borntomake:

Well, I do think Yuuri is in a better state of mind here.

He’s got some distance from Vicchan’s death, as well as what happened at the GPF. He’s also got a better handle on his physical fitness and emotional health, and I’m sure Victor showing up to coach him gave him a nice confidence boost. And this scene happens on a day of celebration for him because he hit his target weight loss goal, and Victor is finally going to let him skate.

However, I think Yuuri is more confident on the whole than he gives himself credit for.

There’s a big difference between lacking confidence because you’re incompetent at something – and lacking confidence because you’re a perfectionist who sets impossibly high goals for yourself.

Yuuri knows he’s not incompetent.

We don’t hear him refer to himself as a bad skater. We hear him say “run of the mill.” He thinks he’s nothing special, and it frustrates him, because his goal is to surpass Victor Nikiforov.

But that doesn’t mean Yuuri thinks he sucks.

That’s why we get these flashes of confidence from him. All the other stuff that’s going his way helps, but deep down, Yuuri knows he’s good. He’s just not up to his own standards yet.