What Happened to Yuri on Ice? | Video Essay 

[UPDATE/EDIT 4/19/24: The official Yuri on Ice PR account has announced the movie has officially been canceled by MAPPA and the production committee “due to various circumstances”. While this isn’t all that surprising, having this outcome after such a long wait is heartbreaking nonetheless. I really wish Kubo-sensei and Yamamoto-sensei the best with their future creative endeavors. As for all my fellow fans, please take care and remember nobody can take away your fond memories with the series. Yuri on Ice, you will always be a history maker 🫶] First of all, thank you for watching!! This video is gaining more traction lately, so I just want to clarify that I am not putting all the blame on the studio for why we don’t have the movie. I'm not really trying to point fingers (except towards their working conditions lol), I just wanted to explain the journey that this IP has taken, and how loud the silence has been. Anime production is very complicated and we'll never be fully privy to all the workings behind the scenes. Production committees are very complex and and while Yuri on Ice IS an original of the studio, it's hard to know just how much pull they have on the committee as a whole when the committee is often a handful of companies/investors. They were not going to see as much money as AVEX or others on the committee, however that money had to go into someone's pockets so it is still strange that the IP has been in silence for years. While I have been sad about it like any other fan, I also think it's equally as interesting which is why I wanted to make a video about its history!

I came here after learning about the cancellation of Ice Adolescence and this video made me cry.

Who's here after the movie got canceled 😞

Jesus sometimes I forget how long it's really been. Like jesus christ it's been 7 years. 7 Y E A R S. and the fan base is still as in love with this show as ever. I feel like it's getting BIGGER by the day even

One thing you are missing is the fact that Japanese fandom reacted badly about the movie plot announcement. Cause the movie would be about Victor's past before he met Yuri and people weren't happy with the idea that Yuri wouldn't be a main character in the story. This outrage caused a delay in the script and made the authors carry a lot of stress while sorting things out. Specially at the beginning. Idk if they still have issues with the script but it's certainly not the only difficult that movie has gone through (feels like it's kinda cursed)

and now you have mappa basically being a shounen factory. not a single passion project coming from them, their staff being sent to a early grave from overwork, and the ceo saying YOI didnt gave them enough money. i'm completely done with that studio.

i'm gonna hold out hope until 2026; that year will have the next winter olympics and also yuri on ice's 10 year anniversary. if it doesn't happen by then, i think it's safe to say that MAPPA has pretty much dropped it in favour of all of the other huge projects they have.

This hits…Different after that recent announcement from MAPPA

YOI was my first anime and opened the door to many others. It also gave me Yuzuru Hanyu. It makes me sad thinking those 12 eps is all we'll ever get, but alas....that's likely the case. I don't care, my posters are stayin up on my walls.

Honestly I always think about how the fourth Evangelion movie took almost 10 years to release despite the fact that it was a much more famous franchise. Ice Adolescence will come out I fully believe it, maybe not this year, but hey we've still got a few more years before we reach that 9 year mark so who knows.

I’m surprised and glad people are still talking about it, just disappointed it still isn’t out 😔

Just rewatched Yuri on ice again for the first time this year and I must say, this anime will forever be my favorite and my top comfort anime. I have massive pride into saying that because it’s an original work and those 12 episodes is literally all that we have. I’m certainly disappointed in MAPPA for potentially dropping an awe-inspiring project for the sake of money-making projects, but I feel like there are more complex works at hand (executives pushing for these productions more than others). I still have hope that we will get a movie or something at any point in time. I know the Yuri on ice fandom is not dead and for now, we’ll continue to wait until it’s time for us to see the light again.

It’s such a bummer seeing MAPPAs official reason for not finishing Ice Adolescence is because the lack of funds. Even seeing the stats in this video of how successful YOI and how it made so much more than was expected really really sucks. It feels like they just got burnt out, gave up, or never had a complete idea to begin with. The representation in this show inspired me from the second I first watched and I’ll always hold out hope for this movie or even a season 2 as long as I live. I just wish it would come sooner than later

I am here for the cutting edge hard hitting investigation

One thing I'd like to note and that is very important: usually anime featuring queer romances are labled as BL or GL, Yuri on Ice was only labled as "sports anime" at the begining, it's the first anime, possibly in history to have been relabled as BL post-start of release (the following shows you have mentioned, including Banana Fish, have been adapted from BL and were always labled as such, but the audiences they reached was much wider due to yoi existing. An anime that actually walks whithin the footsteps of yoi, to the point where they made something of a reference to the kiss scene, would be Sk8 The Infinity though they played with the themes less explicitly, but also Stars Align, who features open discussions of queerness, being the first anime I've ever seen refering to the term "X gender", which is the jp equivalent to nonbinary, and who got sidelined as well) and it's huuge, because BL often got relegated to unpopular TV- timeslots and were never animated by big studios because queerness was seen as taboo or fetishistic by nature.

ITA OFFICIALLY CANCELED YALL :,(

Oh my this made me sad... but thank you for making the video! Something that wasn't touched upon and I feel it's a big possibility is that Mappa are hesitant on releasing the movie since it's about Viktor, who is Russian, and it's been a very tense time for a while now what with the doping scandal at the 2022 Olys > the war on Ukraine > the country being currently barred from international FS competitions. I can't see it being released without backlash, at least not any time soon

For me, YOI is filled with so much love. Obviously, it's a major theme in the story, not just the love between Yuri and Victor, but also self-love, love for life, ice skating, friends and family. But also it's obvious how much love was poured into its creation. Not just the perfectly-crafted story and characters, but to produce ORIGINAL choreography and music for an anime? That is next-level dedication and something very, very special that will last for ages. It's the type of spirit that classics are made with. I loved it the first time I watched it, and the queer representation was also so so precious to me. And watching your video and learning about MAPPA's roots and the YOI fandom taught me that YOI is even more loved than I thought! I rewatched YOI recently, and I got hooked on it all over again. Honestly, it is a beautiful, self-contained story to me that I'll be happy to watch over and over even without a continuation. But of course I'll take it if there's one! 💗

This is one of those biggest mystery I think about at 3 am. Not only Mappa hasn't said anything about the movie, but there was never a season 2 or anything new about this show. It's so weird.

As someone who joined the fandom in late 2020, I really appreciate this video

Aaaand it's over. JUST five hours ago they announced that the movie isn't coming out, ever. They canceled the production. :( I guess I am not too surprised, even though I never even knew how many things - like the merch and Kubo sensei herself - disappeared, _because_ the fandom (or at least the part I was in) has always been so loud and active and wonderful. I've been rewatching the anime every year like I do with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that's how massive of an impact it had on me (and my now fiancée with whom we sort of see ourselves in Yuuri and Viktor, and always will, a little bit). Nevermind though how we are not getting a movie but it is in fact very strange how they just stopped with the merch and.... Kubo has that crying pfp... Times changed and we changed and (hopefully) grew up a little since then but eh, it still breaks my heart a little :')

i just finished watching this whole series in 2 days. 2 days, my mind was full of victor and yuri and all the other characters. had i gotten spoilers? yep, i did. was i still surprised when things like the kiss happened? i was. this show is absolutely incredible in its own way. the animation is gorgeous, the soundtrack is stunning, and don’t even get me started on the opening. besides this, there is a lot of lgbtq+ representation, obviously with victor and yuuri. i can’t really say i can relate to this particular aspect, as i am straight, but i have lots of people i love that i know would be extremely happy to see the sort of relationship the two have besides me. this series is absolutely phenomenal, and i wish i discovered it sooner. i pray to god that they will pick up this series again during my lifetime - it’s that amazing. i don’t have much hope, however, as mappa is working on hell’s paradise season 2, a chainsaw man movie, and much more, right after they just finished jjk season 2. hey from 2024, 8 years after yuri on ice first premiered. this show was born to make history.

I absolutely ADORE your videos my goodness!! I really miss Yuri -- I remember the anticipation every week for a new episode and having literally the entire internet talking about the episode for the whole week leading up to the next episode. After the last episode aired, a lot of fans in Japan were using the #ユーリロス (read "yuuri-rosu") tag to share how much of a loss they felt with the show over. Sad to think we've been in that state for SEVEN years now... Hoping that videos like yours get the production ball rolling again! In the meantime, time to watch the entire season again!!

When YOI will have 1000 fans, I will be one of them When YOI will have 100 fans, I will be one of them When YOI will have 10 fans, I will be one of them When YOI will have 1 fan, that's gonna be me When YOI will have no fans, that would mean I'm no longer alive But I probably will even resurrect from the dead to see Ice Adolescence if it ever comes out 🥲 P.S. The "See you next level" ending got me too emotional 😭

Honestly, I'm fine with just letting the story end with the last episode. I would be ecstatic if the movie came out, but I don't feel dissatisfied with what we got.

The other day I watched Yuri on Ice for the first time and what I would give to watch it for the first time again... I'm glad I found this video by accident, since I never have been big on social media so I didn't know about basically anything you mentioned so this was informative and leaves me some hope that maybe Yuri on Ice may return one day, and I'm also willing to wait. Genuinely a great anime and considering when it was released, I was surprised by how bold some scenes were.

I just discovered YOI this weekend thanks to a friend and I’m beyond shocked that it was the most awarded anime the year it premiered and it never got a second season and the movie is being held captive. No words and shock is the least of my emotions. YOI has easily now in my top 3 animes (if not now my TOP 1 anime of all time) and I cannot believe it’s not treated by Mappa how it should be treated…mostly, the fandom has been thrown away into the abyss with no new merch and recognition.

Nooo you can't add the themesong at the end im gonna start crying 😭 I can't believe your channel just started out, this analysis is immaculate and I'll be watching your youtube career with great interest!

I remember getting together with my friends in secret to watch the show when it was originally coming out. We were all young teens, excited about the prospect of finally seeing ourselves represented in something. Now, we're all in our 20s, and it's sad to see something we all loved slowly fading away, seemingly due to the studio's incompetence. The show just held so much significance for us all-- it was how several of us had figured out we were queer and even pushed some of us to try to become figure skaters in spite of the fact that we were already "too old" to go anywhere with the sport, especially in the US. I hope that eventually they'll either sell the IP to someone who can get the job done or get their shit together enough to make a second season and/or finally release the movie, that way we can all experience the magic we felt again.

I'm new to the YOI fandom and haven't been totally jaded about new content eventually coming out. I'll hold out hope, buy the official merch from official sources that I can, and interact with every bit of newer YOI content that I can in the hopes that they will give us more content eventually. I would absolutely love to see this movie. 😭 This show has so deeply touched my heart in a way that no other piece of media ever has.

literally been waiting for a movie forever and im sad that it’s not likely to happen 💔

your video bought me closure in a lot of ways, won't lie. Thank you for that

as a fan of YOI since i was 11-12 and am now 18, it really is sad to see how the anime has just kinda faded away into the dust and how MAPPA became the very thing it set out not to be. working conditions in these anime studios should be talked about more. their workers are overrworked, tired and underpaid. I really hope they take better care of their workers with the amount of money they've surely been making from JJK, AOT etc. :/ ANYWAYS, oh YOI how i loved you

Yuri on ice came at a very hard time in my life. It was depressing and the only light in the world for me was YOI ep weekly It might sound like an exaggeration but that was really how i felt back then 😂 So sad to see such great potential be snubbed 😢

It was officially canceled🥲

The recent MAPPA interview made some stirs about how much money YOI made for the studio, but it doesn’t answer fan’s questions about what will happen to it. Will it be left in limbo forever? Even if MAPPA isn’t getting the largest cut of the profits, why has it not been transferred to another studio? Why are Avex, or whomever, not capitalizing on the hype? Why have Yamamoto or Kubo not produced any other works since then?

This is an amazing and accurate video. I never watched anime before YOI, and when I was watching it in 2016, it really did change a lot for me. There was a really close-knit community, and I miss that :( Thanks for this

Well, MAPPA has a lot of time released a trailer, disappeared and 3 years later announced an anime for it, so we can still cope I hope. But I remember in a conference some time this year MAPPA said some thing like, we didn't profit that much from YOI, which is a big ass lie. Comparing to today's marker, that number could be not as profitable as some other series like JK or CM, but in 2017 they made that much. Imagine how much they would just gain when releasing Ice Adolescence... But then again, after releasing YOI and Banana Fish, MAPPA hardly released anything like that anymore, so to be honest everything is just so hard so say... Well it was good while it lasted I guess, but I hope to stay in this fandom for as long as I could lol it introduced me to so many great things as a teenage and still impacts and motivates me so much till now

i was one of those people who watched the last few episodes when they came out. all these years later, and I still miss it.

Thank you for making this video!! I am still dreaming of Ice Adolescence and season 2...

everything about it is heartbreaking :( was late to the party originally, not actually watching it until like 2020? but i kept checking the ice adolescence website regularly to see if there was anything happening. i hope it gets revived one day

Damn, YOI really did a Nezumi and just left us to go get milk and cigs.

I don't think we are going to get the movie or a season 2😢😢😢😢😢😢.

i miss them so bad

I'm so glad I found your channel.

I think I speak for most, if not all if the fans that what we need is clear information, because if the movie is canned is sad but it will help in the long run. Because not knowing anything is what hurts the fandom

I really miss Yuri!!! On Ice. I joined the fandom for almost 3 years now. By watching this video, I see different perspective from just being a fan to the production... I really appreciate this video. ❤❤❤

now it is 2024 but I hope that one day I can see them again :< Miss them too much

Great video! Very sombering to watch, but it reminded me of all the good times that have been had. I'm personally at the point where I almost wish, in a giant twist of ironies, that a different studio would rescue YOI from MAPPA :' ) but we shall see one day, hopefully, or at least find out what happened

I joined the YOI fandom in November 2022 and since then, it’s been my comfort anime. I don’t even know how much times I’ve watched it. It makes me sad knowing that we’ll probably never get to see them animated again and it’s an anime original, which means we have no way of knowing the rest of their story. None the less, I still have hope that it’ll come back.

thanks to this anime, I could enter to the sport and the thing i've ever loved the most, figure skating.

I feel like theyre just waiting for people to forget, unfortunately

Honestly, I'm not sure why Mappa keeps the IP if their not going to finish what they started. There's no shame in handing over the production to another studio and just calling a joint production. If Mappa really is all about the money, I hope they realize what a big mistake their making by not producing this movie. YOI fans are silently ravenous for any type of substances they can get their hands on. I'm kinda worried YOI is going to become the new OHSHC, another fandom I'm in that were let down. Only difference is, WE DIDN'T EVEN GET A KISS

Let's pray for an announcement for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy! or the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris!

I used to hate skating. Back in 2017 i was in an ice rink with my class. I was bad at skating but it was okay for me. The rink looked like there was a big part and in left and right there was a chennel. And I went to the corner of one of these chennel it was very painful and that was the point where i said i hate this sport. Until i saw yuri on ice. I watched it because i tought it will be a boring yaoi anime. But when i watched it i shoked that was the best anime what i saw and now in 2024 i know everything about figure skating and i watch every event from this sport.

Thank you for making this video and compiling all this info! 🙏 I understand that there are a lot of very complex factors about all of this that need to be considered and I don't know enough about the way the anime industry works to judge all the events properly, so I don't. But what I will say is that I'm disappointed about the way that Mappa handled the communication about YOI. To just silently remove them from their upcoming projects on their website and saying nothing about it at all... That's not the right way to handle it and treat the fans, in my opinion. They could have done that differently and I really hope they realize this and at least update the official Ice Adolescence website at some point in the future. I mean, the fandom is definitely still very active! There's still artwork being made, there's still fanfiction being written and posted all over the internet from so many fans across the whole world. Merch is still being bought when available. YOI does have a lasting impact on so many people, including myself. It was a passion project and it was made with so much love and attention to detail. It's an important representation for queer people, especially because Yuuri and Victor's relationship is portrayed in such a calm, not overly excited way. Like... Of course it's a big thing that we got this representation in what was first labeled as a sports anime instead of yaoi, but at the same time their relationship is just shown as something completely normal, nothing out of the ordinary. Because that's exactly what it is. Queer relationships are normal and natural and the show doesn't make a huge deal out of it, which I love. Of course Phichit and Yuuri's family and friends hype them up when their relationship becomes more apparent, but they would have done the same and been just as excited for them, if they were a straight couple. (I hope you know what I mean by this, I tried to explain the best I could. English isn't my first language...) It's a comfort story for many, many people and I absolutely adore it to this day. 💕💙✨ Since there is still an active fanbase that gets incredibly excited for any kind of news or merch that's still being released, Mappa doesn't want to get rid of the licenses, at least that's my guess... But it would be great to see another studio take over and actually make Ice Adolescence and possibly even a second season, even though I do agree that the anime has a good ending as it is right now and it's nice to make up your own story for what happens after that. Well anyways... That was a long comment. Basically, I just love YOI the way it is, I love it's fandom and the amazing art that is made by the fans to this day will be made in the future and I also would love for the story to continue one day. 🥹

Merch needs to be produced again and we need a new studio other than mappa... I am insanely surprised that there arent any improvements at the moment. I was expecting that figure skating community would push for its production because it has been the best thing ever happened to figure skating community. Yuzuru Hanyu should help us!!

Yah Im still crying.

Honestly, I think the movie was canceled but we’re never being told that’s what it seems like at this point

I feel about this a little like I do with アリスとテレスのまぼろし工場. 2 years after the first trailer we suddenly get a 2nd one. (and judging by the quality improvement I'm not sad about waiting.) So here is to hope and "you know, that's a MAPPA thing. It will come."

Yuri On Ice came out when I was in Middle School. I was 12/13 years old, and it was everything to me. I had just realized I was bisexual(and would eventually realize I'm also genderfluid), but was also surrounded by conservative views, and was beginning to harbor those views. Seeing Yuri On Ice while it was airing changed a lot for me and how I viewed the world, and myself. Recently, I rewatched it with a friend who had never seen it. Although there were some... questionable scenes regarding a certain Italian skater, it really held up to how I remembered it. My friend loved it a lot, and of course, the day after we finished, the movie was canceled. She was devastated, I kind of expected it, but yeah. Amazing video :)

wonderful video

still upset we didnt get more or what we were promised so long ago but i still love the show dearly it was one of the first things that got me into anime ( even tho im still not very into anime i gave it a chance because of YOI ) and while we may never get a sequel or movie i still have hope that maybe its still in progress, and i will hold onto that hope till i die.

need the studio to see this and realize their impact >.

10:46 not that important but ryuichi kihara was world champion pair skater with his partner miura last may (2023 world champs) :DDD

Honestly with the new invoice system, which is going to cause an issue in anime already. Plus the fact that the pandemic impacted this. I highly doubt that it’s gonna come out ever. Which is unfortunate. I’ve literally put off watching the last two episodes since I started the series in 2019, because I know once I watch them it’s over 😭

Honestly, I somehow don't think we will get the movie :( We've been waiting for so long, and no matter what exactly now was/is the reason for it's extreme delay, after all this time it's rediculous to keep us all on hold. We've got a mini teaser and a Picture of the whole thing - that's about it. It really disappoints me a lot, because back then when YoI came out it changed a LOT for me in my personal life, it made such an impact on my choices, my hobbies, how I look on life and the way I changed it ever since for the better. I was hoping for so long, even the teaser was released years ago, but ever since that - nothing. I'm so upset about it's literal disappearance🙁 I think it would be kinder of MAPPA to tell us they dropped it and don't work on it anymore instead of posting a single pictue or 50 seconds of video material every couple years... Whatever the outcome might be one day, Yuri on Ice will remain deep down in my heart 🥲❤

If they aren't going to do anything with it anymore, I'll gladly learn how to animate and try to bring it back ^^

This is amazing 🤩

I just watched the series. And it was amazing

Good research and roundup in this video! Seeing the dates lined up gave me massive backlash, how the hell has it been that long?? One thing worth noting is that Mappa very clearly made their mark on the industry on the backs of gay/gaybaiting stories: YoI, Kids on the Slope, Banana Fish. I don't think this is a coincidence. Fans of this type of work knew how rare it was and they invested their money significantly in order to prop up this studio that felt like it represented their interests. For them to know become churners of the shonen machine is, maybe predictable, but still disappointing.

The fact I was 5 when this masterpiece dropped 😭✋

I still can't believe I wrote a DnD campaign with Victor and Yurri as Dukes and with Yurio as their adopted son just over three years ago... I was thirteen and adored this anime as my introduction to anime. I'm so sad that it hasn't gotten a season two. It will forever be a peice of my childhood, and will hold my heart for eternity, as my introduction to anime. It opened my eyes and soul to anime that I continue to love.

This is where I'll directing people who say " obvioislythey didn't have enough confidence it would make money, based off of sales from the first season" 🙃

I am choking on my tears

This still makes me so sad. Bring it back!!!!!

Studio MAPPA decided to make every other anime in existence than make a Season 2 of Yuri On Ice.

Yuri On Ice was my first anime and my first popper exposure to fandom culture (like I was fans of things that has large fandoms but never really engaged like I did with Yuri On Ice. I have a lot to thank that anime for. And hey, if FNAF can get a movie after 8 years I hope YOI can too

The kaleido Star 2003. But in versión ice skating.

CRYING I MISS THEM

It wasn't the last update 😢😢😢😢😢😢

As someone who didn't find Yuri on Ice until this summer... I haven't completely lost all hope. But... yeah. It's not looking good. My last hope would b 2026 for the winter Olympics then, as that would mark 10 years of Yuri on Ice. Which might be an interesting way of doing it... but I doubt it, even as I write this comment.

I really really love this anime I litreally watched it like 9 times.I was so exited when they announced the movie.Still waiting for the movie

this video is so bittersweet :

Me: literally crying when you say that you don’t know if it will slow down 🥹🥹😢😢☹️☹️☹️

I will be delusional forever 🤞

will welcome to the ballroom have a second season please someone reply😢😢

YESSSS❤😢😢😢😢😢

Hello, my name is Bekken. I recently watched the show known as "Yuri on Ice," and I would like to discuss it on my podcast, "I.G.A.S." (Individual Games and Stories). I've been wanting to talk about an anime for some time now. I am in need of a guest to discuss this outstanding show. It's just a podcast, nothing overly extraordinary, but I would be honored if you were interested in joining me for a conversation about the series

This anime legit depicts YUZURU HANYU❤. Why no one talks about all obvious clues and similarities? I’m only wondering who Victor could be in real life🫠

Is it just me or was the ending of this video So sad I cried 🥲

I heard it went from 2023 to 2025 for season 2 to release but i feel like it wont happen either :(

The movie is coming.

Yuri on Ice was no joke my gay awakening I will never forget it

Can someone please tell me what the water scenes at 17:40 are from?

Really really beautiful video, thank you so much for taking the time to go through each point so well. As someone else stated, maybe it is something to do with the state of russia right now. Putting my love wishes into the world for this show and team.

Im still waiting for the movie second IM STILL ALIVE 🤩

The movie has been cancelled😭💔 You're going to fall Mappa

Like they keep posting…

is it possible that mappa is still silent about the movie because of russia-Ukraine war? they still will tell a story about russian skater and public can not like it :/