Yuri!!! on Ice Voted as MAPPA’s Most Popular Anime In Poll

Against some strong heavy-hitters like Attack on Titan, Yuri!!! on Ice has come out on top as MAPPA’s most popular anime series.

In a poll conducted by Mynavi, Yuri!!! on Ice garnered 37 percent of the votes, an overwhelming victory against the second-place series BANANA FISH at 14 percent. Jujutsu Kaisen followed closely at 13 percent with Attack on Titan: The Final Season and Zombieland Saga, both at 6 percent.

1. Yuri!!! on Ice – 37 percent
2. BANANA FISH – 14 percent
3. Jujutsu Kaisen – 13 percent
4. Attack on Titan: The Final Season – 6 percent
5. Zombieland Saga – 6 percent

Founded by Madhouse co-founder Masao Maruyama, MAPPA established itself in June 2011. MAPPA co-produced their first work, with Tezuka Productions, in 2012 called Kids on the Slope with Shinichirō Watanabe directing. Watanabe returned with an original work two years later with psychological thriller Terror in Resonance revolving around two teenage terrorists, where it garnered overwhelmingly positive reception. MAPPA went on to adapt the 1985 manga series Banana Fish in 2018 and create another original work Zombie Land Saga in the same year with Munehisa Sakai as the director. The studio is perhaps most well-known for adapting popular manga series such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man and the final season of Attack on Titan. However, much of MAPPA’s international recognition as an animation studio can arguably be attributed to Yuri!!! on Ice.

Directed by Sayo Yamamoto with Mitsurō Kubo as the writer, Yuri!!! on Ice debuted in October 2016. The story follows Japanese figure skater Yuri Katsuki who returns to his hometown of Hasetsu after landing in last place at the Grand Prix Final. As he struggles with what to do with his professional career, he unexpectedly finds Victor Nikiforov, the most decorated male figure skater in history, sitting in his family onset. Furthermore, Victor shocks Yuri to his core when he announces his decision to coach Yuri to winning a gold medal — a difficult feat to accomplish considering he has 15-year-old Russian prodigy Yuri Plisetsky vying for the same color medal.

Yuri!!! on Ice gained critical acclaim during its airing. Many figure skaters, including Johnny Weir, Evgenia Medvedeva and Denis Ten, praised how accurate the skating animation was. Moreover, the series won fans’ hearts over with its depiction of a same-sex relationship between Yuri and Victor. While some critics have criticized the lack of realism as the series is set in a world where homophobia does not exist, Yuri!!! on Ice has simultaneously earned praise for offering the prospect of a hopeful future where such discrimination is not considered the norm. MAPPA announced a new film titled Yuri on Ice the Movie: Ice Adolescence in 2017 and released a teaser trailer to worldwide audiences in 2020.

Yuri!!! on Ice is available to stream on Crunchyroll. MAPPA has yet to release more information around the release date of Ice Adolescence.

Source: Mynavi