Jan 11, 2023
Just in time for the height of the figure skating season, Amanda and Patrick are here to talk about 2016’s Yuri!!! On Ice, the critically acclaimed sports anime about the world of professional figure skating and the blossoming of queer love! That’s right, you read that correctly: this is an anime about queer love and if you don’t agree, we would like to know what anime you are watching…
Anyway… join this week’s hosts as they discuss how this is not just one of the best sports anime ever made, but one of the best anime to ever come out of Japan. Just ask Amanda who watched it five times back-to-back! Amanda proceeds to yell about her favorite feral skate, Yuri Plisetsky, while Patrick prompts a discussion on the absolutely banger of an opening credits song. They discuss the importance of the very real romantic relationship between Yuri Katsuki and his coach and idol, Russian legend Viktor Nikiforov, and the lack of subtlety in it despite claims to the contrary.
Patrick talks about the impact this anime has had on real life Olympic-level professional figure skating, including use of the music from the anime in competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Amanda and Patrick also talk about the broader cast of characters–from Kazakhstan’s Otabek Altin to Thailand’s Phichit Chulanot–while Patrick talks about just how talented they all are in the context of how the Grand Prix of Figure Skating is conducted in the real world (with only a little bit about how Adam Rippon was robbed of an individual medal at the 2018 Olympics).
So come and join Amanda and Patrick as we talk about the highs and lows of figure skating (real and animated), queer love, and the beauty of Yuri!!! On Ice!