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.

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 Β 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. π
I love the way you pointed out all of our favorite skaters and gave a re-run of their bio, personality, and performance during the season. It just makes me so sad that it’s OVER ;_; Individuality is something that we all strive for. Some reach it quickly, others like Yuuri take their time. It all depends on the experiences we go through and the wonderful people we meet along the way. Nice job!
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I agree some take longer than others to find themselves. Thanks so much for reading πππ
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This was a great post, outlining all of the unique personalities of all of the characters. What is great about YOI is that none of the characters feel like carbon copies or cliches, the way some characters do in other anime. I am glad that you gave attention to the side characters because, even if they didn’t get a lot of screen time, they all has something to contribute to the show.
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Glad you enjoyed the post. I hope they play more on the other characters in the second season.
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One of my favorite things about this show is that every character was unique and likable in their own way. Each had a quirk that made them stand out. There was no character you were meant to hate, you wanted all of them to do well, since they all shared the same passion, You made great points!
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Thanks so much. I agree, each character was likable.
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Great Post!! Loved it, the cast of YOI was so diverse and each one was loveable in their own right!!
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Yay thank you! Yes all very diverse in their own way.
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I agree
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This is was pretty awesome to read. YOI has a lot of diverse characters. It’s interesting to see where did they come from and where did they get drive to skate. They maybe different but thye all have one thing in common: they love to skate.
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Exactly. Skating is what they all loved
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Yeah. Doesn’t matter where they come from, they both enjoy skating. This anime looks like they do an excellent job on the characters.
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Yeah they do!
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Hopefully this anime gets a second season.
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Good job on your tour post, Stephanie! Also good job on highlighting what makes these great characters stand out and then connecting the topic to your own experiences as a teen. Ah, the teenage years. It’s a very volatile period since we were still finding who we are and who we wanted to be during that time. And you’re right, all the pressure from other people’s expectations of you can really overwhelm a teen. But it’s also a good time to explore and to test the limits. Once again, good job. Cheers!
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Yayyy thank you! I was freaking out at first. But glad you approve haha
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OMG! I love this post! You did an excellent job talking about each of the skaters and how they stand out from one another!! My favorite will always be Leo, and it’s a shame he didn’t get more screen time… But, each of the skaters definitely leave a lasting impression on the viewer!!
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Thanks sooo much. I agree Leo needs more screen time. I feel like he can be a major character
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