The Series (4/5)

Japanese Ice skater Yuri Katsuki is finally ready to give upon his dreams after an embarrassing defeat at the Grand Prix Final. Humiliated and lost, he is rescued when his idol Victor Nikiforov offers to coach him.  As the two grow closer together, a romance is formed. Can Yuri conquer his fears and be a champion shaker?

YURI ON ICE was something of a surprise hit when it first hit airways in Japan. Sports anime has always been a popular genre, and to most American fans, the idea of figure skating was laughable for compelling drama. But the show surprised on two areas, one being the cutting-edge animated Skate routines and two being one of the first mainstream positive gay romances.

The LGBT angle brought a new interest for fans and shocked many people for not following the stereotype of a toxic dominant dynamic or a depressing forbidden love story.  Those two narratives sadly being a huge part of LGBT cinema and television. So, in a way it’s one of the most progressive LGBT series to hit the American mainstream market. It’s just refreshing to see this type of story be happy with the LGBT romance not treated as taboo. Maybe it’s a step into more progressive material.

As for the sports, the skating animation is incredible. Over the course of the 12 episodes, we see plenty of styles, moves, and attuites. For a no sportsman like myself, everything was visually interesting, and I found myself sucked into the drama. It all works to support the characters and their problems.

Which brings up the character set. Yuri and Victor look like the poster child for pretty boy images. But unlike FREE! these characters are fleshed out and aren’t just eye candy. There are some truly breathtaking moments of tenderness and visual spectacle.

Audio/Video (4/5)

The series come with two audio tracks. First up is the 2.0 Japanese Dolby TrueHD which is bold and full of polish. There are no hiss issues or pops. The score especially sounds fantastic. The English 5.0 Dolby True HD dubbed track sounds great as well with no peaks or sudden dropped off. The dub voice acting sounds fine, I just prefer the original language whenever possible. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD is impressive even for a series this new. The fluid animation and impressive colors just melt off the screen. There are smooth black levels and there is plenty of detail in the textures. One of the best-looking anime series out there.

Extras (3.5/5)

The main extra is the bonus OVA WELCOME TO THE MADNESS. Also included is Eleventh Skate Commentary, Textless opening and closing songs, and Trailers.

Overall (4/5)

YURI ON ICE is the rare sports anime that is both compelling drama and a refreshing lgbt romance without the toxic stereotypes of many similar shows. Highly Recommended.