Victor Nikiforov giving Yuri his ring
By
J.R. Waugh
Published 31 minutes ago
J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
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MAPPA is known today as a top-tier anime studio frequently touted as the "ideal" team to tackle various well-known projects, and for good reason. Its footprint on the medium includes massively successful adaptations of now multiple Shonen Jump-branded manga, but one anime before them all truly put the studio on the map, Yuri on Ice.
Yuri on Ice, the elegant figure skating anime from Fall 2016, was MAPPA's first true breakout success, garnering worldwide adoration and awards recognition. Its stellar animation became emblematic for the studio, while sporting a potent romance at its core. Despite its success, Yuri on Ice's follow-up anime film was shelved, and fans will never be over it; it deserved better.
Yuri on Ice Put Its Studio on the Map
Yuri Katsuki in Yuri on Ice finale
While modern discourse on social media thrives on which studio is adapting what anime, in which MAPPA is frequently discussed, the studio was a different beast in 2016. While the studio has some early fan-favorites like Shinichirō Watanabe's Kids on the Slope and Terror in Resonance, Yuri on Ice brought MAPPA to its prestige status before Jujutsu Kaisen brought it to the stratosphere.
The reason for this is clear: Sayo Yamamoto's directorial vision was clear, Jun Shishido's character-focused episode direction helped even the supporting cast stand out, and it continues to age well. The anime's brilliant rotoscoping over a professionally choreographed model using real figure skater routines felt authentic. But most striking of all, it was a global hit anime with BL elements.
BL, or "Boys' Love" is a genre featuring predominantly homosocial interactions and same-sex male romance.
Yuri on Ice's mix of sports and romance attained impressive sales for the studio, with its Blu-ray collection even topping Oricon's charts for its debut. Its music, including a spirited opening theme "History Maker" by Dean Fujioka bookended by the life-affirming ending theme, "You Only Live Once" by Wataru Hatano, are instantly recognizable, with strong sales figures of their own.
Despite all of these achievements for the studio, MAPPA has since then moved toward manga adaptations more sharply, with a focus on shonen or seinen anime (with exceptions like shoujo heartbreaker Banana Fish). It still produces original works, but seemingly takes fewer risks like Yuri on Ice, so its cancellation of Ice Adolescence, the Victor-focused prequel, still hurts fans today.
Few Anime Resonated Like Yuri on Ice
Victor Nikiforov in Yuri on Ice finale
While anime's increasingly mainstream status has common stories like shonen hits Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man crushing the box office, Yuri on Ice had a fascinating, lasting impact. It dominated anime social media impressions such as on Tumblr in 2017 according to Gigazine, and even had Olympic figure skaters performing to its music in 2018.
But beyond metrics and sports celebrity impressions, Yuri on Ice captured the hearts of viewers for how it conveyed characters beyond Yuri and Victor, their individual struggles, and how they overcame their shortcomings. Yuri's negative self-talk and blatant insecurity about being a dime-a-dozen top JSF figure skater in the premiere, juxtaposed to his renewed self-worth in the finale, is awe-inspiring.
Yuri's negative self-talk and blatant insecurity about being a "dime-a-dozen top JSF figure skater" in the premiere, juxtaposed to his renewed self-worth in the finale, is awe-inspiring.
The anime's depictions of international figure skaters was endearing as well, with even its more obnoxious competitors like Canada's Jean-Jacques Leroy, underneath his bluster amid competition, having an enormous heart. Everybody gets their moment, and while Yuri Plisetsky seizes the top spot, Yuri Katsuki's podium finish empowers him to keep skating after being on the brink of retirement.
For some, this is a powerful portrayal of how anxiety affects not just the protagonist, but also how it plagues the other performers. For others, it's a potent example of characters affirming their sense of purpose, stoking each other's inner flames with the thrill of competition. Yuri on Ice has left its mark, and now even has successors vying for similar prominence.
All Future Successors Are Weighed Against MAPPA's Breakout Hit
Yuri Katsuki from Yuri on Ice and Inori Yuitsuka from Medalist hands outstretchedCustom image by Jordan Lemons
While Yuri on Ice has yet to be fully dethroned, one exceptional anime from the past year arguably helps soothe the pain of its cancelled movie. Medalist was a sleeper hit of Winter 2025, and while discourse of the season focused more on Solo Leveling's animation, this ENGI-animated hit struck similar emotional notes as Yuri on Ice.
On the surface, Medalist may even come across as derivative of Yuri on Ice, but that dismisses its excellent source material and thorough technical research by its creator, Tsurumaikada. The series, instead of focusing on an anxious adult male figure skater seeing himself as past his prime, follows Inori Yuitsuka, an 11-year-old girl discovering her passion for figure skating.
Inori, at what's considered the cutoff age for anybody serious about becoming a competitive skater, is taken under the wing of Tsukasa Akeuraji, an ice dancer whose competitive ambitions have faltered. Thus the story details Inori's rise as a young virtuoso figure skater who is finally given a chance by an athlete utterly invigorated by his student's determination and raw talent.
To call Medalist a Yuri on Ice clone is understandable, but even spending the first season, knowing there's more as it showcases Inori's coming-of-age, it's clear that successors don't have to perfectly emulate 2016's smash hit. While Medalist is highly unlikely to win Anime of the Year like Yuri on Ice did, it has material for a much longer story.
Ice Adolescence Would Have a Better Shot in Today's Market
yuri on ice
It is practically impossible to look past Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle's success and what it means for anime franchises with theater-exclusive follow-ups. Chainsaw Man's new movie, while a fraction of its success, was highly profitable for MAPPA, also taking the canonical movie route. A Yuri on Ice movie now more than ever would feel like a safe bet.
However, Ice Adolescence's formal cancellation indicates this may never happen. The fan's heartbreak over this decision has had a long time to process, and while a revival of this movie would be welcomed, audiences have since moved on. This is in part to factors like successors like Medalist, other hit anime dividing their attention, and more.
But still, it'd be fascinating to see MAPPA return to its roots, beyond the new seasons of Jujutsu Kaisen, Vinland Saga, Hell's Paradise, Chainsaw Man, Dororo, and more. Anime studio discourse has evolved to the point of similarly acknowledging Madhouse, Bones, CloverWorks, Wit Studio, and even Pierrot Films now. MAPPA has found its wheelhouse, and is unlikely to look back.
7.5/10
Yuri on Ice
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-14 Drama Sports Release Date 2016 - 2017-00-00 Directors Sayo Yamamoto, Jun Shishido Writers Sayo Yamamoto, Mitsuro KuboCast
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