In the second episode of the first season of Yuri On Ice<\/i>, Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arrival brings with him the chaos of fame and a bitter rival. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Yuri On Ice<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Trigger Warning: For discussion of fatphobia<\/b><\/p>\n
Oh, gods, can y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all understand how CONFLICTED I am? Look, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to the bait and switch. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m used to being teased by the possibility<\/i> that this is real, only to have it swept out from under me by the end. So there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that cannot deny that this show is GGGGGAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY because there are so! many! things! that feel specific to this experience! Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s general adoration and shyness feels like the show is falling into that gay angst trope of desiring someone but believing they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re out of your league because they are a) straight and b) so much more perfect and pretty than you are. I DEEPLY RELATE TO EVERY BIT OF THIS TROPE OKAY. But is this meant as an exploration of Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s subconscious feelings, or is it supposed to be about the discomfort of putting our idols on pedestals? (OR BOTH. LET IT BE BOTH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT.)<\/p>\n
So, while watching this show, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m torn. It seems exceedingly<\/i> gay at times, and my instant reaction to those moments is usually excitement? But then I have to temper it with my expectations. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m imagining these moments! I know they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re happening. Exactly how <\/i>far is the show going to take it, though? SHOULD I BE EXCITED BY ALL THOSE LOOKS OR THE FACT THAT VICTOR GAVE YURI SEXUAL LOVE<\/i> AS HIS SONG CHOREOGRAPHY???\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll be cautiously excited for now.<\/p>\n Anyway, I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t say I had many expectations for what Yuri On Ice<\/i> would be about, but I guess I assumed there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d be lots of competitions??? Instead, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m getting this intense examination of Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fame and what that means for both Yuri and Yurio. (Which I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m using as a way to refer to the other Yuri just because this would be complicated otherwise.) Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence in Hasetsu is chaotic and distracting\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 to a point. As the skating world finds out that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s stopped training himself, that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s now flown to Japan to help out someone who placed last<\/i> in the Finals the year before, they LOSE THEIR SHIT. So, you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got this hero worship mixed in with a media frenzy, and then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Yurio. Oh, wow, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t like him a whole lot? I appreciate that he does<\/i> have an important stake in this. Victor did<\/i> promise him to design his first senior choreography, and thus, Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s trip to coach Yuri interrupts that. Plus, Yurio is on the Russian team; Yuri is a competitor! There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an element of betrayal here, isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t there?<\/p>\n Still, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hard to like Yurio, and I certainly<\/i> hated that he kicked Yuri in the chest<\/i> as soon as he arrived at the Hot Springs. WHAT THE HELL, WHY WAS THAT COMPLETELY UNADDRESSED??? Yurio despises<\/i> Yuri, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not just because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a competitor. He feels like Yuri doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deserve<\/i> to compete because he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s too weak! Well, then there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an uncomfortable thread about calling Yuri fat? Ugh, I get it, figure skaters are \u00e2\u20ac\u0153supposed\u00e2\u20ac\u009d to be thin, but wow, everyone is so<\/i> harsh toward Yuri about this! It upsets me because despite understanding the reason why, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s still so cruel to witness, you know?<\/p>\n Anyway, let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s talk about FEELINGS!!! Because one of the truly exciting things in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two Yuris?! Drama at Yu-topia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d is Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s reaction to Yurio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s clear that anxiety and paranoia affect Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s performances, and that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to be a major roadblock this season. How can Yuri perform (and do the kind of emotional and vulnerable performances that Victor requires of him) in front of other people? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know yet! However, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the spark of Yuri finding his confidence within this episode as he decides not to take Yurio\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s bait. Those rare moments of positivity might<\/i> be what he needs to conquer his anxiety\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not certain. Ah, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s complicated! Clearly, Yuri is talented, and I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m hoping that his desire to impress Victor will push him past this roadblock.<\/p>\n Also, I just want to state that I nearly expired when Yuri said he wanted to eat more pork cutlet bowls with Victor if he won this skate-off. Yeah, christ, this is going to destroy me, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Two Yuris?! Drama at Yu-topia\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99.<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now available for pre-order!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the second episode of the first season of Yuri On Ice, Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s arrival brings with him the chaos of fame and a bitter rival. Intrigued? 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