rights. Yuri on Ice differs from other anime covering same-sex relationships, such as yaoi and yuri. Carli Velocci of Geek.com wrote, Their relationship exists somewhere beyond any sexuality, meaning it doesn't fall into the same traps that a lot of yuri and yaoi relationships do ... While this isn't the first anime with a same-sex couple at the forefront, it's one of the first to present a story that isn't strictly sexual and is mutual. Yuri and Victor complement each other, but both also admit that they've grown as people because of the presence of the other. The equality in their relationship is revolutionary, even if it wasn't the first to depict one. You can assign the "seme" or "uke" label to Victor and Yuri, but when it comes to their psychological bond, it's more equal ... Yuri and Victor aren't just another gay anime couple. They're almost real. A review in Otaku USA has argued that the skaters take on an androgynous appearance when they are performing, saying: While on ice in the series proper, the main performers often take on an androgynous appearance to feed the show's substance. Yuri's evolution in terms of confidence and capabilities is at the core of the plot, but the heart lies in Yuri's exploration of his feminine side via emotional expression. ... Gender roles are further addressed via Viktor's lines of encouragement to Yuri that, at least as translated, imply both skating direction and romantic suggestion. Criticism The relationship has also been criticized as unrealistic, with Yuri K. and Victor not receiving the homophobic abuse they would experience in real life. Others have remarked that some viewers might refuse to acknowledge the relationship because the homosexuality was not explicit. Although the "kiss" is obscured by Victor's arm, it is implicit. Cecilia D'Anastasio of Kotaku wondered why the "kiss" was blocked when other anime, such as From the New World, had depicted gay kisses. Wolf of Anime UK News originally said of the scene that: "I'm 99.999% sure the kiss did occur, but that 0.001% is horribly getting to me. I don't want to go by what everyone else sees – I want to see what is actually going on, and share in the reaction of the characters at the same time as them". However, by the twelfth episode, he said that the scene in which Victor cries was the proof he wanted: