Heartbreaking news for the niche cross-demographic of LGBT anime fans, MAPPA’s long-awaited movie sequel to the original anime “Yuri on Ice” has been officially canceled, seven years after its initial announcement.
The announcement of the movie’s cancellation on Twitter today is a crushing blow for fujoshis worldwide, with the man-crazed audience playing a significant role in building MAPPA’s fanbase.
Yuri on Ice was an original anime series created by MAPPA which premiered in October 2016, with a focus on male figure skating. The storyline primarily follows Japanese figure skater Yuuri Katsui, who experiences a devastating loss in a major competition and considers retiring. However, he receives an unexpected offer from the renowned Russian skater Victor Nikiforov, who suggests becoming his coach and helping Yuuri return to competitive figure skating.
The anime’s popularity often appeared contrived, with much of its acclaim seemingly attributed to its portrayal of homosexual relationships, rather than its overall quality. This perception was reinforced when “Yuri on Ice” swept multiple categories, including Anime of the Year, at the inaugural Crunchyroll Anime Awards ceremony in 2017.
It also won awards for Best Opening, Best Ending, Best Emotional Scene, Best Boy, and Best Animation. This success came at the expense of other deserving adaptations like “Mob Psycho 100,” “My Hero Academia,” “Re:ZERO,” and “ERASED,” which, from this limited selection, would have been my personal preference.
Regarding Crunchyroll, a corporation known for their anti-consumer business practices and underlying progressive agenda when it comes to censorship or maliciously altering the translations within the realm of Japanese animation, the lavish praise bestowed upon “Yuri on Ice” at their inaugural award ceremony only serves to underscore this point.
The anime received acclaim primarily from those with a disdain for traditional Japanese animation, likely due to its focus on LGBT themes.
A movie sequel for “Yuri on Ice” was announced with production supposedly beginning in 2017. However, news surfaced in September 2019 that the movie was postponed despite its original premiere slated for 2019. The delay was attributed to the need for significant content expansion.
In 2020, an update revealed that the film was still in production, but they had not reached the stage where they could announce the release date. Now, in April 2024, the film has finally been canceled, leaving fans of the original anime saddened.
MAPPA did not offer specific reasons for the cancellation, simply citing “several circumstances.” To be frank, as a heterosexual, I don’t see any significant loss here., but that’s just me projecting my own bias against a franchise I have absolutely zero interest in.
Of course, you can expect a slew of well-adjusted pronouns on Twitter to be excessively outraged over its cancellation, with some individuals likely resorting to threats of violence against MAPPA executives.
For anime fans, the true disappointment lies in the fact that it’s been over five years since the announcement of Yojo Senki’s second season, with little to show for it aside from a teaser trailer released back in June 2021, which lacked any actual animation.
