Interest
Event Report: Yuri!!! on ICE Museum in Shibuya Tower Records
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Curious how the Yuri!!! on Ice boys are getting along after the end of the Grand Prix Final? An exclusive exhibit in Shibuya's Tower Records gives fans a glimpse of the characters' relationships after the events of the anime.
The setup of the exhibit is fairly simple. Before entering the museum, visitors are supplied with an audio guide of their choosing, which they listen to as they walk through the gallery. The audio guide is basically a mini audio drama; the featured characters have various conversations, and there's a little bit of story involved too. There are six audio guides in total, featuring the following pairs:
A = Victor and Yuri
B = Yuri and Phichit
C = Yurio and JJ
D = Yuri and Yurio
E = Victor and Chris
In addition, there's a secret audio guide which you can unlock after getting all the other audio guides. So there's quite a lot of content to digest from this exhibit.
The museum has a ban on transcribing or translating any of the audio guides, but in general terms I can say that the conversations were very much in-character. I chose Yuri and Victor, and their interactions were very funny, sweet, and touching (in that order). I think that the shippers in particular will get a lot out of it, because Yuri and Victor acted quite a bit like they were on their honeymoon (although they were not literally on their honeymoon).
The audio guides weren't the only attractions to the exhibit. The museum itself included plenty of highlights. The main theme is all things Victor, with particular focus on his early skating career back when he had the ponytail. One of the sections is even called “Yuri's secret collection of Victor stuff,” and is filled with images of Victor skating.
Other highlights include detailed recreations of the outfits and skating shoes of the main characters, including the costumes Victor and Yuri wear in the final minutes of the last episode. There are also recreations of the three GPF medals featured in the anime. According to TV Asahi's event mascot Twitter account, the medals are crafted by employees from the very same company that makes the actual GPF medals.
An area dedicated to all things Victor, including a life-sized statue of Victor and Makkachin sitting on a bench. This is the same pre-painted model that Kotobukiya will be releasing in December, although the retail models will have a ⅛ scale.
There's also a key animation display with a lot of major scenes from the later episodes, such as Yuri and Victor's sojourn in Barcelona and JJ's final skate. Of course, there's also plenty of material from the early episodes too, like when Victor holds Yuri by the chin and stares into his eyes, or the katsudon they eat.
Finally, you can take photos with life-sized stands of the main characters. This section replicates a “kiss and cry” booth, so all the characters are in full celebratory mode, as you can see in the museum's key visual. You can grab soft toys and props from a nearby table and use them in your pictures. It's quite cute!
The Yuri!!! On Museum event will last until the 3rd of September. Tickets cost 1,000 yen (preorder) or 1,300 (same day). You'll have to go six times to get all the audio guides, but fans will definitely get a kick out of the contents.
Personally, I'm wondering who will be featured in the secret audio guide. Maybe it's Otabek, since he's in the key visual but doesn't get his own audio guide. The museum has a strict no-spoiler guideline, though, so you'll have to go yourself if you want to find out.
