Yuri on Ice: On “Love” and what it means.
So, I’d like to take some time to address how Yuri on Ice handles the concept of “love” within the context of the characters’ interactions, mainly Yuuri and Victor, but also in regard to everyone else. It seems like ever since episode 4 when Victor proclaimed that being tough on Yuuri was “how he showed his love”, the word “love” has been thrown around left and right without a second thought. So when Yuuri refers to “Victor’s love” or Victor refers to “showing his love”, what exactly does it mean? Is it romantic love? Sexual love? Friend love? Familial love? Love of the sport shared by coach and pupil? I think it’s both a combination of all and none of those at the same time. It’s something wholly unique that is actually really difficult to pin down. Let’s start at the beginning.