KatjaThera

I think he's mentioned the sparkles, especially on white costumes are to make him stand out against the ice? Or am I hallucinating? (again >_>) But that he has decreased the sparkles at times rather than increased them. Still, from what I've seen in fan videos, he's actually A LOT more sparkly in reality than on TV. I think that's fitting in a way, because he shines that much brighter. Like he has his own spotlight regardless of the rink lighting (Also, I actually like Javi's costumes this year, compared to some of the stuff in his recent past. Form fitting clothes = :P) And I've fallen into the trap... discussing costumes lol

Just to be clear, I think discussing costumes is fine and not being serious all the time is fine, too. And being disappointed as well as having expectations is natural. Hell, I was one of those very open about being disappointed by the Chopin repeat. It's just a bit sad if this drowns out the truly awesome stuff we've been given today. Then again, I think there will be more talk about the interviews when proper translations come out. That's probably the problem and there'll be a delayed reaction then.

While I was hoping for new costumes - especially for Chopin, since I don't really like either of the previous incarnations - too, what disappoints me more is that we just saw an awesome interview - or two, rather; and I think even without understanding what he said, just his expressions should be enough to impress - but most of the discussion here is about the costume. Which we don't even really know the final version of. Also, while the changes may seem insignificant, or virtually non-existent, we have to remember Yuzu's impression and feelings towards the costumes are very different. What to us may be no big deal may actually have a big significance for him. We're talking very delicate changes, detailing to the programs, so I guess - sadly, as I, too, was hoping for more - it makes sense that the changes to the costumes would be the same. But that doesn't mean they're either small or non-significant. The star on Seimei is probably the biggest example of this. It's small and I don't think most of us even realized it was there for a long time, but when we did it was an Oh wow moment. I'm hoping when proper translations come out, we'll focus on more important things, like how freaking amazing this kid is! Oh and about how he should have known what fans wanted, I'd much rather he not care and stay true to his own image and his own ideals than bend over to fan demand. He's an athlete and an artist, not an idol, whose primary job is to make his fans happy. Disappointment is natural, but let's be real. Yuzu shouldn't care what his fans want in terms of music and costumes and should choose according to his own ideas. I prefer him like that, at least. *shrugs*

That was filmed in May, IIRC. So... around FaOI? Maybe he did have to borrow, though the fit seems pretty good... Hmm... As for the Ex, really, what are the chances he went with two older programs for comfort and familiarity and time to polish them to a T, yet he's going to spend time making a new Ex? In the Olympic Season? I think chances of recycling are much higher than anything else. If he did something different, I hope it's something fun, done with recreational purpose - for himself to unwind a bit - than anything difficult or overly artistic. (Super Yuzu? *hides*)

And there's more actually, in what Matsuoka says afterwards, what he's talked to Yuzu but wasn't included - yet? - but I can't figure out how to translate it well, that is both heartbreaking and heart soaring in the same time... when Matsuoka asked him if he enjoys skating, what with so many rivals and talented skaters, and injuries and suffering, and Yuzu said he enjoys it. That he has suffered many more times - dozens of times - more than the average person (not sure about this, but I think that's the meaning), but that he can also feel/find joy more than anyone else, too. Oh Yuzu... (People with better Japanese, please check and correct, as this is in a way more interpretation than translation).

But seriously, he's on fire. I really hope he'll manage everything he plans, because if he does, he'll blow our minds to the edges of the Universe and back. I have no doubt he can do it, but whether everything will fall into place... I'm particularly worried about the schedule at the Olympics. (Brian was pretty clear that he thought the schedule at Sochi was the main reason there were so many mistakes in the men's free.) Yuzu is still only human, after all (although I just said return of the alien :P)... But if he can handle that...

Or it could simply be because red is his favorite color (I think it was? After gold, of course lol)

Well, that was... return of the alien. And he's determined to take over the planet. Puny humans beware. (It's kind of funny how he pretty much rendered Matsuoka - and not just him, the whole studio seemed a bit after his segment ended - speechless.) And yes the costume... so, then why the red on the skate guards, Yuzu??

It's TV Asahi, technically they shouldn't be as mean as Fuji

it starts in a little under 20 minutes, I think. Well the show. No idea when the interview will be (it lasts 1 hour 15 minutes)

Like with most tourist attractions, it's not as impressive as you'd expect. Also, it's a bit hard to see because everyone and their mothers are taking selfies with it all the time But if you find Shibuya crossing, then it's easy to find Hachiko. To me, at least (I usually like to go to Tower Records Shibuya, so when I go back towards the crossing, it's pretty much straight ahead.) It was the overpasses and the construction work in the area that threw me off last time. But I found an overpass I could see Shibuya 109 Men from, so I just went "in a general that way direction" (a la Captain Sparrow). I can't watch the whole piano thing either, being at work, but the couple of minutes I watched were amazing. He looks so amazing listening to his SP music like that - though I wonder how hard it must have been to stay still :P. Thank you for the translation, too. We know he talks a lot when he's nervous, so it's good when he gets nervous and rambles away lol (I love rambles in general, anyway) I subscribe to this, too!

Ah, right by the Hachiko exit! The first time I went to Shibuya, I somehow managed to exit right there... the second time it took me 15 minutes to find the Shibuya crossing lol Wondering what the third time will be like... and if Yuzu will still be there... too bad the Xylitol one is only until Sunday...

I want to teleport to Japan... though I guess some of these will still be there in three-four weeks... the big question is, though... where at Shibuya Station? lol (and t least it's not my nemesis, Shinjuku)

I don't think Brian could guess just how far Yuzu would go. As you say, he surely saw the potential, but turning that potential into results depends on a lot of things, so potential isn't a good indicator. However, I don't think Brian thinks of success in the same way we do. I don't think an awesome skate equals record breaking to him. It's hard to explain what I mean, but I think the things that matter to Brian and make him satisfied and happy with what he's achieved are different and the medals and records are more like the cherry on top. Proof of that, to me, is Tracy saying that when Javi won his first title - so after Yuzu's hat-trick and 10 records broken - Brian told her that that was their greatest success story. Because Javi was pretty much a mess when he first went to Toronto and they were able to help him go from there and achieve his potential and become a World Champion. With Yuzu... I guess in a way it was expected of him, because he was a prodigy and dubbed a genius ever since before he'd landed his first quad. Of course, few probably believed he'd get this far - and this is where the support and the things you mentioned later, which I absolutely agree with, come in - but in a way it was expected he'd get far. So there's different kinds of success. But I'm pretty sure Brian and Javi and everyone know Yuzu is probably the GOAT, and I think, at the end of the day, when he breaks records, laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief is pretty much all they can do. As for Yuzu at GPF15 - and all his other "I did it!" faces - he knows when he did well. Subconsciously or otherwise, he knows he just blew the rooftop off and was either perfect or nearly so. But at GPF15 he said in that recent show that he wasn't sure he'd broken the record he'd set at NHK, until he saw the score. So, for him, too, a good performance, even a perfect one does not necessarily mean a broken record. Especially when it's close and he can't know how the judges will feel. Also, it's one thing to expect a record breaking score and it's another thing to have it confirmed. And like I said, I fully agree Brian was probably the only coach who could help Yuzu grow like this. And it's funny, in a way, because it wasn't an easy road and they had their hurdles, even as far as communication goes, but even with that, I don't think anyone else could have given Yuzu the support and guidance that helped him get to where he is now. And with Brian comes the whole TCC crew, including Javi. And I agree with you there, too, that Javi played a big role in Yuzu's growth as well. And you know who alone probably saw all this coming - if maybe not to the full extent? Yuzu himself. He chose Brian and TCC and Javi. And they were the people/things that helped him reach his goals and probably even go beyond them. His ability to spot opportunities and see the bigger pictures is amazing. (Just like he always knew how big and important quads would become, when many others didn't believe it.) I have no idea if that actually went close to what you wanted to discuss, as I got a bit carried away again. It's a really interesting topic, so I can't help it. ^_^; Anyway, I hope we'll get another Team Brian book post-Pyeongchang. I'd hope for more interviews, maybe with all three of them... so maybe on day we'll hear it all from Brian himself.

Didn't Kanako say he's a narcissist? (j/k, I know the Japanese meaning is different and it was more teasing than serious) I think I'd like a definition of selfie, though, because there's no way any of the pictures shown along with the title were selfies lol (Although a Yuzu selfie CM or so could be really fun)

Hanyu Yuzuru Selfie Exhibition? That's an interesting campaign title...

The whole show, I think Yuzu cut:

I just want to say for the record, that throughout the first book especially, Brian keeps talking about how he gradually got to know both Javi and Yuzu better and how with every experience - especially the less successful ones - he learned more about them. So with each day and each competition, he got to know them a bit better. I'm sure that continues to this day and will continue from now on, too, which is only natural.

Brian has always said the Yuna experience helped a lot with dealing with the Yuzu effect. It probably also helped that the Yuzu mania started after he was already settled at TCC. And the fact that TCC is an exclusive club, of which figure skating is only a part. So casually going in there is difficult to begin with. I don't think there was a great increase in security levels at TCC itself. Brian has also said that he's always meant for TCC to be a safe haven for the skaters, where they wouldn't have to deal with fans or press or anyone outside of their TCC family. But in a way, the club itself ensures that. For traveling and so on, I think that was more Yuzu's team and JSF's job. And I think we have heard of instances where they realized what they had was insufficient. But I don't think that really affected Brian and the coaching team THAT much. (Although just in the Team Brian book, he says he wanted to congratulate Yuzu after his record breaking SP at Sochi, but couldn't, because he was surrounded by media - and JSF staff, I think.) I think it helped that in a way the hype was gradual and Brian's main goal was always to just shelter the skaters from it, regardless of its intensity. Also, his no SNS advice is one he gives to all the skaters, joined by 'if you do get it, don't pay attention to the stupid stuff.' I guess it was good Yuzu followed it (probably encouraged by his own team, as well). On top of that, much like the rest of the FS world, I don't think they're aware of quite how global the phenomenon is. Yuzu can still have a normal life style in Toronto, which is great. Maybe he does have a bodyguard by his side all the time, just in case, but I doubt it. That probably only happens around competitions. So, aside from the sea of Poohs, I'm not sure they even realize how big the phenomenon is... As for media pressure, pressure is pressure, it can come from a handful of media or a lot of it, but how you deal with it is probably the same. The bigger problem was how much of Yuzu's time it took to satisfy all the media demands, but it seems they've learned to handle that really well, too. That's true as well, but it was rather well known that figure skating is very popular in Japan, so if Yuzu were to become a top skater, he was sure to draw a lot of attention. Just how much was surely beyond everyone's expectations, though, yeah. In some ways, though, I think he's still a mystery to the more casual FS fans. Those who aren't fascinated enough to look for translations of interviews and so on. Yuzu doesn't interact much with international media, aside from press conferences, so I think that helps make it seem like it's only really a Japan thing.

I admit, it's a dream of mine, but I'm also terrified at the possibility ^_^;

Actually, I think the only one who has outright said Yuzu has landed 4A was Max? Others have just said he's been trying. But I don't think Brian would even mention it if it wasn't at least somewhat successful. So... yep. He's probably landed a few. At this point I just wonder if he'll announce it, show it in practice or galas or ice shows, or just give everyone a heart attack and just do it in competition. Well everyone but In a way that's the funniest thing. That it's far from impossible to imagine such a scenario (maybe not this season, but sometime in the not far away future...)

Or, for maximum impact, recovery 4A

Or did he? He might still troll us again... Speak about 4Lz at ACI and then go to Moscow and do the layout he mentioned in the open day. And when people ask about 4Lz, he'd be "4Lz? Who said anything about 4Lz?"

I think Brian already understood Yuzu pretty well then and was trying to tell him to enjoy it precisely because of that. Though I think he understands him even better now. As for enjoyment, I hope so, too, but in a way, that's the big downside to being a perfectionist: you can never be truly satisfied or truly happy with your results. Yuzu himself has admitted to that. But I like to think he has learned to enjoy it, at least to some extent, too.

While I agree that the program was clearly only counting debuted jumps, it's also not like Yuzu doing 4Lz - and 4A - in practice is a top secret, because both he and Brian have mentioned it. It's a bit strange, I guess, that those mentions have only appeared in written interviews, but not on TV. But it probably doesn't really mean anything. I guess they could have said something like "it has been said that Hanyu has also been working on 4Lz and 4A, but since we haven't seen them, we won't take them into account" or so, but it's actually better if they don't IMO. Also, I don't think just hearing their names would do much for the casual viewers without footage to go along, and fans already know so no real point in it.