KatjaThera

I don't remember the exact context, but wasn't there another instance where Phil wrote an interview of sorts and it kind of became clean he was selecting comments and arranging things only to further his agenda? Or was it just our assumption because it sounded off then, too? I don't remember, really. Yuzu was in Toronto before GPF, I think we settled that already. SO, even if Brian heard that Ghislain's name had been submitted a few days after NHK, Yuzu would have still been there and I can't imagine he's sit on it and let it fester and not go "Hey, Yuzu, you chose Ghislain, huh?" And then Yuzu would explain why, they'd smile and carry on. Brian seems like a very straightforward guy, I'm sure he'd confront anything that could be an issue. However, in the Team Brian books and some other interviews, it does sometimes feel a bit like there are communication lapses between Yuzu's team - whoever exactly they are - and Brian. That Brian would only get the occasional updates during Yuzu's recover after NHK and neither he nor Ghislain for that matter were much involved, up to the point where Yuzu tried coming back to on ice training, to me that's not quite right. I know Yuzu has his own ANA support team, and I think Brian has mentioned that there are usually JSF people around, too, but his coaches are still essential. And sometimes it feels like his team doesn't feel any need to involve the coaches in the process of Yuzu's preparation, which is weird to me. Brian seems really out of the loop sometimes. I'm not sure it's Brian's fault or Yuzu's, for that matter. Yuzu probably has the team in place precisely so he wouldn't have to think about things like that and so he can just focus on skating, strictly. I wish we knew more about this team of Yuzu's, to be honest, because some things are unclear and due to previous experience of being a fan of musicians - admittedly, a different breed altogether - manipulated and used by managers they trusted, a part of me worries a bit. Even that post Boston talk they had, I had imagined it as something just with Yuzu and his coaches, but it seems Yuzu's team was there, too, IIRC. All that being said, there is no doubt in my mind that Yuzu cares about all three of his coaches very much and they are very important to him, not just for his skating, but also his mental wellbeing. So I'm sure if there are any issues, they have nothing to do with Yuzu being unhappy there. But I could imagine some communication issues, between Yuzu's team and the TCC team. Or it could simply be a case of "Oh, we thought you had told Brian!" "I thought you had told Brian!" "Oh, shhhh nobody told Brian! " It happens...

From what I've read, as asthma can affect one's ability to breathe properly, it obviously leads to stamina issues. When Yuzu moved to Toronto, many fans were upset that they couldn't immediately see the improvement in stamina - in fact, it seemed to be getting worse, though it was only natural as his programs also became more difficult. But TCC did focus on finding ways to improve his stamina and minimize the effort required of him when skating - which was part of why Brian kept emphasizing skating skills. Having a more controlled way of skating makes it possible for the skater to not have to muscle through and pace themselves more. Of course, it took time, but Yuzu's stamina has improved greatly and I think directly proportional with his improvement in skating skills and so on as well. I'm guessing exercise is generally considered good for people with asthma, because it's essentially training their lungs to work better. (There were also mentions about how after moving to Toronto, he once got a bad attack that left him unable to train for 10 days or so, apparently partly because he hadn't gotten used to the environment change.) This time, he was as tired as he was because he did a five quad layout he hadn't trained properly for. He hadn't done proper work to increase his stamina so he could do a clean program with five quads. I think generally, Yuzu's stamina gets better as the season progresses, as he gets more and more training for that particular program - I'm guessing breathing patterns depend on the layout, too, I can't imagine you breathe the same during steps, spins and quads, so when the layout changes, so do the demands on his lungs, and more conditioning of his entire body, lungs included, help increase his stamina. In 2017, for 24H TV, Yuzu spoke for the first time more about his asthma. They didn't say how bad it is, but they said he's managing it by wearing masks, to protect his airways and taking medicine, which to me sounds like he really has to manage it constantly, and it's not generally normal, and only now and then it gets bad. They also mentioned he had an attack two weeks before 2017 Worlds, which is when he described that it hurts and it feels like he can't get any air into his lungs and that he wasn't able to do proper runthroughs then. In the same video, he also talked about how at 15 he met speet skating Olympic champion Hiroyasu Shimizu, who won an OGM despite also having asthma and Yuzu apparently told him he wanted to be an Olympic Champion, but he had asthma (implied that he didn't think he'd be able to win, because of that), and Shimizu told him it's ok, he can still win, he just has to work harder than anyone else. Which as we know, he did. Another thing that has been making me wonder was the stuff Yuzu said this Summer, about how he gets really tired during ice shows and he basically sleeps between the opening number and his own performance. I know he gives it his all, but I can't help but wonder if this tiredness is also related to his asthma, because it's not that normal, for a 24-25 year old to be so tired, he needs to sleep between performances. And he's still totally wiped out at the end. (At FaOI, I admit I didn't really like Liza's skating, but I had to admire her stamina. Her program with the violonist - the name escapes me now - was more energetic and demanding than most stuff all other skaters do even in competition, as it was really fast and she was in constant motion.) All this makes me wonder just how severe his asthma is. He rarely talks about it and even when he does, he tries to gloss over it, because he doesn't want it to be an excuse. Anyway, all in all, it all goes to further prove how incredible he is as an athlete, IMO. And I'm sure he will work on his stamina. I doubt anyone watching him gasping and blue at World 2012, ever thought he would one day do a clean 4 quad program - Worlds 2017, and he didn't even look THAT exhausted then, and we now know this was not long after an attack - or that he would ever land 5 quads in 4 minutes - or rather less than that. A clean 5 quads and 2 3As layout is not impossible to achieve. Even a 6 quads program, maybe, some day. He will will them into existence. The bigger concern is still his ankle, IMO. The asthma he has already proven that he can fight against and win. (ETA: And this reminds me of all the things one learns as a Yuzu/FS fan... how many of us haven't googled/researched asthma, swimming for asthma patients, urachal remnant syndrome, lisfranc injuries, ankle injuries, jump mechanics and so on... plus everyone learning Japanese (even just some choice words, like Yuzu's #1 fav. kuyashii). Personally, the other day I was explaining Russian nicknames to someone and had to laugh at myself, because I know no Russian, but some things you just learn as an FS fan. And yesterday I made an effort with my very bad French - despite learning it in school for 10 years >_< - to read the Ghislain article, and amazingly managed to understand most of it. And some time back, I also read Javi's book in Spanish, though I never in my life thought the Spanish I learned from listening to music and watching soap operas as a kid would ever be put to such use. It's amazing how much figure skating gives us, beyond just the joy of watching beautiful and incredible skating...)

I think one of the reasons given for why Yuzu can't swim is the very low body fat percentage he has. But asthma might also play a part. I'm not sure, but I guess there are different types of asthma and probably different degrees of how bad it is. Given how out of breath Yuzu used to be from skating, it's possible swimming could also be exhausting and I don't think panting in water is recommended. On top of that, the chlorine could be bad. But no real idea... I actually can't swim either lol I do remember he said he can't swim, though, but I don't remember the context (maybe it was that Ghana event, with him and the three actresses?) Am now randomly wondering if watching Yowamushi pedal might have made him want to start learning how to ride a bike lol If so, maybe someone should recommend Free to him, so he'd get into wanting to swim, too lol (I've never watched Free, though, so I have no idea if it has a similar feel to Yowamushi... which I did start watching, out of pure curiosity and it has so far only made me wonder about Yuzu's taste in characters LOL)

To further add to this, because I forgot to mention it, another thing is, IIRC, that Yuzu asked Shae-Lynn for guidance on doing more feminine movements for Hope & Legacy. And I think he pretty much interpreted female characters in programs, too, at least somewhat. I love the fact that he seems to think in such a genderless way. Good skaters are an inspiration, who cares what their gender is? If there's something to learn, and there almost always is, he will learn. I agree it shouldn't be an issue of gender, but I admit one of the reasons I didn't get into men's skating before Yuzu was because I saw it as a weird mix of athletics and some very awkward attempts at being graceful, but they seemed so reluctant. Like those stiff arms some men have, which seem to be a sort of attempt at... something, but it just looks awkward as hell. Javi used to have that as well and it's the one thing I hated about his skating. Luckily, towards the end of his competitive career, he seemed to focus more on flowy movements. On the other hand, Yuzu has such grace and all of his movements have a very pleasant and natural flow to them, I had a "THIS is what I wanted to see in men's figure skating!" To be honest, as a Yuzu fan, not even ladies seem as graceful to me, now. He's on a different level from most of them. (Of course, there are exceptions. Shizuka for example, is stunning. Having had the chance to see her at FaOI was an honor.) In men, I have to say I like Roman and Camden quite a lot. I like them more than Kevin, tbh. If both of them were to get consistency in their jumps, and manage to upgrade their technical content, I think they could be worthy descendants of Yuzu lol Roman has gorgeous spins and I like the way he flows on ice, too. And when his jumps work, like they did at NHK, it's very nice to watch. Camden I didn't think or know much of, but at ACI he really caught my eye, precisely because he has a grace and flow that reminds me of Yuzu, because he seems to fully embrace it - despite being an American male who could easily do the macho thing, because he's also really good looking, and not so much in the pretty boy way, like Roman; most guys his age, especially in figure skating, and with his looks, would probably avoid being graceful, but he seems comfortable with it and I really liked that. I know there was another boy or two at Worlds or Euros last year that caught my eye, but I forgot who... I'd like to think Yuzu is to thank for more boys becoming comfortable with such an approach. (And as both Roman and Camden seem to be fans, I think he is lol Was it pointed out that Roman has Irene gloves, btw? lol I had to freeze his pre-NHK vlog to double check lol)

I think Yuzu used to do more on ice training, I think it was maybe 14 hours a week last season? I remember we were all surprised when we saw 10 hours . I think now they put more emphasis on quality rather than quantity. On top of it, Yuzu needs to be careful, because even if his ankle is now blissfully pain free - from what he's said at NHK, IIRC - I think he will always be more prone to injury than others. So it makes sense to emphasize quality over quantity and spend more time doing off-ice training, especially now working on training his leg muscles - to further protect his ankle - and all the other muscles he needs for the 4A. What exactly this off-ice training is, we don't know. I do remember seeing footage of him jumping while holding dumbbells, but I'm sure he has off-ice stuff now... Although I admit I can't quite imagine Yuzu lifting weights and such... As for dancing, aside from natural talent, I think he has also spent a lot of time polishing his gestures to the point that they are now naturally graceful. We know he watches himself a lot and I'm sure he micromanages every gesture and angle and position of every limb. But I think something else that perhaps sets Yuzu apart from other male skaters is that he has never hesitated in following female role models, too. He started skating because of his sister, and IIRC, he really liked what she looked like when skating and wanted to look like that, too, so he would do whatever she did. That's how he developed his flexibility as well, because, imitating his sister, he would do many of the things girls were doing, including Biellman and I guess Ina Bauers, too. That he then would do them as part of his programs as tributes to Plushenko and Shizuka is true, but IIRC, he started doing them because of his sister. Then, of course, looking up to Shizuka, I'm sure she was a model in some ways, too. And he also said way back when that he learned 3A while watching Mao. And looking up to Johnny, too, because Johnny has always been graceful, too (though IMO, Yuzu looks more naturally graceful than Johnny now lol Although I also found Johnny much more pleasant to watch in real life than on video, he has a special Johnny charm when skating.) Yuzu was never able to skate as much as peers because of his asthma - which I'm still quite convinced is the more severe kind; my father has asthma, too, but it only bothers him at times, while we know Yuzu always has to be extra careful, just in case. This competition was a reminder, yet again, that he still needs to work harder on stamina than others. But his life seems to be 90% skating anyway, everything he does is related to skating in one way or another, he spends a lot of time studying, researching, analyzing, so I think it is possible he, overall, spends more time on skating than most other skaters, even if only a small part of that time is spent ACTUALLY skating.

There aren't many places one can fly to directly, surprisingly, so layovers aren't uncommon. He flew with layovers to/from Helsinki last year, too. And we know he even flew low cost once (for GPF Barcelona, but forgot which one, he flew ANA to Dusseldorf and then EuroWings to Barcelona). Probably more than once. I'm not sure how involved ANA is, but he does usually fly airlines in the same family as ANA: Lufthansa, Air Canada and yes, even EuroWings. Maybe Austrian if every necessary and so on. But probably mostly ANA and Air Canada. I'm a fan of Lufthansa myself (despite always hearing about their strikes, I have never been affected by one, unlike with Air France who virtually left me stranded in Japan, by announcing me with 24 hours before take off that my flight was canceled and getting another one was a bit of a mess. Overall, an experience that made swear off of Air France for good. KLM is cool, though) and my flight with ANA, to Japan this Summer was perfect. I will probably stick to ANA whenever I can, though, for obvious reasons lol As for Yuzu, I'm sure he's going back to Toronto, he still has time to practice and I'm sure Brian and Tracy want to see him after this adventure. He does seem to prefer staying in Canada nowadays, which is sad, but very understandable. Even after Worlds, he went back right away, when a lot of people believed he would go home for a while. In fact, the only time he actually stayed home this year was after FaOI, when he was in Sendai for maybe a week or so and managed to stay under the radar. (He was also there for the new monument design, but I don't think he got to stay long then). That he only gets to spend about two weeks a year at home, is just sad at this point in time... But I guess that's one of the things he's sacrificing for the sake of continuing his career...

If judges are incapable of seeing the differences between this year's Otonal and Origin and last year's Otonal and Origin, there is absolutely nothing Yuzu can do to get the points he deserves. He UPGRADED the content of his programs, which, frankly, is more than most of the field has done, new programs or not. Even if he had new programs, they would find other ways to excuse the low PCS. It would probably be "well, the program is new to him, so he's not fully used to it, so of course he won't get high PCS off the bat!" Also, judges don't love new stuff. Fans do. Judges are happy to sit there listening to same old warhorses they've been listening to for ages. If judges were open to new they wouldn't think USBs are the antichrist. They would be open to using technology to make THEIR life easier. And they would really really hate warhorses, which they don't. And seriously, how many Schindler's Lists are there in the field this year? Do all of them get docked on PCS? What about Blues for Klook? Why would any skater choose to do music that has been skated to before if this were a known fact? Yuzu is skating to music that has been used twice in recent history, as far as I know, at least. Otonal, which was used by Yuzu and Johnny, and Origin, which was used by Yuzu and Plush. That, IMO, beats all the other stuff that's been done a gazillion times. At Olys, Yuzu still had the PCS advantage. Which is why he knew he could win. Yes, a clean Nathan in the SP would have probably forced him to bring in the Loop, but the PCS advantage still existed. When Yuzu did LGC and H&L, his scores dropped. The funny thing is, the justification then was that LGC was too modern for the judges who liked classical stuff, and H&L was too quiet and people couldn't get into it. Now, he's doing classical stuff that only two people have done before, but it's outdated. Maybe he should do classical+modern bad mashups like Daniil's stuff to win. That certainly seems to be popular with the judges. Oh and another thing. If judges would get tired of programs, then PCS would be dropping as the season goes. Which is not what happens. Most skaters' PCS increases towards the end of the season, even when for many of them, the programs get emptier. Except Yuzu, his programs generally got richer as the season progressed. Maybe there are others, too, but Nathan is not one of them. At least not so far. Lastly, I'm one of the people who were praying for new programs even as I went into Toronto. And yes, I was vaguely disappointed, until I saw how he further developed those programs. I'm also one of those people who was really upset when he chose to do Chopin for Oly season. And I don't even like that program. But I now think the Oly Chopin is probably the most amazing SP ever, simply because every single gesture, element, movement fits the music perfectly. And you don't reach that level of perfection over one season. I would rather see beautiful, perfected programs than random skating and jumps and hey, it's a new record, what more do you want? And at the end of the day, I want Yuzu to do what he wants and he feels fits his philosophy better. And if that means he will continue doing Otonal and Origin for the rest of his life, while personally disappointed, I will fiercely defend his right to do so. He doesn't owe anyone anything anymore.

Please, let's not spread this narrative anymore, because it's just an excuse to try to justify the PCS scores, when there is no justification. This was discussed elsehwere, too. First, if judges minded repetitions, warhorses would get PCS reductions by default. The music is the only thing Yuzu repeated, what actually happens on the ice is much different and judges should be competent enough to realize that. There are so many skaters using the same music over and over again. Do their PCS suffer because of it? Second, there is nothing in the rules that allows judges to score down someone for repeating. So even if it were true, it's still bad and random judging. There are clear guidelines for scoring PCS, for the most part. Those are not being respected. And third, this doesn't explain the GOE drop. Even clean, Yuzu would not have won, because they lowballed him on GOE, for NO REASON. So, no, that's just an attempt to justify what is obvious and intentional underscoring. Chopin set a WR on it's third appearance, btw.

I totally agree, but I think they will end up making him retire like this. I'm one of the people who think Yuzu intends to continue for at least one more season after this one, but now I wonder if Worlds might not be the final test. Honestly, the problem isn't so much that Yuzu wants to win and whether or not he can still win over Nathan. The difference between them isn't that big and nobody can say that Nathan will always be clean and Yuzu will always have wobbles (although, given the difficulty of their programs, those scenarios are the most likely). The problem is that Yuzu wants to win decisively, when everyone is clean. He wants to win by a big margin and I'm just not sure how that can be possible with things as they are now. Even if he brings the 4A, it won't give him that big a margin. If he does 5 quads, Nathan will do 5 or 6. If he does 6 quads, Nathan will still do 5 or 6 and the margin will be small enough that they'll be able to manipulate the scores. Given the unfairness of judging now, I'm just not sure Yuzu can win decisively against Nathan, if both are clean. And I think that will be the last straw for Yuzu... Nevermind that on any given day he should probably have some 10 points over Nathan in PCS + GOE.

@Corina ah, but just wait until you see Origin 2.0 in real life! @river and I had quite the epic reactions at ACI Still one of my best memories from this year's ACI, tbh. My first time seeing Yuzu was actually at the Sendai parade, and I was completely blown away by the sweetest and softest smiling expression... I ended up crying so much that Nikkan Sports took me by surprise and managed to interview me before I figured out who they were lol (I hate Nikkan, for multiple reasons lol) But then seeing him skate was a whole other experience... All in all, it just makes you happy to be alive and to be given the chance to see him, I think...

I don't think after practice is good, either. It's still in the middle of the competition. Yuzu is in full focus until after the end of the FS, so if it happens, it should be after the end of FS. (Also, support=pressure and while that can also be positive, I don't think it's ideal to add even more pressure). Honestly, I never thought he looked all that happy GPF when it happened previously... I know how he was at ACI, he was in full focus throughout the entire practice. Ok, joking with his coaches a bit, but otherwise he tends to block everyone and everything out. And after practice he's probably already thinking about what he needs to do next and about the FS. Please do it when he's already happy and it will only further enhance that and it will really be a celebration. So, victory lap, IF he wins, or end of gala. He's always the last one to leave the ice, anyway, so it'd be perfect (albeit a day late, but I doubt THAT's such a big issue).

And as I already said to @Henni147, they're not Japanese, so it's different. It's about who the birthday boy/girl is, not who does the initiating. Javi is Spanish, David is Canadian, Yuzu is Japanese. Yuzu being Japanese is why there is a chance being sang to might make him uncomfortable. I'm starting to wonder if I'm really bad at explaining this, because it seems quite simple and logical to me by now

This is a very black and white way of seeing things. And, as @Neenah said, no fan ever said the Pooh rain is bad. I explained why many Japanese are uncomfortable with the idea. @Umebachi who is Japanese born and raised, explained that she actually feels uncomfortable when sung Happy Birthday to and when people celebrate her birthday. Is it that hard to imagine that there is a chance that Yuzu, too, Japanese born and raised, might also feel uncomfortable? Is that a chance we really want to take? To make him uncomfortable as a birthday gift? If so, then it really becomes just our selfish wish imposed on him. HE should be focus and we should choose to do things we know for sure he appreciates. He appreciates the Poohs and the banners and fans behaving and being respectful towards everyone. GPF organizers can speak for the competition maybe. But they cannot speak for Yuzu. And Yuzu himself won't ever say anything bad, because he's too kind and polite, but that doesn't mean he'll definitely be ok with it. I, too, think the Japanese attitude is perhaps a bit much - especially seen through our Western perspective - but Yuzu IS Japanese. Maybe at times like this we should trust his Japanese fans to have a slightly better idea about what's likely to make him comfortable/uncomfortable... I, too, think, it shouldn't be this big an issue, but knowing now that there is a chance it might actually make him uncomfortable, I'm far less in favor of the idea. Or maybe only in a gala or victory lap context (and for victory lap, ONLY if it's HIS victory; if someone else wins and Yuzu's fans start singing to him, I think he'd probably want to dig a hole in the ice and hide in it with embarrassment), where he might be having enough fun to only be mildly embarrassed.

Btw, from the previous explanations/arguments, if some other skater or coach started the singing, then it would be ok. So if you think you can convince any of them to do it for you, that'd be your way out lol ETA: This is NOT a serious suggestion. Please don't do that! (Actually, Valentina's comments make me wonder if the organizers themselves might not consider preparing something for Yuzu's birthday... they're obviously very aware of it. I thought it was actually really funny in Marseilles, because while he was in the KnC they mentioned it over the announcements, that it was his birthday, but I think they only did it in French and Yuzu was 100% oblivious.)

But that was for Javi who is not Japanese. He also did for David. Also not Japanese. He knows they celebrate birthdays, singing is normal for them and will welcome and enjoy it no matter what. I don't remember him ever doing it for a Japanese skater. ETA: Also, they are co-workers, so technically, it could fit into the professional ritual. Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily agree with this and I find the Japanese take a bit strange, too, especially with the exceptions, since I am a born and raised European, BUT it is what it is and I think, as fans of a Japanese skater, we should do our best to respect his Japanese culture

Thank you for your comment. I probably didn't explain it so well. The point of exposing the Japanese take on this is this, IMO: if there is any chance Yuzu will feel uncomfortable with it, because of the way his culture is, how he was brought up, etc., then IMO, it should not be done. And I remember that clip where they sang to him. I don't remember him looking very happy, rather he seemed to try to ignore it some and then just politely thanked the crowd, but he didn't seem all that thrilled. Maybe more embarrassed than thrilled. And thinking about it, Yuzu doesn't strike me as the type to celebrate - his - birthdays. If only because they're usually during GPF when he's busy, but it just seems a bit like "yeah, it's my birthday, so what?"

I just mentioned that is a ritual in a professional context. Media and athlete are essentially co-workers in that context, so yes it happens, but it's a completely different thing from being sung to by a ton of essential strangers. We are his fans, not his friends, not his co-workers.

I seriously think everyone is overreacting... it's just a 10 seconds song, not Yuzu fans starting a Yuzu hymn chant - ever watched a soccer game, btw? And that's more of a sport in the eyes of many than FS ever was. That being said, discussing with my friend who has been more deeply immersed in Japanese cultures than even some young Japanese, she explained to me the two big arguments against singing Happy Birthday, from a Japanese point of view. The first one I knew, and was going to mention it as well, but the second was news to me, too. First, birthdays aren't really celebrated in Japan. Even if they are, more recently, they're not really as big a deal there as they are elsewhere. Second, even if someone chooses to celebrate his/her birthday, it is a private decision and a private affair. Therefore, fans singing Happy Birthday to him, would be a sort of imposition on his private life and therefore, essentially rude (well, Yuzu being Yuzu, he'd maybe just find it awkward and embarrassing). Yes, singing Happy Birthday to Japanese celebrities happens sometimes, and apparently media/co-workers gifting cakes on one's birthday is a sort of professional ritual, and not considered an actual celebration. But the bottom line is, it might just turn out to be more awkward than fun for Yuzu - or he might worry some of the more traditional Japanese around him and at home might find it inappropriate - so it's not really worth it, IMO Cultural differences are a real thing and we have to keep in mind that Yuzu's culture is different from most others and should try to respect it as much as possible. As such, I think birthday banners are the best compromise, after all. It's not really worth the fan war, IMO. Yuzu will be more upset about fans fighting with fans than he would be if nobody sings Happy Birthday to him.

I think doing it after the trophy ceremony, if he doesn't win, is worse than if they do it after his skate, maybe during the replays. It would definitely embarrass Yuzu to 'steal' the attention from the winner. As for singing after his performance, I get it why the skater skating after him might be affected, but in a way, it's no different from fans screaming - which they do anyway - or chanting the skater's name - like they did for Javi at 2015 GPF. And it's Happy Birthday, it's a sweet, happy thing. I doubt anyone but someone extremely bitter would really mind it, especially if it's kept at a respectful level and stopped as soon as they go "The score is" or whatever. People like Raf will always find some fact to manipulate to their advantage, so I'm not sure we should worry that much about it. But the key is to be as respectful as possible. And if by some chance it looks like the next skater IS affected, fade it out and stop it. (Although honestly, it's a good lesson in handling pressure.)

Honestly, I think we, as fans, should always cheer for him, when scores are announced, even if they are poor/unexpected/unfair/whatever. Maybe just applaud and shout "Yuzu, gamba!" if it's a bad performance, and cheer and maybe afterwards show outrage at a particularly ridiculous score. I was honestly shocked by the silence when his score was announced, too, watching at home. I get people were expecting a better score because it was a great performance, but the quiet definitely felt off. It felt off to me, as a viewer, I can't imagine how it must have felt for him, when he was already struggling with the expectations piled up on him. I'm sure he knows that at the end of the day, fans support him no matter what, but I can imagine he might have felt like he let people down, even if only just for a moment. It's awkward for any skater/pair to not get any reaction when their score is announced. For Yuzu, who usually gets tons of screams, it's glaring. We had ridiculous scoring at ACI, too, but people cheered when the score was announced, because it was still a win. And then we all noticed the PCS and the outrage started making waves - I shouted "WHAT?!" so loudly that I thought you might have heard me on the stream - but the first reaction, and towards him, at all times, was cheering, screaming, clapping. I think there are other ways to show our objections to the judging, but we should think of him at competitions first and foremost and should try to make sure he always feels our love, support and appreciation (while still being respectful towards everyone else).

I agree. I think it was a huge relief for all four of them, too. They all must have had their share of guilt and regrets (because guilt isn't often rational). I can imagine Ghislain might have felt like he should have tried harder to stop Yuzu from jumping. Yuzu I'm sure has had tons of regrets for trying to force that 4Lz and if he hadn't done that, he likely would never have gotten injured. Brian probably felt guilty just for not being there, even if he couldn't help it. As far as I remember he was out of the hospital, but not allowed to travel yet. In the last Team Brian book, he mentioned how the doctor was telling him he needs surgery and he was like: "No, you don't get it. I have to travel to China in a few days and to Japan a week later. I can't have surgery now, it's the Olympic season." It took some time before the doctor was able to convince him he didn't have a choice. At the time, though, I admit I was a bit upset, because Brian couldn't travel, but Tracy was in Spain for some skating camp and I felt like... being with Yuzu should have been more important. But at the same time, I get it they couldn't cancel that on such short term. I'm sure she felt bad for not being there with Yuzu, too. On top of that, from the Team Brian book, I now know they were very worried about Javi, too, because after the Cup of China disaster, Javi went to Spain, instead of going back to Toronto and wouldn't return Brian's calls and messages. So I guess they thought Yuzu would be fine with Ghislain and in the mean time, Tracy could go to Spain, do the classes and also get Javi back on track, until Brian was finally allowed to travel and join them in Spain, ahead of IdF. They could hardly know what would happen in Japan. Much like Boston, it was bad timing and a lesson I think they learned well. But yes, Ghislain probably had it worse, being with Yuzu, going with him throughout the whole ordeal, having to handle the press as well, as the coach. But I think that was also what brought them so much closer and also what made Ghislain so invested in Yuzu's recovery. It really sounds like he cares so much about Yuzu. And on a more controversial note, I was just thinking last night, looking back on his attitude and the atmosphere around him before NHK, I sometimes wonder, if he wouldn't have psyched himself out of a second OGM if not for the injury. He seemed gloomy and a bit frantic in that Olympic season. Brian also said he was fixated on the lutz and Brian was fearing it was just like the loop again, where he would see nothing but the loop. So in a way, the injury forced him to re-focus and take things one step at a time. I do sometimes wonder how it would have been without that and there are times when I think his mind was not in the right place at all before the injury. But who knows, really. It was still incredible how he came back from that. His strength is absolutely incredible. In a way I'm happy he's more open in talking about his struggles now, because it makes his achievements even more incredible, as he overcomes these things.

I'm not sure it's in Yuzu's nature to compete just for the joy of skating. He hates losing and seems to always search for new challenges. That said, I'm sure having just his own pressure and ambitions, and unconditional support otherwise would be preferable. Or would it? People having expectations, while a pressure, also means people believe him capable of meeting those expectations. It's a sort of support as well. Just like any kind of support can become pressure, just because he will want to make those supporting him happy. In a way, the whole pressure-support thing is a catch-22. However, the problem is with the reactions when he doesn't meet those expectations. So I'd say it's less the pressure and expectations and more the fact that they don't seem capable of understanding he can't always be perfect. I like the way Japanese fans continue supporting their athletes through hard times - I saw it in Helsinki really well, they were so supportive when things didn't go right for Kaori and also for Keiji. Here, we have Halep, for example... when she wins, she's the best ever, our pride and joy. When she loses, she's crap and obviously had no chance to win. And this is coming from the people watching, not the media. The media lifting up and tearing down athletes depending on results happens everywhere, so it's not that surprising. In Japan I think it's slightly more subtle than elsewhere, but it really happens everywhere. It still sucks though

Honestly, I'm not sure if he's ever replied to fans not based in Japan. I sent a fanmail at NHK 2017 and wrote my address somewhere just for kicks and never got anything. Admittedly, it was also handwritten and it could be they didn't bother trying to decipher what it said, because I wasn't really serious about it. He gets insane amounts of fanmail, so it's unlikely he - or even his team - have any chance of keeping up with it. Hopefully he gets to read them, but even that probably takes time. He gets fanmail at competitions, he probably gets fanmail through JSF, he gets fanmail at TCC, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets fanmail at Ice Rink Sendai, too. On top of that, since there are so many by now, it's possible they have decided not to reply anymore. I know musicians who never reply to fanmail, because they would never be able to answer everyone and they don't want to appear to be favoring everyone. So, my advice is not to write to him expecting a reply at any time. I don't think it's likely to come, at least not any time soon. I think it's best to just write to him for him and be happy he'll get it and probably get to read it, sooner or later Also, even if the reply comes some day, it'll be some standard "Thank you for your support" message, definitely not a personalized reply to your particular letter. Because sadly, he has no time for that anymore. If you have the chance, I'd suggest participating in message gathering campaigns as those are usually more likely to reach him directly and he might get to see those more quickly. For example, when I was at NHK 2017, there was a Yuzu poster exhibition in Sendai and they had notebooks to write messages in. I wrote a message and then when they made the big Sendai broadcasting poster I forgot what it was for, they had Yuzu Seimei hydroblading and messages from those notebooks printed around him. On the website they had a real life size version of the poster so you could read the messages and I actually found mine on it. It's very likely he did see that. Also, before Olys, P&G gathered messages for him, printed them in a huge book and you could see him flipping through it afterwards. There was also the Kose blog comments section. On top of that there are many fan projects that often get delivered straight to TCC. Those are probably easier for him to receive and go through than letters upon letters. They're also shorter, which might help him see as many as possible.

Now I want to know the layout of his hot chocolate and how it's doing on skating skills and transitions...

He actually said he doesn't put much in his, because it's too much trouble and he just wants to drink/eat it quickly lol The fancy, crazy sweet arrangement was for fans lol