The animation community was met with disheartening news as the production of “Yuri!! On Ice the movie: ICE ADOLESCENCE” was officially declared canceled.
The studio behind the project, MAPPA, along with the film’s production committee, cited “various circumstances” following unanimous decisions from internal discussions as the reason for this sudden termination.
This announcement, released on the movie’s official website last Friday, marks the end of a long journey that began with the film’s initial announcement back in April 2017.
The original “Yuri!! On Ice” series, which aired its 12 episodes starting in October 2016, became a phenomenal success and was widely acclaimed for its unique take on figure skating.
Fans had high hopes for the movie, especially after the staff declared in 2019 that the film’s delay from its original release date was to “substantially scale up the content more than originally planned.”
Even in 2020, updates assured that production was “still ongoing with the aim of further enriching the film.” Unfortunately, it never progressed to a stage where a release date could be set, leaving fans in prolonged anticipation.
「ユーリ!!! on ICE 劇場版 : ICE ADOLESCENCE」
製作中止のお知らせ“YURI!!! on ICE the movie : ICE ADOLESCENCE” Cancellation Notice#yurionice pic.twitter.com/3ykLBgsvoB
— TVアニメ「ユーリ!!! on ICE」 (@yurionice_PR) April 19, 2024
Fans credit Jujutsu Kaisen for Yuri!! On Ice movie cancellation
The cancellation news did not sit well with the anime’s passionate fanbase, many of whom have waited almost seven years for the film’s release.
Frustrated and heartbroken, some fans on social media began to point fingers at another of MAPPA’s projects, “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which recently announced its third season shortly after the second season aired. A surge of online comments suggested that the prioritization of “Jujutsu Kaisen” could have influenced the decision to cancel “Yuri!! On Ice.”
Several pointed tweets made it clear where fans were directing their disappointment:
“yuri on ice movie cancelled so i blocked jujutsu kaisen,” expressed one upset fan.
“Love that the last update on the Yuri on Ice movie before this was in late 2019 going ‘okay we’re gonna delay it a bit’ and then Jujutsu Kaisen started in 2020 and oops uh oh wuh oh MAPPA,” another noted.
“Yuri on Ice made MAPPA what it is today AND it had OLYMPIC ATHLETES WORLDWIDE talking about it, referencing & loving it. And MAPPA just dropped it, once it became big enough with Jujutsu Kaisen getting into Guinness Record,” a third fan commented, highlighting the global impact of the “Yuri!! On Ice” series.
The prevailing sentiment among the Yuri!! The on Ice community is one of betrayal and disillusionment with MAPPA, as they feel sidelined by the studio’s newer, seemingly more favored projects like “Jujutsu Kaisen.”
Despite the shared production company, the animosity has grown palpable as fans express their frustration over what they see as an unfair trade-off.
