{"id":6863,"date":"2018-06-15T13:00:41","date_gmt":"2018-06-15T20:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=6863"},"modified":"2018-05-16T13:04:33","modified_gmt":"2018-05-16T20:04:33","slug":"mark-watches-yuri-on-ice-s01e05-face-beet-red-its-the-first-competition-the-chugoku-shikoku-and-kyushu-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2018\/06\/mark-watches-yuri-on-ice-s01e05-face-beet-red-its-the-first-competition-the-chugoku-shikoku-and-kyushu-championship\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Yuri On Ice’: S01E05 – Face Beet-Red!! It’s the First Competition! The Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the fifth episode of the first season of Yuri On Ice<\/i>, I am continually overwhelmed by this show. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Yuri On Ice<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Well, I got attached to this show real<\/i> quickly. And now I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve reached the first of what is bound to be many<\/i> competitions, and WOW, THIS WAS A LOT. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s actually the self-esteem arc of Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s character that I find myself most invested in. (For real, though, the potential \u00e2\u20ac\u0153gay\u00e2\u20ac\u009d content is becoming more and more obvious, so perhaps I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll start freaking out more on that.) I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve spoken about how much I relate to it before, and guess what? Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s even more about that topic<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because seriously, as much as I want the romance between Yuri and Victor to be confirmed, I want Yuri to be happy with himself even more. That is a difficult path, though, and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Face Beet-Red\u00e2\u20ac\u009d addresses one particular problem that Yuri has: he is not alone. And for what it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s worth, the show has done a fine job of showing us just how solitary figure skating can be, at least in the sense of how the skating sequences are portrayed. The writers use voiceovers often during skate scenes, and it helps to show us what these characters are going through as they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on the ice alone. For Yuri, competitive spaces are where his anxieties thrive, so his internal narrations are usually fraught and complicated.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet these spaces are anything<\/i> bit isolated, and if anything, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve never seen so many people jammed into that space. Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a large part of that, and at the beginning of the episode, there are a couple sequences that demonstrate how Victor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s presence has created a media frenzy around Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s rise. Which actually isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t all that helpful, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all! It makes Yuri feel like he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s under even more<\/i> pressure to perform, and it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s why his first skate is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not what it should<\/i> be. OH, IT WAS GOOD!!! I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to deny that! Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, Yuri got his best score of his whole career, and he landed some jumps he had never<\/i> been able to land in a competitive setting, I WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THIS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s got the same problem as before: he can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just immerse himself into the skating. He analyzes every move, anticipates every jump, and thinks about them technically rather than naturally. Still, it was a solid performance. But was it enough? Not for Victor or Yuri. But it was everything<\/i> for Minami, the younger skater that had once beat Yuri in a competition. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s such a cool story for the show to address through Minami because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also <\/i>an important part of Yuri\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s growth as a skater. His work inspires other people, and Minami specifically takes influence from his skating, even if Yuri doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t enjoy it. But Yuri is so lost in criticizing himself and trying to impress Victor that he dismisses Minami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s excitement, offending him in the process.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s more than just him being offensive, though. Yuri is part of a community that makes up other skaters; other coaches; fans; judges; friends and families. And when he ignores those elements, when he thinks only about himself, how can he ever truly be a good figure skater? How can he consider himself as a part of this world?<\/p>\n

When Yuri accepts his place, he transforms<\/i>. Not only does he make Minami\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s day, but his free skate is INCREDIBLE. He becomes himself, and he gives himself over to the theme, to Victor (JUST KIDDING, GOTTA SCREAM ABOUT THAT, HE LITERALLY FLUNG HIMSELF AT VICTOR), and to the entire performance. He is more fluid. More natural. And yes, he messes up a few times, but as a whole? Yuri finds that spark he was missing.<\/p>\n

Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL, I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T WAIT FOR THE NEXT COMPETITION.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Face Beet-Red!! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the First Competition! The Chugoku, Shikoku, and Kyushu Championship\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":"