I noticed that during his free skate in episode 9, Michele Crispino uses a move we see in the History Maker opening. This move is very distinctive (which is why I was able to recognize it!) and I really don’t think it can be anything other than a clear reference to the opening. It’s not some sort of regular jump you see every other skater perform, it’s artistic and intentional.
I’m choosing not to chalk this up to animation reuse, partly because the creators place so much emphasis on the journey of each skater and Michele’s free skate is such an important turning point for him and Sara, and partly because I managed to find another clip of Viktor’s skating in the opening that I think is a Stammi Vicino move from another angle. If these similarities were only because they reused animation, then they would be identical rather than shown differently.
I would love to go through the opening and all of the skating scenes we see in YOI, but that is a HUGE time commitment so I only have these two moments to offer for now.
I just wanted to pitch the idea that the History Maker opening, even though we only see Yuuri, Yuri, and Viktor skating it, is a testament to figure skating as a whole and uses parts of each character to prove it! If there’s any merit to my theory, this could mean that the various moves we see in the opening are taken from the short programs and free skates we see throughout the show.
Doctor Giacometti doesn’t feel the cold, he just wants to intoxicate everyone with his perfectly toned a…bs.
Preview of my upcoming Atlantis+Soulmates!AU
Chapter 1 will introduce The Crew. Mostly excited for a sweet, sweet moment between Mila and Sara (courtesy of My Girl by The Temptations💖) an oblivious Micky and Georgi who couldn’t prepare a Peruvian creviche for the fifth time.