I know a lot of people are trying to dissect Viktor and Yuuri and the dynamics of their coaching relationship. (It’s really hard though since there are literally no boundaries between them as student/coach, fiancés/lovers.)
But anyways: let’s talk about the single most underrated teacher/student relationship in the series.
The easy route to go with these characters is to parallel them with Yurio/Lilia. Both Lilia and Minako are celebrated dancers (they probably knew each other or of each other), both are extraordinarily influential in their students’ skating styles. Agape isn’t possible without Lilia’s ballet-boot-camp. We joke about how Yuuri’s dance mastery is all because of Minako?
What sets him apart as a skater?
His ridiculously high PCS scores? That’s Minako’s lasting influence—she trained Yuuri as a dancer, probably made sure he was as skilled in it as he possibly could be, and as a skater he made up the score gap with his artistry.
But let’s go to the Scene that Keeps on Giving
1) We get Viktor and Minako in a room together. Please people, keep imagining them talking with each other. They are in many ways, very, very similar and very, very much in awe of Yuuri. If Viktor is an unending source of romantic love, Minako is basically his second mother, and an unending source of familial love. They both are prodigies in their given fields. They are both Yuuri’s eccentric teachers.
(Hell: if Minako is in her 50s, she was most probably, in-universe, The First Asian Woman to Win All her Prizes. She was probably, in-universe, The First Asian Woman to Dance Principle in X, Y, Z Ballet Company Abroad.
I know homophobia is handwaved in the Yuri on Ice universe, and to a lesser extent, racism. But Phichit and Otabek are always pointed out as trailblazers. When you see them crying or proud because they’ve done something for their country that no one else has? Minako’s been there, done that, and still hasn’t aged.
Goddamn.)
Just think of the tension, Minako is all “Take advantage Yuuri” to Yuuri’s face but remains somewhat leery of Viktor. Because she’s heard the stories. If Yuuri’s idol-worship is keeping him from realizing how creepy Viktor’s arrival is… I’m imagining the good people of Hasetsu are all… “So this Viktor guy just shows up naked, unannounced, and he says he’s teaching Yuuri.”
?????????????
(”Skating?”
“Yup.”
“Really?”
“Hand me another drink ji-san. He kept staring at my boy’s ass for all two hours of our ballet class.”)
Minako would probably be the first person to cut Viktor if he doesn’t make good on his coaching Yuuri promise.
2) Scene is quick, it’s used to establish that Yuuri is a genius of hard work.
but: The Most Enlightening Scene Ever
To unpack this:
Minako is low-key telling Viktor: “Yes, Yuuri gets anxious. It’s not just a competition thing. He’s been anxious his entire life. This is his coping mechanism.”
And then: *bam* “I usually go along with him.”
Can we just?
Imagine baby Yuuri, who probably has used up all his spoons for the day, and then there’s his teacher Minako, who notices and goes all “Okay, what do you need? You need to skate? Ok. Let’s tell your parents, I’ll go with you, and I’ll stay with you.”
No questions asked, she’s just there.
Like—she’s either dancing with him or just watching him ice skate for however long it’ll take the anxiety attack to go away.
The fuck.
For the entirety of his childhood, Yuuri has had this one woman support system of “You need to skate/dance right now? Kay, let me just find my coat, off we go Yuuri!” Can you imagine? How many hours? How many times a week? And she’d just go with him.
Bonus Points: She wasn’t at the GPF where Yuuri failed. She didn’t fly into Russia for the Rostelecom Cup where he was alone for the second half. If you want a pre-Viktor coping mechanism: it’s Minako.
Minako is the ideal teacher: She saw what Yuuri needed and gave it to him.
I got the lyrics from here. They aren’t mine, but the breakdown for which singer is singing what parts is. 🙂
Blue = male singer, Pink = female singer, Purple = both
And now we can all collectively cry about how this song is basically Yuuri and Victor making love through skating.
ANALYSIS TIME GUYS!
So, looking at these lyrics more closely they’re actually SO INCREDIBLY RELEVANT.
We start off with just the male singer, who I am going to associate with Victor. He is alone, feeling abandoned, and sees an equally upset individual (the one he is singing the song to/with, who I am going to say is Yuuri). “I hear a voice crying far away” “Have you been abandoned as well?” The first time Victor notices Yuuri (and commits him to memory) is after the medal ceremony at the GPF. He sees Yuuri obviously upset. It’s easy to see how he could have made a connection to himself in him.
“Come now, let’s empty this glass of wine soon” can easily be a reference to the banquet. Equally as important for setting a timeline are the next two lines.
“I’ll start getting ready” “Now be silent.” There was a 3 month space after the GPF banquet in which Victor was mulling over the prospect of moving to be with Yuuri (whether that’s in the capacity of a coach or otherwise isn’t important). The second line can easily be Victor just asking for the space to think through his decision.
Then we get the main lines. It’s very important to note that these lines are sung TOGETHER. “Stay close to me” “Don’t go” “I’m afraid of losing you”. All of these lines apply to both of them. Also, they both skated to the song who’s name is both the title and the first line of this section, Stay Close to Me. This is what brought them together.
The next lines are interesting. “Your hands” and “My hands” are sung by Victor while “your legs” and “my legs” are sung by Yuuri. Why is it that way when they could have assigned each person to 1 viewpoint? I believe it’s because of the coach/skater dynamic they have. Victor uses his hands to mould Yuuri (coach him) and Yuuri uses his feet to communicate back (his skating).
The next 2 lines are sung together. “The heartbeats” “Are fusing together”. Victor and Yuuri are becoming one in their desires, from all levels; their careers, their relationship, their roles. They really are fusing their hearts together.
Then the last section. “Let’s leave together” is sung by Yuuri. Yuuri is asking Victor to be with him, he is taking the lead, holding out his hand like at the end of his free skate, and showing Victor the way. And Victor responds with “I’m ready”. Together they leave “Now”.
To add a couple last notes to this analysis, it’s been shown throughout the series that piano is Yuuri’s instrument and violin is Victor’s. The first time we heard Aria it was a large mixture of instruments, mostly strings. Very much Victor’s song. But this time it’s ONLY piano and violin. It’s definitely playing towards their musical motifs.
And last tiny comment: does the first note of the duet sound familiar? It’s the second last note from the ep 9 airport reunion scene. Do with that what you will.
I’ve already written meta about why I think Victor and Yuuri are canonical endgame. I wrote that post after Episode 9 aired, and it predicts what’s probably going to happen in Episode 12. In summary: Yuuri is going to let Victor go out of love, and Victor is going to stay with him out of love. I’m not stressed about that. Those boys love each other.
Victor and Yuuri are not what upset me about Episode 11.
This is what broke my heart.
Like I am really upset because…
Yuuri has already been through this.
Yuuri has already sat in the kiss and cry in this defeated pose.
And now we have…
The same defeat is written all over him. (With Celestino standing there, no less.)
And all he did was touch the ice once.
I still believe Yuuri will win that gold medal. Because remember, at the Cup of China, Phichit was in 4th place after his SP but won gold after the FS.
But if Yuuri doesn’t win? I don’t know. I’m going to be very disappointed.
I understand there’s still a good story that can be told there if he doesn’t win. That’s more of a “real life” story. But this entire anime has been rife with fairy tale symbolism.
Why shouldn’t Yuuri get the picture perfect happy ending he deserves? Why can’t he win both love and first place? Why can’t he fulfill his own personal goals and dreams and also validate Victor’s decision to become his coach at the same time?
If he doesn’t win gold, my heart is going to break for him.
I’m sure some people will fight me on this, but for real–Viktor Nikiforov at the beginning of YOI is probably the closest depiction of my experience of depression that I’ve ever seen in any media, including anything I’ve ever created.
* lack of interest/emotion * repeatedly forgetting important things (like promises to Yurio) * depression is triggered strongly by success * deals with it by deciding to–in a matter of hours–toss away a wildly successful career that is making him miserable to do something incredibly rewarding that his former colleagues think is a joke * incredibly good at faking it * ability to fake it only worsens depression * not parsed by anyone around him as depression because, heh, he’s not SAD and he’s SUCCESSFUL and how could he be depressed
There’s a lot of talk about Yuuri’s mental health issues, and those are amazing, but Viktor starts off the show in what reads to me as a pretty deep depression. Episode 10 and 11, when he’s finally experiencing emotions again, and is grounded in the moments that he is in, instead of free-floating outside them, are incredibly meaningful to me.
It took me more than 30 years to understand that what happened to me was depression, and I so rarely see depression as I experience it portrayed anywhere, so…
finally watches the latest episode of natsume, dies
I want to write something half as touching as this anime someday.
OKAY HONESTLY I’M GONNA META BECAUSE I’VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS A WHILE.
I think one thing that makes me love Natsume as a character is how well-written he is as a victim of abuse and neglect. A lot of time in fiction it feels like someone who’s been abused and neglected either just moves on immediately as soon as they’re in a happy situation, or is miserable about everything forever. It’ll feel like the tragic backstory comes up when it’s convenient and isn’t really worked into the character. Either than or it is EVERYTHING for the character.
But Natsume’s not either extreme, and it’s so well handled- He’s incredibly happy with his current life, in no way is he doomed to misery nor is it all he thinks about- yet at the same time, you can see how much of what he’s endured shapes who he is as a person and the awkward way he interacts with people. He’s incredibly happy to have finally found a family and friends, but on the flip side is super terrified of losing them all the time. After being treated like a burden to his entire life he’s terrified of burdening ANYONE with ANYTHING- and rather than that either being a static character trait or something that goes away as soon as it’s addressed, it’s something he’s slowly, incrementally making progress on. People point out to him that they WANT to know if something’s bothering him and even that’s it’s hurtful not to know and he’s been able to open up a little more as a result and seems to be making steady progress- but at the same time you can see him still struggling with it. Every time he decides to confide in someone or ask for help you can see him fighting his first instinct NOT to do this.
He even has problems asking people about THEIR problems because he’s worried about annoying them or crossing a boundary and he’s not used to this friend thing, how does it even work? Which honestly was so relatable.
He also overreacts SO DRAMATICALLY to causing trouble for ANYONE, like the pinnacle of this will be that time Tanuma got like, slightly hurt getting involved in an incident with him, and despite the fact he had in no way encouraged him to get involved, Natsume’s reaction was “OH GOD WHY DID THIS HAPPEN I THINK I SHOULD JUST LEAVE THIS TOWN FOREVER BEFORE ANYONE ELSE GETS HURT THIS IS A SIGN I SHOULD NEVER BE WITH PEOPLE CLEARLY”.He starts shaking.
His past seems to also seems to shape his over-the-top-accommodating personality. Part of it is just that he’s a sweet child, but it’s also pretty obvious the fact he doesn’t think of himself as worth much is why he runs himself ragged for people/youkai he barely knows. And his forgiving nature is also partly a result of being repeatedly told he basically deserves to be treated badly so it’s no big deal when someone acts terribly to him. Like, the biggest evidence of this is like he literally says at one point that it’s because he’s a weird bad person who causes trouble that some of his guardians hit and starved him and it’s not their fault, it’s his.
It’s not that his compassion is a negative quality, obvs- a lot of it also comes from empathy and not wanting to see other suffer because he know what it’s like and other such things- but whenever he gets super over-the-top with it, you get a glimpse that some of it comes from a place that is a little sad.
But one thing that really impresses me about the show is how the secret-keeping aspect is handled. So often the character keeping the true nature of their life a secret is incredibly frustrating because it’s not clear why the hell this is necessary, especially when it’s obvious the people around them would understand.
But the thing is, Natsume KNOWS rationally that his foster family and friends wouldn’t be like everyone else and disbelieve and shun him if he told them the truth, he’s experienced that so much he can’t help but be haunted by that fear. Even while thinking “yeah, the Fujiwaras would believe me” he still has dreams about them calling him a liar. Even while trusting these people and rationally knowing how they would react, he can’t erase the fear millions of bad experiences has bred in him.And that’s something that’s real, that even when you know the worst wouldn’t happen rationally, it doesn’t stop you from thinking the worst.
And on top of that, the show ties it back to his fear of being a burden thing, because it acknowledges the fact that Natsume is constantly in danger and could get horribly killed any second. He knows if he tells his family “well hey I can see demons and they kinda constantly attack me or pull me into dangerous situations. and um, there is absolutely nothing you can do to help me or protect me from this.” What also struck me was Tanuma saying “at first I didn’t get why he doesn’t tell people, but now that I know I have dreams where he’s been eaten by a youkai and every time he’s late I get scared that’s what happened.” Like shit, that would be rough and you don’t want to put your friends through that, especially when you’re someone as afraid of putting out other people as Natsume is.
This show gives rational and honestly heartwrenching reasons for Natsume’s secrecy and ties it back to his deep-seated issues, rather than being like “well, it’s secret just cuz” and that’s just impressive to me.
I just love that this anime is a lot about healing from hardship and trauma, but it also shows the healing process as something that’s slow and steady and never really done, but ultimately rewarding.
Bringing it back to the episode I just watched, I also love that we got a glimpse of his foster parents point of view, that they’re more aware of how much he’s struggling than they let on…and I just love seeing the story of someone noticing a kid is being mistreated and friggin’ DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT and taking him in. That they’re always trying to help him feel more comfortable and considering what he’s been through.
Plus, the way both his friends and family who don’t know just accept “okay, Natsume is weird and we don’t get him, he’ll do shit like start screaming suddenly or run off or see things that aren’t there and he refuses to talk about it, but he’s a good person, so who cares, we won’t bother him about it.” Like, his friends will notice him freaking out at nothing and then falling into a lake and have to jump in and save him, but just accept that this shit just happens with Natsume. They’ll tell him to be more careful but won’t get mad or annoyed. They’ll just move on because “whatever, you’re just kinda out there and I worry about you but, that’s fine, it’s how you are”. And I find that super adorable. And honestly more adorable to me because the realistic explanation anyone would have for his behavior is Natsume’s mentally ill- Touko even said previous families described him as “unstable” and his friends probably figure that’s the deal and just roll with it.
Lilia Baranovskaya telling Yurio this seemed really important, not just because Yurio was reinventing himself at this point to compete as a different skater from his junior days, but also because of this scene in Episode 2
Keeping Lilia’s words in mind, it seems like Yakov is implying that Victor cannot return as the same person if he left. It could refer to his career as a figure skater, or perhaps something else.
Then, there’s this scene in Episode 10:
Since we know Victor isn’t actually dead, this seems to be a reference to his career (his era) having ended at last.
Then, obviously, we also have the fact that Yuuri is trying to revive his career with Victor’s presence. Here, too, we face the same theme, as Yuuri tries to move forward while disassociating with his past.
He even refers to the GPF as his and Victor’s. Not his alone, as it was before Victor came into his life.
So, if Victor chose freely to leave his career for the sake of Life and Love knowing fully well that he couldn’t return (as the same person, at least) in order to help Yuuri face the competitive skating world as a different skater and is also being replaced in the meantime by Yurio in a way (through beating records and such), then from his point of view, this show is about rebirth, or, simply put, new beginnings.
Alternatively titled: Girl With Two Finals Next Week Has Priorities in the Right Place, Clearly
For the sake of saving you the time of reading this long mess, here’s the gist: I’m going to argue that it makes the most narrative sense for Yuuri to win the gold medal. I’ll take down a couple of counterarguments while I’m at it.
But, hey, the show’s ending next week! This analysis will probably all be useless by Wednesday lmao. But the alternative to writing this is studying, so I’m going to write it anyway. Here we go:
Argument #1: There are skaters at the Grand Prix that are better than Yuuri, so it doesn’t make sense for him to win!
Here’s the really, really important thing that you have to keep in mind when you watch Yuri on Ice: Yuuri’s the one narrating.
Like, I’ll repeat it, since it’s so important. Yuuri’s the one narrating.
Yuuri, who started the series off crying in the bathroom and having a panic attack. Yuuri, who has anxiety. Yuuri, who has such low self esteem in the beginning of the show that after participating in one of the most challenging and exclusive figure skating competitions there is and becoming the top 6th figure skater in the world, describes himself to us as:
Dime-a-dozen! What the hell?
Thanks to the narration, it’s deceptively, deceptively easy to look at Yuuri and think that he’s not as talented as his competition. Because that’s what he was literally telling us at the very beginning of the show.
The more I look back at YoI, the clearer it becomes how unreliable a narrator Yuuri is, especially in the first episode. We should have realised it right from the off that something wasn’t quite matching up between what he was saying and what we were seeing.
Lemme have a quick look:
“I’m one of the dime a dozen figure skaters certified by the JSF”
Dime a dozen. Right, kiddo. When you have groupies who are the rising stars like Minami-kun, who recognise good skating because they’re trained to, I suspect you may be understating how good you are. When your home town plasters your imagery all over the place because you are their famous skater, you’re more than a dime a dozen.
Also, let us take a moment to remember that he made it as far as the Grand Prix final. We learn in later episodes how many competitions you have to win to get through to the Grand Prix Final. He won. He won lots. He did *well* right up until the Grand Prix. The commentater even comments that he wasn’t himself at this one significant event.
This anxiety-ridden little moppet even explains why: the death of a beloved family pet and grief threw him off, and I suspect his natural anxiety was the nail in the confidence coffin. But he still blames himself, despite a run of horrible circumstances, grief, isolation and the insane amount of pressure he was putting on himself to get his ‘big day’ right.
“I was an idiot to think I could finally meet my idol on the same playing field…”
Maybe Sochi wasn’t a level playing field, but it certainly wasn’t because of the skating. It was because of everything else crashing in on him at the same time, which meant his skating suffered. Then it became a domino effect of depression and anxiety and he lost again and again.
We know this because when he was trying to get his groove back, he took Viktor’s gold-medal winning routine and performs it to perfection. Lemme repeat that: a gold-medal winning routine and performs it to perfection. Which he is doing while not in peak condition and while significantly heavier than he had been during the competitions.
Yuuri is a badass-skater, but because of his spiral of depression and anxiety before the start of the series, his narration about himself and his career naturally skews to the negative. And we believed him. We fell for it, because he believed it himself.
Okay, so I’ve seen a lot of posts kind of speculating how the series will end should Yuuri win or lose the gold at the GPF. I just want to make a post detailing the hard evidence we have both narratively and otherwise that indicates absolutely no other outcome than Yuuri winning gold. Yes, I’m very hopeful, but I’m also very analytical lol. I try to keep all of my speculation posts free of any personal bias. Keep that in mind.
Nothing but My Aching Soul 