KatjaThera

I'm pretty sure it's only this crowded now because it's the opening - and everyone is scrambling to buy goods before they sell out ^_^; - but it will get better later on. I remember the Sendai exhibition was super crowded on the first day, too, but it was quite ok when I went, towards the end. I guess by the 20th when I can get there it'll be deserted in every sense... ^_^;;;

I don't want to spoil myself with the video, but this definitely looks like a more proper exhibition... I loved the one in Sendai in November, but that was really small and really mostly all posters. And I have to do some maths... But really, that goods part looks like a Yuzu supermarket! They should have included some of the stuff he does CMs for lol Since one is at it, they could also throw in some gum, chocolate, detergents and razors. lol

I have a feeling they probably won't allow pictures... if by some miracle they do, though, I'll do my best to get detailed footage!

I'd also argue that cinemas very rarely sell out anyway. Few movies have full cinemas and that's a common thing. I'm still pretty sure CiONTU will sell more than your average movie, so there shouldn't be any losses.

I'm not sure, but it might be because of the lottery. For NHK and GPF, there were three rounds of lottery, I think. Because there were always left-over tickets, I guess people not confirming payment or people who tried to get more than one ticket and the system didn't find seats together, or whatever. No idea. But these might be such left-over tickets. Also, I think they also added standing tickets, which might allow for some reshuffling. Getting any will be tough, though. At NHK, on the first day there were people there from 9-10am. To try to get tickets from people selling spares. At concerts I've been to, hundreds of fans already lined up when I arrived around 9:30am to get merchandise, when the merchandise booth opened at noon. I stood in line 2 hours plus, for merchandise. And another time, waiting in line for merchandise at a festival over half an hour before it opened, waited for over an hour and a half, and many things sold out. Or people lining up from way early in the morning to get to the very front for a concert starting in the evening. And of course, many here have the ACI experience. Bottom line is: Japanese fans, regardless of fandom, are very good at getting up early, lining up and waiting in order to get what they want. I would be curious to see how early they'd go for tickets at CiONTU. (My own record is 9am for a concert starting at 7pm. But I was the very first )

I get what you're saying, but you can't have your cake and eat it, too. The more exclusive - i.e. hard to get - Yuzu stuff is, the better it sells, the more money they make. So for the whole 66 cinemas thing to work... If you make it so people can watch it for free at home, why wouldn't they watch it in the privacy of their own homes instead of a cinema? (Though admittedly, there's also the atmosphere of watching with other fans, but you still decimate your target audience.) It's all in the marketing. *shrugs*

I'm afraid all the Japanese young skaters put together, skating, wouldn't sell half as much as Yuzu just standing around doing nothing much. And despite my idol comment, it's not just about the image, it's about everything he is. Two times Olympic Athlete, tragic hero (earthquake survivor and a symbol of hope for his homeland), accomplished athlete, respectful, charming, smart and yes, good-looking. And because of the way he's been 'marketed' so far, highly exclusive. People will want to see him, even if he's not skating. Plus, yes, Plushy and Johnny are very popular in Japan. I think Jeff is, too. And figure skating in general. I understand a tendency to worry, I do it a lot, too, but I really think we have nothing to worry about this time.

I don't think that should be a great concern either. Even assuming the shows won't be as in high demand as NHK or GPF last year (and I seriously doubt that), it's on a Sunday afternoon and the tickets are very affordable, so many casual viewers, families, can go together and watch in a comfortable environment. And especially since, I think, the TV broadcast is on a pay channel by TV Asahi, not the regular one, it might make more sense to pay 4000yen once for a cinema ticket, than subscribe to a channel you might not need afterwards.

There is no way CiONTU goods and tickets won't sell. As much as Yuzu insists he's not an idol, he is treated as one. 4 years ago, over 90,000 people went to see him wave on top of a truck. Now, he'll also be talking and interacting, even if he's not skating. People will go. And the Japanese love merchandise. Plus there will be those buying to resell on yahoo auctions and such. I really have no fears whatsoever.

If only there was a Figure Skating Mandarake... if it's JRock or Johnny's second hand goods, I know where to find them - well, some, of course - in Tokyo, but no idea about FS stuff... it'd be a bit surprising if there weren't any such physical store, given how popular FS is in Japan... hmm... But considering how limited the CiONTU goods will be, they'd be virtually impossible to find like that, too...

I'm not @eagle, so I'm not sure if this is correct, but I don't think the intention was for that comment to refer to race or nationality as much as culture. I could be wrong, too, but generally, culturally, and as a result of their upbringing, the Japanese are more restrained than Westerners. Certain things are frowned upon in Japan, as far as I know. Of course, that is changing and has been changing and it's not quite the same anymore, but it's still more so than in many places in the West. But Yuzu has always been passionate and a little wild, especially by those cultural standards, on the ice at least - though it sometimes 'leaks' off the ice as well. So I don't think he really is that much more restrained, if at all, on the ice. (Although, if you compare early LGC with later LGC, you can see how he gained confidence from the more hesitant performances in the early days. But IMO, that had more to do with confidence and finding the kind of rockstar behavior he was comfortable with than cultural restraint.)

It could be we have different standards for rockstars lol I thought he pulled it off pretty well. I guess H&L might be too subtle for some yeah... and maybe the WR performance does influence my overall impression, but I think it's quite perfect. Also, personally, I'd much rather Yuzu experiment like that than just settle into a pattern. But I hope even Brian grew to appreciate H&L in the end.

The doors open at noon, but the show starts at 1pm. And I'm pretty sure it's a live broadcast. Though they could do interviews and such afterwards, since the broadcast is 3 hours and the show is scheduled for 2 and a half. I don't think the purpose of LGC was really Yuzu becoming Prince, it was more becoming a rockstar. Going crazy and having fun and interacting with the audience. I admit, I'm that familiar with Prince, but I don't think he ever had any of those playful little gestures that Jeff - Western skater, no idea if hardcore Prince fan or not, though - incorporated into the choreography. So I'd say rather than Yuzu trying to be Prince, LGC was Yuzu taking inspiration from Prince and becoming his own brand of rockstar (a very Japanese thing to do, actually...) But that's just my take on it. It was a tribute, yes, but I don't think becoming Prince was his goal. And I do wonder about the tsunami thing as well. I can sort of see it as Yuzu's story, in a very abstract way, but personally, Yuzu's take about it being about nature fits much better. Whatever it is, it's so incredibly beautiful that I find it hard to believe anyone - not meaning you, particularly - would put it down just because it doesn't have a clear message. I'd also argue that while Yuzu probably perfectly embodied a traditional Seimei or a historical one - I admit, I don't have enough knowledge to say so myself, but I have seen people with more knowledge say he did it perfectly - as far as Onmyouji movie Seimei, they didn't even go near the more playful side of Seimei, which actually really surprised me when I watched the movie, after seeing Yuzu's performances. So one could even argue it's incomplete, though it was obviously what they aimed for, the serious Seimei. You could be right. It just seemed to me that imperfect Chopin was still scored higher than imperfect LGC, though I haven't actually checked the numbers. But like I said, it's just an impression, probably born out of my bias for LGC lol

The mentioning of LGC and WR made me realize why I still want it, despite also wanting new programs. It's less about him doing it clean - despite the small, but costly mistakes, Worlds LGC was great for me and of course, GPF LGC is even more special because of that 4Lo wobble and his grin afterwards - and more about the program getting what it deserves. LGC is a hard program that he makes look easy and it seemed to me like it was looked down on by many. I admit I'm also one of those who enjoys non-classical programs more than classical ones and I would get a bit annoyed when everyone was gushing about Chopin all the time, when it was announced ^_^; Well, I also felt judges looked down on it, too, and never really warmed up to it, just like they didn't H&L (despite the record). But that's harder to conclude, since it really never was clean. But I believe LGC getting a record would be really special, to me at least. (And yes, Seimei isn't classical either, but as an instrumental, it's a bit closer, IMO.) Also, I think with LGC, Yuzu also pushed his own boundaries and stepped a little bit out of his comfort zone. It sucks that wasn't properly rewarded, IMO. (Although seeing the final Chopin at the Olympics, I kind of felt a bit of an LGC - confidence and sensuality, in a way - influence in it. So I'm sure he did learn what he meant to from it.) All of that reminds me of when he was on Kouhaku. There was a performance like that... (Senbon zakura, even, I think, which I automatically associate with Wagakki Band, which I'd love to see him skate on) His eyes were kind of sparkling a bit and I always wondered if it might give him ideas lol

Uhm, while it'd be great if Nobu actually appeared on the ice/stage/whatever, my understanding from that is that he'll be commentating on TV. Which doesn't usually leave room for interactions with the skaters, unless there's stuff previously filmed. So I'm not sure I'd call that being in CiONTU...

The show is scheduled at 2 and a half hours, it seems And the white one is questionable, but the blue one has room for some 4-5 names and it'd look weird with just one and space, IMO... so I'm guessing designs might still change...

Personally, I don't think there's much chance of seeing Daisuke - or Mao - there. Mostly because they have their own 'brands' in Japan, and directly associating with Yuzu's could overshadow theirs. So it might be best to keep a distance. Tatsuki seems to lean more towards artistic shows, so he might skip as well. Also, I think he might not think of himself as a sempai of Yuzu's or someone whom Yuzu learned things from and he seems like the type of person to refuse for a reason like that. Which, IMO, would be extra points for him, though I would be happier if he did go. I would expect Takeshi Honda and Shizuka there, though... Takeshi was in TOI as well, after all. Nobu I'd maybe expect, too, though aside from being a friend, I'm not sure he's ever really been an influence. I really wish Brian and Tracy will be there. And of course, Javi. After he's talked so much about how he couldn't have achieved this all without Javi, not having him there would be weird. And Stephane, too, yes. But I have no idea about Stephane's schedule. I was wondering about the money aspect, too, but Yuzu has great sponsors along. And even if the pay might be less, the exposure is greater. The publicity is greater. (Although it does take either having enough fame yourself, or not being bothered by being somewhat overshadowed by Yuzu for that to work...)

I'm... not sure about that lol I'm not sure I want my face anywhere near Yuzu lol But as for the statue... to be honest all those I've seen pictures of where you can clearly see the face look weird. I want to see the X Japan ones, too, but I know they look weird, too. Maybe it's just virtually impossible to capture features properly... no idea...

If only I could get to Sendai in 5 minutes... lol I'm actually thinking of going this time around... seems I can get a pretty good discount... I'm actually not so much into the statue itself, but I'm curious about the proportions lol how much taller than me he is and such

Oh, thank you for the tip! These are adorable! I'd been hesitating between getting 100,000yen in cash and 75,000... but I think I'm leaning towards 100,000 now ^_^;;; (well, hotel and JR pass are close 50,000 already, so...)

I honestly expect there to have been at least a rejection or two, for various reasons... but still. Still I edited, as it seems there are a few extra names that are carefully hidden, so... maybe we'll get a handful of other interesting guests... (well, I guess it's no secret who I hope for the most ^_^; )

*looks at goods and panics* They have the lists of participants on them... are they saying that's it? That's all the guests? If so, that's actually kind of disappointing... I can't imagine those are all the people he's asked... ETA: OK, seems there is room for another few names... and one of the pages in the guidebook is Tsuzuki-sensei, I think, so at least one more name to add, probably...

While personally I'd like to see Yuzu's take on warhorses, I don't think that's likely, since when he first chose Seimei, he said he chose it partly because it was different and he wanted to do something different from what everyone else was doing. So I can't imagine he'd go back to that, when he can further explore other music. But who knows? lol

Totally OT, but yay, another reader of James Rollins! lol Although I still haven't read Demon Crown... got caught up in other stuff My impression is the wristbands are meant to be more collectible items... the Japanese do love their collectibles. I do think they'd sell even better, so it'd be cool if they sold them online, but it might also be meant to draw more people to Sendai? No real idea... Maybe Ice Rink Sendai will get an idea and maybe Yuzu will allow them to sell exclusive Yuzu goods year-long... Or well, they might have gotten the idea, but to be honest, part of why Yuzu sells so well is because Yuzu-related goods are rare and usually limited/exclusive. (But then they could have madethe wristbands more expensive ^_^; )

They say shipping will be by EMS (for me at least), which in my experience usually takes about a week, though with customs, it more often takes two weeks. The good thing is you can follow it online, at least. ETA: Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20180404/k10011390541000.html Yay! Starting on the 21st of April, the day before the parade, they'll have the wristband sets as two for 1000yen