Miracle on Ice #1: Enter the Rink

“Don’t stop us now… We were born to make history.”

With these pop song lyrics, 2016 anime Yuri!!! on Ice made a promise. It would make history by telling the story of a compelling, complex, healthy, happy, and loving romantic relationship between two men, set in a world that treated them as normal.

Now, more than a year after its release, Yuri!!! on Ice is the rare critical and commercial success. Beloved by fans, critically acclaimed, and even popular with figure skaters, the “gay skating anime” is a bona fide global phenomenon that also manages to have a lot to say. It says so much, in fact, that I will be spending the next few blog posts talking about Yuri!!! on Ice and how it shows a world of radical normalcy and unremarkable queerness. Hands down, your questions will be answered.

So, first off, what is all this?

Well, if you haven’t heard from that one weird friend or niece, depending on your age, Yuri!!! on Ice is about figure skater Yuri Katsuki as he goes for the Figure Skating Grand Prix Gold under the wing of legendary figure skater turned coach, Viktor Nikiforov and their ensuing romance. Over the course of its 12 episodes, Yuri!!! on Ice manages to depict a world that I would describe as Radically Normal and Unremarkably Queer.

What’s this Normally Queer Radically Unremarkable thing?

Thank you for asking that specific question, to put it simply:

• Radical Normalcy is hard to define exactly, it’s better shown, but I would say that it is to be accepted and normalized so much that it is everyday, in an extreme way.
• Unremarkable Queerness, like radical normalcy, is hard to define, but I would say it is a total acceptance of queerness, paradoxically rendering it unremarkable.

Why are you doing this?

Because I’m obsessed with this show, and want to prove that my OTP is the best OTP ever.

Really?

Well, no. I’m doing this because I believe that Yuri!!! on Ice is an important show, an important work of art. Yes, because of what it means for representation, and yes because it has a lot to say which we will get to; but also because it’s a story that means something to people, and that makes it worth talking about and exploring. I’m doing this because Yuri!!! on Ice tells an emotionally true story of real and complex love that resonates with people. That makes Yuri!!! on Ice meaningful.

Is Yuri!!! on Ice “world-changing”? I don’t really know, we’re going to have to wait a few years to decide that. What I do know is that media that speaks to people, that resonates with them, that creates emotion ought to be explored and that exploration is a worthy task unto itself. In short I’m doing this because Yuri!!! on Ice makes you feel things, and that’s why Yuri!!! on Ice matters.

So, thank you for coming on this journey with me. Below is our (hopeful) schedule, other topics might get included in the mix and this whole thing might end up even longer. See you next time when we talk about gender ambiguous figure skating costumes, Mulan, and gender expression.

1) Miracle on Ice: Enter the Rink: An introduction.

2) Miracle on Ice: Get You a Man Who Can Perform Both: On gender expression.

3) Miracle on Ice: Blades of Gay: On the expression of sexuality.

4) Miracle on Ice: From Japan With Love: On the show’s healthy, positive, interracial romance.

5) Miracle on Ice: You Are (not) Happy: On The Tragic Queer™, Sexual Angst, and Happiness.

6) Miracle on Ice: A Brave New World?: On the dystopia in utopia.

7) Miracle on Ice: Show Me Yours: On showing, rather than telling theme.

8) Miracle on Ice: Don’t Stop Us Know, We Were Born to Make History: On a post-Yuri!!! on Ice world.

Welcome to the madness! (Source)