seriously this anime saved 2k16 thank you@god and studiio mappa

vampireapologist:

SOMETHING I really love about Yuri on Ice is that it’s not a story about getting “good” enough to succeed. Stories about sports or competitions are always about the protag overcoming some skill-related setback to succeed. Which is, y’know, always fun to watch!!

But here’s Yuri, a guy who’s already an accomplished and celebrated figure skater. He already has fans, is already famous, already inspires young skaters. He already has the skills necessary to be the best.

The only thing he has to overcome is his own self-doubt.

It’s a very real barrier for an artist/performer/athlete to face, and it’s written with the utmost care. He doesn’t have a singular “oh, I believe in myself now” moment. He goes back and forth.

He lets Yurio yell at him when he’s crying in the bathroom, and later he smiles and thinks to himself, “this kid is seriously underestimating me haha.”

He wins one round of a competition and then has a massive panic attack about the one immediately following. He believes in himself, and then he worries, and then he gets fired up, and then he doubts. But every time he falls back, he gets a little closer to really truly being confident. And that’s what it’s really like for artists and athletes and really anybody with a dream.

It’s not a flat, straight road to self-confidence. You fall and stop and have to force yourself to keep moving.

And I think that’s done beautifully in this show!!