01. The figure skater like the protagonist of the Japanese anime
Undoubtedly, since the first ten days of the lunar calendar, the most popular topics in China are mostly related to the Beijing Winter Olympics. On the hot search lists of major social platforms, the Winter Olympics topics account for more than half.
Ice and snow athletes from all over the world gathered together to learn from each other and challenge the limits of human physical fitness. However, since it is a competition, there will naturally be winners and losers, and for ice and snow sports that pay attention to skills and aesthetics, mistakes are an important factor affecting the final result.
In the mixed team final of freestyle skiing aerial skills, Chinese player Jia Zongyang made a mistake in the second round; short track speed skater Ren Ziwei was also sentenced to foul during the competition and stopped in the semifinals;
Even Gu Ailing, who won the gold medal, was under pressure due to a mistake in the second jump of the qualifying round. Among the players who made mistakes, there was also the well-known foreign player Yuzuru Hanyu.
In the men's figure skating short program competition held on February 8, Yuzuru Hanyu made a mistake in the first jump after the opening, which ultimately affected the score and missed the medal. Of course, this is not to scold the athletes. Everyone who can stand on the Olympic arena is a leader in various fields and comes to win.
Just facing the Olympic Games, a world-class event, athletes are shouldering huge expectations and pressure, and for Yuzuru Hanyu, the weight on his shoulders may be a little heavier.
Long before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics, Yuzuru Hanyu was one of the most well-known players in figure skating, and every time he had a competition or breakthrough, he could get worldwide attention.
Even when the International Olympic Committee decided last year that the Beijing Winter Olympics and Winter Paralympics would not sell tickets to overseas audiences, and when Yuzuru Hanyu made a mistake in this game, the official spokesperson also responded to Japan on social media on the Internet. fan.
In fact, Yuzuru Hanyu is able to receive such attention in the country, not only because of his dazzling achievements, but also because he has the appearance and growth experience of a Japanese man.
This kind of evaluation is not groundless. He has grown from a frail and sickly boy to a figure skating player who has attracted worldwide attention. His delicate facial features have made him harvest the hearts of countless girls.
More importantly, there are rumors that Yuzuru Hanyu may also be one of the prototypes for Yuri on Ice.
As a big country in animation, it is nothing new in Japan to refer to real people and things in creation, especially in the theme of "sports" that is closely related to reality. If you want to create a flesh-and-blood athlete, you need to learn from excellent athletes. Dig for inspiration.
So it is not surprising that Yuzuru Hanyu, as one of the most famous figure skaters in Japan, is used as the prototype of some characters. If Yuzuru Hanyu is an opportunity for many current girls to enter figure skating, then "Yuri on Ice" may be the driving force for otaku girls to fall in love with figure skating.
This sports program, produced by MAPPA and launched in October 2016, is still a classic + masterpiece in sports animation today, many years later.
As early as 2017, "Yuri on Ice" won the TV Animation Award and the Animation Fan Award in the Tokyo Animation Awards Anime of the Year department; it won the "ANIME AWARDS 2017" ceremony hosted by Crunchyroll, a large American animation media. 7 awards.
These excellent results have proved the strength and status of this animation. However, the listing of data is always pale. The real moving part of an animation is the combination of sound, image and story. "Yuri on Ice" is such an animation that has excellent performance in all aspects.
02. Professional figure skating
Although Japanese animation has many games themed works, the figure skating-themed animation, "Yuri on Ice" can definitely be called the "First Emperor". It is precisely because there is no precedent, and because figure skating is a relatively unpopular ice sport, in the explanation of figure skating, it must be consistent with the rules of reality and cannot mislead the audience.
Therefore, whenever the plot involves the rules and technical terms related to figure skating, the animation will first use the characters' voices and cute pictures to introduce the figure skating to the audience in detail and in a popular way.
On the screen, "Yuri on Ice" uses the advantages of animation to depict the beauty of figure skating with angles that are difficult to photograph in reality. And when designing the action, the production team also specially invited a professional figure skating team and a commentator to discuss and ensure that the action is real before putting it into the animation.
It is with such a creative spirit of excellence that even audiences who are new to ice sports can quickly learn professional knowledge from this animation and discover the beauty of figure skating.
Although figure skating is the theme of this animation, what makes it a phenomenon-level work in the circle is because of the delicate emotional description between the characters. In short, it is an F-oriented work.
In the animation, there is no shortage of impact pictures with side balls, and the end of the animation even clearly shows the relationship between Yuuri and Victor.
However, if you regard "Yuri on Ice" as a purely F-movie, you will not be able to discover the true charm of this animation, because it also tells about the hardships, physical and mental life of figure skaters in their careers. More importantly, their pursuit and love for the sport of figure skating.
The first is Victor, who was Yuuri’s coach in the early days. In figure skating, a sport that emphasizes “talent + hard work”, he is undoubtedly a player with both conditions. His career achievements and external praise also confirm these two points. .
However, athletes are also a business of "eating youth food". Like all athletes, Victor also has to face the embarrassment caused by the decline of aging body functions as he grows older.
In reality, there is actually no shortage of people who have to leave the arena where they have returned to their youth due to practical problems.
With the opening of the Winter Olympics, Wang Meng, who once again returned to the Chinese people's field of vision, has won four golds, one silver and one bronze in two Winter Olympics, and has broken world records many times. He is undoubtedly a legend of short track speed skating in China.
It is a pity that due to personal controversy and the increase of age, in January 2014, she was nearly 30 years old at the time and missed the Sochi Winter Olympics due to an accidental fracture of the inner and outer ankle bones of her right foot.
However, athletes who once created brilliant have not disappeared from the public's sight because of their retirement, but have used their accumulated experience to contribute to the cultivation of talents. Since 2018, Wang Meng has become the head coach and event commentator of the national training team, and continues to be active in ice and snow sports.
And Victor in the animation, like the retired athletes in reality, ushered in a fateful encounter in the confusion of moving forward and retiring.
When he saw Yuuri imitating his figure skating moves, he seemed to see his former self, as if he wanted to pull his past self, and he resolutely decided to help this potential player and tap new strengths.
For Yuuri, this was a turning point in his life.
Originally, the reason why Yuuri entered the world of figure skating was because he happened to see the performance of Victor, who was 16-year-old international figure skating youth champion. Aiming at Viktor, I spent a lot of time practicing for it, in order to get close to Viktor.
And now this unattainable life goal is by his side, and he can even accept his brilliance, which is naturally a development that Yuuri never thought of. And the timing of Victor's appearance was the low point in his sports career.
Originally, he had come to Victor's goal, the finals of the International Figure Skating Grand Prix, but due to pressure and a change at home, he performed abnormally in the competition and finished at the bottom of the competition; he failed again in the subsequent Japanese national competition.
After being hit hard, he returned to his hometown, hoping to regain his former fondness for skating. Just when he was confused about the future, Victor became another light in his life, supporting his growth.
In this way, in the opposite situation, the two figure skaters who got what they needed came together and started their new figure skating career.
After regaining his confidence, Yuuri naturally rushed towards a higher goal.
Different from ordinary players, Yuuri is a "lone wolf type" player. Even if his mood fluctuates because of being hit, he is not willing to let his family and friends step into his heart, but chooses to digest it silently.
It is precisely because of the lack of help from the people around him that the negative emotions in Yuuri's heart are always easy to accumulate, which in turn affects the performance of the game.
He had already been burdened with excessive expectations. In the Kyushu Competition, he did not follow Victor's suggestion to reduce the difficulty of the movements and take a safe route, but took the risk of performing three quadruple jumps. Under the double blow of inexperience and pressure, Yuuri made frequent mistakes and seemed to miss his dream again.
In this regard, Yuuri and Yuzuru Hanyu have many similarities. Both of them have been in contact with figure skating since they were young, and have achieved excellent results through their own efforts, and have been admired by relatives, friends, and even fans.
And as the achievements made in the past are constantly being refreshed by myself, admiration has gradually become a kind of pressure, and I began to carry too much responsibility on my shoulders. In the end, I was overwhelmed, and I played abnormally in a certain game and missed the victory.
Fortunately, both Hanyu and Yuuri have a group of supporters who always have good intentions. After their defeat, they did not give too much scolding, but encouraged them to make persistent efforts. In the anime, Yuuri thinks back to Victor, his family and friends and feels love from them.
Especially Victor, Yuuri originally entered the world of figure skating because of his longing for him. When he became his own coach, he quickly saw his heart and took him from a different perspective than his predecessors, coaches, and friends. Get out of the embarrassment in figure skating and the low self-esteem in your heart.
At this point, his movements gradually became human, and he realized that his figure skating and his own figure skating movements so far were all born out of the love of everyone around him.
And Victor's appearance and teaching became the pointer, which made him discover that even Victor himself was a part of love.
But support does not mean eternal companionship. When Yuuri entered the competition, he was under enormous pressure because of his position as the strongest dark horse. When he was the most nervous, he couldn't even unscrew the cap of the mineral water bottle. When practicing before the competition, he was even more affected by the failure of jumping. fear.
In the face of Yuuri's severe stage fright, Victor felt overwhelmed. In order to regain the former's confidence, the latter ventured to say "taking the blame and dismissing the coach", hoping to stimulate Yuuri.
In the face of this sudden change, Yuuri explained why he was so nervous. All along, there have been many failures due to lack of strength or changes in reality, but these accidents are all related to me, so the audience's scolding will be brought to me;
But in this competition, there are so many masters, the attention of the competition is extremely high, and the fact that the world-famous Victor is his own coach is naturally one of the explosive points; if you make mistakes in such a high-profile situation, the ultimate damage is Victor's reputation.
In addition, what frightened him even more was that Victor, who had been guiding him, didn't actually trust him, so he decided to speak his truest thoughts:
Even if it is silent, I hope Victor can stay by his side all the time. Fortunately, after Yuuri released the pressure, he showed his potential beyond Viktor's expectations - he completed the difficult moves that he was difficult to complete, and finally won the silver medal.
After this incident, the two learned about each other's position in each other's hearts, and also learned that figure skating is not only the goal that they pursue together, but also the link between them.
Yuuri got the light in Victor, broke through himself and shined on the ice; Victor saw the light in Yuuri and regained his passion for figure skating. Even if the two are a true portrayal of figure skaters, they are also a microcosm of all beings who pursue emotions.
It is precisely because of the delicate description of the relationship between the two that the audience can spy on the embarrassment of athletes from different perspectives and understand the charm of figure skating.
Figure skating expresses not only the beauty of artistic form, but also the collision of trust, showing the most simple human emotions to everyone. That's what makes "Yuri on Ice" so appealing to countless audiences.
03. The big net red factory created by the boss
In addition to its outstanding performance at the story level, "Yuri on Ice" is also an extremely successful commercial animation. The animation creation company is MAPPA, known as the "Internet celebrity maker".
Before the start of this animation, the company had created works such as "Apollo on the Slope", "Bahamut's Wrath", "Tokyo Reverberation", "Goth Wolf", etc. Strength; In recent years, MAPAA has even launched hits such as "Curse Back to War", "Saga Idols are Legends", and "The Final Season of Giants", which can be described as "hegemonic societies" in the true sense.
Due to the popularity of these animation works both inside and outside the circle, and the company has been established for only ten years, many animation enthusiasts think that the reason why MAPPA can create many animations that cater to the tastes of contemporary audiences is because the creative team is young and promising.
Of course, a steady stream of talents is indeed the basis for maintaining the company's operations and ensuring output, but it is an old man, Maruyama Masao , who enables MAPPA to achieve the achievement of "debut is the pinnacle" .
MAPPA's full name is "Maruyama Animation Produce Project Association", and Maruyama Masao founded the company in 2011, when he was 70 years old. What allowed him to start an animation production company at such an advanced age was his unshakable status and strength in the industry.
When he was young, he was an employee of the "Insect Production Company" founded by Osamu Tezuka. Together with many creators, he opened up the first animation oasis in the desert and laid the foundation for later Japanese animation.
Since Japanese animation did not have a mature business system at that time, companies with insufficient operating experience soon closed down. Maruyama recruited several talented employees to create "Madhouse". In this company, He served as the producer of the four animations of Toshi Kon, and Mamoru Hosoda's "Summer Wars" and "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" also have close ties with him.
There are countless classic animations of Crazy House, and many of the creators who have come out of them have become one of the pillars of the Japanese animation industry today. Therefore, as the president, Maruyama is also known as the "creation king of the animation industry" and has been recognized by countless animations. Respected and admired.
In 2010, due to the death of Jin Min and the impact of the global financial crisis, the embarrassed mad house was sold to Nippon TV to become its subsidiary. Maruyama, who had already reached the retirement age, also retired at this time... Ben It should be so, but he was determined to dedicate his life to animation, and he founded MAPAA the following year.
With his experience and connections in the industry, Maruyama quickly gathered a group of talented creators. These creators have attracted more potential and talented newcomers, and the management policy of adopting a large number of foreign employees has filled the loopholes in the shortage of animation talents. In this mode of employment of conscience, MAPAA has been able to create works of high quality.
However, due to the niche subject matter and high investment costs, MAPAA did not achieve profitability in the early stage. In order not to take the old road of crazy houses, MAPPA began to consider making popular works.
Around 2010, the success of IP such as "Bo Yinggui" and "K" symbolized the rise of the female market, and the commercial success of works such as "Kuroko's Basketball" and "Free" made the creators see "Sports + "Women to" this wealth code. MAPPA, which also saw business opportunities, launched "Yuri on Ice". Facts have proved that the success of the topic selection made this animation attract much market attention before it was launched.
Sports-themed paintings have extremely high requirements on the smoothness of movements, and figure skating is a sport with a large range of movements and the pursuit of beauty. It is even a huge challenge for the original artist. Actions are standard, in order to show the strength of the character.
Fortunately, MAPPA does not lack talents. Experienced original painters can easily describe the human body structure and joint movements. In addition, there are many excellent figure skating players in the world for reference. An animation that is full of grades in terms of painting quality is naturally a matter of course. .
In addition to Yuzuru Hanyu, who successfully came out of the circle, the roles of "Yuri on Ice" also refer to Japan's Machida Ki, Takahashi Daisuke, Switzerland's Stefan Lambier, and Russia's Yulia Lipnitz Kaya and other well-known figure skaters from many countries.
Even MAPPA invited two figure skaters, Oda Nobuyoshi and Stefan Lambir, and Japanese figure skating commentator Taihei Kato to dub himself in the play. The reference and participation of real athletes makes "Yuri on Ice" an admirable presence in sports animation on a professional level.
In the selection of music for the competition in the animation, MAPPA also made a lot of reference to the competition music of the prototypes of players from various countries. For example, Victor's "Please Don't Leave Your Side" corresponds to "The Phantom of the Opera" performed by Yuzuru Hanyu in the world in 2015; Yuuri's "EROS" is "Poeta" performed by Stefranbeer at the 2007 World Championships.
Of course, since "Yuri on Ice" is the first TV animation with the theme of figure skating in the industry, there is no history to learn from, and the time left for the original artist and soundtrack creation is very tight, even if there are a lot of references, In the face of the huge workload, the creators of MAPPA can say that they worked hard for this animation.
Therefore, no matter how strong the production team is, the character collapse caused by the tight construction period cannot be avoided in the feature film.
Fortunately, the feedback from the market did not make MAPPA's efforts in vain. The BD, which condenses excellent stories and restored pictures, is naturally favored by the market.
According to Japan's Oricon statistics in the first half of 2017, the BD sales of "Yuri on Ice" ranked first in the chart with 406,238 copies, and the sales volume of "LoveLive! Sunshine!", which ranked second, was nearly 200,000 copies. It has created a miracle in the BD market that has been severely shrunk; and the sales of related derivatives are even more difficult to estimate.
Judging from these data, "Yuri on Ice" is undoubtedly a successful commercial animation.
The plot, characters, painting and commercial success have all allowed "Yuri on Ice" to gain countless praise and benefits, so that today, 5 years later, it is still difficult to be surpassed in all aspects.
04. Epilogue
The biggest feeling after watching "Yuri on Ice" is not only the emotional collision between the characters, the tension and passion when watching the game, another legend created by the industry, and the return to the original intention of pursuing love.
I believe that many people, like Yuuri, came into contact with the new world because of an accidental opportunity, and regarded a figure standing at the top as their pursuit goal, thus starting a new life.
Likewise, we also envy Yuuri, who can meet the right person at the right time, and finally work together to achieve both career and love.
This is perhaps the greatest joy that animation brings to us, reaping joy from the success and happiness of our characters, and inspiring ourselves to chase our dreams.
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