‘Yuri!!! On Ice producer finally reveals why the film was canceled

It’s been a while since the production of Yuri!!! On ice anime movie, Yuri!!! On Ice: Adolescence was cancelled. The film said it would be about a young Viktor Nikiforov before he became Yuri Katsuki’s figure skating mentor. At the time, it was revealed that “various circumstances” led to the decision to stop production. But recently, executive producer Hideo Katsumata shared why the project never came to fruition.

In an interview with AnimeHunch, Katsumata said that the project was shelved due to creative problems. Although he did not give full details about what these issues were, he stated that it had become “impossible” to continue production on the film, mainly because it was an original project, and not an adaptation of a popular manga or existing story.

“I can’t talk about the details because it includes some very private matters. But if you ask whether it’s a creative issue or a commercial issue, the reasons come from the creative side. The main reason is that it couldn’t be done for creative reasons. Because it was an original animation, the people involved – including the creators and the animation studio, MAPPA… among the creators, on the creative side, a situation arose where it simply became impossible to proceed with production.”

In 2017, it was announced that a Yuri!!! On ice the film was greenlit and it was only in 2018 that the title was revealed. At the time, only a short clip with Victor and his dog Makkachin was shown, as well as a poster for the upcoming film. This announcement thrilled fans, especially since there has been no news about a second season. Unfortunately, updates on the project remained scarce, and in 2024, MAPPA announced that the project was canceled.

What’s ‘Yuri!!! On Ice’ About?

A collage of Yuri on Ice characters facing the camera

Yuri!!! On ice is one of the greatest sports anime of the last decadewinning Anime of the Year at Crunchyroll’s first annual Anime Awards and Animation of the Year (TV) at Tokyo’s Anime Awards. It is an original story created by Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurō Kubo which follows Yuri Katsuki, a Japanese figure skater who puts his career on hold due to numerous defeats. But after his replica of Viktor’s skating routine is posted online, the Russian figure skater travels to Japan to mentor him.

In addition to your praise, Yuri!!! On ice it received a MyAnimeList score of 7.90. THE anime was praised for its depiction of figure skating and a same-sex love story. Furthermore, it was so well received by figure skating professionals that one of the anime’s songs was used in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

Yuri!!! On ice is available to stream on Crunchyroll.