Today I am posting my slightly belated Meraki Candles Anime Quarterly Yuri on Ice unboxing. This was meant to go up next week, but I am very behind on my reading for reviews. I was super excited to receive this box, I bought it back in May when it was announced and it wasn't supposed to arrive till July, but it didn't come till the end of August, which I was a bit disappointed by. I paid £23.29 in total, which included £3.50 postage. The box itself should have been £21.99, but I got a 10% discount by using one of the reps codes, so it was £19.79. But, that aside, here is my unboxing of the Yuri on Ice box.
This is what the actual box looks like. I do like how it's quite small and could easily fit in a postbox.
So there were two candles in the box. One was Eros which smells of sweet orange and chili. It's a surprisingly nice combination and I wasn't expecting to like it. The other one was Agape which smells of bergamot, apple and vanilla. Again, this is a surprisingly nice combination and I also really like it.
So this is what the candles look like with the lids off. They are such beautiful colours and really go with the theme and meaning behind the candles.
The first item is this History Makers mirror by Meraki Designs, which is the design side of Meraki Candles. I have to admit that I don't use mirrors that often and I have about 3 from subscription boxes that are gathering dust. So this item was not a hit with me, but the design is lovely.
This item is amazing and it's a letter from Victor to Yuri (I haven't posted the actual letter as I don't want to spoil anyone). This is from bookified. I love how this is such a unique item and I'll look into getting a different one from a different character.
This is the design on the spoiler card, I love that the whole gang is there and that Yuri is in the center (where he belongs).
A little extra was this character postcard, it is double sided, but silly me forgot to take a photo of the other side. But look at Victor and Yuri! They're so cute!
On the other side of this beautiful picture are some anime recommendations. They are for sport anime's and I have heard of Free!, but I've only been able to watch the dubbed version and I cannot stand dubbed Japanese films/tv.
This is the other little extra print, it's loads of information about figure skating.
The final item is this character notebook, I can't see who made it on the card though. It's a very cute, little notebook and it has lined paper inside.
So overall, I have to admit I was a bit disappointed about the contents and overall process of getting this box. It came really late and there was no warning about it coming late, which is really upsetting as a customer as you begin to worry that it's got lost in the post. The contents, while nice, was not worth what I paid for this box and I don't think I'm going to get much use out of the items. I don't think I'll be getting another one of these boxes, but I still love the candles and will continue to order big candles from them.
Carenza x
Recently, I fell headfirst down the dark hole that is Anime and I am loving every single second of it. I have been a massive fan of Studio Ghibli since 2012 and I figured it was a crime that I hadn't watched Anime, so once my exams had finished I signed up to a handy-dandy website called Crunchyroll. It's tag line is literally "everything anime" and that is the best way to describe it. If you are looking for a good and reliable Anime streaming platform, then Crunchyroll might before you. I would like to state that I am not being paid to promote Crunchyroll, I just really love their site.
But with falling headfirst into Anime, the world of Anime discussions have now been opened up. The first Anime I would like to discuss is the first one I fully completed and that is Yuri on Ice. When it was first released last November, Yuri on Ice was huge (and deservedly so). Even someone who had no interest in it (like myself at the time) had heard of Yuri on Ice.
Now I have completed it and like the rest of the fandom, patiently wait for the feature movie to drop, I would like to discuss Yuri on Ice with those who have finished it. This post will contain spoilers, so STOP READING if you don't want to be spoiled. Yuri on Ice is only 12 25 minute episodes, so you can easily binge watch it and come back to this post. I'm sure you don't need anymore encouragement from me to spend an afternoon binge watching some Anime.
Opening Credits
Something I have noticed about all the Anime's I have watched so far is that they take opening credits to a whole other level. I honestly don't know how anyone could skip an opening credit for any Anime as they are so beautiful. But aside from Attack on Titan (discussion post coming soon), Yuri on Ice has some of the best opening credits I've seen.
They are seriously a work of art. I love the water colour aspect of them and am planning on getting a phone case inspired by the opening credits.
Opinions
As I just changed my username to be a parody of Yuri on Ice (CarenzaOnBooks is a very subtle tip to how amazing this Anime is), I can safely say I love it. It's short, it's sweet and it hooks you in, which makes it perfect for first Anime. I have never been someone who is interested in sports, but watching Yuri on Ice makes me want to learn figure skating. It was also surprisingly educational as I don't think the average person knows much about figure skating and figure skating competitions.
Yuri K is the sweetest character to exist. I adore him. The depiction of someone suffering from anxiety and learning to overcome their fears was one of the best things about this Anime. Yuri K felt so real and like he was someone you could bump into on the street. He also had the perfect reaction when his idol, Victor, became his coach. If you put me in a room with my idol and told me they were going to coach me, I'd flail uncontrollably for about a week.
I also loved Victor. He was exactly the kind of coach Yuri K needed, someone who was going to push him, but understand how challenging it would be for him. In truth, we all want someone like Victor in our lives. Someone understanding, but helps us to achieve our dreams.
Whilst researching for this post, I read some criticism about the relationship between Victor and Yuri K, saying that in episode 7, they hid a kiss. I read about this on Wikipedia so it may not be true, but watching clips on YouTube, it does suggest that there was a kiss an Victor's arm hid it. If that is the case, then it would be a disappointment as apart from that the curators have been great at depicting the same-sex relationship. A part of me wants Yuri K and Victor to be in a romantic relationship, but part of me also is content with them being friends. It will be interesting to see how they deal with it in the feature film.
Each episode ended on a mini cliffhanger and made you want to watch more. I finished Yuri on Ice in around a week. I am unbelievably excited for the feature film and hope it has all the feels that the Anime had. I would like to see how the other characters (i.e Yuri K's family and the other figure skaters) are doing. I will admit that I hope it focuses on Victor and Yuri K, as I don't care for Yuri P that much.
It made me very happy to see members of different ethnic groups as well as sexual orientations and countries. Of the Anime's I've been watching so far, there is a lack of representation and this filled the whole that was missing.
I've already said I adored Yuri on Ice, but I'll say it again. It wasn't just about figure skating, it was about achieving your dreams and great relationships. I hope the feature film does this beautiful story justice.
