Can we please take a moment to appreciate the pole dancing scene from the end of YOI episode 10???
So I just finished my first pole dancing class and oh. my. god.
What I took away from that class was that Katsuki Yuuri is stronger than I could have ever imagined.
I know that the first time doing anything is going to be a challenge, so I went into that pole dancing class knowing that I was probably going to struggle, but this was next level s**t. The insides of my thighs are rubbed red and raw and the tops of my feet are an almost alarming shade of indigo, but my dignity took the brunt of the damage. No one laughed at me or anything, but my hands were sweaty and I was struggling with just staying on the pole for more than a few seconds at a time. I was so embarrassed by how much I failed during the class that I was on the verge of crying in the car after leaving the class.
But then I thought of Yuuri and the super advanced moves he was pulling off at the banquet. I’m now convinced that he must have been taking pole dancing classes for YEARS in order to get that good. Like the entire time that he was in university in Detroit. He braved all of the injuries and soreness of pole dancing ON TOP OF all the stuff he went through to stay in shape for figure skating.
But the most impressive thing? The fact that he took the pole dancing classes for so long. It has already been well-established that Yuuri is an anxious little bean, so going to those first few classes must have been ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING. I am convinced that the only reason he got so advanced in pole dancing was through his SHEER FORCE OF WILL. There is no way that he went to years worth of classes without some sort of drive to be good at it, a trait that’s an integral but often forgotten part of Yuuri’s character. He’s not Katsuki “Viktor!-Please-Stay-With-Me-In-Competitive-Figure-Skating-For-One-More-Year!-This-Time-I’ll-Win-Gold-For-Sure!” Yuuri without his trademark quiet stubbornness. (Though between you and me, I think Phichit probably also played a role in Yuuri taking the classes. There must have been some sort of bet or dare gone bad to get Yuuri into the class. I think Yuuri’s journey through adventures in pole dancing in university deserve their own OVA or side series because damn son. Please reblog if you agree and would pay good money to watch this series).
TL;DR: Pole dancing is way harder than pole dancers make it look and Katsuki Yuuri continues to impress me with his determination and perseverance, even in the face of his anxiety. Bless this precious bean.