I saw the eighth episode and especially liked the seventh episode of "Yuri on Ice".
Episode 7 Yuuri's free skate really touched me. As a player who has always been accustomed to following the pace of others, winning the first place in the short program for the first time, free skating is bound to face greater pressure. What's more, single figure skating is different from other competitive sports. There are no teammates to share the pressure on the huge ice rink. This is a game, and it is a solo dance for each player only once. If you can conquer this ice rink, you are the only protagonist; if you can't, you have to savor the hardships alone.
The free skate was a touchstone, a test of whether Yuuri was worthy of Victor being his own coach. Yuuri's uncontrollable anxiety before the game, because he was burdened with too many expectations from himself and others, or disappointment, he cried for his fear of disappointing the coach. But Yuuri, who was standing on the field, felt relieved. I especially like his free skate inner monologue:
This time, instead of blaming himself for his vulnerability before the game, he slightly blamed the people he trusted for not fully understanding the difference between him and other players, and not accepting his imperfections and shortcomings: even though he was nervous before the game, he stood still. You are the one and only Yuri on ice, don't worry about me.
I think that this time Yuuri has learned to reveal his sincerity to others, and he has truly accepted his own personality that combines vulnerability and strength. He no longer carries as much weight alone as in the past, but entrusts his vulnerable side to those who trust him. , and then removed the tears and went into battle lightly. This trust in others and recognition of himself has made Yuuri's free slip finally free from the shackles and has the lightness of freedom.
Aside from Yuri's mood shift, the one thing that resonated with me so much in this episode was the game mentality of the solo event. Because of my personality, I don't like it very much, and I'm not very good at team-oriented competitive events, such as volleyball and debate. I feel that I never have the desire to fight side by side with my teammates. In contrast, I prefer solo events, because for myself, who is used to relying on others, there is no chance to retreat and buffer, only to be independent and forced to move forward. Like Yuuri, he didn't have a big heart, and it was easy for his heart to thump in the face of important occasions. But it's amazing, as long as I believe in myself before the game, I can play normally, even beyond expectations; but if I don't have this confidence before the game, it's easy to have a game accident. Like Yuuri, we are not naturally self-confident people, and we have strict conditions for our own trust. Because of this, we need to keep working hard to prove that we have this qualification to be trusted through facts.
Yuuri is fortunate to have a coach like him to accompany him in his transformation to a new look. Before meeting Victor, his past figure skating career was a lonely one, and he also actively or passively missed a lot of scenery in his life.
But Victor broke the freewheel. Before Yuuri regained his confidence, Viktor believed in his own potential more than he did, and he finally responded to that confidence with hard work. Some people say that this show is a bit of Jack Su, how can a world number one like Victor be in the saddle for an unknown player, and it feels like a forced "running in both directions". But I feel that this show is more about the power that trust brings to people, that is, the power of "love" that runs through the whole show . Because of being trusted and cared for, Yuuri, who is used to walking alone, has the fetters in his life, the motivation to respond to this feeling, and the magic of Victor's turning a stone into gold. It seems that this feeling cannot be fully covered except "love". Although "love" is a common theme in many episodes, it does show different vitality under different themes and backgrounds.
In fact, in reality, life is like an ice rink, and everyone needs to perform this one-time solo dance well. And life will not be like this episode, where a patron saint is parachuted into the air, and people who can fully trust their potential are probably only themselves except their close relatives. If this has any enlightenment to me, it is to make myself my own coach , to have unreserved trust in myself, to constantly respond to this original intention, and to learn not to abandon the beautiful but useless things in life on the grounds of "necessity" , and one day, we will be able to slide out of the way we want to feel.
Last but not least, the music in this show is so good, Merlin Taro is amazing!
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