Yuri!!! On Ice have been sweeping the globe with its deliciously pleasing animation and important representation for the figure skating community. Figure skating is suddenly trending again after the Winter Olympics back in 2014. Because of Yuri!!! On Ice's popularity, some well-known figure skaters are back in the limelight.
Yuri!!! On Ice Is An Ice Craze
The opening song of the anime has been a favorite among fans due to its flowing animation ease and heart-felt song. So, it's no surprise that the opening in question would take the notice of several figure skaters who have competed in the Olympics in the past. It's the first anime ever represent the sport and have done quite a good job in doing so.
Yuri!!! On Ice follows the story of Yuri Katsuki, who grew up idolizing Russian figure skater Viktor Nikiforov so he went and become one of Japan's best in competitive figure skating. After experiencing a crushing defeat in the Gran Prix Finale, he had thoughts of retiring from competing and couldn't quite make up his mind until Viktor Nikiforov- one of the most popular figure skaters in the anime - visited him and decided to become his coach.
The Japanese figure skater who tried to skate the opening theme of the anime is allegedly Masoto Kimura but this rumor has not yet been confirmed. And although the video is very short-roughly 36 seconds long, the video has been well recieved by fans of the anime and the sport. These fans have also been wishing for a longer version of the figure skating piece from the opening of Yuri!!! On Ice.
As for the other figure skaters, Winter Olympian Michael Martinez posted a video of him in twitter watching the said anime. Michael Christian Martinez made Winter Olympics history back in Sochi 2014 when he became the first ever Filipino figure skater to compete - and was the only one from Southeast Asia. Tropical countries from the Southeast part of Asia don't experience winter, hence the lack of competitors.
If you are a fan of Yuri!!! On Ice, or a fan of figure skating in general, I suggest you watch the video bellow.
After training it's time to watch #yurionice pic.twitter.com/7vZ83HS1Ka
— Michael Martinezマイケル (@MichaelOlympian) October 7, 2016
