It’s not just the skating that the show nails. According to former champ Johnny Weir, the show is filled with little details that shows Yuri On Ice’s creators really know their stuff.
While in China late last year, Weir gave a somewhat in depth interview about the anime. He talks about how got into the show (thanks to Evgenia Medvedeva) and how smartly done it is.
“It’s such a good show and there’s so much good things from the figure skating world in the show that you wouldn’t—if you’re just a casual fan—you wouldn’t know, but for us, the skaters, you see one storyline and you can see something from your life or your friend’s life,” said Weir. “It’s very interesting.”
Fan-favorite Weir seems to have provided some inspiration to the anime, and those similarities make the show even more enjoyable for him. But the show draws more than on famous moments and biographical data.
“They did a wonderful job with the production to make so many details, and I can smile because they’ll have a scene where they’re in a hotel in Russia that looks the same as the hotel that the competition always stays in.”
Yuri On Ice, accurate down to the hotels.