The beauty of Yuri On Ice
After binge-watching Yuri On Ice (again), I was trying so hard to identify the feeling in my chest and my overwhelming need to return to this anime over and over again. Like Yuri, I struggled to come up with a single word to identify that feeling, but I think I finally pinpointed it.
Hope.
What I feel when I watch YOI is HOPE. Over 12 epsiodes we watched characters develop both personally and professionally, each fighting for their own goals but never viciously tearing each other down (except as misguided attempts to motivate each other and simple trash-talking which exists in all sports). It is a world where your worst enemy is yourself, and even that enemy can be vanquished with the right support system.
Kubo gave us a world without hate, a world where the love between two famous men is so accepted that many viewers couldn’t wrap their heads around the fact that it was real. A love that wasn’t extravagant and showy, but was still so real that it left all the fans with swooning hearts and a desire for a love like that. It stopped being love between two men, and started being a simple definition of LOVE no additional qualifiers needed.
In creating this world, where skaters of different backgrounds, from different countries, of different races and ethnicities, of varying ages, and of different sexual orientations not only compete as equals, but respect each other as equals, Kubo gave us an incredible example of how the world could be if we let it. YOI showed us what a world of acceptance would look like, and by God, it is so beautiful.
So, yes, I’m going to call that feeling in my chest a feeling of hope. Hope that someday our real world can be as lovely and accepting as Kubo’s. Hope that someday every person could experience the freedom to be treated as an equal, regardless of any quality. And when I feel the world turning uglier, I will again and again return to the world of YOI, even if only to ignite that hope once again.
#yoi #yurionice #Viktor #Yurio #Yuuri
Reblogging this because no news could take away from the memories of YOI releasing. It's an exact moment I can point to when I remember what happiness and inspiration felt like.
I miss it so much.













