victuuri
so here’s something i feel not many people have considered??
that was Yuuri’s first kiss!!!
this boy has never been in a relationship and his first kiss was taken by a sexy Russian guy who flew thousands of miles to Japan and showed up naked at his house and immediately began to coach him and showers him with affection and understanding and just, oh my god?? talk about first kiss goals
victuuri
lilacblossoms
Something I LOVE LOVE LOVED about episode 7 of Yuri on Ice - and the garage scene specifically
is that, as much of a genuis at figure skating as Viktor is, Yuuri is the more emotionally intelligent of these two
which was partly necessitated by his managing of his anxiety (and how much do I LOVE that Yuuri has a whole safety network for his anxiety, and places he can go to, and people to help and routines he has at home when he gets anxious)
but I think it’s also just…their personalities too
Yuuri is a very introspective person, whereas Viktor - at least to me - seems to live less in his head and more in the moment
this whole episode was just incredible to me, as someone who struggles tremendously with anxiety, watching Yuuri spiral into a pit of anxiety, knowing all his triggers but unable to prevent them from affecting him, and crawl right back out of it
and Viktor - bless his heart - was no help whatsoever (except in one singular respect that had more to do with Yuuri than his own efforts)
but as useless as he was, and how in over his head he was, I love that he tried
he tried really hard, he had no idea what he was doing, but he tried
Yuuri didn’t sleep from nerves - so Viktor tucked him in for a nap
Yuuri still didn’t sleep and was increasingly anxious - so Viktor told him not do any jumps during warm up that might psych him out
Yuuri was STILL FREAKING OUT and there were cameras and people everywhere - so Viktor tried to find the quietest possible corner of the building for him to calm down
he tried covering Yuuri’s ears so he wouldn’t hear the audience cheering above them (you sweet clueless dumbass XD)
and then, of course, the completely stupid attempt to light a fire under Yuuri with the “I’ll resign” crap
which literally anyone could have told him was the worst possible direction he could have chosen
so, yeah, Viktor seriously fucked up and I’m so pleased Yuuri called him out on it, and I’m SO HAPPY Yuuri was honest about his stress and got that all out - because THAT’S WHAT HELPED HIM
sharing problems makes them so much easier to face, and letting your emotions out instead of penting everything up makes it so much easier to have perspective, makes it easier to get through it
I’m really touched by Viktor’s totally inadequate attempts (lmao) to help Yuuri through his crisis, but I’m also really happy and glad that the only way he was of any help was entirely passive
Yuuri rescued himself, and that was really beautiful to watch
(rescued himself and COMFORTED VIKTOR AS HE WAS RESCUING HIMSELF)
daintylemon
yuurivoice
I made a post recently discussing why a kiss in Yuri on Ice wasn’t necessary for me, that it wasn’t something I needed to see to appreciate the relationship between Yuuri and Victor, a relationship that has been framed with the amount of care that few other relationships in anime get. The general consensus in the responses were, “Hell yeah, but if a kiss happens, that’s just gravy” and that’s how I felt as well.
What I didn’t expect, however, was for a kiss to be handled so well that it wasn’t just gravy, but a whole new serving to digest.
In this episode, Yuuri is facing old demons with a new twist. His anxiety has evolved, and now, he’s terrified that a bad performance will reflect poorly upon Victor. Victor, for the first time, seems legitimately challenged by how Yuuri’s dilemma.
There’s a key moment…
To which Yuuri responds…
Ask yourself, how many times in an anime (or any medium for that matter) would this have actually just been a sudden kiss? If this was a shoujo, a yaoi, a romance novel, a film, how many times would it have just been a “shut up and kiss me moment”?
But it wasn’t, and because Yuri on Ice actually TOOK THE TIME to create characters that are more than just fan service fodder and place them in a story meant to highlight this relationship as something more than just bishie boys getting almost physical, we get a scene that his like a truck, emotionally.
Victor watches as Yuuri summons the strength to put on a winning performance, relieved by the tears he shed moments before. Despite the exhaustion and lack of sleep, he decides to call an audible and change his finale.
Victor, who has consistently been cool as a cucumber up until now, is shown hiding his face in his hands…then with a look of determination, runs to greet Yuuri…with this.
Not because a kiss is some sort of remedy for fear, anxiety, and stress. Not because Yuuri needed it to heal him, but because Yuuri’s efforts, determination, and desire to captivate Victor stirred Victor to the point of expressing those emotions that came boiling over.
I didn’t expect this to become one of my favorite relationships in anime history. I didn’t expect to care this much. It’s a sports anime. Yet here I am, in literal awe of the direction and writing in this series.
Some people might scoff at this being a big deal, but if you’ve sat through the queer baiting, the presentation of homosexual behavior as nothing but predatory, and the repetitive shaming and misrepresentation of anything gay in anime, you know. You know that this is a big deal, that this is an achievement.
Yuri on Ice is setting the standard. From here on out, no writer or director can cop out without being called out for not doing what has already been done.
Congratulations, Yuri on Ice fandom. Enjoy this win.
daintylemon
hissoka
The kiss was the only thing i could think of to surprise you more that you surprised me.
thanotaphobia
ruinedchildhood