The animation community received disappointing news when the movie “Yuri!! The movie “On Ice: ICE AOLSCENCE” has officially been 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 the termination. This sudden.
The announcement was released on the film's official website last Friday, marking the end of a long journey that began with the film's first announcement in April 2017.
Original “Yuri!! On Ice,” a series that aired 12 episodes starting in October 2016, became a successful phenomenon and was widely acclaimed for its unique figure skating style.
Fans have high hopes for the film, especially after the production team stated in 2019 that delaying the film's original release date was to “significantly increase the scale of content compared to with original expectations”.
Even in 2020, updates ensure that production is “still underway with the aim of enriching the film”. Unfortunately, it never progressed to the stage where a release date could be set, leaving fans with an extended wait.
Announcement of cancellation of production of the movie “Yuri!!! on ICE: ICE AOLESCENCE”
“Yuri!!! on ICE the movie: ICE AOLSCENCE” Cancellation announcement#yurionice pic.twitter.com/3ykLBgsvoB
— TV anime “Yuri!!! on ICE” (@yurionice_PR) April 19, 2024
Fans credit Jujutsu Kaisen to Yury!! Cancel the movie On Ice
The cancellation news did not sit well with the anime's passionate fanbase, many of whom had been waiting nearly seven years for the series to be released.
Disappointed and heartbroken, some fans on social media began criticizing another MAPPA project, “Jujutsu Kaisen,” which recently announced a third season shortly after the second season aired. A large number of online comments suggested that prioritizing “Jujutsu Kaisen” may have influenced the decision to cancel “Yuri!! On the ice.”
Several tweets indicate where fans are directing their frustration:
“Yuri on Ice got canceled so I blocked jujutsu kaisen,” one fan expressed annoyance.
“It's funny that the last update of the previous Yuri on Ice movie was at the end of 2019 saying 'okay, we'll delay it a bit' and then Jujutsu Kaisen started in 2020 and oh oh my god oh my god MAPPA,” another person noted.
“Yuri on Ice made MAPPA what it is today AND it has OLYMPIC ATHLETES WORLDWIDE talking about it, referencing it and loving it. And MAPPA dropped it as soon as it became big enough with Jujutsu Kaisen making it into the Guinness World Records,” a third fan commented, emphasizing the global impact of “Yuri!! On the ice.”
Popular sentiment among the Yu!! The on Ice community is one of the most betrayed and disillusioned with MAPPA, as they feel marginalized by the studio's newer, seemingly more popular projects like “Jujutsu Kaisen.”
Despite the joint production company, the animosity became increasingly apparent as fans expressed disappointment over what they saw as an unfair trade-off.