If you’ve been active in the fandom, you probably know that MAPPA officially announced that Ice Adolescence has been canceled.

“Ice Adolescence" was first announced in 2017, right after Yuri on Ice aired. But before coming to this decision, it went through developmental hell.

This movie was set to be a prequel, telling the journey of Victor Nikiforov's past and his journey of becoming a champion and renowned icon in the figure skating community.

Fans have been waiting with bated breath for this project to come to fruition for seven years. That was until April 2023, the official Yuri!!! on Ice's Twitter account confirmed the cancellation of “Ice Adolescence.”

Speculations

According to the official statement, Ice Adolescence was canceled for “various reasons.” The vagueness of this statement has led fans to speculate — what exactly happened?

To say Yuri on Ice fans have gone crazy with the theories is an understatement. Their minds have racked through every possible reason they could think of.

Some fans have pointed out that the studio's infamous mistreatment of animators may be a factor, while others speculate MAPPA’s lack of interest in the project.

The global pandemic and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine have also been mentioned as factors that led to the movie’s cancellation. Not to mention, the studio's workload is heavy with major projects like Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man.

Remembering the Best of Yuri On Ice

To say that fans loved Yuri on Ice would be an understatement. Even people outside the fandom have expressed their love for the show.

Whether the movie is happening or not, we’re glad the series happened.

Together, let’s cheer up and revisit Yuri on Ice moments that set our hearts on fire!

Drunk Yuri

Starting strong with why Yuri on Ice happened in the first place - Drunk Yuri.

If Yuri hadn’t lost, gotten drunk, pole danced, and shamelessly roped the other skaters into stripping with him, he wouldn’t have had the courage to ask Victor to be his coach.

This ultimately changed the trajectory of his life, and Japan’s representative skater has never been the same since. Long live Eros!

Every Single Lip Close Up Moment

If there’s one thing Yuri on Ice animators didn’t play about, it was the lips. Almost every other episode has an up-close shot of their shiny, glistening lips, and you know what? The animators were onto something.

That first scene when Victor invaded Yuri’s personal space and touched his lips with his fingers? Or when Victor applied lip balm on Yuri’s lips? The animators knew exactly how to reel in the fans with this one.

Now, sports animes have always been fruity. But Yuri on Ice? It’s an entire fruit garden. You cannot tell me these two did not feel attracted to each other. Not when the animators drew this on the storyboard and animated it.

The Hero of Kazakhstan Kidnapping the Fairy of Russia

At least, that’s what the headline says. But what exactly happened?

Overwhelmed by his fans' zealous support, Yurio runs away and bumps into Otabek, who offers him a ride. Of course, fans couldn’t resist taking a snapshot of this momentous event!

Victor and Yuri Exchanging Rings

Yes, because there’s no saying “no homo” like exchanging rings in front of the church.

You can’t convince me they didn’t elope here. Even their fellow skaters called them out on it and congratulated them!

Otabek Took off Yurio’s Gloves

If you haven’t seen the Yuri on Ice Blu-ray extra “Welcome to the Madness,” you better switch tabs and watch it on YouTube.

It's an experience every Yuri on Ice fan should NOT miss out on.

The way Yurio skates with the edginess of a rebellious, depressed teen? The heavy eye makeup? His tank top? Absolute perfection.

You know what makes it even more perfect? This OtaYuri scene.

The Infamous Victuuri Kiss

The scene that confirmed whether or not Yuri on Ice was queerbait. The moment that has allowed the Victuuri ship to set sail and finally be called canon - their kiss.

Their eyes were locked onto each other. They felt their surroundings dim down as they ran closer to each other. And with a final jump, Victor rushes into Yuri’s arm and gives him the most passionate kiss the Grand Prix has ever seen.

The live audience was in shock. The television watchers were in shock. We were in shock.

And they bravely did that in front of everyone.

The scene cemented Victuuri’s status as a canon couple. MAPPA was really brave for putting this out, and we could never be more thankful for this scene.

There’s just so much love poured into this one scene, and we fans could feel it from the bottom of our hearts.

Bonus: Pair Skating

Of course, who could forget this iconic ending?

A Legacy that Lives On

To say Yuri on Ice has changed lives is an understatement.

Back then, homophobia was an issue the figure skating scene was very familiar with, but it wasn't talked about.

Then Yuri on Ice came and shed some light on the topic of homosexuality and identity, which enlightened anime and figure skating fans about the issues the ice skating industry faced.

Yuri on Ice was also a perfectly written representation of LBTQ+ content. It may not have been the first, but it had the most reach and continues to inspire people.

A lot of sports anime tend to rely on queerbait for views. By principle, Yuri on Ice may have done the same thing. The only difference is that they stood their ground with the representation and were not dishonest about the characters' sexuality.

Even if “A Night in Barcelona” is the closest we could get to the movie, we will forever be thankful for MAPPA’s most famous original work. Who knows, maybe they'll make a spin-off or season 2 someday down the line.

Until then, we can hold onto the amazing memories of the original series and all the fantastic fan content that keeps the love alive.