MAPPA Studios’ journey within the anime industry has been a perfect one, as it has produced some great masterpieces. Founded in 2011, the Japanese animation studio has become one of the biggest names all over the world with projects like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man, Hell’s Paradise, Kakeguri, The God of Highschool, etc.
However, there is one other name connected to MAPPA that might have contributed a lot to the studio’s success but didn’t get the respect that it deserved. The name is none other than Yuri!!! on Ice, which came out in 2016 and became an instant hit. It was a sports anime series based on professional ice skating, and while it only had one season under its belt, it managed to reach a huge audience.
Yuri!!! on Ice was so successful that it was renewed for a spin-off anime movie, which was going to continue its legacy. However, MAPPA had to cancel the movie for multiple alleged reasons, one of which was that it was not profitable enough. But if the movie is released today, or the series is renewed for Season 2, it might just be the next biggest sports anime.
The cancellation of Yuri!!! on Ice’s legacy
Yuri!!! on Ice followed the story of a Japanese figure skater named Yuri Katsuki, who lost belief in his talents and was about to quit but was stopped by Russian figure-skating champion Victor Nikiforov. Victor agrees to coach him, and together, they take up the challenge of the Grand Prix series. The series revolves around their struggles and their journey throughout.
The anime was first released in 2016, and although it only had twelve episodes, it was quite successful. The element of figure skating as a sport and the conflicts and complications that come with it are the central themes of the story. It connected quite well with the audience, and the series got a new movie, which was announced in 2019.
Called Yuri!!! on Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence, the movie was supposed to focus on Victor’s past journey as a figure skater and his struggles during his early skating years. However, eventually, it was announced that MAPPA had canceled the project, and no official reason had been given by the studio or by the creators.
MAPPA has the perfect opportunity to bring back Yuri!!! on Ice
When no reason was provided to fans about the project being dropped, it was assumed that either the movie was canceled because of the contentious elements in the plot or maybe because it was not profitable enough at the time. Nevertheless, it gutted fans who were eagerly waiting for Yuri!!! on Ice The Movie: Ice Adolescence for years.
However, the situation has changed a lot since Yuri!!! on Ice’s cancelation. The movie has gained much more hype in the past few years and has attracted fans even though no projects are aligned for the future. MAPPA can take advantage of this and use it as an opportunity to renew Yuri!!! on Ice with the same movie or another season.
Both projects would be equally in demand, and considering the ongoing hype, it is safe to assume that MAPPA might have one of the biggest sports anime in its hands. They just have to make it perfect, like the first season, and keep the tone the same. Hopefully, they have already noticed this and have started working on a Yuri!!! on Ice project.
Yuri!!! on Ice is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
