finds the freshness of living in a Japanese hot spring and nurturing Yuri, and puts his energy into coaching him.

Viktor is funny and interesting in many ways, perhaps because he is a natural genius, or perhaps because he is Russian. He is very friendly, smiles at you, greets you naked in the hot springs, is too close, touches you too much, and says embarrassing things without hesitation.

On the other hand, Yuuri is immature, lacking self-confidence as an athlete, and he can't be left alone, but he also shows unexpected strength due to his desperation at the precipice. The interaction between the two, who are inspired by each other, and the changes in their relationship, are as intense as those of buddies.

The two are inspired by each other, and their interactions and changes in their relationship are as intense as those of buddies. A one-of-a-kind relationship

The relationship between Yuri and Viktor is a "teacher-student love" in the sense that they are coach and player, but since they are only four years apart in age, it is also close to a "brotherly love" as they are senior and junior players who are admired and looked up to. It can also be described as "familial love" or "friendship" between those who share a common life together, and the affection and skinship, which sometimes seem excessive, are on the same level as "love" or "sexual love.

The love and trust between the two is generally sweetly and comically depicted, with a few gags thrown in. At the same time, the cliff-hanger of Yuuri's position as an athlete and the question of how long Viktor will remain as his coach spice up the story. Because they care about their opponents, both Yuuri and Victor are serious in their thoughts.

Viktor: "What do you mean I, a five-time World Champion, took time off to coach you and you haven't won a single gold medal so far?" (from the line in episode 12)

When someone whispers such words of condemnation in your ear with a smile on his face, you can't help but feel a little nervous in many ways.

The two challenge to win the Grand Prix, relying on each other and supporting each other, being kind and strict, laughing, crying, and getting angry, and a unique relationship develops between them.

The blonde-haired boy is a foul-mouthed Russian yankee.

The other main character is Yuri Plisetsky (15 years old), also known as Yurio, who shares the same name as the Russian figure skater Yuri, who is making his senior debut.

He is a beautiful blonde-haired boy nicknamed the "Russian Fairy," but in reality he is a very bad boy. When Viktor, whom Yuri admires and admires, becomes Yuri's coach, Yuri becomes angry and inspired and grows up a great deal. Yuri is also inspired and inspired by Yuri's performance, and the two are like rivals and brothers at the same time. The scenes in which Yuri and Yuri are fighting are usually comical and amusing.

One of Yuri's most memorable lines is this one

Yuri: "I don't have much time left to look like this. I'm going to take everything I can get my hands on and win!" (from a line in episode 4)

These words are harsh and heavy, as Yuri knows that his age and good looks are his weapons and will eventually be lost.

She knows that her age and good looks are her weapons, and that she will eventually lose them. At the same time, I am deeply impressed by the wonder of the fact that they meet each other, influence each other, and compete with each other in their limited time and life.

Figure skaters and their supporters also have "love

Figure skaters from various countries with unique personalities also appear in the film, showing their love and their competitive lives. All of them are somewhat strange, funny, and a little sad. When their earnest love is sublimated into a challenging or even extremely beautiful performance, it becomes a force that captures the hearts of the audience and dominates the scene.

The love of the supporters is also impressive. The audience cheered hard at the venue with banners, wishing for the best performance. In my home town in faraway Japan, family members and neighbors who know each other gathered and cheered for me while watching the live viewing.

Especially good is the town of Hasezu, Kyushu, the hometown of Yuri, which was the setting for the first half of the five episodes. It is a fictional spa town that is dying out, but there are people in the town who have known Yuuri since he was a child, a childhood friend who is married and still supports him, and a rink nearby where he was allowed to practice as much as he wanted whenever he wanted. The environment that nurtured Yuri as an athlete can be felt with a real sense of reality.

Even when the players are not able to produce results, or are troubled or depressed, their supporters are never happy or sad, but continue to believe in them and cheer them on. Love for one's neighbors and one's hometown are also "love.

Dancing on the ice with love in our hearts!　The moving final episode

What is most impressive in this work is "love for figure skating.

All the competitors, including Yuri, Yuri, and Viktor, are so sincerely devoted to figure skating that their hearts ache. The Grand Prix stage is a place that only such people can reach.

They are rivals and enemies competing for the gold medal in the Grand Prix, but at the same time, they are friends who understand each other better than anyone else, seeking this one and only value. That is why athletes from different countries and different positions can be connected by "friendship" once they overcome barriers.

I was impressed by the following line from the last episode.

Yuri: "There is a place you can't reach unless you have a dream that is too big for you to hold alone. We call it love. Everything on the ice." (from the line in episode 12)

Yuri! on ICE" was not sparing with comical depictions and fan service, but the competition scenes were very solidly filmed.

The speedy, realistic development, camera work that does not use images or stops, and facial expressions and monologues that capture the emotions of the athletes. The film evoked the sensation of watching an actual competition in real time, while at the same time clearly depicting the drama and emotions of the athletes in a way that could only be done in an animated film. Comments on social networking sites abounded with people cheering with clenched fists as if they were watching a real competition on TV, and being moved to tears by the expressions shown by the athletes in the kithcla.

Competing against each other in difficulty, beauty, and score. The animation allowed us to feel the fun and depth of such a mysterious sport, figure skating.

Last but not least, the visualization of the movements of figure skating was truly outstanding. If the gliding movements had not been depicted realistically, coolly, beautifully, and pleasantly, it would have been difficult to be moved even by laughter.

This is an excellent work that packs as much fun as possible into its compact 12 episodes per season. After watching it all the way through, you will want to watch it again from the beginning to relive the excitement and pick up anything else you may have missed.

(Text by YAMAYU)
(C) Hasetsu Town Citizens' Association/Yuri! on ICE Production Committee