Yuri on Ice review
Yuri on Ice
Characters
-Viktor Nikiforov
So of course, we need to talk about Viktor. He is the coach of our protagonist Yuri Katsuki, and was also the top men's figure skater in his world performances. He is a daring character, always wanting to surprise his audience with whatever new creation he has. He understands the art of figure skating very well, and was inspired by the performance of an inferior competitor in Japan. His Russian customs add a lot of entertainment to his character as it contrasts and complements the characters from other countries. His best attribute is his taking action with his freewill. When Viktor decides to do something, he'll do it. He's also very straightforward with his words, making everything clear to the audience right from the get go. His interpretative skills through both the arts of figure skating and of words are what I find most appealing about Viktor, and there is never a dull moment watching him in action.
-Yuri Katsuki
The protagonist of this show, Yuri Katsuki, is a wonderful example of chasing your dreams, even if you're broken or make mistakes. He had big dreams and chased the biggest competition of figure skating in his possible line of vision. But not everyone is perfect, and Yuri's dreams were crushed pretty quickly. The poor guy was so heartbroken by his loss, even though he still had so much talent locked up inside him. What makes Yuri so relatable is the very fact that he let his failure drag him down. But what gives us all a spark of hope is how he got back onto that ice and trained hard to try again, even if he needed some assistance by his idol and coach Viktor. I loved watching him rise and fall again and again with what he loved, and how he stayed so dedicated to the sport even when at times he thought he couldn't do it. He made both Viktor and me proud with how he got back up from this spirit crushing defeat. It brought me and many others to tears when he delivered a flawless performance, for both him and the people he loved so much for bringing him so far, and picking up his broken pieces to repair himself.
-Yurio Plisetsky
And last is the beautiful shining star Yuri Plisetsky, or better known among us fans as Yurio. Yurio possesses a powerful confidence in his skills as a figure skater. He is Russia's child prodigy in the men's event, and had continued to show again and again just how talented he was. Although he was talented and excellent from the beginning, there's always room to learn. Yurio was a hothead, which got him into trouble with his coach and also hurt his pride with a loss quite a bit of the time. I personally found his loud snaps of anger humorous, because it's so childlike and I see so much of my little brothers in him. He is a precious little kiddo, as talented as he is. Yurio needed quite a bit of pushing, but he still was able to be taught new tricks and tools to become an even better competitor. It's touching at some moments to see him interact with his one person he absolutely loves and adores: his grandpa. It's an adorable relationship between the two, and no amount of fuses blown can damper the cute family chemistry they have.
Plot
I loved this anime's plot. It showed the value in learning and the journey it takes to chase your dreams. What also made it touching was the relationships and support between different characters. Since the beginning, I could tell there was a longing to be better from Yuri Katsuki. He wanted to succeed, and to be the best, but he let himself down. He was easily discouraged by his shortcomings and it caused a great downfall in Yuri's career. But what I didn't expect was exactly how Viktor would become Yuri's coach. It's not common that a world renowned champion would take a break from their career to help someone else who was far inferior to them, and that's what I felt was the most surprising part, since my expectations for Viktor's character was to be more on the haughty "I'm-ruler-of-the-world" kind of guy. Oh how wrong I was. Though he knew well how to take care of himself, that didn't mean Viktor neglected every person who was inferior to him.
The challenging progression of the show making Yuri a failure into a champion is very well paced and beautifully written. I loved seeing very clearly exactly what each character was thinking through the actions they took. Yuri spent a lot of time putting himself and his work down, which gained negative reactions from his coach. The relationship of a coach and athlete is that the former works hard to better the latter. Viktor, of course, is very disappointed in Yuri when he doesn't step up to the plate and give it all he has. I find it very important that audiences see how failure isn't helped by sulking because it ruins the team and support group a person has, and it's all the more rewarding when that person succeeds because not only do they feel better, but their whole team feels proud. That's what a good key factor of this show did, was depict the world of figure skating and all the hiding emotions going on off of the ice.
The plot overall was excellent. It did a great job showing the growth of characters both Yuri Katsuki and Yuri Plisetsky, and how there is always something important to learn no matter where you are at. It also had a great thrill factor of competition with it's constant push and longing from each character to come out on top. Though there is only one competitor who reigns victorious, I can't help but feel proud of both for trying their hardest. It was a very satisfactory end to a heart throbbing experience.
Soundtrack
And of course, I can't forget to mention the brilliance of the soundtrack in this anime. But there are only two that I want to talk about, because I think they both have very significant meanings to the show.(Yuri!!! on Ice ユーリ!!! on ICE Opening "History Maker")
The first song I want to talk about is the opening. This opening is well known to the anime community, even for people who haven't seen Yuri on Ice yet. It's a good fit for the show, and sets the triumphant nature from the beginning when you first sit down to watch. The words talk a lot about how it's one's destiny to be a history maker, to take yourself up, charge up the mountain, and believe you can be successful. It matches the whole message for Yuri perfectly. It could be imagined from any character's perspective, and can also be told to any character honestly as well. Each of the competitors wanted something from that Grand Prix, and they worked their hardest to get it, whether or not they would succeed. This opening has just the right amount of captivation factor, as well as that catchy tune that makes everyone obsessed and listen on repeat for hours. (Or maybe that's just a few people...but regardless, it's great ok!)
(ユーリ!!! On Ice ~ Yuri On Ice ~ Katsuki Yuuri Program in Grand Prix Final)
The other song is the program Yuri on Ice, Yuri's personal song to skate to that represents his journey of love. It's an undeniable fact that this piano ballad is beautiful, and always stirs up emotions within that make us both smile and shed tears. It holds so much meaning to what Yuri had learned, and just how much he cared for Viktor in the end. It also was a great feeling to have it be a reminder of how much Viktor cared for his little Yuri. The moment that makes this song stick out the most is when Yuri pulls a huge surprise on his audience and pushes himself as far as he can think. It was a very good moment for his character development, and an even better one for the audience watching. That's what this song reminds me of, that love and redemption that goes far enough to reach a soul so crushed by failure. It's powerful and deep, and can make them feel like there is still hope, and that they can climb any mountainous obstacles in their journey. It's just...ahhh this soundtrack is absolutely beautiful and fits everything about the show so well.
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