One winner will be able to take advantage of the new turnip hack and max out their ABD! To enter:
1. Follow @nhblackmarket (that’s us!) on tumblr
2. Like and reblog this post
3. Be a member of the NHBM Discord Server!
Giveaway closes Saturday, August 15 at 11pm EST. Winner must be available to collect within an hour of giveaway end. Good luck, cousin!
There is a lot to unpack in episode 11 of Yuri!!! on Ice. Hardly a moment is wasted and though there is a large focus on the part C portion we have information right from the start that helps us understand this story in regards to Yuuri and Victor. Here is my overly long take on the goings on of episode eleven.
We start the episode with what seems to be an in-world introduction to the GPF contestants. Even on what seems to be an in-world piece of media we see Yuuri and Victor and their relationship all intertwined. The footage from the end of episode seven is used and there is mention over it of the fact that Yuuri’s theme is Love. This is any obvious in-world link showing us that not only do we, as the audience, see the connection of Yuuri and Victor’s relationship to Yuuri’s theme, but that it is also noted by the audience in the show.
We quickly move on to Yuuri on the ice for Eros.
some aggressive feelings about the scene between yuri and victor in the garage when victor fucked up and made yuri cry:
THE DEVELOPMENT IN VICTOR AND YURI’S RELATIONSHIP ISN’T JUST ONE SIDED AND THAT SCENE AND ALL OF VICTOR’S MONOLOGUE IN THIS EPISODE IS MEANT TO SHOW THAT.
from the way victor responds and reacts to yuri, its pretty clear that despite having various lovers in the past, he has no idea what it’s like when you actually, legitimately, seriously love someone like how he loves yuri and how yuri loves him. he’s never had a healthy, happy, loving relationship. he’s never had genuine feelings for someone.
when chris commented that it wasn’t like victor to leave the ice to protect someone, he was right, it’s NOT. if what the show is trying to imply by his actions and what victor says and what other characters say about him is true, then victor is selfish to a degree. he’s self centered. he’s used to people just going along with him, he’s not used to having to think about how his actions affect people who love and care about him. because he’s never had to care back, he’s never wanted to until yuri.
and because he’s a PERSON who’s never experienced this before, he’s going to make mistakes. yuri knows that. he knows that victor is just as clueless as he is because he has such a jaded view of love. while yuri’s love is real and pure and bright from the first minute of it, victor has no idea what he’s doing because loving yuri is so different than any other feeling or relatonship he’s had before. it’s WHY the performance of “stay with me” from the very beginning of the show is more fitting to yuri - a naive man who is first experiencing love, versus victor who gives it too mature a flair, too jaded by his own experiences to capture the real emotion in the song that yuri gets so effortlessly.
all of victor’s efforts to gain yuri’s affection have had a physical element to them if you’ve noticed. he’s not so intune to the emotional dimension of it like how yuri is - which is why he is continually surprised and caught off guard by yuri’s FIRM, EMOTIONAL claims that he just wants victor to stay himself, that he just wants him to believe and have faith in him, that he wants him to stay by his side. victor’s shocked because no one’s EVER said that to him. no one’s ever wanted victor for just victor, and only victor like yuri does.
his proclamation in the episode that he’ll resign from being his coach is a low blow, but that’s the kind of thing that he’s used to - clearly. we don’t know a lot of victor’s past, and i don’t know how much we’ll ever know aside from hints and snippets and what he acts like and others say, but clearly if that’s his first thought then he’s jaded. plain and simple. loving yuri for victor is pure, and unique and a whirlwind of emotions he’s never experienced, just like yuri who has never experienced love before ever. they’re both going to stumble, they’re both going to fuck up but no matter WHAT THEY’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO LOVE AND SUPPORT EACH OTHER.
when victor realized his mistake, he apologized. immediately. there was no hesitation. there was no trying to create an excuse for his actions. he immediately realized he hurt yuri, something he never wants to do and apologized for it. and yuri knows. and accepts that victor has faults but still loves him just like victor still loves him and all of his.
JUST IDK MAN. THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS SO HEALTHY AND BEAUTIFUL AND I JUST. DON’T TRY TO CONSTRUE THIS SCENE TO MAKE VICTOR THE BAD GUY BECAUSE THAT’S NOT THE POINT.
THE POINT IS THAT IN A RELATIONSHIP SOMETIMES YOU’RE GOING TO FUCK UP. BUT IF YOU CARE AND REALIZE YOUR MISTAKES AND LISTEN TO YOUR PARTNER, YOU CAN DO BETTER IN THE FUTURE. YOU CAN DEEPEN YOUR RELATIONSHIP. THEY TALKED ABOUT THIS SITUATION LIKE ADULTS INSTEAD OF JUST GETTING EMOTIONAL AND SLAMMING DOORS AND THIS IS SO IMPORTANT TO ME.
so my obsessed ass was watching the ed for the nth time today. and here’s some major takeaways:
Since episode 02 I’ve had some issues with the way Yuuri is supported, and after watching a few more episodes and discussing it, I feel like I can now make a post on it.
To summarize: Yuuri’s family and friends support him, but not the way he needs. While Yuuri has people that honestly support and help him through and through, the way they do it, due to the issues Yuuri already had, has flaws that I believe impacted Yuuri’s career. And Viktor’s support is different, thus he’s flourishing under it.
To elaborate:
I need to say something to the skeptics out there, the ones who are annoyed with YoI, the ones who believe it’s yaoi trash.
Yuri on Ice is quite literally revolutionary so far. It is a big deal. We’re not screaming over some spineless fanservice or some homoerotic subtext. You’ve probably seen the screenshots and gifs out of context and thought, ‘wow, that looks pretty gay.’
This is an anime that is not labeled as yaoi- meaning, it is not basic, heteronormative fanservice intended for women with problematic themes. It is not shounen-ai, where it simply teases the watcher for hints of homosexuality but never actually goes through with any of it.
Of course, there is fanservice- butt shots, body shots, what have you- that is skillfully placed in with the rest of the story.
But so far, this show is not queerbaiting.
So far, only three episodes in, Yuri on Ice has been smashing anime stereotypes one after another.
This is unlike we’ve seen in Sports anime. This is almost comparable to No. 6; an anime with a solid, well-done plot that so happens to have a gay romance rather than a straight one. However, Yuri on Ice isn’t just that. There is no doubt this show is one about sexual awakening. That much was painfully clear throughout episode 3.
Not only is it unique that this show is about sexual awakening, but it is between two men. It is very real, very blatant, and not made fun of. It is not a joke. It is not a facade to draw the fangirls in. This is real.
The amount of proof for this is outstanding. The ending song is a great example, from the lyrics to the pictures shown.
‘You’re so beautiful tonight
I was simply entranced
Even the hourglass was
C’mon and take my breath away’
And, as pointed out in previous posts, the act of combing one’s hair is an intimate act between lovers in Japan. That was focused on in the ending sequence of instagram posts.
In episode 3 alone, there was the significant dialogue of Yuri as he skated about how he found his eros in embracing his femininity. That was not made fun of in any way- it was accepted as the right thing, and Yuri felt more comfortable being ‘the woman seducing the playboy,’ the playboy being Victor. If you had any doubt about who the playboy was, Victor’s whistle was a skillful and clever way to give that away all too obviously.
If you haven’t watched Yuri on Ice yet because you believe it’s all fanservice, because you think it is like Free, or Hibike! Euphonium- you are wrong. Both of those shows, while absolutely beautiful and I personally enjoy them both, are constantly skirting around homosexuality. They do everything to imply romantic attraction, but do not actually take the next step. They tease, but don’t give. And this show is not like Haikyuu or any other sports anime, where you can easily see the bonds in the show as platonic or romantic (depending on how you want to think about it).
No, this show is gay, whether you like it or not. You can deny many anime of being gay, as being something only the fangirls are seeing for their shipping desires, but you cannot deny this one.
This is representation, and by god, I hope this show continues to do what it’s doing. If nothing comes of Victor and Yuri’s relationship, this show will still make history as the biggest queerbaiting flop ever seen. And, if it continues to do as amazingly as it is, by god will it be hard to beat.
genshinsimpact
