Warning: This article contains some spoilers for "Yuri!!! On Ice." Reader discretion is advised.
When rumors of a figure skating anime started circulating on Tumblr back in early fall, I was stoked. You know, that "squeal at the top of your lungs and scream your excitement at all of your friends" kind of stoked. Now, I've never been a huge sports anime person-- "Free! Iwatobi Swim Club" owned my soul for several months, but none of the others up until now really did it for me. Figure skating, though, that I could get behind. The sport itself had always fascinated me, and with a cast full of male characters in a traditionally "feminine" sport, I was hopeful. I had suffered through the entirety of "Free!" with three gay ships I knew in my heart were canon, but which were never confirmed by the show itself. Tumblr, too, has always been one big mob of gay sports anime ships that never came to fruition. "Yuri!!! On Ice" had the chance to change that.
Of course, when the episodes began airing, I never actually thought it would happen. I was ready for another sports anime with male characters on the verge of breaking into a romance story but never taking that final step.
For those of you who don't know, "Yuri!!! On Ice" focuses on the story of Katsuki Yuri, a 23-year-old figure skater facing what could be the last competition season of his career. After a video of him performing one of famed Viktor Nikiforov's routines goes viral, Viktor himself shows up at Yuri's home and declares himself Yuri's new coach. The anime then follows Yuri's comeback as a skater with Viktor at his side, encouraging Yuuri and helping him out of his skating slump.
As a character, Yuri is rather timid at first. He lacks confidence in himself, and that is the main reason that his skating career took a major dive at his first Grand Prix Finale competition. As the relationship between Viktor and Yuri develops, Yuri grows more comfortable with himself and his skating. Viktor provides Yuri with the motivation he desperately needs in order to succeed, and the two grow closer through each competition, transforming from idol and fan into something much more intimate.
This is where "Yuri!!! On Ice" shattered my expectations.
Throughout the anime, there have been hints of something more than friendship building between Viktor and Yuri. At first, I thought nothing of it-- other sports anime had played the same game, and nothing had ever come from all that sexual tension they liked to build between their characters.
Two weeks ago, however, my Tumblr dash exploded with a thousand different versions of Yuri and Viktor sharing a kiss on-screen, and it was like seeing everything I'd ever dreamed of come true in front of my eyes.
Now, I know that sounds dramatic. What makes that kiss between Yuri and Viktor so special, though, is the mere fact that it happened. Anime as a genre is notorious for its stereotypes and tropes. Actual gay couples are incredibly rare in anime, and even rarer still are gay couples that aren't part of niche, fetishized genres. "Yaoi" is its own subset of anime that stars gay characters, but often the relationships featured in these anime are unhealthy, creepy, and oversexualized. "Yuri!!! On Ice" is none of those.
"Yuri!!! On Ice" is a sports anime that happens to have two confirmed gay characters. That's all. Their relationship is treated as perfectly normal, develops naturally, and is proudly displayed in front of an international audience. Although there hasn't been much chance for Yuri and Viktor to talk about their relationship status yet, they've shown no indication that they're uncomfortable with the romance, and they haven't started treating one another any differently. They love each other, plain and simple.
It's a huge step forward for anime as a culture. "Yuri!!! On Ice" has dared to go where no other sports anime could. Giving Yuuri and Viktor a romantic relationship isn't the only progressive step the creators have made, either-- they've explicitly toyed with the gender binary on at least one occasion, and they're constantly pushing gender boundaries, allowing their male characters to be beautiful and "masculine" at the same time. When I signed up to watch a figure skating anime, I was hopeful, but hesitant. "Yuri!!! On Ice" took my hopes and ran with them, and I feel blessed to be part of an anime fandom that's embraced LGBTQ+ representation so readily.
If you haven't watched "Yuri!!! On Ice" yet, I would highly recommend it. The relationships are heartening, the characters are entertaining, and the story is engaging, to boot. Who knew figure skating would be the sport to take anime by storm?
