Anime Column] Cutting it down by keywords! 100 Anime to Watch No. 13 "Yuri! on ICE" etc.

Drinking parties among anime fans tend to be a game of association. Whenever someone says, "XXX has XXX scene," someone else replies, "Speaking of XXX scene, don't forget XXX. Anime and animation are connected by invisible threads like this. Let's follow the "anime to watch" using keywords as clues.

Yuri! on ICE" is about figure skating. The vertical axis of the story is the relationship between Yuri Katsushio, an athlete with weak mental strength, and his coach, Victor Nikiforov.
Yuri is 23 years old. He is a talented skater but mentally weak, and he lost badly at his first Grand Prix File. He returns to his hometown of Hasezu, Kyushu, for the first time in a long time. At the rink in his hometown, Yuuri skates the program of Viktor, whom he has always admired. The video is uploaded on the Internet, and Viktor sees it and offers to retire from competition and become Yuuri's coach.
Viktor is a living legend who has won five consecutive World Championships. He is the type of person who lives his life taking it for granted that he is loved and respected. He is the opposite of Yuuri, who has a weak mentality (i.e., his self-esteem tends to be on the low side). Therefore, there is some distance between the feelings of Yuuri and Viktor.

The big turning point for them came on the 7th run, "China FS in the opening Grand Prix Series! China FS".
Yuuri, who started 1st in SP, was so nervous that he couldn't sleep at night, even when Victor ordered him to take a nap. Viktor understands that Yuuri's mental condition is not good, but he has no idea how to motivate him.
So, Viktor decides to try to break Yuuri's glass heart, and recklessly tries a reverse therapy. This is very Victor-like. He pushes Yuuri further, saying that if he fails in the free skate and fails to make the podium, he will take the responsibility and quit as a coach. Finally, he begins to cry and says that he is worried that if he loses, he will be in trouble with Viktor, who has agreed to be his coach.
I'm not good at crying," he said. I don't know what to do at a time like this!　Just shut up and stay ...... close to me! He finally expresses his feelings for her.
The two's differences of feelings reach their peak here, but it is interesting to see what happens from this point on.

Seeing Viktor's tears, Yuri becomes calm. Here, the previously unbalanced mental relationship between Viktor and Yuuri finally comes to line up. The fact that Viktor loves her has led to anxiety in Yuuri, but this is the moment when Yuuri begins to think that he needs to be loved by Viktor.
This change in mental positioning is reflected in the performance in which, before the program begins, Yuuri pinches the whiskers of Viktor, who has bowed his head. This is one of the climaxes of "Yuri! on ICE" was definitely one of the climaxes.

The relationship between coaches and athletes is as dramatic as it gets. That is why I chose "coach" as the keyword for this issue.

Speaking of "coach," one of the most famous coach in the world is Hitoshi Munekata of "Ace wo Nerae! Coach Hitoshi Munekata of "Ace wo Nerae! In "Ace wo Nerae! is the prototype for the story of a coach who discovers unlimited potential in a humble athlete.
Hitoshi Munekata finds Hiromi Oka, who has just started playing tennis, as a player who can play a leading role in the Japanese tennis world, even though she has only a limited time left to live. Hiromi is subjected to rigorous training without knowing Munekata's intentions. The two eventually form a strong emotional bond.
Ace wo Nerae! has been made into two TV series and a movie version three times, and the relationship between Munekata and Hiromi remains basically the same. However, we would like to recommend "Ace wo Nerae! in terms of condensing the drama.

which pays homage (parody?) to the character of Hitoshi Munekata. Ace wo Nerae! is Ota Kouichirou, the coach of "Ace of Baseball".
Ota Kouichirou is a character who makes it his mission to find a gunbuster pilot who can fight against space monsters within a limited time. Takaya Noriko, who was an inferior student, is then selected. The romance between Amano Kazumi, a senior who guides Takaya Noriko, and her coach is also a noteworthy aspect of the film.

Ping Pong," based on table tennis, is another work in which the relationship between coach and player is a key point.
Childhood friends Smile and Peco are members of the Katase High School table tennis club. Peco is a natural type who does not doubt that he is a genius. Smile is shy and quiet, but is a strong table tennis player. As they meet various rivals, the two are trained by a coach who tries to develop their respective talents.
Smile's coach is Koizumi Takeshi, the ping-pong club's advisor. He is an English teacher, so English is used in his dialogues. On the other hand, Peco is trained by Obaba, who has been teaching Peco and his friends ping-pong since they were little kids at the Tamura Ping-Pong Club. The two coaches train Peco and Obaba, who always smokes and speaks bluntly, and the two challenge the prefectural tournament in their sophomore year.

Coach and player are destined for each other. The coach is mentally superior to the players, but it is the players who actually play. This asymmetrical relationship creates various dramas.

(Text by Ryota Fujitsu)

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