Yuri!! On Ice (June Joint Review)

This anime. This fucking anime. We fucking love this anime so, so much. 

If this anime was a pork cutlet bowl, we would eat it suggestively in a messy loving manner and it would be devoured like a pile of sexy white ... you know.

To start off, the opening of this anime is one of my favourites, and the music perfectly integrates itself into the overall theme of the anime.

Yuri on Ice is perhaps one of the best anime I have seen in a while. There are so much chemistry and emotion, it’s very hard to be contained in just a single-season of twelve episodes. The relationships are so complex, the anime stunning, and the feelings genuine and real. The opening theme alone just has so many feelings for me, and I haven’t had that feeling since I watched “Romeo x Juliet”. 

The story centers around the Japanese figure skater Yuuri Katsuki trying to figure out his next career move after a terrible defeat. His idol, Victor Nikiforov however, gets wind of Yuuri mimicking a routine he’s done and shows up in Japan after it goes viral, determined to be his coach and help him win gold in the Grand Prix Final. 

Yuuri is an adorable squishy, and that’s all I have to say. He and Victor are adorable, and they have this amazing effect on each other. They both change one another, Yuuri from a shy and awkward person to a confident and competitive skater that’s proud of his work. Of course between that the show’s ability to create romantic and dynamic relationships is amazing! I could not stop watching the show for that reason. That, and the soundtrack. The music and OST for this anime are beyond words, and again, one of the best I’ve heard in a while. The music of the figure skaters, their routines, and their backstories are all flawlessly integrated, and the figure skating and performance becomes an outlet for them. You see the character through the sport, and seamlessly, feel the emotion that comes with it. It works on so many levels, and it will be the reason why the OST song “Yuri on Ice” holds so much weight for me.

THE FUCKING CHEMISTRY OF THESE TWO

Similarly, each character is complex in their own way. Yuri Pliesetsky, for instance, is one of these characters. At first glance a hothead, a fifteen-year-old with a haughty attitude and over-confident temper, he actually has an interesting backstory. He feels the need to impress his grandfather, and needs that aspect of a family in his life. The haughty attitude is somewhat a front. JJ, the Canadian figure-skater who believes himself the “King” (if you watch this you’ll know what I mean) who doesn’t believe he could ever feel the same type of performance anxiety that Yuuri had, does, and the way it’s shown is amazing. This scene was one of my favourites, for the reason that I too have played a sport and felt the stress of performance anxiety. The dilemma, although hard to sometimes portray was done beautifully, and that remains the same for the entire anime. It will keep you invested until the end. My only complaint with this was that for some backstory (especially for side characters) is not fully developed. There are good snippets, but I’ve always yearned for more. However, that may be rectified in the possibility of a season 2 and upcoming film! 

I loved the other skaters! While it is a correct that some of their stories were rushed over and kind of strange, they were unique and cute get away from the main story. The Italian guy's incest sister story was wild. Like ... what the fuck??? Did anyone else find it really disturbing??? Like he basically wanted to fuck his sister on ice! Like the only sex that should be happening is an orgy between the Yuris, Victor and Otabek.

Yurio and Otabek were life. The bonus scene where Yurio was skating to a metal song and Otabek bit off his glove!!! Goddamn, I orgasmed like fucking crazy! 

Also, random thing: I loved the Yucchan tissue box that they had at the side of the arena! It's so cute and  wanna buy one for myself!

Meghan’s Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

My first 5-star rating! I’m more than happy to give to this anime. It’s got everything I could’ve wanted in one. Good development, characters, and an excellent story. Give me more! 

Olga's Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

BEST ANIME EVER EVERYONE WATCH THIS! IT'S FUNNY, HEARTFELT, ROMANTIC AND IT WILL GIVE YOU ALL THE FEELS! Meghan watched it cause I made her, and she loved it and it's amazing and SHE FINALLY LIKED SOMETHING I RECOMMENDED!!!

~Olga and Meghan