People need to chill the hell out.

Mostly, overly excited weeaboos need to calm down.

What I’m talking about is the fact that many seemed to be weirdly out of sorts because Yuri on Ice has won now two awards for the “Best Anime of the Year”. YOI has gotten this from Crunchyroll’s  first “Anime of the Year” awards and from the fan polls for “Animation of the Year” at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

Some fans are horribly put off by this. They believe Mob Psycho 100, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure,  or whatever they happen to like more deserves it more.

Maybe they are right in some respects, but are wrong in others.

I enjoyed YOI . I thought it was a well put together story. A good sports anime. It had a great soundtrack and it’s dub was good as well. It was emotionally engaging and had a sweet love story that was also part of the show. The animation was decent.

Was it the best??? Not necessarily. The animation wasn’t as clear and pristine as Sound! Euphonium.  It wasn’t as unique as Mob Psycho 100. Erased was more emotionally intense by far. But that isn’t what awards are always about.

Awards, a lot of the time, are more of a reflection of popularity and impact. Sorry kids: sometimes the popularity contests of high school seep out into the real world. Sad, but true. YOI had a large impact that brought it a huge amount of attention outside of it’s normal fan base, and (sorry…not sorry) that matters.

I am actually happy it won. For a few reasons:

1) I liked it. A lot. Nice show. Emotionally engaging. Great soundtrack. Overall enjoyable watch.

2) Yuri and Victor’s relationship was important. The very fact of the matter was that a same sex romantic relationship was portrayed in the show, not as the central purpose/ plot of the show, but rather as a matter of fact is huge. The relationship was there and presented as a normal thing. Not a struggle. Not something to be dissected and discussed at length. It normalized a same sex relationship and didn’t make it a big deal, which is a big deal to many people in the LGBTQ community and those who count themselves as an ally (myself included) to this community.

3) It brought more attention to anime. It got people excited about anime. When a show is a big deal and reaches beyond it’s fandom, it helps the industry as a whole. Some of my favorite shows are not big with the American anime community, but huge in Japan. The more attention a show gets, the more it will potentially legitimize the industry as a whole outside of Japan, which means more projects will get attention that you may end up liking (or like already).

 

I get why some people get in a stir, but overall this is just immature drama. I grew up liking stuff no one else liked. I loved Sci-fi and Heavy Metal. My stuff didn’t get the attention of the awards community. I got over it. So should you (if you are in a stir), it’s not worth being concerned about. Next year some other show will win: Some people will be happy, some will be pissed, the cycle will continue. Don’t sweat it, just watch more anime.

Dad lecture over.

Until next time: Happy Viewing!