If you liked Yuri!!! On Ice, Then Check Out Blades of Furry

I’ve heard that Webtoons have become a lot more popular. In fact, Hot Topic has actually started carrying merch from one of my favorite Webtoons (Lore Olympus, for those who are curious), and yet I didn’t hear about them until last year, when the shut down brought all sorts of new opportunities (re: desperation) to find new ways to entertain myself. Since then I’ve grown to love them as much as I love anime (what fresh blasphemy is this, I know), especially since you can easily binge from your phone wherever you are! I realize you can technically binge anime on your phone, too, but you can be way sneakier reading a Webtoon than when you’re watching a show.

If you are a manga fan, Webtoons won’t be that different from what you are used to. Webtoon Originals come out weekly and you scroll top to bottom. A bonus is that they are also almost always in color. I say almost only because there could be one that I haven’t read yet that is actually black and white and I don’t want to lie to you. Because if I lie to you then how are you supposed to believe how awesome what I’m recommending is?

For those who haven’t seen the show in a while, Yuri!!! On Ice is an anime about a young ice skater named Yuri who is discouraged after losing a big competition. To cheer himself up, he skates a famous routine of his skating hero, Viktor. The video ends up going viral and Viktor, feeling inspired, decides to become Yuri’s coach for the upcoming season. The rest of the anime is about both their skating and their developing romantic feelings for one another. It’s fun to watch for many reasons, which are also reasons I think you might like a Webtoon called Blades of Furry.

You read that right. Blades of Furry is the name of the Webtoon. As one of the top comments in the first episode says, “Yuri!!! On Ice, but make it furry.” The comic takes place in a world inhabited by all kinds of anthropomorphic animals. It focuses mainly on a rather fresh ice skater, Emile, who - due to extenuating circumstances - manages to beat the reigning champion in a skating matchup. These circumstances actually bring Emile and Radu a little closer and you get to read about their developing relationship and skating careers.

Emile and Radu’s relationship definitely has some similar elements to Yuri and Viktor’s. First of all, Radu is Emile’s all time hero who, after their initial encounter, begins to grow closer to and even practices with him. Emile is talented, but a rookie who has a lot to learn. Emile and Radu are both male so it’s also BL! Is it BL if they’re animals? Humans are animals so my answer is YES.

If you loved the skating aspects of Yuri!!! On Ice, you won’t get the amazing animation, but you won’t be left disappointed, either. Their skating competitions aren’t the kind you are used to in Yuri or real life. Instead, it’s a mix between a technical battle and brawl which is super cool! Basically, two skaters are matched up and their goal is to take down the other skater while doing the jumps and spins that we all know and love at the same time. The winner is either the one who scores the most technical points or the one who can make the other one fall down. I absolutely love the fresh take on skating and think you will, too!

There are 28 episodes out currently, and Blades of Furry updates every Sunday. I’m in CDT time so for me, episodes for the next day actually update at 8pm, so you might see them update earlier for you, as well.

So, if you watched Yuri!!! On Ice for the BL, check out Blades of Furry. If you like a good skating competition story with personal antics and drama on the side, check out Blades of Furry. If you like watching a sweet, romantic relationship blossom between a semi-rookie and a champion, check out Blades of Furry. Or, if you’re simply in the market for a fun story, check out Blades of Furry. It certainly hasn’t disappointed me yet and it looks like there is a lot more to come!