Yuri on Ice is a beautiful anime that centers around figure skating. It deals with many issues as well. Including mental health and relationships. Yuri on Ice is also full of humor and amazing animation.
After suffering a disastrous defeat in the Grand Prix Final and falling into a bout of depression, Yuri Katsuski returns to his childhood home. Here, Yuri tries to decide if he is even going to continue to skate professionally. He finds comfort in food and familiar things. Searching for answers, Yuri returns to the rink he started skating in. He mimics the performance of his favorite skater, Victor Nikiforov, for a friend. When a video of the performance goes viral, Victor ends up at Yuri’s door, announcing that he will now be Yuri’s coach.
The events that follow show Yuri’s awkward and humorous return to skating. A rival appears in the form of anther Yuri, this one from Russia. Yuri also struggles with his self confidence and anxiety. Then there are also those pesky feelings for Victor that Yuri continues to try to sort through. Yuri starts on not only the road back to skating but to better understanding himself.
The animation alone is a reason to watch this anime. It is simply gorgeous. The sheer amount of emotion that is shown is amazing. Whether it be during the skating scenes or just of Yuri reacting to things around him, the range of animation really adds to the show. Also, they use adorable little chibi Yuris at different points in the story, which I think shows how talented the animators are to use different kinds of animation.
The soundtrack is also worth mentioning. As this is an anime about skating, music is very important. There is a point where two different versions of a song are a plot point and it was so cleverly done. Every routine has amazing music to go with it. The main theme, History Maker, is also one of my favorite songs at the moment. It is so uplifting.
Yuri on Ice is a must see anime in my book.
Always keep sparkling!
