Gay yuri on ice

In episode 7 of Yuri on Ice, our main characters kissed — with an obscuring caveat — but as I’d argue with most sports anime, kissing is probably the least gay thing that happens. I feel like. I'm gay and what I see between Viktor and Yuuri is genuine desire that has yet to be fully expressed, which I think puts it above the level of queerbait. I disagree with those who say Viktor and Yuuri are actually in a real relationship, but I think it's pretty clear that they mutually admire one another and that their character development is.

Yes, Yuri has moved to Russia to continue training with Victor. So they definitely do not go their separate ways. That being said, Yuri!!! on Ice would have been a much better anime, and so much less pandering to homophobia, if the relationship between Yuri and Victor had been openly acknowledged. Yuri!!!

on ICE broke new ground with a kiss between two adult queer men. In the latter, there is an apparent engagement, although both romantic instances were protected from potential outrage by suggestion. The debate shifted when Yuri included a kiss between its two protagonists; this moment, combined with statements from the creators, led to a reassessment of the show by many English-speaking fans as explicitly about a queer romance.

In the throes of , I decided to take a break from my midterms cram session by watching some clips of a new anime called Yuri!!! I had been hearing about the show within the anime community for some time yet had put off watching it, unsure if the anime lived up to the hype. Much to my surprise and detriment to my ability to concentrate on chemistry , I was immediately hooked.

Of all the amazing things about the show, one of the most striking to me was the revolutionary way it portrayed the intersection of queer and Slavic identity. Victor Nikiforov is a Russian internationally ranked figure-skater, a five-time consecutive Grand Prix champion at the height of his career. Early in its run, many viewers stayed wary, hesitant to label a relationship between Victor and Yuri as romantically intimate out of fear that it would not actually become canon.

Some suspected queer-baiting. Other countries in the region, such Ukraine and Kazakhstan, are affected by this mentality as well. I am first-generation Ukranian-American, meaning that while I was not born in the former Soviet Union, my parents and the majority of my family were. When they moved to America, they brought the culture of their birth country with them, including the good, the weird, and the ugly.

Queerness was never discussed in my house, and in the rare instances it did make an appearance, such as a same-sex couple kissing on TV, my parents would quickly change the channel and never mention it or, worse, discussed it in a tone that made me wish the subject had never come up at all. So when I saw Victor Nikiforov, a Slavic character who is so openly queer, portrayed in a such a devoted and beautiful relationship with Yuri, I was nearly moved to tears.

In Western media, Slavic representation is generally characterized by poorly written stereotypes. Rooted in Cold War propaganda that still lingers to this day, Russian characters are often synonymous with villainy, thick and often terrible accents signaling their nefarious ways. The Marvel universe is rife with Russian antagonists who are violent, presumably straight, gun-toting criminals with as much emotional depth as a block of ice.

Yet Yuri!!! Dedicated and committed to his craft, yet still silly and playful, and loyal to his friends and family, Victor Nikiforov is a man of many dimensions. The show also provides the same depth of complexity to its other Slavic characters. An ice skating prodigy who moved up to compete in the senior figure skating championships at only fifteen years old, Yurio is willing to do whatever it takes to win.

In fact, his coaches and the judges prize him for these qualities. Even the supporting Russian characters are wonderfully rich and human, as seen in the tenderness and toughness of characters like the gruff Yakov Feltsman or elegant Lilia.

In one scene, Kolya brings homemade pirozhki for his Yuratchka , and asks if he prefers other foods, particularly katsudon. The show has been praised multiple times over for its natural diversity, showcasing characters of Russian, Korean, Thai, Japanese, and Mexican descent, among others, and rightfully so. Co-creator of Yuri!!! And that is something I will always protect.

Here, his status as national treasure has nothing to do with him being queer and in love with a man. Please help us pay more people to make great content! Much of Run Away With Me, Girl is focused on how heteronormativity cruelly forces queer people to diminish who they are. Thank goodness that the story also envisions so much more for its heroines.

yuri on ice season 2

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