Reception Critical reception and figure skating community The series received positive reviews from critics and professional figure skaters. Among critics, in Anime News Network "Best and Worst Anime of Fall 2016", five out of nine reviewers called Yuri on Ice the season's best show. In July 2017, the series was named by Eleanor Bley Griffiths of the Radio Times as one of the best anime TV series available to watch in the UK. From professionals, Yuri on Ice was well-received by figure skaters, including Johnny Weir, Evgenia Medvedeva, Denis Ten, Evgeni Plushenko, Masato Kimura, Ryuichi Kihara, Miu Suzaki, and Adam Rippon and included cameo appearances by skaters Nobunari Oda and Stéphane Lambiel. Weir said in an interview that: "I broke my rule about one episode per day because I physically couldn't stop watching." The closing scene of the tenth episode, when Yuri K. drunkenly pole dances, was also commended by professional pole dancers for its accuracy. Yuri on Ice has also been praised for its direction. Critics have commented on Sayo Yamamoto's diverse range of characters. Brandon Teteruck of Crunchyroll commented: "Yamamoto is subtly crafting a work that embraces diversity and cultural acceptance. Yamamoto does not characterize the foreign skaters as ethnic stereotypes, but rather allows them to act and behave as their own people." Teteruck also claims that Yamamoto subverts traditional representations of gender, sexuality, and nationality. He highlights a scene in the sixth episode in which the Thai skater Phichit Chulanont skates to a piece of music referencing The King and I, of which the 1956 and 1999 film version are both banned in Thailand. However, the plot was criticised for being repetitive. The characters have received positive comment, primarily over the same-sex relationship between Yuri K. and Victor. Critics have praised the character of Yuri K. for being a realistic depiction of someone suffering from anxiety and as, "a textbook example of an unreliable narrator". Other characters were also praised, with James Beckett of Anime News Network calling Yuri P. one of 2016's best anime characters. The quality of the animation received a mixed reception. The quality of the animation in early episodes was lauded by Clover Harker of the UK Anime Network, who said it was, "impressive". Kevin Cirugeda of Anime News Network commented that character designer Tadashi Hiramatsu was able to, "make it feel fresh, but also weirdly reminiscent of the past", comparing the series