Interest

Real Figure Skaters Endorse Yuri!!! on ICE

The new ice skating anime Yuri!!! on Ice is attracting fans who are actual ice skaters. First among these is Russian skater Evgenia Medvedeva, the 2016 World Champion, who has expressed her appreciation for the show — especially its more erotic scenes — on her Twitter feed.

Medvedeva proudly declares herself an "anime otaku" on both her Twitter and Instagram profiles and frequently posts about them. Her love for Sailor Moon in particular led her to skate in Nagaoka, Japan, dressed as Sailor Moon — a feat which brought her an autographed portrait of Sailor Moon from Naoko Takeuchi, the manga's creator.

Medvedeva's portrait on her Instagram profile

Meanwhile, Japanese ice skater Masato Kimura, who ranked 15th nationally in 2014, is also a Yuri!!! on Ice fan. He has retweeted the anime's official tweets several times and performed this version of the anime's opening theme, "History Maker" (although the original tweet has since been removed).

Russian figure skater Evgeni Plushenko, a four-time Olympic medalist, also seems to be a fan; he posted a Japanese tweet on his Facebook page directing readers to Yuri!!! on Ice's Crunchyroll page. (Plushenko is rumored to be a model for Viktor Nikiforov, although his voice actor, Junichi Suwabe, has denied this.)

Sources: Evgenia Medvedeva Twitter and Evgenia Medvedeva Instagram, Crunchyroll: Humberto Saabedra, izanami-no-ookami Tumblr, Evgeni Plushenko Twitter and Matome Matome