Imagine holding on for the longest time, then suddenly, all that waiting gets you nothing. Yeah, that’s how ‘Yuri!!! on Ice’ fans are feeling right now.
As of April 2024, the originally planned ‘Yuri!!! on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence’ film has been canceled and shelved. This was announced on the film’s official website, along with a statement from the production team and anime studio MAPPA, stating that the decision was made following internal discussions between the committee and staff, citing “various circumstances.”
「ユーリ!!! on ICE 劇場版 : ICE ADOLESCENCE」
製作中止のお知らせ“YURI!!! on ICE the movie : ICE ADOLESCENCE” Cancellation Notice#yurionice pic.twitter.com/3ykLBgsvoB
— TVアニメ「ユーリ!!! on ICE」 (@yurionice_PR) April 19, 2024
‘Yuri!!! on Ice’ is a Japanese sports anime about figure skating, centering on Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki, his Russian coach Viktor Nikiforov, and his Russian rival Yuri Plisetsky. The anime follows Yuri’s career as a figure skater—from his defeat in the Grand Prix Final, his journey of improving himself under the tutelage of the Russian figure skating champion Viktor Nikiforov, up to his silver-medal finish at the Grand Prix Final in Barcelona.
The anime was received positively by the figure skating community, even from famous figure skaters Evgenia Medvedeva (2016 World Champion), Masato Kimura, Johnny Weir, Evgeni Plushenko, among many others. The anime’s last episode also had cameo appearances from figure skaters Nobunari Oda and Stéphane Lambiel.
Apart from the recognition it received from figure skating professionals, the anime’s storyline was also noted for its portrayal of LGBTQIA+ relationships, as well as its portrayal of anxiety, overall direction, and diversity.
Brandon Teteruck from Crunchyroll said, “Yamamoto is subtly crafting a work that embraces diversity and cultural acceptance,” applauding how the characters also had their own back stories and characterization. In the same article, Teteruck also noted on how the anime also disregards traditions and norms.
“Yamamoto subverts traditional representations of gender, sexuality, and nationality,” and also cited one example from the anime, where the Thai skater Phicit Chulanont had skated to a piece reminiscent of the “King and I”, where two variations of it had been banned in the country.
Johnny Weir, a two-time Olympian, and a retired figure skater, had said in an interview back in 2016, “I broke my rule about one episode per day because I physically could not stop watching.”
‘Yuri!!! on Ice’ is also a multi-awarded anime, garnering 25 awards in different categories in different award shows from 2017 to 2018. The anime is highly popular on the Internet, and during the time of its airing, according to the Kadokawa Ascii Research Laboratories (a trend analytics company), it was the most-tweeted anime of the season with 1,440,596 Tweets.
The plans to create a ‘Yuri!!! on Ice’ movie was announced back in April 2017, with the title being made official the following year. The film was slated for release back in 2019 but had ultimately been delayed “in order to substantially scale up the content more than originally planned.”
Fans were incredibly dismayed following the announcement, and voiced out their reactions on social media.
not exaggerating but yuri on ice literally did change my perspective of life. pic.twitter.com/ABp7VGypRV
— Daily YOI & Vitya❄ (@yoidaily) April 22, 2024
It's been a week since the cancelation announcement… WHY TF HAVEN'T I WOKEN UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE???😭😭😭 @yurionice_PR I BEG YOU PLEASE GIVE US ICE ADOLESCENCE 😭😭😭 https://t.co/qJ7XXUUJI7
— Daily YOI & Vitya❄ (@yoidaily) April 26, 2024
https://t.co/qJ7XXUUJI7 pic.twitter.com/yVzgAkrGrL
— Daily YOI & Vitya❄ (@yoidaily) April 24, 2024
Fifteen million views is crazy. The bag fumbling has never been more apparent https://t.co/f5afrihtGT
— Haro 💐 Cdrama Action (@harocats) April 21, 2024
there are 15.5 million views, there were so many fans waiting for iceado. if the current situation of the world is not suitable for the release of Ice Adolescence we are ready to wait for a few more years but please don't take this away from us fans.😔 https://t.co/qJ7XXUUJI7 pic.twitter.com/n4YuNIT7qK
— Daily YOI & Vitya❄ (@yoidaily) April 26, 2024
8 years later and Yuri on Ice is trending #5 on google once again. “Not profitable” my fucking ass#YurionIce #iceadolescence https://t.co/WddlgAoR5g pic.twitter.com/vfpsq9lhpa
— nova !! (@nobaboba__) April 23, 2024
It was too gay for M**** to handle. https://t.co/ePq0cn1EZy pic.twitter.com/5yrhhiKRuR
— Yoitwt out of context (@oocyoitwt) April 21, 2024
It’s been a week, how are you all feeling about this now? ❤️🩹 https://t.co/HlluPUGitb
— YoI Nation (@YoINation) April 26, 2024
FUCK! I was looking forward for the Yuri!!! on Ice movie! I remember watching the anime back then and I love it. Heck, we got a teaser trailer released a while back and suddenly few years later, they never finish it and cancel it as a whole. This sucks to hear for all of us. 🙁 https://t.co/7gQuT7khmN pic.twitter.com/BOHxhAelBl
— Terry Penguin/SuperMarioFan65 (@AxelGoldfarb1) April 22, 2024
Mappa to your international fans.. This is a huge disappointment.. I hope one day this will restart again.
— OrionOokami オリオン大神🐺🎧🩺 Mental Health Vtuber (@OrionOokami) April 19, 2024
THIS IS A CRIME
— 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐤 ✿ (@milkynoe) April 19, 2024
bro….. pic.twitter.com/0RpX0mc2VL
— ten is currently suffering from ■■ (@rraonmiru) April 19, 2024
This feels like ending a toxic codependent relationship once and for all
— conejo ♡ (@erialighieri) April 19, 2024
Other fans also expressed their anger, stating that the production should have sold the rights to another anime studio, and also called out the censorship behind the scenes.
https://twittercom/blerdgurlwatch1/status/1781166843828334724
Please just sell the rights to another anime studio Mappa PLEASE let us get yuri on ice from someone who actually cares.
— Iris' Puppy Kennel 🐾 (@OwnerIvy) April 19, 2024
FINALLY I can talk about this. I knew it was cancelled years back from industry friends. It wasn’t funding or anything. It was censorship. They couldn’t agree on what to allow so they stalemated until it faded into cancellation.
— AERI 🔞🛸 Alien Vtuber (@aerigomoo) April 19, 2024
Something is going on within MAPPA's headquarters…
— Fine Fictional Men (@FineFictMen) April 19, 2024
7 YEARS!! 7 years waiting and hoping, IN VAIN! You could have said this sooner. This is despicable thing to do to YOI fans. Especially when this series is what put you on the map. (((how dare you!??!!)))
Bring back our wasted 7 years waiting for NOTHING!! pic.twitter.com/pYYHVpCKTa— ᴄᴏɴɴᴏʀ ᴛᴏᴍʙʟᴏᴏᴅ 𖤐™ (@kungpaodickens) April 20, 2024
— 별밥 | Sleep with two eyes open MAPPA. (@xiiaojii) April 19, 2024
Literally Yuri on Ice saved Mappa from the bankruptcy, and they just did this to the movie that everyone has been waiting for so long? 😐 pic.twitter.com/PgEoXe1VxE
— Eiki Millahuinca (@collapsin_red) April 19, 2024
It's super sad that a studio that grew thanks to YOI and is where it is thanks to this wonderful anime throws it away as if it were their studio's worst project. It is disloyal and almost childish to remove from your catalog a project that was going to pay you enough so that
— 리노🩷•• ⚘︎˘ᵕ˘ (@Minhosung8) April 19, 2024
How can an anime that was a huge success all over the world – so much so that Olympic athletes even used the soundtracks at competitions – and that brought a lot of money to the studio simply be cancelled?
— May (@MayH107) April 20, 2024
Lmao, amazing that Yuri on Ice saved a whole studio from bankruptcy just to get pushed aside for shonen animes whose success is based on 50% of fandom shipping BL inside those shonen series. It's so painfully ironic.
— CEO of Ra's ⚔️ (@mistressofvos) April 19, 2024
YOI saved this company. You gave us two teasers. 'Due to various reasons' isn't an explanation. We waited for 8 years, so i wanna read ALL THE REASONS because it doesn't make sense. This movie would have been a colossal success, it'd make history. We deserve ANSWERS!
— Celestin (@celes89celes) April 19, 2024
I do not accept your apologies, nor your excuses. I can't believe that with so many talented people in Japan they can't finish this movie. I'm upset and frustrated. I hoped that another studio would buy the project and make it a reality. YOI always in my heart. Love u ⛸️💙
— Vica (@Karate_Vica7) April 19, 2024
Please just sell the rights of this franchise already.
It's obvious you can't see its value for the fans not it's economic potential no matter how much time passes.
Just sell it to someone who can do that and we all win 👐🏽— Noelia 😂🤣💓🙃😊 |🇦🇷⭐⭐⭐| @ Vanadis / The Island (@_NoVaNoah) April 19, 2024
It really is a shame that MAPPA had cancelled this project. Fans have literally waited for years for a proper announcement, but instead, got a cancellation.
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