Season 2 of Yuri On Ice is one of most anticipated sequels to the immensely popular Japanese anime in the new year. Chances of a YOI sequel in 2017 are quite high based on a number of factors.
Yuri On Ice continues to win the hearts and minds of anime fans across the world even after ending its first season. Apart from the show’s continued popularity and the phenomenal sales of DVDs, even 2018 Winter Olympics favorites have expressed their appreciation to the anime series that explores the beautiful yet fiercely competitive world of figure skating, while also portraying a heartwarming connection Yuri experiences with his coach Victor.
Persistent demands and active discussions about the anime haven’t allowed the rumors of Season 2 of Yuri On Ice to die out. In fact, the show’s writer did drop some hints about the possibilities in a rather rare Yuri On Ice English interview. Kubo Sensei was asked, “By the way, we’re in the middle of an incredible figure skating season right now. Do you plan on attending any of this year’s events in person?” In response, Kubo dropped a hint about her desire for YOI Season 2.
“For the rest of this year I’ll be pouring all my energy into Yuri!!! on ICE , but I do plan on cheering for the matches on TV and online! I have a lot of plans in the works with the director for next year… including the wish to create a sequel. So I’m doing my best and working hard for that reason!”
While a single statement, plucked from a Japanese magazine , might not be conclusive enough to indicate Season 2 of Yuri On Ice is in the pipeline , a few more references do add credence to the possibility of a sequel being discussed, if not being produced just yet.
In a recent interview with Spoon 21 , Toyonaga Toshiyuki, the famous Japanese voice actor, actor, singer and songwriter, who voices the lead protagonist of Yuri On Ice , Yuri Katsuki, revealed that the show’s writer, Mitsuro Kubo, had said that she had some ideas for “new content.”
Yuri On Ice ran for merely 12 episodes. In this brief time period, the creators of the anime have inserted a lot a backstory and also revealed the beautiful chemistry that Yuri and Victor share, apart from exploring competitive rivalry between Yuri and Yurio. However, the world of competitive skating is quite huge. Yuri On Ice may deal with just the Grand Prix Final, but skating season extends way beyond the event.
Now that Yuri is finally able to see himself as a confident figure skater who is worthy of winning the gold and has a dedicated coach who truly believes in the former’s abilities, the two could move on to bigger events like Nationals, European Championships, the Four Continents, and Worlds. Kubo could also skip directly to next season’s Grand Prix series and fans would still love to watch Yuri On Ice because the emotional connection, and perhaps a physical as well, has been established between Yuri and Victor.
If that’s not all, Victor has already made an emotional plea to Yuri, asking him to keep on skating and see a world beyond the Grand Prix series. Hence the series has a lot of unexplored skating competitions and venues. Not to mention, the series is clearly inspired by real-life figure skaters and competitions. In fact, quite a few of the favorites for the 2018 Winter Olympics have been singing the praises of Yuri On Ice , reported Anime News Network .
Even as the Season 1 of Yuri On Ice wound up, the creators had barely begun to scratch the surface of a complex, messy, and yet beautiful relationship between Victor and Yuri. Additionally, Kubo has created a plethora of other characters, but their stories remain untold. Moreover, since Yuri and Yurio essentially want the same coach, Season 2 could easily explore the rather tumultuous relationship between Yuri and Yurio.
[Featured Image by Mitsur? Kubo/ Yuri!!! On Ice ]