I was not sure whether I should give Yuri!!! on ICE a try. However, because of its increasing popularity I decided I had to watch it to convince myself whether or not this anime truly merits the high ratings and all the praise. And... it absolutely does!
We get to know 23 y/o Yuri Katsuki, a highly skilled figure skater who has just suffered a terrible blow to his career as he lands the last place in the Grand Prix Final competition and travels home to his hometown Hasetsu (Japan) to see his family for the first time in a long time. Because of this crushing defeat he is unsure whether he should continue figure skating or abandon it for good. He is a shy but kind person and highly insecure about his skills, especially after the incident at the Grand Prix Final.
His greatest idol since early childhood, 27 y/o Victor Nikiforov from Russia, scored once again the first place and is internationally highly acclaimed. It seems that he is the complete opposite of Yuri K. with his cool attitude, innate charm and exceptional talent and flair when dancing on ice. However, he seems to lack the understanding of personal space and his bluntness sometimes borders rudeness.
Meanwhile in Hasetsu, Yuri tries to rekindle his love for figure skating by flawlessly copying one of Nikiforov's choreographies, unaware that his childhood friend has been filming his performance and uploaded it to the net. Since it was tagged with Nikiforov's name and because Yuri himself is quite well known among figure skaters, the video goes viral and eventually reaches Victor Nikiforov himself, whose interest is peaked. Because he has reached the very top of his career and it gets harder and harder to surprise the public with a new and exciting choreography, he decides to leave Russia and travel all the way to Hasetsu to train Yuri. While this decision is of course not at all what Victor's trainer had in mind, it is absolutely something that Victor would do, because he seems to be this impulsive, carefree type for whom everything somehow just works out.
And so, a huge surprise awaits Yuri at home when Victor comes barging in and generously declares that from now on he'll train him IF Yuri manages to get back in shape. Yuri feels very uncomfortable at first, because it's not everyday that your idol shows up at your doorstep wanting to train you while exclaiming that you have gotten fat (yes, Victor is very direct). When Yuri Plisetsky (henceforth Yuri P.), a figure skating teen from Russia, shows up in Yuri K.'s hometown, because Victor (formally training under the same coach) promised him (and obviously forgot) to develop a choreography for his figure skating debut in the older age class, Yuri K. and Yuri P. become rivals. Although Yuri K. would prefer to be friends, the constantly angry and immature 15 y/o Yuri P. makes this impossible. Victor, realizing that he messed up, decides to host a mini-competition between Yuri K. and Yuri P. , promising that he will train the winner for the upcoming Grand Prix competition. He assigns each of them a choreography he developed, intentionally choosing the theme that seems less suiting for the individual to provide them with a challenge and to broaden their skillset. While both Yuris perform wonderfully, Yuri K. makes the cut, as he convinces with his passion more than Yuri P., who is undeniably superior when it comes to technical skill but lacks in expression. And so, Victor trains Yuri K. for the new season.
While one might assume that the story focuses on the implied (b-)romance between Yuri K. and Victor, this is not at all the case! Instead, it focuses on the plot, which is quite believable, while still exploring the individual characters (various figure skaters, their backgrounds, troubles and joys). It showcases a variety of choreographies with original music tracks and the hard trainings of the participants, the suspense at the competitions and the mixed feelings when cheering for your friends all the while hoping that it will be you who's moving up the ranks. As a former dancer having experienced the pressure of competitions and hard trainings taking up all of your free time, leaving you with blisters and bruises, I felt very nostalgic, remembering those hardships that come with your passion and the immense joy after a successful training.
Of course, aside from the main plot and the competitions, we get to see the difficulties in the relationship between an inexperienced coach and an insecure figure skater but also follow their journey of mutual personal growth. It is easy to like the characters, because most of the time, the anime feels like a slice of life, despite it clearly being a sports anime. There is resolve for every character, with Yuri P. finding his strength in family and getting more mature, Yuri K. finally learning what it means to be supported and pushed by someone you love and discovering his confidence, and Victor finding out that people require patience and care and that it takes more than sheer skill to be a good coach.
There is humor, sadness, happiness, anger and pain. But none of it is over the top or over exploited. The passion that each of the characters holds for figure skating is portrayed in such a beautiful way, that it leaves you staring mesmerized at the screen. The show does not follow the otherwise common rule that the main character has to win to be happy, but instead makes it clear that talent alone does not suffice and that hard work and unconditional love for this sport are just as important.
This is clearly a feel-good anime and the visuals are gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous!! The animation of the choreographies is meticulous and fluid. I enjoyed every second of it. The only negative aspect that one could point out is the focus on too many minor characters and sometimes over-indulging in choreographies of people we are not that interested in (as it does steal away some of the very limited screen time of our main characters). The various competitive types are explored and sometimes portrayed in an exaggerated way, but the focus did not stray too far from what is going on in the minds of the major characters and the anime was able to capture the inner world of a performer during their solo, making it clear that you show what you feel - which means, that if you aim to convince with a performance, you have to become one with the music and the person you are 'playing'.
Despite some moments of second-hand embarrassment (the early Yuri K. is sometimes so clumsy and socially awkward that we want to avert our gaze in shame) and a few frames during choreographies with distorted body proportions (it happens when there is so much movement going on), the anime is touching and believable, making it one of my favorites so far. I therefore give Yuri!!! on ICE 8/10.
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