The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network. Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead.
Full Disclosure: Coop Bicknell regularly works with MediaOCD, having provided advertorial coverage for Discotek Media's release of Lupin the Third: The Woman Called Fujiko Mine. Their opinions given here are purely their own and do not reflect those of their employers.
However, it's even more bewildering that I hadn't sat down with any of Sayo Yamamoto's directorial efforts until a handful of months back. In fact, I started addressing this huge blind spot right after Otakon, where you often gave the correct non-response to my god-awful puns.
Sylvia
Hey Coop, the good thing about good anime is that it's always there to be watched, whenever you get around to it. And heck, 2026 is hardly a bad year to slide back into Yuri!!! on Ice in particular. We just had another Winter Olympics with some new breakout ice skating celebrities. Earlier this week, there was a theatrical showing of the first crop of episodes. History may have kept going on since 2016 (and there are many ways in which I wish it hadn't), but Sayo Yamamoto's mark on the anime medium hasn't gone anywhere.
With that in mind, I guess it's a good thing that I've recently worked through all three of her small-screen splashes. That said, why don't we look into Yamamoto's career—from her humble origins in the MADHOUSE, to that time she came to Brazil, and her current absence from the industry.
Right, and that absence makes a column on her all the more necessary, I think. There are very few women in the industry who have wielded as much creativity and power in the service of original storytelling. It's worth exploring her legacy—and why we have to call it a "legacy."
Way back in the early aughts, Yamamoto kicked off her career at Studio Madhouse, working primarily as a storyboard artist on shows like X and the aforementionedGalaxy Angel. From there, she quickly moved on to episode direction while cultivating a close working relationship with Takeshi Koike and Yoshiaki Kawajiri on projects such as the prelude to Redline, Trava - Fist Planet, and World Recordfrom The Animatrix. Though those weren't the only influential friends she had in those days, as she also kicked off a similarly strong rapport with Shinichirō Watanabe while boarding and directing episodes of Samurai Champloo over at the now-defunct Manglobe. Keep some of these names in mind, because they're going to come up again throughout Yamamoto's career.
And due in large part to those connections, she has quite the eclectic collection of storyboard and director credits throughout the 2000s and 2010s! There are shows like Occult Academy that only people like me care about. There are big hits like Panty & Stocking and Death Note. Cult classics like Redline. It really happens to be a lot of series that I watched and enjoyed, although I couldn't tell you exactly when I became aware of her as an artist. I can guess, though, that it has to do with her series directorial debut, Michiko & Hatchin.
This premiered in my college era when I was actively keeping up with new series for the first time. And I can remember watching this OP and thinking, "hell yeah."
I first saw Michiko & Hatchin's OP not long after I finished watching The Woman Called Fujiko Mine, and my initial thought was "Oh, I see why she was offered a Lupin project not long after this."
From Hatchin wildly noodling about as she tries to hold on for dear life to the "I LOVE LATINAS" energy on display almost immediately, these opening credits are the perfect distillation of what the show's all about. Noted foxy criminal Michiko Milandro busts out of prison, nabs her lover's daughter, and sets out on an adventure through the Brazilian underworld to find him. Oh, and an intrepid inspector who's got a history with Michiko is chasing them too.
There's also another thought that crossed my mind right away: "Huh, these character designs look kind of... Ghibli-esque?" My eyes weren't deceiving me as Studio Ghibli veteran Hiroshi Shimizu (who'd also designed the cast of another favorite of mine, Megalobox) lent his talents to this production. The series's eclectic soundtrack from Kassin was produced by Watanabe.
Pretty impressive lineup for someone's debut show! And that's not to mention that Michiko's and Hatchin's voice actors were both known for working in film, not anime. But again, Yamamoto was hardly a fresh-faced newcomer at this point, and Michiko & Hatchin speaks to that confidence. It's a story about the relationship between two women from two different generations that largely takes place in a foreign country and goes on for 22 episodes of crime and intrigue. I cannot imagine a series like this getting greenlit nowadays.
Speaking of the series' setting, Michiko & Hatchin's take on Brazil is a nice change of pace compared to what you tend to see in most series. The towns our duo travel through truly feel like they've got some history and grit to them, and not just a "I went to a resort and based my anime off my vacation" situation like with Macross Zero and the South Pacific. These places are falling apart in most cases, and the folks who live there are simply jury-rigging anything they can to make their lives just a little easier. Also, I really appreciate how the series tips its hat to Brazil's Japanese diaspora through its cast by simply going, "If you know the history, you'll understand why these characters have Japanese names."
Exactly! It still feels wholly unique almost two decades later. Like, the individual episodes and overall pacing aren't always stellar, but it remains such a singular specimen that I can't help but reassess it in an even more positive light nowadays. Especially given this fall's disappointing anime lineup. Imagine an industry that gives us five original shows like this per season, rather than 50 forgettable adaptations.
Without a doubt! Michiko & Hatchin has a texture to it that few modern series can hitch their trailer to. I agree with you that some of its early goings are a little too aimless for its own good, but when the series fully knows what it is (roughly around episode 12), it sings like few other shows. However, the most exciting part of Michiko is watching Yamamoto further develop her directorial style and then apply what she's learned to the next project. For example, stylish and occasionally avant-garde mid-episode title cards—which become a staple of her works.
And speaking of, if I'm thinking about a Sayo Yamamoto project that really punches you in the face with its sense of style, it's gotta be The Woman Called Fujiko Mine.
I am amazed you whipped up a collection of screenshots we can use without putting an age-gate on this column.
I have more!! Look, as far as TV anime is concerned, I know The Woman Called Fujiko Mine has the only opening sequence I can think of with that prominent of a nipple pinching, but the series is not all boob city. It's only like half boob city.
Admittedly, I can't talk too much about Fujiko Mine as I work with the companies behind the series' recent Blu-ray release and distribution...and have written about the series for advertorial purposes. We'll talk about these developments more next week in regards to the future of This Week in Anime, but I can say this: There's no Fujiko Mine without Michiko Milandro. Why? So many of the threads pulled upon by Michiko & Hatchin are tightened and perfected in this series. I'd only realized this recently as I had watched Fujiko Mine first.
It's a perfectly natural follow-up when you look at it through the lens of criminal women characters. It's also wild to consider that Yamamato's second-ever series is an entry in one of the longest-running anime franchises in the biz. And not only that, she hands in arguably the most idiosyncratic iteration on the series' formula, shifting the focus away from the titular Lupin onto the cast's token femme fatale Fujiko.
I'd be remiss not to mention TWIA favorite Mari Okada's involvement as the show's main writer, but I don't mention that to subtract from Yamamoto's involvement. I think it's actually incredible that this series has two industry powerhouse women in these two important creative roles. Consequently, Fujiko Mine is one of the first series that comes to mind when I think about feminism in anime. It's not afraid to let women be flawed and complicated. It's not afraid to let them be alluring and mature. And I don't want to give away the main thrust or twist of the series, but it takes a bold swing at the idea of what we consider "acceptable" narratives for women like Fujiko. It's simply one of the smartest and sexiest anime I've ever seen.
I also want to especially highlight the sixth episode, which recreates Osamu Dezaki's adaptation of Dear Brother from base principles, only Yamamato and Okada throw in more age-gap yuri, crossdressing, and teen girls with submachine guns.
Speaking of nods, in a 2017 interview with Febri, Yamamoto shared that some of Oscar's fits were inspired by Johnny Weir's on-ice ensembles. Oh, and that she was deep into ice skating while working on Fujiko...
So, you ever just make history?
I'm still trying myself, but I think we can say Yamamoto has made it several times over, up to and including the production of Yuri!!! on Ice.
Talk about a show that lives up to the praise and then some!
I'd actually watched the first two episodes of Yuri!!! on Ice sometime around their initial airing in 2016, when, like Yuri, I was 23 and spiraling. In the decade since then, I'd been curious about the series but also intimidated by the overwhelming critical acclaim—likely because I occasionally get a little sensory rejection with the new hotness, and it was more intense back then. However, I'm glad I saw it now because I can fully appreciate not only that it's a gold medal sports story, but an amazing romance.
Also, for some odd reason (probably all the critical praise), I thought Yuri!!! on Ice was a self-serious show. Needless to say, I shook my head at myself when I finally discovered how deeply silly it is. Make no mistake, there's an emotional seriousness on full display here—be it the core relationship or the sport itself—but the series is often quite delightfully light.
It's a joyful show, I'd say. It locks onto ice skating as an expression of joy, beauty, and love, and that perspective informs the tone of the entire show. I don't blame you for being skeptical, though, because it's difficult to overstate the extent to which Yuri!!! on Ice blew up within the anime sphere, to the extent that it's decently well-known by the "normal" part of the populace too. I mean, anecdotally, I attended AnimeFest in Dallas the year after this aired, with Sayo Yamamoto and Mitsurou Kubo as guests, and the crowd for both of them was insane.
As a certified sports freak (I have the shirt, no really), I absolutely love how the characters let their skating speak for them. It's a masterful way of juggling a massive ensemble of characters—giving them their moments in the spotlight while not shortchanging their emotional development either. The small arc between the clingy brother and sister comes to mind, as does the rise and fall of our Canadian king, JJ.
Speaking of JJ, I said this half-jokingly before on Bluesky, but I think the character is ripe for a spin-off helmed by Nirvana the Band, the Show the Movie's Matt Johnson and Heated Rivalry's Jacob Tierney. I don't say this just because both talents are the big-name Canadian hotness, but because I feel their sensibilities greatly align with the spirit of Yuri!!! on Ice. Also, I could see JJ skating to a new Jay McCarrol bop.
Never before have I wished harder that Matt Johnson reads our column.
Regardless of the spinoff potential, Yuri!!! on Ice functions beautifully as a self-contained work. A unique character drama. A sports anime like no other. And one could argue it really did make history by having Yuri and Victor's relationship be as explicit as it was.
In looking back on the series' history, I noticed there was a little consternation around the status of this pair's relationship, but as you said, it's made explicitly clear that they're an item. Like there's a whole bit about their rings...which also gave me Witch from Mercury flashbacks.
I mean, given the recent reaction to Goodbye, Lara, the "acceptable" amount of explicitness for queer relationships in anime continues to be a contentious subject. But there wasn't even much implied boy-plus-boy kissing 10 years ago, so I think people were right to be excited by that moment in particular.
On the topic of queerness, though, I noticed when opening my YOI screencap folder that I have a jpeg named "me," and it's this image with a red arrow pointing at a suspiciously Anko-coded woman next to Russian Yuri. I do not remember making this, nor could I tell you why I took the time to do so. Most normal egg behavior.
On a similarly queer note, I ended up binging all of Heated Rivalry immediately after finishing Yuri!!! on Ice. Outside of the shared focus on skating-based sports, I appreciate how both series have their own approaches to how a timid guy gets with the hunky Russian of his dreams. Yuri!!! on Ice is easy and breezy about the romance, eschewing any of the very real fears and concerns queer people face every day, especially in a situation like Heated Rivalry where our leads aren't out. Honestly, it's nice to have a pair of works that lean into the same emotional tenderness, but come at it from two different perspectives. In Yuri!!! on Ice's case, it's wonderful that the series is a gay love story that focuses on the fluffier side of things, which is a breath of fresh air given the horrors queer people face today.
Similarly, one of the qualities I most appreciate about Sayo Yamamoto's work is how queer and women-centric it is. And it always feels like she tackles these subjects with maturity. Like, she's one of the few anime directors I trust when it comes to depicting real, grown-up sensuality and horniness. Even when it's something as silly as Space Dandy wiggling his abs in front of a fawning crowd, it's given the weight it needs to feel legitimately sexy.
And boobs in the suits could possibly be why we haven't heard a thing from Sayo Yamamoto for a long time now—even before the 2024 cancelation of Ice Adolescence. Now, while COVID most assuredly threw a wrench into the film's production, there have been no straight answers from anyone related to the project. According to one of the film's producers, who was seemingly interviewed by an outlet that's hawking Roblox codes and covered in ads, it was allegedly cancelled due to irreconcilable creative differences. Naturally, take that one with a grain of salt. Also apply that same salt to recent chats with MAPPA CEO and President Manabu Ohtsuka, who allegedly claims the film was cancelled because the studio had a bad revenue-sharing deal with the production committee.
Personally, I trust Ohtsuka's word on the situation about as far as I can throw him. Which I also spoke with Lucas about while we're chatting Reze Arc's big-screen splash last year.
We don't know the specifics of the whole project (and probably never will), but what we have heard comes off as deflection. If MAPPA wanted a better deal from the pro-co, they should've renegotiated before hitting a green light. Also, I'd like to point out that Yuri!!! on Ice was likely greenlit at MAPPA under the leadership of Masao Maruyama—an industry legend whose efforts seemingly served to foster new talent instead of burning that talent for all they've got on [insert Shonen Jump property of the week here]. I'm not trying to glaze one producer and put down the other, but actions speak louder than words.
I think that's about as good a read on the situation as we can get without additional (reputable) information. Mostly I'm just bummed that this appears to have soured Yamamoto on the industry, with her credits having dwindled since the film's announcement (and subsequent unannouncement). And I mean, whatever she's doing now, I hope she's enjoying herself. I hope she's kicking back! She doesn't owe me or anyone else any additional art. But I miss her creative voice.
Same, I wouldn't blame her for a moment if she said, "Fuck it, I'm done." As much as I'd love to see a new work from Yamamoto (and who knows? She could be waiting for the YOI situation to completely blow over or working on something in secret), I'm grateful that I've been able to experience and enjoy what she's already given us!
Also curious what she thinks of how Heated Rivalry handled Scott and Kip....
All I know is she made a whole lot of anime nerds start caring about competitive ice skating, and if one has to rest on their laurels, that's a pretty comfy one to lie down on.
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Now that Coop has finally watched Yuri!!! on Ice, they and Sylvia dive into Sayo Yamamoto 's series.― Now that Coop has finally watched Yuri on Ice, they and Sylvia dive into Sayo Yamamoto's series. The views and opinions expressed by the participants in this chatlog are not the views of Anime News Network.Spoiler Warning for discussion of the series ahead. Crunchyroll streams Michiko & Hatchin, Lu...
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