The final "free" Crunchyroll sponsored episode. I'm seriously debating putting up episode's 6 and 7 that are on here as well, though they are on personal accounts. That always makes me feel weird and awkward and bad, but here's the thing...if there episodes considered most important and most ground-breaking in this anime, it would be episodes 6 and 7, especially episode 7. But episode 6 leads to the groundbreakingness of episode 7, so let me wrestle with my conscience a bit more before deciding... Episode 5 is on YT also, under a user's account, and it is a cute episode showing that Yuri K. already has somebody on the Japanese skating circuit, a younger talented skater named Minami, who is also has the hots for him. I will at least make a post of clips of 6 and 7 and other eps that show the continuation of this dramatic and powerful change in anime direction in anime in Japan (and the dramatic and powerful evolution of "eros" in the character Yuri Katsuki as he awakens to the sexuality within him and the love he has for Victor). This Eros Evolution is only shown on the ice and in one censored moment on the ice in that groundbreaking episode 7...a moment that caused fujoshi and fudanshi yaoi fans (women and men fans of male gay anime and manga, respectively) to scream everywhere when it happened. I refer to this as the "Fan-Squeeing Heard 'Round theWorld." Just search for any review of this episode. You'll see). So we have the face-off at Yu-Topia. Yuri Katsuki versus Yuri Plisetsky. On the line, Victor's unwavering attention for training (perhaps love as well...I always thought that Yuri P. was a bit smitten with Victor too, who the hell isn't in this series? But Yuri P. meets someone later who is more his type of partner...no spoiler, but...it's just perfect all around and leaves open a chance for the Yuri's to become better friends than rivals). Here in this episode, we see something I HAVE NEVER BEFORE SEEN in anime or real life. In real life and in anime, we often we male and female characters in sports trying to become stronger, more masculine, to complete with rivals in their sports. Here in this episode (and in later episodes with Yuri P. when his coach's ex-wife gets involved in his training) we see male characters aiming to become more graceful and feminine with their approaches to their ice skating. That was something altogether new and different for Japanese sports anime and it was a breath of fresh air to see male characters (especially later on a hothead like Yuri P.) embracing the feminine side of their natures. If you know and believe in the philosophy of yin and yang, we all apparently have the masculine and feminine natures within us. This episode shows it well. Yuri K's getting in touch with his divine feminine performing the beginning of the Eros skate causes the Japanese announcer to stutter in a future episode. Same, dude. Same.
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The older, self-conscious Yuri Katsuki faces his rival: the younger, swaggering, arrogant edge-lord Yuri Plisetsky in a battle for Victor's attention and one-on-one training at stake. Which Yuri will win? Will Victor be able to change the two Yuri's with the wildly different pieces of music he has chosen for each of them, music that contrasts their personalities? On Love: Agape, (charitable, unconditional love) for hot-tempered Russian Yuri, and On Love: Eros, (erotic, passionate, sexual love) for the shy and demure Japanese Yuri? Is Yuri Katsuki Victor's Pygmalion? Can he turn a little Japanese piggy into a prince? Watch it and see. My only regret is that Crunchyroll has only one more free episode of this up on YouTube. But you can always watch the rest with ads on Crunchyroll if you don't want to be a paying member. There are bootleg vids on YT of some of the other episodes but I don't roll like that. I will try and find some of the best scenes after the third episode...to show in continuing posts. And there are some really great scenes, especially of the Grand Prix final and other skaters, and Victor and Yuri's growing relationship. Someone pointed out to me that Funimation also has the English voiced version of this (dubbed) . I am not generally a fan of dubbed anime, preferring to watch most of my shows in the original language with subtitles. I have exceptions to this...anime that I consider so great in English voice that I prefer to watch them that way (Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Soul Eater, xxxHolic, Black Butler) but they are the exceptions to the rule. A fun fact...the English voice actor for Victor is NOT the character who voices Gru in Despicable Me, though fans will often meme that shit and it pisses me off. They sound remarkably similar though, and maybe that is why they do it. Fans are funny like that. Now, episode two of Yuri on Ice!!!: Two Yuri's?! Drama at Yu-topia! |
anime n' mangaI blog about a lot of regular, harmless sci-fi and fantasy anime n' manga, but I'll throw the occasional yaoi n' yuri (gay) posts in here. 'Cus I like that shit too. archives
December 2021
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