Yuri on Ice

Yuri on Ice is a masterpiece. Love, friendship, rivalry, believing in yourself and never giving up on your dreams are some of this anime's major themes.

Being a competitor on one of the largest stages in the world is tough; 23-year-old Yuri Katsuki finds this out as he competes in the Grand Prix final for men's single figure skating.

His emotions spill out as he places last in the Grand Prix finals. Overcome by disappointment, he is blinded by his failure and wonders if his career on the ice has come to an end.

He contemplates giving up on his long time dream of participating in the Grand Prix finals, even declining to take a picture with his much-admired idol Victor Nikikov; a Russian skater, and 5-time champion at the Grand Prix men's single figure skating competition.

Thus, Yuri returns to Japan down trodden, as his supportive family try to get him back on his feet. 

Over time, however, Yuri finds out that nothing could keep him away from his first love; the ice.

In an attempt to revive his spirits, he skates a particularly passionate programme from his idol, Victor Nikikov. So happens, the video of his skating is leaked and goes viral.

Even his idol, Victor Nikikov sees the awe-inspiring video. He immediately goes to see Yuri, declaring that he would be his coach as he aims once more for the Grand Prix final, which only 6 of the world's most elite skaters qualify to participate in.

The idea of competition and the congregating of cultures was also apparent in this anime. Surely Yuri was not short of rivalry for the gold medal in the Grand Prix final.

Yuri was also under pressure for stealing the five-time world champion, Victor Nikikov, from the competitive arena, and making him his personal coach.

This anime focuses on Yuri and the hurdles he must overcome to climb back to the top of his career in the skating arena. It also highlights Yuri's determination as he tries to prove to himself, and everyone else, that even the bottomless pit of failure cannot stop someone from chasing their wildest dreams and making them a reality. 

It is a story of revival and chasing your dreams to the ends of the world.

There was a bit of a boy love aspect to it though, which added a bit of awkwardness, but nevertheless charm, to the series.

Yuri on Ice is one of those anime that leaves you feeling something, although I think that if they had spent more time giving insights into each character's past and hurdles, it would have added more of an emotional depth to this anime that could have helped season the story line and made the character's even more lovable and relatable.

All the same, I was very impressed at the amount of precision and detail placed in the drawing of this anime, and the amount of intricacies they were able to accomplish in order to bring them to life.

Certainly, watch this anime if you need to be reminded to never give up on your dreams, or if you just want to learn more about the chilly world of figure skating. You won't be disappointed!