My turn for the Owl’s Blog Tour. This month the topic is “flight” and we are interpreting it with the very popular anime Yuri on Ice.

Flight: An individual takes flight when there is a goal, a dream, or an ambition that he or she wants to achieve. However, for this blog tour, we are going to look at “flight” in different lenses: the underdog’s dream, the possibilities Yuri on Ice allows viewers to think about, and also the dangers of greed and ignorance that can influence one’s dream.

Naja B. – Nice Job Breaking it, Hero just posted before me, please check that out.

https://bakphoontyphoon.wordpress.com/2017/02/20/owls-blog-tour-were-all-pork-cutlet-bowls-the-relatability-of-the-underdogs-dream-in-yuri-on-ice/

Now my approach to Yuri on Ice will be Individuality.

Individuality: the quality or character of a particular person or being that distinguishes them from others of the same kind, especially when strongly marked.

I’ve chosen individuality because in YOI there were many characters competing in the Grand Prix Final but they all needed something special to stand out. This can be related to real life situations, from school, to work and to life itself. What can you do that can help you stand out and help identify your own individuality.

We will look at some of my favorite skaters and see what set them apart from the others.

YURI KATSUKI 23 – JAPAN

Yuri started skating at a very young age. He was not a prodigy but was a really good skater due to his rigorous training. Yuri was faced with defeat when he lost his first Grand Prix. He always succumbs to pressure which causes him to mess up at important points of his routine.
After his leave of absence from skating he is brought back into skating because of his idol Victor Nikiforov. Victor sees a video online of Yuri almost perfectly replicating one of his winning routines. He decides to coach him.

After some time with Victor and training to get in shape again for skating, Victor creates a routine for Yuri called Eros. This routine was about being sexy. Yuri knew he was not the sexy kind of guy so he had to step out his comfort zone and make this routine his own. After acing this routine Yuri decided he was going to win the Grand Prix with Love.

INDIVIDUALITY

Love was Yuri’s way for him to try and win the Grand Prix. He created something he knew that will set him apart from the other skaters. We watched Yuri embrace his routine and felt the love as he gracefully skated across the ice. The love really showed whether it was because of the love he felt from the crowd or the love he and Victor had. But you knew it was there.

YURI PLISETSKY 15 – RUSSIA

Yuri P is a 15 year old skating prodigy. He and Victor are rink mates. After competing against Yuri K for Victor to be his coach and lost, Yuri P decided to take things into his own hands and work extra hard to beat Yuri K in the Grand Prix and make Victor regret not picking him.

INDIVIDUALITY

Yuri’s style of skating was probably the most graceful of them all. When he skates you get lost in his gracefulness. It’s as if he is hypnotizing you. Being known as the Russian punk because of his bad ass attitude he completely transforms into dancing fairy on the ice. That is why he is ranks high with scoring.

JEAN- JACQUES LEROY (JJ) 19 – CANADA

JJ comes from a family of skaters. His parents were ice dance champions and now they are his coaches. He is very skilled and vey technical at his skating. He tends to place high in many championships. He can come off very narcissistic at times. But yet he is still a lovable person.

INDIVIDUALITY

JJ definitely stands out with his cheesy gimmicks and outrageous personality. His style is definitely technical and he lands a lot of his jumps. But he definitely adds his cockiness into his performances. But let’s not forget he also skates for his family and the fans from Canada.

CHRISTOPHE GIACOMETTI 25 – SWITZERLAND

Chris always admired Victor ever since he was young. When he became older he begin competing against Victor. He comes in second place to him in the World Championships with a Victor winning his 5th gold medal. When Victor retires he feels there is an empty void there because he won’t have anyone to compete against that is as good as Victor. But his thoughts change once Yuri K starts competing again.

INDIVIDUALITY

Chris is known for his sex appeal and his sexy way of skating. His whole aurora was sex from the movement of his hips to the movement of his arms. The ladies in the audience couldn’t help but scream their heads off. It goes to say sex sells. So you knew when Chris hit that ice it was his time to hypnotize you.

GEORGI POPOVICH 27 – RUSSIA

Now that Victor is retired, Georgi is now considered the best skater in Russia. He is a dedicated student and very efficient.

INDIVIDUALITY

Georgi was dumped by his ice skating girlfriend Anya and he still feels the pain and wants her back. When he skates he gets lost in  his thoughts and dreams of hoping to win Anya back with his skating. He pours his heart into his choreography. In once scene you see him cry. Out of all the skaters he is the most emotional skater and you feel his emotions.

LEO DE LA IGLESIAS 19 – USA

Leo is an Mexian American skater who is super sweet, energetic, and a considerate person. He choreographs his own routines.

INDIVIDUALITY

Leo loves music and with the love of music he creates his own choreopahy. All of his routines are full of originality which stands out from the other skaters. Knowing what fits for him and performing it is probably the best thing about his individuality.

PHICHIT CHULANONT 20 – THAILAND

Phichit was Yuri’s rink mate and college roommate when they stayed in Detroit. Phichit returns to Thailand and trains in the Imperial World ice Rink in Bangkok. Yuri and him finally meet back up at the Grand Prix Final.

INDIVIDUALITY

Phichit is known for his flair. Inspired by the movie ” The King and the Skater” he used the music from the soundtrack and created a fun and energetic performance. Everytime he hit the ice you knew he was going to show you something fun and exciting. He is the most energetic skater of them all.

 

These skaters stood out the most to me due to their unique styles and with their ways to approach the skating world with their own creativity. Answering that question, what makes me stand out from the others? They may not have won the competition but they stuck with what they believed made them stand out.

I will say I can relate to Leo a lot, even though he wasn’t a major character but that he took his own skating and choreographed it himself. He knew what he wanted and was ready to show to the world.

Growing up I’ve had to figure out what makes me different from other people. What made me stand out?! I’ve realized that me being the fun, crazy, party goer, caring and yet responsible person helped me. I took my life and put it in my own hands.

A lot of pressure is put on many teens and people in general to fit a certain norm. To be like your parents, friends or what is on the tv or social media. But does that make you happy? Majority of the time no. Sometimes you just have to step out of your comfort level and just be yourself or do something different like Yuri K did when he performed Eros. He knew he wasn’t the sexy guy but he took it and made it his own.

Not many can say they understand their individuality. But understanding Yuri on Ice and understanding how many of these skaters embrace their individuality can hopefully help many.

hope you enjoyed and please don’t forget to check out the other tours for the month of February.

Feb 24. Hazelyn – Archi-Anime

Feb 27. Takuto – Takuto’s Anime Cafe

If you will like to know more about the Owls and how you can join, please click link below. 😀

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