Geo1

This is Ghislain very early this morning in the Air Canada lounge at Toronto airport waiting for his flight to Narita via Vancouver. This is Ghislain in Vancouver en route to Narita. I have noticed that Ghislain always wears Under Armour reflecting his affinity to Team Yuzu. He is going to Japan to work with Mie Hamada at the Kinoshita Academy. I am hoping that one day he will go to Japan to work with Yuzu.

First of all, I would like to thank @SuzyQ for all the translations that she does for us. I just want to clarify one thing that she translated. I think she meant to say this, but one word does make a difference in what Yuzu said. Datte kokode hakumon has been translated "Cause I put (my boots) here." The one word that is missing from the translation is "ON" – "Cause I put ON (my boots) here." "Cause I put (my boots) here" would be Datte kokoe okumon.

It’s kind of off-topic, but is Yuzu really allergic to cats? He seems to go out of his way to play with cats and kittens whenever he encounters them and without any apparent allergic reaction. Both he and the felines appear to be in Seventh Heaven whenever they interact.

Yuzu knew things were not right when he saw that he had been awarded almost Max PCS points (98.56) for his Seimei free skate at the 2015 GPF, but found his PCS dropping in subsequent competitions despite improvement technically and artistically. For example, the PCS for his perfect Hope and Legacy "best free skate in history" at the 2017 Helsinki World Championships was 97.08. "Scandalous!" shouted Max Ambesi.

This is strictly my personal opinion, but I have always thought that Yuzu lip-synchs Kimigayo on the podium. I have no opinion about the quality of his singing voice, but have always hoped that he does have a good voice and even wished that he would someday be a singing idol. Having said that, it's been my belief that Yuzu is lip-synching whenever we see him "singing" in public. Maybe he is purposely hiding his singing voice, Ninja Yuzu-style, so that he can blow everyone's minds one day by coming out with a recording without any advance notice. Is that his secret post-professional athlete ambition/career? If there was one occasion when you would have expected Yuzu to actually sing out loud, it would have been the time they had celebrities singing Hana Wa Saku; however, you can see at approximately 20 seconds of the following video that he is initially lip-synching with his eyes closed and then silently looking at the camera for the remainder of his appearance. I think that a lot of Fanyus had looked forward to seeing this video in anticipation of actually hearing Yuzu sing. For better or worse, Yuzu does not wish to reveal his singing voice.

Calico cats are known as “Mikeneko” (pronounced mi-ke neko) – three (coloured) hair cat– in Japan and thought to bring good luck. Males in particular are sought after because they are so rare – only 1 in 3000 are males. Your kind act of rescuing this poor kitten from certain death in the middle of a hot summer desert may be a foreshadowing of good fortune. It was certainly good fortune for the kitty that you rescued her.

One of us ladies is a guy!

Yuzu will politely decline your firstborn son, but gladly accept one of your cats, if he or she is hypoallergenic.

I don’t want to belabor the point, but the Japanese language does not have the English equivalent of the swear word “fuck” or any of its derivatives (“fucked”, “fucking”, “fuckable”, “fucked up”, “fuckedy-fuck”, etc.). The poor Japanese are swear-word deprived/challenged in this regard. The English language is replete with all manner of swear words to suit every occasion. The Japanese word “kusou” (pronounced “kuso”) is the equivalent of the English curse word/phrase “Shit!”, but is often translated as “damn”. I think that “kusou” is used in a variety of ways by the Japanese because it is the closest thing to a swear word they have. As @Xiupia has said, it is not the first time that Yuzu has used the word “kusou”. I myself am a third-generation Japanese-Canadian and have a lovely arsenal of English swear words. I always enjoy bringing my Japanese visitors up to speed on the proper use of English swear words. It is true that swear words are often the first words that one becomes familiar with when learning a foreign language.

Yuzu performed in approximately 60 ice shows during the summer not only to raise money for the disaster, but to practice Etude and RJ1 for the upcoming competitive season because Ice Rink Sendai was damaged. The Nebelhorn Trophy was presented to 16-year-old Yuzu by Stephane Lambiel. Michal Brezina was second, Stephen Carriere third and Javi fourth. Yuzu had already met Stephane Lambiel during the ice shows in the summer at which time he asked Stephane for his advice on how to jump the quad toe loop. I mentioned this before, but we were in Germany at the same time as Yuzu in September 2011, albeit quite a distance away in the Rhineland. I had not heard of Yuzuru Hanyu at that time. I would not fall down the rabbit hole until the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, but the fact that Yuzu and I were in the same country at the same time from opposite ends of the world may have been a foreshadowing of my subsequent connection with him. (Or it could have just been plain dumb luck.)

I can post this now since Brian has made it public by giving an interview. Ghislain was contacted by Yuzu on Sunday night (Toronto time). Yuzu wanted Ghislain to know that he was going to be holding a press conference to announce his retirement from competition. Yuzu assured Ghislain that he was happy and at peace with his decision. Ghislain said that although it was a sad day for Yuzu’s fans, it was the right decision and that Yuzu has his complete support.

To hell in a handbasket.

Totally agree. There is absolutely no question that he is the GOAT. He is finally done being compared to unworthy over-scored rivals and being unfairly judged in a scoring system specifically designed to diminish him. Yuzu, the genius, is finding a way, as a "professional athlete", to continue expanding his horizons as a competitive figure skater on his own terms, out of the reach of the ISU. It is hard to believe, but notwithstanding all of his injuries and challenges, including an ongoing right ankle injury, Yuzu, at 27 years of age, is continuing to improve technically and artistically and there appears to be no end to the challenges he is prepared to take on. He is indeed continuing to peak. We fans have a lot to look forward to.

Welcome to the Planet and thank you for finding the videos of Yuzu before and during the victory ceremony at the 2019 Grand Prix Final in Torino. That was an extremely trying competition for both Yuzu and Ghislain. It is a measure of the character of both of them that they were able to smile, laugh and apparently enjoy themselves in those circumstances. What your daughter said to you and what you said in reply are both funny and revealing about the ISU chosen winner in yellow and the true winner, our winner of hearts. One thing that I noticed in your otherwise interesting post is that you used the word "Jap" as an abbreviation for “Japanese”. I just wanted to point out to you and others who may not be aware of it that the word “Jap” is considered a disparaging ethnic slur, particularly to Japanese-Americans and Japanese-Canadians. Wikipedia – Jap https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jap "Jap is an English abbreviation of the word "Japanese". Today, it is generally regarded as an ethnic slur." Dictionary.com – Jap https://www.dictionary.com/browse/jap "adjective, noun Slang: Extremely Disparaging and Offensive." "A contemptuous term used to refer to a Japanese person." This applies to the word "Nip" (short for Nippon and Nipponese) as well. "Jap" and "Nip" are racial epithets. At their most benign, they are marginalizing and demeaning. At worst, they are extremely derogatory. Interestingly, most people born and raised in Japan do not seem to take offense at the words “Jap” and “Nip”. This is probably because they are English words and mean nothing to them or they assume that they are legitimate English words. This is ironic because these words were used during and after World War II as derogatory expressions, intended to convey contempt and hatred, specifically against the nation and people of Japan. I would suggest using the Olympic abbreviation for Japan – JPN – if you need to use an abbreviation for “Japan” or “Japanese”. Please accept this post in the spirit in which it is given – i.e., as a friendly elucidation – and post often!

We were extremely fortunate to be at 2019 Skate Canada International in Kelowna, British Columbia along with a number of satellites. That was an amazing competition and watching 24-year-old Yuzu performing his 2014 Olympic record-breaking SP “Parisienne Walkways” as his exhibition number was the cherry on top. The crowd went wild. I’m sure that 27-year-old Yuzu will be able to skate PW even better since there seems to be no limit to his ability to improve both athletically and artistically.

Yuzu keeps emphasizing that he is becoming a “professional athlete” rather than a “professional skater” because the latter term implies or invites inferences of exhibition level skating. He clearly would not want to be equated to the likes of Johnny Weir. Yuzu wants to continue challenging competitive level skating on his own terms and unfettered by the prejudicial confines of the ISU and JSF. I can imagine Yuzu performing amazing Olympic competition level short and free programs in his future ice shows which will naturally draw comparisons with the performances of the ISU-sponsored winners and leave absolutely no doubt as to who the best skater and GOAT is, notwithstanding the machinations of the powers that be. I see Yuzu creating a parallel universe to the Bizarro World of the ISU. A universe where true figure skating – that perfect balance of athleticism and art – will be encouraged to flourish and grow.

If Yuzu wanted to compete in the GP series, he would have been invited no question. It was his decision to leave the ISU dog and pony show.

Yuzu has always loved competing and still does, but he also expected to be judged fairly. He was sick and tired of being underscored and having the rules changed specifically to undermine him and boost his rivals. He knew that things were not right when he had nearly perfect scores, particularly in his PCS, at the 2015 GPF and then found his scores dropping in subsequent competitions when he was actually improving his technicality and artistry. This was the only logical decision he could have made if he wanted to retain his sanity and dignity. To continue competing in the toxic world of ISU with everything stacked against him and with no backup by the JSF would have been the end of Yuzuru Hanyu. Now he is his own man and free to take his skating to a much higher plane. He is going to have the last laugh with ISU and JSF. Revenge is a dish best served cold.

Basically, Yuzu is saying that he is done with this bullshit and being evaluated by a bunch of clowns. That is why he describes it as moving “up” to the next stage where he can compete against himself and skate to his and his fans’ expectations.

Yuzu to Tokyo Ghoul after 2018 PyeongChang: “PLEASE EAT ME!”

I am a fan of Yuzuru Hanyu, but not particularly a fan of figure skating, so agree with you that I have absolutely no interest in following figure skating devoid of Yuzu. I will continue to follow and support Yuzu in whatever he chooses to do and hope that the Planet will do so as well.

Yuzuru the boy became Yuzuru the man and now Yuzuru the man has become Yuzuru the Corporation, a powerful newly logoed juggernaut, never to be used (without his consent), bullied or manipulated by anyone ever again. Of course, Yuzu will not change. He will remain true to himself and to his fans. I have the feeling that Yuzuru the Corporation will find ingenious ways to make his skating much more accessible to his international fans. Why would he hire a law firm known for its expertise in international law otherwise?

Nah, he’d walk in unannounced, signal the front door security guy to not raise the alarm, walk down the steps and across the open space to the benches along the wall by the rink wearing all black and his black cap, pulling his gold hardshell carry-on, change into his black UA practice outfit, put on his skates and nonchalantly join Tracy’s stroking class. After the stroking class, he might consider giving everyone a thrill by effortlessly jumping and landing a pristine quadruple Axel, a jump that he would have perfected by then.

When I think of the TCC Boys, I think of the original "Cricket Brothers" – Yuzu, Javi and Nam.