tangentially reminded of this in another plurk but like. I still love how Yuri on Ice played with fan expectations since way back in episode 1

the entire show is built on you seeing it as a sports anime and through the lens of sports anime conventions, and then rewatching it afterward through the lens of romance anime conventions

when you realize that, no, that wasn't bait, and yes, that ship is canon

but even before that

in episode 1, there's a scene where they're setting up the whole "oh, this guy's been my rival since we were kids, and this nice girl we obviously both liked always tempered our bickering" so you think, oh, that's the age-old dynamic

and then immediately revealing that they've left that behind in the past, Rival and Nice Girl are now married with kids, and Yuuri is free to make a new mess of his love life

that is a good setup

God bless

god it was so fun to see the 'wait.......' in real time over the course of a season

'wait is this like, legit or'

from "please make it happen (we know it won't)" to "that wasn't bait?"

HONESTLYYYYY

HOL UP

I'm so sad people can't have that same experience again because the show is now best known for its m/m romance.

alas

The pictures in the episode 10 ED will hit, at least

I love it