KatjaThera

Actually, now that I think about it, reverse order would make better sense. Start off with his usual 3A for warmup. 4T. Nobody (rivals and their coaches) reacts. 4S. "Oh, the 4S is back" 4Lo. "Oh, the loop, too." 4Lz. "Wait, what?" 4F. "WAIT, WHAT?!" 4A. Yuzu:

So... I guess there are several scenarios that could explain why no media day... First, ACI is a week earlier this year than last year, which might interfere with the schedules of his coaches and choreographers. Last year, media day was 2 weeks or so(?) before ACI, which means it'd have to be even earlier this year and that could be an issue (IIRC, even last year Brian had to make some efforts to make it, or at least we were wondering if he would, what with JGPs and Zhenya's Test Skate in Russia... This year they've also spent a lot of time in China and who knows what their schedules look like for this Summer). Second, he could be recycling, so no point in having media day. Before Olys it was different, he was recycling older programs and it was the Olympic Season, he could hardly go all incognito. I admit, I'd be surprised if he were recycling both programs, because it really felt to me like he took a step forward this Summer and last year was now firmly in the past, including from the programs point of view. But with Shae as busy as she is and with him possibly wanting to add 1, 2 or even 3 new quads, recycling would be easier and then no media day would also make sense... Third, he wants to keep the state of his jumps, as well as his overall condition a secret for as long as possible. ACI, IIRC, is the first challenger this season, so whatever he does there will set the note anyway, so why give away even more information, even earlier? Fourth, Nessie is coming and he'd have to either not practice it during media day or ask media not to reveal it, which would be a bit too much. It's Nessie, not just a 4Lz3T, after all. It'd be unreasonable to expect media to hold back on their excitement. Someone would say something to a friend, who'd say it to a friend and it'd leak eventually. Fifth, he won't do ACI either and go straight into SC, submit an empty program sheet a la Javi, then go into practice and bam. 4A, 4Lz, 4F, 4Lo, 4S, 4T, micdrop, walk away, then watch the unfolding panic in his wake from his hotel room, with an evil smirk. lol (The last two aren't entirely serious, but this is Yuzu, so... who the hell knows? )

How about 4A Continents Championship?

I did wonder if you had hit it already In a way I'm glad... Speaking of superstition, 4 is considered unlucky in Japanese culture (AFAIR), so moving on to 5 before the new season maybe will be a good sign for Yuzu as well!

Well, he did direct and produce Continue with Wings 2018 and starred in PyeongChang 2018: XXIII Olympic Winter Games, along his sidekick Pooh-san, who did a masterful job playing a strawberry shortcake tissue box! They were robbed at the Oscars! PS: I'm not sure you've all noticed, but we're nearing 5000 pages! 11 pages to go...

I was always under the impression that the hairspray abuse was before the medal ceremony, not before the competition itself... and I always thought his hair looked awfully cow-licked at the medal ceremony then. (It was dark in the venue and for the competition, I think it only got dark right before the skaters went on the ice, and he definitely wouldn't waste precious focus/mad karaoke time on spraying his hair and fooling around with Kikuchi-san...)

A part of me would be surprised if he chose any anime song as a program... In a way it feels like he might want to keep that side of him separate from his skating career. But who knows how his mind works? lol While I would mourn the damage, I'd love to see him play around with his hair/image, even trying out colors or maybe even some makeup at some point. It could be fun... (VK style would be fun, going overly feminine isn't really my thing, although it would look good on him...) He might think it's too much trouble, though lol I was just thinking the other day, that if I only go to ACI this year, I won't get to see his EX... so then I thought maybe he'll do HYK again. But somehow, it feels like he's moved to a level beyond HYK. Even though Crystal Memories was vaguely similar, both that and Masquerade were more powerful, so much so I can't really see him going back to the softness of HYK. I don't know, this Summer has felt like a level up, like he's stronger, more mature, more intense than last year. Am I going crazy in the heat or does anyone else feel that? lol

Since it's Yuzu we're talking about, he might consider that a challenge and set out to prove it wrong by winning with that look lol But if we look at it like that, it's always possible to find all sorts of coincidences that may or may not add up to anything. At the end of the day, the look - including costume and hair - is another essential part of his programs for Yuzu, so I really do hope none of them are bad luck... And yay for Sendai meguri! I have to say, Sendai is so awesome... they could have made so much money out of selling this guide, but instead they chose to make it available for free, as if they don't want to make money off of Yuzu directly like that Just like when the parade took place last year, and they gave the previous guide for free to fans, even though normally that was 1000yen or so. If only others *coughsISU/Event-organizerscoughs* had that same kind of integrity...

It's funny how last year and the one before, the program 'scare crow' used to torture-tease fans was POTO, but after the POTO 2/Masquerade stuff this Summer, it's now switched away from that lol I actually didn't hate Notre Dame either, but I'm with you with preferring new programs. I'm sure whatever he does, it'll still be unique in most ways, though. Even tributing Plushenko and Johnny and doing their programs turned into something quite unique in the end. He could probably do a warhorse collection and still manage to make it seem quite unique... As for jumps, for Yuzu, jumps are part of the story, they're not just for fun, or just for getting points. The program has to be such that the jumps are an indispensable part of the program. That's part of what makes him special, after all.

I had been waiting for this! when searching for the photobooks to order, I stumbled upon mentions of the new Figure Skaters, but with no cover picture. I was 100% sure it would be Masquerade! Too bad they don't seem to have posters anymore... I love the magazine, generally and the posters in the first few numbers were great!

It's kind of embarrassing, because it's a lot of stuff, but I have to say Yuzu promotes great things, so I never really regretted it. Except maybe when looking at my emptying wallet/bank account . But, so far I have bought: - Ghana chocolate - I like it because it seems to me it's not as sweet as other milk chocolates around here - a ton of Xylitol gum - for clearfiles, but the gum actually tastes good, too - I have tried zunda mochi because of Yuzu ( and was surprised because it was sweeter than I expected, but the zunda taste is really interesting) - Phiten necklaces - both of them, for the clearfiles + calendar bonus in 2017, but actually I really like them and think they're really cool and I wear the mirror ball all the time. - I got three little bags of Kikiyu this year, one of each type Yuzu did CM for, to try out, although I rarely take baths and prefer showers lol But those were cheap, so no biggie - I got a Tokyo Nishikawa cool pillow pad before leaving Japan this year, pretty much for the clearfile, but it's actually really cool and was wondering if I could buy and have shipped a whole set lol It'd be heaven on hot Summer nights! - I also got Sekkisei products (and accidentally more than I needed to lol), but they only had the Otonal clearfile then. Also the ladies at the register ensured I had the worst customer service I ever had in Japan, which made spending that much money seem even worse. But, the products in themselves are nice. They do smell nice and not cloying (I've had rose and jasmine tea and just the smell of that was too much, so despite Yuzu's words I worried a bit about the smell). And the UV cream does enter skin really fast so it's nice. I don't use them every day, as I rarely use any cosmetics, but when I do, it's nice. I think the UV cream would actually be a good idea today... I won't even mention magazines, event tickets, trips, random stuff on yahoo auctions that is beyond embarrassing and so on lol. And of course, most of these would not have been possible without trips to Japan. (Although they do have Ghana at the few Asian stores here, it's ridiculously expensive. And they also have Korean Xylitol, which is cheaper, but no Yuzu lol)

I think this comes close lol Source: https://www.skatingjapan.or.jp/figure/player/detail.php?id=N0qvoSfQGYA%3D (Sorry, I just love it how among all those CV-like pictures, we get a smirking overlord, looking like he is very relaxed as he prepares to kill us again - and decimate his competition in the process - in the following season. I love this picture, especially as his JSF profile picture )

I'm still holding out hope that it's just the way the picture was taken... sometimes it's hard to hold these things open and take pictures at the same time, so the result looks skewed and less complete than it actually is... But that aside, the picture looks even better than I expected, considering how quickly it was taken. They took longer to decide how to pose lol

From my experience of watching Plushy live, like I said once in a FaOI report, anyone else doing the stuff he does would be awkward. But he still has the Plushy charm and the ability to make the whole crowd react, so he can pull it off. Admittedly, aside from his funnier programs, I'm not particularly super keen to see him in shows, but I'm sure if he retires, it'll be sad to know we won't see him again. In Toyama, he actually put a funny spin on the ending of his program, which I think was very welcome (even though he received, as always, thunderous applause and cheers even without that). Not to mention actually made everyone laugh lol.

Oops could be... I remembered 2020 something, but my memory often fails like that. I literally went "Noooooo! " When I heard Jeff mention retiring... he is such a precious performer... in the multitude of FaOI skaters this year at least, Jeff has his own, very specific style. And his smile can really light up the room. But on the other hand, he's really in demand as choreographer as well, and has had injuries, so it could be he wants to settle to just choreo... or maybe he has plans to coach? I have no idea... Johnny retiring is sad, too. Whatever one might thing about him as a person, he's a great performer and Fuego was one of the FaOI highlights for me! But I guess changing of the guard is natural... wish they could all continue until their 40s like Candeloro, though lol (Though I think Candeloro does very few shows)

He's been with Bathclin since 2016 or so. Even the current CM I think was probably filmed some time back but they only started running it now. They had one last year, too, that also seemed old, but hadn't been run before. I agree though that the P&G contract probably ended, which would explain them removing all the videos and content (though the timing is pretty bad as they had campaigns for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics with Yuzu and Matsuoka). I don't think this necessarily has anything to do with FaOI, though. I think Yuzu will only leave FaOI if he starts his own series, with Continues. And his connection is probably more through CIC than P&G. On the other hand, Jeff has hinted at retiring - in a FaOI interview he said he's nearing the end of his pro career - and Johnny I think has said he will retire next year? So it doesn't really have to be Yuzu. No idea about Plush, though. I don't think Yuzu will have much time for Continues until he retires, though who knows? But I'm not sure retirement is that close on the horizon - unless he is crazy enough to land all 6 quads in competition this season.

You know, I was jokingly thinking maybe Yuzu did have something to do with Lapras becoming Sendai's pokemon, but by now there are so many coincidences that I really have to wonder if Sendai does anything that isn't Yuzu related lol During FaOI in Sendai there was a kitty exhibition Also during FaOI in Sendai there was a rose festival. Yuzu & co wore rose patterned tops for the FaOI OP. Then Lapras as the best Nessie lookalike Now I just saw Sendai is having a Yowamushi Pedal Exhibition. And we know who's a fan of that! (Also, an American Festival was announced around the same time we saw Jason and others celebrating 4th of July and the US team winning the Women's Football championship at TCC) Coincidence? Or all according to a certain overlord's plans? (still just kidding, though :P)

It's also kind of funny because they also mentioned Javi was in a way an 'original' quad king as well (not sure, but I think he was the first skater to do 3 quads in the free program?), but well, if you look at it like that, there are a lot of 'original' quad kings. It depends a lot on how you define a quad king, after all. But it will be so funny when all those people acting like Yuzu is a has-been will have to eat their hats as he whips out three brand new quads. One of which is a legendary jump. ETA: Sorry for the double post, I was sure someone else would post before I finished writing this ^_^;

Oh, I'm sure most of them do it, but for some reason I imagine Yuzu being more methodical or so lol Could be just me and my image of him, though. Programs feedback online is very iffy, though, especially right after the reveal. I remember when Otonal and Origin were announced, quite a few people were disappointed. And then they grew into what they are now. After showing the whole thing, yes, I'm quite sure he'd want feedback. And likely not just from fans. I expect 4Lz will be back from the first competition - as in part of the layout; whether he'll land on it, we'll see. Between 4F and 4A... I guess it depends how 4F goes in practice. And 4A for that matter. We don't know for how long he's been doing either of them, so it's hard to say. If 4F is somewhat stable, though, I'd expect him to do that first, and leave 4A as the last one. If 4A is more stable, he might just whip it out for better winning chances before bringing 4F. But given the FaOI stuff, I'd expect 4F before 4A. Or he might just decide to screw it all and do all three at the same time

I find it both amazing and somewhat disturbing (because of all the stuff he probably gets to read that I wish he'd never know about) how he seems to know everything that is going on, surrounding both him and his fans. I also doubt he lurks around here, though I wouldn't be surprised if he's ended up here at times, during his 'research'. But he more likely lurks more around Japanese SNS. But he probably knows more about the net FS fandom than most people. (I still remember how surprised I was when he once acknowledged fans watching online during the winner interview after a competition... I think one of the GPFs in Barcelona?) I am trying to imagine how Nessie might show up, though... it's a bit of an issue, because I doubt he'd want to show it in practice, but then again, he'll need to practice it... It's not like he can go into competition with it directly... He could maybe do it at NHK, where they usually don't have public practice, but the media and rivals would still see it. And it's unlikely international media would be as cooperative about keeping it a secret as Japanese media lol I guess he might just do it normally, though... Quad axel, no biggie, just another jump in his repertoire (btw, I was just watching earlier the Oly SP last group from NBC and they were like "Nathan, the quad king". I wonder how everyone will react when Yuzu will be the first and only skater to have all six quads )

I think it's a lot more complicated than that. I'm sure the JSF did push him a lot, but he never said no around then, either, because he felt a responsibility towards Japanese fans and also, I guess, still guilt at how he won. Brian quite openly said once that Yuzu needs to learn to say no to these demands, but I don't remember the source. Competing at COC was his decision, though, and I think most of the crazy things he did after Sochi were because he felt he had to prove he was a worthy of being Olympic Champion. So he pushed himself to crazy lengths. In the same time, it was all part of his road to Pyeongchang and I'm pretty sure he probably had goals throughout the 4 years he wanted to achieve. The injuries and health problems set him back, hence having to throw in 4Lo and 4Lz at the last moment (pre-Olympic and Olympic season). But he pushed himself as much as possible to achieve those goals and I think that happened regardless of what JSF thought or wanted or asked of him. Speaking strictly of ice shows, I think 2016 was the absolute end of him saying yes to everything that was asked of him. In the Summer of 2016 he was too injured to do ice shows anymore and aside from 24H TV, I think, he spent the whole Summer in Toronto. And from then on, it was easier to say no, I think. The 2014 Summer, the 2015 Summer (not quite as bad as 2014, though, so maybe that was actually the start...) and the whole 2015-2016 season winter were pretty crazy, IMO. Doing ice shows even in early 2016 was the craziest. But one of them was earthquake related, so it's no wonder he participated... IMO, that was the worst time for him not to be in Toronto, though, and I think it possibly contributed to the Boston mess, but that's just my speculation.

I work for a medical equipment company. Does it count? lol My holidays have always been connected to my hobbies - JRock before, FS now, with the occasional JRock still. My hobbies are essential to staying sane, I think and I sometimes feel like watching those clips of Yuzu studying to motivate myself to work harder lol But if I do, then I want to watch other stuff, too, so it's no good

Didn't he say that Sekkisei doesn't have alcohol or has very little, which is good for him, because he has that allergy? I could have misunderstood, though, as I was watching in an airport with an overactive toddler running around and haven't managed to re-watch everything. Also, this discussion has taken place before, but I don't see why Yuzu would need an excuse to not drink. As in, imply he's allergic to justify not drinking if he really isn't. He doesn't seem the type, so if he doesn't want to drink, he'd just say he doesn't want to. Whether it really is an allergy or just an intolerance, unrelated to the skin allergy, only he knows - or it's possible even he doesn't know and just assumes they're related; a lot of people assume they're allergic to things, but I think few ever get tested to make sure - but in asaichi he said he's allergic so he can't drink, AFAIR. I don't remember the stitches thing in the book, though it's possible it just went over my head, but as I remember, yes, he got a rash. And I think there was a reaction to one of the antibiotics he was given, too. I think Yuzu just seems like one of those people who are naturally very sensitive, starting with the asthma, but also slow healing, allergies and such. With that in mind, it's even more amazing how much he's achieved. Who knows, all the things he needs to be careful with...

I would think ingesting the thing that causes a reaction at skin level should make the reaction even worse... but I guess there might be different allergies and reactions and causes and stuff. I'm hardly an expert. Regardless, he's mentioned it himself before, that his allergy started when he had his surgery and has given it as a reason for not drinking alcohol. The details I guess only he knows. (IIRC, in relation to the rubbing alcohol, he said he broke out in hives from it? But that's just from memory. I think that was in one of his books.)