Okay listen, guys.
Weāve currently got 5 Yuri!! On Ice episodes out, and like in all my moments of solitude recently, Iāve been thinking about the show. And quite suddenly, something hit me. There are all these speculations about how it will all end, will Viktor stay/go, will Yuuri follow, will they become a couple, will the fans get an actual kiss? And tbh, as much as I like to think about it, there is just no way to know. It could go in any direction, thereās no way to tell.Ā
But then, I remembered something from the first episode, and I ended up putting together this theory/prediction, that Iām actually really excited about because it seems likely!
Iām sure you all recall Viktorās performance of Ā āStay Close to Meā
Which we see Minako comment on.
She says this and then comments on how the performance would suit a more naive man, which we all agree to be Yuuri.Ā
The programĀ āStay Close to Meā is a plea to a lover, a desperate appeal to one special person to remain by your side. Since Viktor isnāt known to have a special someone when he skates this, only many many fans, the song doesnāt quite have that personal touch.
But as he skates, we have Yuuri back in Japan doing the same routine.
We donāt see the routine fully skated either by just Victor or Yuuri. We see parts of the routine performed by each of them, and since theyāre performed identically (as Yuko says) we can assume that what we see Viktor do, Yuuri is doing it too, and what Yuuri does, Viktor is skating that as well.
So I invite you to look at this part:
Yuuri skates this section of āStay Close to Meā right by the rink side, directly at Yuko, the only person there.
He skates this routine in honour of his childhood friend, who he most likely had a crush on at some point. Someone who supported his skating and who in a way introduced him to Viktor, through his skating. When Yuuri finished the performance, he saysĀ āI wanted to get my love for skating back. I thought I could remember how it was when I copied Viktor with you.ā
Yuuri admitted at the beginning of the first ep that he wanted to meet Viktor as an equal. Viktor has always been very important to him, and skating his routines with Yuko was always a way for Yuuri to feel closer to him.Ā
So the songĀ āStay Close to Meā that Yuuri skated was directed at Yuko the person in the rink, but it represented his feelings for Viktor and skatingĀ Ā (as the two were completely intertwined, I believe).Ā
That was the difference from when Viktor performed it. I think he saw and understood this when he watched the video of Yuuri skating online, his body making music.Ā
Now, letās go back to the very beginning of Yuri!! On Ice, the opening scene as a matter of fact.
Itās not unusual for opening scenes to be either flashbacks of a characterās past, or the very end of the story. A bit of aĀ āthis is where I am now, and Iām going to tell you the story of how it happenedā.
I believe YOI actually does both.Ā
We have a younger Viktor skating, who turns into an older Viktor.Ā
The younger, long-haired Viktor is clearly of the past, but itās not a concrete memory (Yuuriās there too). It embodies how Yuuri has watched Viktor skate from a young age.Ā
When Young!Viktor skates, he gives Yuuri his back, he doesnāt face him. He doesnāt know him, theyāre not on the same level.
But when he moves into the shadow and then we have the older Viktor, heās looking right at Yuuri. He knows him, acknowledges him.
And for the rest of the routine, he doesnāt take his eyes off of Yuuri. He has eyes only for him.
I think this opening scene has shown us the past and the future. During the scene, Yuuri speaks of Viktor and saysĀ āHe never fails to surprise me. Ever since I first saw his skating, itās been an unending chain of surprisesā. To me, this sounds like the words of a Yuuri at the end of the series, recounting how much heās gone through with Viktor. Ā
The opening scene is the Viktuuri relationship before and after.
What most got me about it though, was this part of Viktorās skating:
I didnāt realise it at first, but itās exactly the same as when Yuuri skatesĀ āStay Close to Meā. We donāt see Viktor perform this part in the contest, we only see it from Yuuriās performance in the Ice Castle skating ring, but we know this is ViktorāsĀ āStay Close to Meā.Ā
So Viktor is skating this routine in the opening scene, either symbolising the future, or being an actual scene from the future.
And just as when Yuuri skated this part right by Yuko and all that she represented at the time, Viktor is skating this right up to Yuuri.
He reaches his hand out towards the person he wants to stay close to.
And that person is clearly Yuuri, heās physically there. You can see Viktorās hands reach for him.
So my theory is this.Ā
Yuuri skated āStay Close to Meā the way it should have been skated, a desperate plea to be close to the one person that matters and the love for skating that bloomed from his feelings. Viktor couldnāt quite do that because he didnāt have a special person, and he was losing his way in terms of his love for skating, as Yurio said.Ā
I believe that the opening scene was premonition, and that at the very end of the series, Viktor will skateĀ 'Stay Close to Meā. And do it justice. He will skate the routine that started it all, that brought him to Yuuri, but he will skate it the way itās meant to be skated. Because by then, Yuuri will be his special someone.Ā
In this intimate setting, a private rink at night, possibly Ice Castle, he will skate for Yuuri to show him his feelings. I believe Viktor is more of a man of action when it comes to things like this. For example, he tells Yuuri at the beach that heāll work him hard because thatās how he shows his love. I think instead of words maybe, Viktor will show his love to Yuuri, his appreciation for him, by skatingĀ 'Stay Close to Meā for him and only him.Ā
Iām not sure what might follow, but I think it will be a while before we get a confession out of Viktor, and I think this is how it will come to be. Because being able to skate the routine the way it should be would mean that heās found his way, that Yuuriās led him there. For these two, itās love and itās ice skating. And by skatingĀ 'Stay Close to Meā, Viktor will show Yuuri that heās given him both, and that he wants to stay by his side, hopefully forever.
A few things have been brought to my attention which I decided to add in case some people havenāt seen or heard yet.
Firstly,
It would seem, judging by the shape of the windows on the right, and how the light pours in, that the intimate skating ring in question most likely is Ice Castle. In which case, this just makes it better. Where it all began, where Yuuri skated the routine that started their journey, it was there. It would be like closure, coming full circle to finish it there as well.
Secondly (and most notably), theĀ Oh! SkaTra!!! Yuri!!! on ICEĀ soundtrack list has been released, and the songs are numbered in order of appearance on the show. The very first song is of courseĀ āStay Close to Meā, which Kudo Kazuma sings. The very last song that weāll be hearing on Yuri!! On Ice has been revealed to beā¦Ā āStay Close to Meā duet versionā. It would seem that alongside Kudo Kazuma who sings as Tenor,Ā Matsubara Rinko sings Soprano. It is a genuine duet.
My feels have overflown with this extra piece of info. The prediction could very well come to pass, Viktor skating his feelingsā
āand a much stronger Yuuri joining in.Ā
Itās going to be a song by actual people, with real words so thereāll be no misinterpretation when that comes out. From āStay Close to Meā, the single version weāve heard, my very basic Italian can catch the words āstammi vicino, non te ne andareā which translates to āstay close to me, donāt go.āĀ
I can envision a duet where the soprano singer replies.Ā The song could become the plea, āstay close to meā, and the response, āI willā.Ā āDonāt goā;Ā āI wonātā.
In a way, itās actually even better now. Because as I said, I didnāt know what might happen next, but if Yuuri responded this way, if he meets Viktor where he is this timeā¦well then, the Viktuuri will reach a full conclusion. Because Viktor will have givenā is already givingā Yuuri just as much as Yuuri will give him. Iāve no doubt Yuuri will want to stay by Viktorās side forever too.Ā
