It might not seem like it but there is more in common with Yuri and Bum than you may think. Seemingly, they are walking on two different paths that will never cross; Yuri is a young athlete from the countryside who worked hard to reach the top of the world through effort in figure skating, while Bum is a grown-up from the metropolis of Seoul who has lived his whole life in misery, never really trying to step out of it. And destiny brought them to completely different places. Yuri is able to find his lost self-confidence and the place he belongs to with Viktor’s support, while Bum finds nothing but despair in Sangwoo’s hands.

How exactly can these two people, with so different stories and destinies, be related? Well, the way they think about themselves and life could be a good answer. In the beginning of the Yuri!!! on Ice series, we meet an insecure Yuri who has failed in what he had worked so hard to achieve and is uncertain about his future. Yuri thinks very low of himself now that he has lost the dream he tried to protect for so many years, suffers from self-doubt and anxiety, and has become a chubby, depressed guy scared of moving forward. It takes Yuri a long time to overcome his complex, so we often see him throughout the series feeling unsure, worried about every little thing, afraid to act or take any decision. Bum, like Yuri, has plenty of complex issues when it comes to both himself and interpersonal relationships. He lives in a sick world he has created to defend himself from people who has hurt him, and suffers from feeling unsuitable for the society. While reading Killing Stalking, what strikes one immediately is Bum’s fear, his shyness, and hesitation which made of him a mentally broken guy on who Sangwoo easily forces himself upon.

Now, we could assume that who found easy to empathize with Yuri’s lack of self-confidence has probably found easy to empathize with Bum’s mental troubles, as well. So, a first explanation for Yuri!!! On Ice’s fandom for liking Killing Stalking lies in the exploration of their protagonists’ mental health.

When Yuri!!! On Ice came out, no one did expect that Yuri and Viktor’s relationship could go any further than usual BL fanservice. With spokon anime such as Free!, Kuroko no Basket, and Haikyuu, we are used to seeing hot, muscular guys who spend all their time together, fight over trivial matters as an old-married couple, promising to protect each other’s dreams, and touch more than necessary, so no one was really surprised when Viktor was shown happily jumping naked on his dear friend Yuri. After all, Yuri!!! On Ice wasn’t rated as a “BL” or “yaoi” anime in the first place and due to the problems that Japanese society still have with acknowledging the existence of a LGBTQ community in their country, it was unlikely to think the main characters’ affair could evolve in anything else but a strong friendship. That is why when Viktor actually kissed his pupil on the lips, the Web went crazy with surprise.

Still, what makes of Yuri!!! On Ice a shocking story isn’t just the unexpected evolution of Viktor and Yuri’s relationship, but also plot twists such as Yurio’s choice to come over his rival’s Yuri side, the result of the finals, the sweet ending. Whatever people may say, Yuri!!! On Ice is an average story which turned out to be shocking and unpredictable, and this is probably something it has in common with Killing Stalking. Everything can be said about Killing Stalking other than it isn’t a shocking story. As Yuri!!! On Ice, Killing Stalking also features the evolution of a relationship and how the two protagonists grow attached (in a very questionable way) to one another, but the way it happens is astonishing, and the environment and situations which Bum and Sangwoo has to deal with can really make your mind blow. Predicting what is going to happen, what does Sangwoo have in mind, how will Bum act to save his own life is fairly impossible, and the solutions which the author comes out with are shocking enough to create tension and make the readers wonder what will it happen next.

If it is true that Yuri!!! On Ice’s fandom enjoys shocking stories with unpredictable plot twists, then Killing Stalking couldn’t slip past undetected. Thus, a second explanation for Yuri!!! On Ice’s lovers love of Killing Stalking lies in the way the plot sequence was conceived and structured.

What was new about Yuri!!! On Ice was the fact it featured homosexuality as never seen before in the history of anime. Of course, there are many other characters openly homosexual in anime and manga, but in Yuri!!! On Ice, homosexuality is one of the main elements on which the plot is based on, and it is the protagonists who are directly involved in a romantic homosexual affair. Despite this, Yuri!!! On Ice is not a BL or a yaoi series and the homosexual element isn’t even the main focus of the story, since the plot concentrates on more crucial matters such as Yuri’s personality strengthening process, his internal fight, and his future career as a figure skater.

Unlike Yuri!!! On Ice, Killing Stalking is rated “BL”, but it gives the same impression of not being based only on the homosexual element. Actually, Sangwoo despises Yoon Bum exactly because of his homosexual and queer tendencies, which he finds ill and disgusting. We perfectly know that Yoon Bum wants desperately to get into Sangwoo’s pants, but this is left to itself most of the time. What Killing Stalking really focuses on is what’s in Yoon Bum’s mind, his distorted interpretation of the reality, and his efforts to read Sangwoo’s twisted mind. Depiction of a homosexual relationship (however unhealthy it may be) is not the purpose of Koogi’s manhwa, although – as for Yuri!!! On Ice – it plays a big role.

In short, we could say that it is not only the depiction of a healthy homosexual relationship what Yuri!!! On Ice’s fandom which moved to Killing Stalking liked the most about the series. Probably, for Yuri!!! On Ice’s fandom, homosexuality is an important element for a story to be great, but it is better for it to be just a mean for supporting a good plot capable of being intriguing and catchy. And Killing Stalking definitely is an intriguing and catchy story in its own way.

What everyone will agree on is that Yuri!!! On Ice is an incredible work. Not only is the story touching and highly emotional, but also the plot sequence is engaging, the soundtrack is superb, the characters are designed to be complex, with a deep personality, their own reasons to act as they act, and their unique skating technique. Above all, the animation is the most surprising thing about Yuri!!! On Ice. The artwork is fluid and gorgeous, The camera angles make it looks like a movie, and the splendid choreographies conceived by the Olympic champion Kenji Miyamoto makes viewers feel like watching a real skating show.

If there is something that Killing Stalking has in common with Yuri!!! On Ice is exactly the researched illustration technique. Koogi’s work can just be described as “amazingly accurate” and is able to transmit sensations such as anxiety, tension, fear, motion, and even the flow of time. Characters’ anatomy, proportion, colors are perfect, being extremely detailed, and each time they appear on the screen their expressions tell you something about what is inside them, what they may be thinking, feel or would like to act. There is no particular detail in Killing Stalking left to chance and all expressions, frames, places, objects shown is necessary for completing the intricate puzzle which composes the plot.

Yuri!!! On Ice and Killing Stalking are both high quality works, and that can’t be denied. The style is very different, but the accuracy by which they were illustrated is definitely a point that the two titles have in common. For a tough audience as Yuri!!! On Ice’s used to fine art, Killing Stalking must have represented a good way to replace the series which have just finished airing, at least from an aesthetic perspective. Basically, Yuri!!! On Ice has terrible good tastes when it comes to art.