Terrapin

Thank you for this French version: I don't hear them very often. To sum up for those who don't understand French: the girl and the guy both agree that this programme was very well skated and are both very complimentary of his salchow. The guy emphasizes the fact that the transitions are complex, especially the entry into the triple axel. However, he doesn't like the costume: he thinks it is too similar to the one Johnny Weir wore and thinks Yuzuru should try and find his own style. The girl told him it was probably a tribute to Weir but he wasn't satisfied anyway. Then he said that the step sequence was a bit lacking and that it should be more complex. I found he was a tad harsh and was very French about it ^^(we like complaining ;))

Well, I do truly believe that there are deep meanings in most of the programmes Yuzu has been skating so far, especially the ones he skated as a grown up and into which he put so much in himself, simply because this guy overthinks everything. And it is also because he puts his heart and soul in everything he does (and skate) that they feel so special to so many people. This is also what sets him apart in the figure skating world (isn't he the guy who wrote a very long letter to Wilson so that he would agree to choreograph R&J2, which would incidently be connected to R1J1?, the one who absolutely wanted to skate to POTO to show a more powerful side to his skating and who said goodbye to the phantom on his last performance? the one who went to see Mansai Nomura so that he would perfectly understand the character of Seimei but also what 'wa' is and how you should perform it? the one who skated on Requiem in such a way that one commentator truly felt the suffering he was embodying and so on...) So I don't think our analysis are as far-fetched as they may seem at first ^^

I love Max reaction so much: he was like 'please can you take over and comment instead of me because I am actually speechless' and then started gushing and just couldn't stop himself

To me Origin means different things that are all connected: It is Yuzu's origins, hence the tribute to Plushenko who himself did a tribute to Nijinsky. It is the origin of the universe in Japanese mythology, hence the idea of Yuzu being a 'demon creator', in the sense that he is able to literally create a universe through his skating. I think it also acknowledges somehow the fact that Yuzu has reached a kind of mythical status thanks to his journey and achievements. All in all, I agree that it can be more difficult to grasp because it may seem more abstract as a concept, but I think you need to see Otonal and Origin as a diptych: Otonal is more emotional while Origin is more abstract, Otonal is softer while Origin is fiercer, Otonal is the androgynous beauty while Origin is the more assertive/ masculine one etc but in the end, both combined, they actually embody what Yuzu is as a whole.

I must say, I was actually a bit annoyed at the BESP British commentary because they were suddenly giving Yuzu so many praises while having been rather colder the last two seasons because of Yuzu's 'inconsistencies'. And I can see the difference in all the comments now that Yuzu is 2 times OGM: suddenly he is truly the king in everybody's eyes. But I think it is a combination of the fact that Yuzu overcame such a serious injury and still won that second OGM, plus him still continuing skating despite all his achievements. But yeah, to me the most sincere comments, and the ones that never changed despite all the trials and disappointments Yuzu had to go through are Max and Angelo's comments, as well as Johnny's and Kurt's. And they also are the most accurate ones (because sometimes it seems like the British commentators didn't really check their facts well). On a brighter side, I truly feel that this time around, Yuzu has reached a level of maturity and serenity never seen before, so I truly believe he's actually going to show us the best that has ever been now. I'm really thankful for him to continue skating a couple of seasons more, because that's when he's going to show us his full potential

Yeah, for example I remember him saying that it was Patrick's time to win the Sochi Olympics and not Yuzu's, simply because he could not possibly stand at the top of the podium wearing the RJ2 costume (of course it was said as a joke ^^).

Kurt choreographed Hello I love you. Actually Kurt is really into 'bad boy' Yuzu and tends to be disappointed at Yuzu's quiet or dramatic programmes (he wasn't into Requiem that much for example). I'm sure he could choreograph one hell of a sexy short programme for Yuzu too

Thank you for this vlog: it gives us a great insight into the 'feel' of the competition. It reminds me of all the live competitions I attended: nothing beats that

I am so in love with that first version of Chopin. Actually the version of this programme I rewatch the most is the GPF 2014 one (because of sentimental reasons as it was just after the terrible COC crash, and because of this costume: I love everything from the deeper shade of blue to the black belt adorned with these white pearls). I didn't like the second version at all because of these golden patches that stick out too much and the paler blue which looks flatter as you say. I like the collar in the last version but I'm still mourning that first version which is simpler and more elegant.

Origin is drop dead gorgeous, Otonal is either a vest he stole from Shoma or a vest that shrunk in size after being washed ^^ Plus it looks like he forgot to wear a shirt underneath

Ideally, I would have liked less ruffles but the absence of this deep V neck looks so much more elegant on him!

That's exactly what bothered me the first time I laid my eyes on this costume: it is gorgeous and fits him very well but that dark part is sooo distracting ^^I completely see chest hair here too

I'm so happy he chose this And it makes so much sense for him to honour his two favourite skaters and the ones who inspired him so much !

I'm so in love with this exhibition ! And the costume didn't disappoint !

I don’t really have the time to closely follow what Yuzu is doing at the moment so can someone tell me where is this costume/programme coming from ? It looks stunning

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8grfK5EFxWE I don't know if this has been posted before (I have a hard time keeping up with the thread) but I thought this video on the Olympic channel was quite interesting: What Makes Yuzuru Hanyu Great? - Coach Brian Orser's Exclusive Insights

I believe the missing word is 'contradiction', meaning that he is a machine (so very strong), and yet so delicate at the same time. I love how everybody was skeptical about his victory and yet can only bow in awe to him. I seriously think that this injury was somehow a blessing in disguise: Yuzuru thrives the most when he needs to come back from behind and perform miracles.

No I think he meant that he needed ten more points in order to break his overall record. Well at least that's how I've always understood it.

At this point I'm really glad to know Yuzu will be representing Japan at both Olympics and World. I wish him to be healthy enough to do what he has in mind and not to have any regrets. Merry Christmas to all the people on this forum, and a great thank u to all the people who make this place so special. The new banner looks awesome

Happy Birthday Yuzu!!!! I hope that from where you are you can feel all the love and that it gives you plenty of energy to come back strong !

Thank u

Great! I would really like to participate. Is there a way to find the link for this anywhere else than twitter? Because I don't have Twitter.

Thank you! It worked

Hi there! Thank you very much for this. However I've been a very clumsy Pooh. I dropped one somewhere by mistake and can't take it out. How should I do?

I often think how he is still paying the consequences of that terrible crash in Shanghai back in 2014: that's how he lost a whole year of upgrade. And because of that he keeps pushing himself and try to catch up on the time lost. God the universe won't make anything easy to him! But that is also why he is so awe-inspiring. So just like Yuzu is driven by an undying fire we shouldn't let our spirits down. He needs all the positive energy he can get from us