the gayest skating anime (Yuri!!! On ICE)

my fav things about yuri on ice so far

• non-dead anime mom
• anime mom who looks like an actual mom and not a teenager with boring hair
• it's gay as hell
  
• IN A SURPRISING TURN OF EVENTS, IT IS KOUHAI WHO HAS NOT NOTICED SENPAI
• a romantic anime about actual fucking adults acting like adults
• the interactions between a 23 year old and the 15 year old who thinks they're rivals
• so much outright, unambiguous gay. so much gay.
  
• beautiful animation. seriously, everything from the scenery to hands to movement is amazing.
  
• Except the muppet dog. I don't know what's up with that.
  
• Interesting, deep, complex side characters that we're probably only going to see for two episodes but get full personalities anyway
  
• Did I mention how fucking gay it is? I'm so stoked about that. You have no idea.

 

I think the poodle looking like a muppet is a deliberate visual signal that he is more a prop than a character.

Fleshed-out side characters are one of my very favorite things in sports anime. I wanna be cheering for both/all sides to win. Or at least, to have a more compelling reason for not cheering for someone than "they're competing against the heroes."

 

A lot of what I'm reading from Victor is that he's feeling, i guess, trapped? For one thing he is the very best of the best in his field, five time winner of the biggest prize in ice skating in the world and a good enough skater that he could very easily be the six and maybe seven time winner. There's nowhere higher left to go from there, so he's stuck maintaining a public image until something breaks and he falls from grace. Not only that, but he's old for a professional athlete. He's 27. That's one major injury away from retiring from the sport forever, and even if he doesn't get injured he has maybe three years left to be competitive, if he keeps in top shape and works at it constantly. He's probably been doing this since he was old enough to put on skates, and the idea that his entire life's work could all be over with one broken ankle is terrifying.

And then there's the fact that he is, undeniably, the best. The best to the level of setting and breaking his own world records. People expect that of him at this point, so there's no way to wow them anymore, not like he used to. Victor is a showman at heart, he wouldn't be into something as flashy as figure skating if he weren't, and five time winner sweeps the competition again doesn't make for a good show. It's like he said: he can't surprise people anymore. Not positively anyway, and not as a skater.

And then, here's this underdog with all the skills it takes to make it big, performing Victor's routine well enough to get international attention. This, now this has the potential to surprise people all over the world. So Victor, someone showy, vain, and essentially unbeatable, does the unthinkable and drops out of the competition to be a coach to a no-named failure who disgraced himself at the semi-finals last year. and the world is in an uproar.

ETA: I'm supposed to be analyzing a really shitty book right now, so I have analysis brain on. Sorry for the novel. (This is much more fun than The Circle.)

 

I love reading analysis tho

 

In that case, let's talk about Yurio. There's less to say here, because he's only been prominent in like half the episodes.

He's young. Skating is a young mans game, but he's all of fucking 15 and trying to make it in the big leagues. The next youngest skater we've seen in the seniors was 17 and had probably already reached his full height (he was short, so maybe he had one more growth spurt left in him, but he had an adult's body, and more importantly, an adult's muscles.) There's also the fact that he's tiny. Like I worry for his health he's so thin. In another anime I wouldn't be bothered by that, but this show has a lot of different body types and has shown that shape and size matter to the plot. There's also the fact that he's being trained by a ballerina, and ballerinas are not known for their healthy eating habits. If he doesn't already have one, I see him on a short road to and ED, but that's beside the point. Back on topic, he hasn't finished puberty yet and his body is still underdeveloped for someone competing in a pro sport. Mentally and emotionally I straight up don't think he's ready for it. He's getting a lot of publicity now, and that can turn rancid the moment he fucks up, not to mention the rabid fans who will turn on him in a second. Another stress, his biggest rival is a full grown adult who doesn't take him seriously at all. He's already showing signs of cracking under pressure, because his trainers and the media are treating him like an adult and he completely is not.

My prediction? He's either going to have some kind of injury or a mental breakdown that knocks him out of the competition. I could be way wrong on it, but that's the way I see things going right now.

 

Yeah, that kid's got a tough road ahead. He's showing a lot of strength and determination, but I'm worried that he'll recklessly sacrifice something that he's going to miss later on.

 

important (warning: audio)

 

It's the best thing I've listened to in my entire life

 

incredible

 

is it just me, or does anyone else have a little suspicion that Emil is more interested in Mickey than he is in Sala?

 

WEDNESDAY!

*vibrates nervously*

is the dog gonna be okay?

 

lies down

Spoiler: episode 9

i don't even have anything too say i'm too busy feeling emotionally fulfilled

(yuri smiled at yuuri i can die happy now)
(i could die happy even before that final scene and that's saying something because it was. really nice.)

 

Georgi, you are swiftly becoming one of my favorite side characters

 

Spoiler

HUGGING ONI YUURI IS MY FAVE, poor katsudon. All these hugs but you can't hug the one person you want!

I love every skater. Even JJ.

CUTE YURI THOUGH? ANGRY KITTEN SO PROUD OF HIS GRANDPA? FUCKING KILL ME ALREADY???

p.s. please just get MARRIED already, you two, you were so desperate to hug each other at the airport...

 

alright so i'm dying

 

i don't even know where to start man i just

Spoiler: spoips

I am so so so so proud of Yuri Plisetsky I am just. So proud. He did so well. He tried so fucking hard. That was unbelivable. He's only 15. He attacked the ice fucking furious and fucking slayed it. His jumps? Those ballet moves? his fucking energy?? Holy shit I love him. I am as proud as his grandfather if not more. And he looks so beautiful. He's so beautiful. Crown braid. Ponytail. Oh my GOD.

I'm so glad Victor and Yuuri are getting fucking married. I'm so glad Yuuri tried to hug literally everyone, up to and including the very angry Korean he wasn't even brave enough to look at before. I'm so glad the Italians talked their shit out and that Sara is dating Mila now. Just as I predicted. I'm so glad that everyone is beautiful. I'm so glad I get to see my boy Phichit again. There were a lot of things that made me happy today but my favorite thing was Michele Crispino calling Yuuri "probably a closet pervert."

Oh, honey. Not "probably."

 

Spoiler

I seriously thought this was going to be the episode where they finally kissed. Yurio is a sweet precious baby who has hard lessons to learn, such as you can make no mistakes and still lose, and that there are, in fact, limits to what he can do. I'm so happy the dog is okay. That's the biggest thing I have to take away from this episode.

 

-dissolves into sobbing- Yuri Plisetsky is going to become a wonderful man when he grows up

 

Spoiler

they didn't even break eye contact at the airport yuuri that's dangerous youre gonna trip over someone---
i'm gonna be crying abt that hug next time i'm tired i can already feel it
no but seriously that whole scene
the hand kiss
aaaaaaa

and, AGAIN, YURI SMILED, HE SKATED SO WELL AND THEN HE WAS HAPPY AND I AM SO VERY PROUD OF & HAPPY FOR HIM
i still can't coherently make words happen here tbh i'm just so happy