KatjaThera

I'm guessing it might be https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/小林宏一 He apparently goes as KobaHiro. And the tweet says that [they heard there that] it seems Yuzuru's going to be able/manage to land 4A soon. Edit: If oriru in skate speak means simply landing, then it's not much reason to panic. We knew he was playing with it and probably will train after the Olympics. If, however, oriru in skate speak means landing consistently...

They're 'taking advantage' of Yuzu's great performance at 24HTV to promote the article, which is kind of an artistic/artistic content (no mention of technical elements, except an unnamed jump - though we know it's 4Lo from its place in the narrative lol) analysis of Let's Go Crazy, the song and the program and the way they blend. It seems nice and quite different from other articles, but I don't feel brave enough to try translating lol Also the article is from March, so maybe there is already a translation somewhere...

Looked around twitter a bit, but most things I could find were either people saying they loved the articles - apparently they also have interviews with Brian, Tracy and Shae-Lynn - and people complaining that the magazine seems sold out in many places... Just what have they unleashed in the world?

The media aren't the problem as much as the fans are. And in Japan, especially, because of the idol industry, anyone perceived as an idol will have a hard time. In a way the fact that Yuzu hasn't had any girlfriends until now, if he suddenly appears with a fiance, it'll be even worse, because people haven't had a chance to get used to it. Idol fangirls can be really extreme - the story of SMAP Kimura Takuya fans committing suicide when he announced his marriage, for the most extreme example, though other idols suffered heavily for marrying, as well - but that attitude is encouraged by the agencies and such, who continue to cater to these fangirls, with the no dating rules. Aside from that, media feeds the masses what they want to see/hear/read, if nobody cared who dates whom, that wouldn't sell and media wouldn't cover it. But people care, as I guess it's human nature by now. And as people were talking about Friday, I really can't say generally, but on one occasion, with another musician I liked - who is usually happily ignored by tabloids and media alike - Friday was the only one that published a 'close friend' POV and a positive spin, while others were running a negative story. I have no idea why, it was probably some sort of deal or so, but it made me mellow somewhat towards Friday, I guess. ^_^;

Ah, thank you for the information! I had no idea. That's what happens when I don't pay attention to events if Yuzu's not in them lol I think he is somewhat protected. What has been written bad about him so far has been mostly about his career and while that might be unfair, he is an athlete and there will be divided opinions and that's normal. Of course, it's not right if someone publishes their opinion as fact, but in many ways, his career is fair game for criticism, as long as there aren't claims of sabotage or corruption whatever else. Stuff that goes beyond skating. FS is a subjective sport, so there will always be opinions. The problem is if they start intruding in his private life. That tabloid back then trying to snoop into his family situation was bad, but even then they didn't approach it in a negative way. the girlfriend thing, as well. There's nothing wrong about a 20 year old having a girlfriend - though with his level of popularity, there's a chance a perceived girlfriend would get harrassed. And yes, his life is very quiet by normal celebrity standards, but I think they could have invented a million stories by now, already. And put negative spins on them. But he's a national treasure, a tragic hero and very much loved even by the general public, so the reaction would be disbelief and anger at the publisher and that's just shooting themselves in the foot. (Those writing negatively even about his career are having it hard already, imagine if it went into his private life.) When will people will get hungrier about Yuzu the man, when he won't be competing anymore, or if he somehow fell from grace - though I can't imagine how the latter could happen - things might change. But from recent interviews, I think that's not going to happen very soon. So, yes, essentially I agree. I wish they'd leave him alone, but it's not realistic. And at least it's unlikely they'll write truly intrusive or bad things.

Actually, regarding this article I'm more intrigued by the implication that he's done with 24HTV and has gone home for a while. IF true, I think that's good, that he gets to relax a bit, then probably go back to Toronto at the beginning of September and start getting ready for ACI. Oh and I also wonder if Shae-Lynn is still in Japan and why she was there in the first place... if maybe they're doing some local development of Seimei lol That'd be pretty awesome... Of course it could have been just a holiday for her, but the coincidence of her being in Japan exactly when Yuzu had gone back as well...

Actually, from giving the article a glance over, they seem to be saying exactly that even though there were many students and salarymen and such, nobody recognized him (or seemed to recognize him). But I also generally know tabloids do generally sort of get permission, by announcing agencies of what they're going to publish. I think taking and publishing pictures of anyone without permission is illegal in Japan. That's why whenever you see random pictures of random people, more often than not, their faces are censored. I think a singer recently won a legal case on something like that. So tabloids do sort of get - albeit probably very reluctant - permission, I think... Although it is very weird... And then of course, there's the articles, which will always try to spin things in the worst ways, even when the pictures are completely innocent. (Being the fan of an idol whose reputation was at least partly destroyed by tabloids, I've tended to pay attention to the way they work, but some things still don't make sense to me.) As for fans recognizing him... firstly, I think in Japan they'd mostly leave him alone. Japanese fans are scary in large numbers - well, all fans are scary in large numbers lol - but generally, day to day, they tend to respect other people's privacy. They might take pictures - iphone/sns era... - or share sightings, but generally won't approach the celebrity to bother them. On top of that, as someone who doesn't really even look properly at the faces of people who pass by me day to day, I probably wouldn't see him to have a chance to recognize him. And I don't think there are many who do look, especially in Japan. So spotting him would probably only be accidental. And what are the chances, really? That on a rare occasion when my eyes do pass over someone's face - or neck - it's Yuzu? However, if/when he goes back, it will probably get much harder, as people will be hungrier for glimpses of him and there'll be less of "he's an athlete, disturbing him is bad for everyone, so...". Although it seems there were rumors about Takahashi being gay in tabloids even when he was competing (accidentally stumbled upon someone saying there had been the other day), so... I guess Yuzu being a national treasure protects him from the more intrusive stuff - if we ignore the girlfriend thing - for now.

For myself, I've been lucky, when it comes to Yuzu, because my two best friends are both into him - one more than the other, but even the other expressed interest in maybe trying to go to Worlds 2019 in Japan, and I might try to convince her for Milan as well - but I have had previous experiences when my friends got sick and tired of my rambling about other topics/artists I like... not to the point where they stopped talking to me, but... there was... less talking So I understand where everyone is coming from...

I don't think he's ever done Hana ni Nare outside of Japan, so I doubt the costume ever left Japan either. More likely he had someone bring it to him from Sendai (or wherever he keeps his costumes... Now I wonder where he keeps his costumes...) But now I also wonder... would Seimei have been with the old costume or the new one...

Why must these things always happen when I'm crazy busy?? Can't wait to get home and catch up on everything! Thanks everyone for sharing! As for forum reputation, isn't that something that likely propagated from GS? I remember in the early days of the forum hearing something that GS people were trying to discredit PH. Or maybe I'm remembering wrong. Every place has its good parts and bad parts. But I don't think people here are particularly rude to anyone. Especially compared to other places, not just in FS. (I was recently looking over archived pages on a Formula 1 forum and some of the stuff there was just... )

lol I've never approached anyone I liked in a private context, so I really don't know what I'd do. For all his touch-feeliness, Yuzu is still Japanese, though, so I think hugs are unlikely with fans. And seems page 1000? Congratulations!

I think so, too. He probably wasn't paying attention. And there was some cheering after the Joyeux Anniversaire, but not that much, so yes, probably not many realized it lol. Yes, this. Hence maybe pretending not to know him would be best.

LOL could be. And they did get the date wrong, but I thought it was pretty nice, anyway. If only they'd said it in English, too, then Yuzu might have known as well lol. If I could, maybe I'd say a 「頑張ってください！応援しています！」 if I had the chance to do it discreetly... He'd probably be kind of surprised, though lol A gaijin suddenly speaking Japanese to him lol

I don't know... I might try taking discreet pictures, maybe. But approaching... I guess it'd depend on a lot of things. What mood he seems to be in. If he's just with his mother or not. How many people there are around - if there are many, one person approaching him would lead to a chain reaction. Sometimes, people you admire and who seem super cool and unapproachable can actually be very friendly and somehow make you feel very comfortable and act fairly normal around them. I'm pretty sure Yuzu is somewhat like that, too. I'd more worry about causing trouble or bothering him, I think...

Wow... I've always wondered what I'd do if I ran into him. Would I just discreetly watch from a distance, but try to act normal and like I have no idea who he is? Or maybe show I know who he is, but still not try to approach him? Or try to politely approach him... Questions, questions lol

And a perfect mushroom...

Actually something that amused me was that after his SP, the rink/event announcer came on and spoke about Yuzu's being Olympic Champion and World Champion and then said it's his birthday (though actually, his birthday was the day before) and happy birthday, but Yuzu and Brian - and maybe the Japanese fans? though there was some cheering - never noticed, especially as all that was only in French. Now I wonder if Brian speaks French... but anyway it was kind of

Ouch... gladly sticking to NHK, after all... And NHK has no all event tickets for overseas either. I guess it's how Japan does things...

Thank you very much! Hmm, I see what you meant. I wonder if H&L experience would make a difference... that was a time when he was looking to develop his manliness (though it was also R&J2 time, so... not the best argument lol) so that might have had an influence. If he's going by the same idea, maybe he'll redo his old programs as exes again this year. Or could he... maybe... do R&J2 as an Ex? As a reminder of the previous Olympics and maybe a chance to do it right this time? Would explain David's presence... As for quads, I don't disagree. But then again, we don't know what Seimei with four quads looks like either - I think? But also, since he took out a 3A, that's basically just one and a half extra rotations overall. I know it's not as simple as that. But I think with the 3A out, he's minimizing the impact a 5th quad has on choreography and flow. Maybe... (I don't actually know what I'm talking about lol)

(I think you can fit a lot more than just 3 Olympic medals around his neck )

That might be the one disadvantage to the re-use of Seimei. Fans will have expectations that might not be met exactly. When one is used to something, changes to that something can seem wrong rather than just different. I'm not sure Yuzu would do 5 quads if it affected the flow. Since flow is quite essential for him, I think. I'm sure he can make it work. And I don't remember seeing that... do you have a link? I admit, I haven't properly watched Etude enough... it was when I was saving ice show videos that I saw what I think was its debut and it kind of blew me away. But I didn't mean re-using the exact choreography, but adapting it... well, no idea if that'd work either. I just love that kind of passion in him. But then again, I absolutely loved him in the Kobe finale, as well, he was so expansive and... I want more of that! (And now I had a crazy idea... what if he did LGC as an EX and managed to do it clean every time, so then he'd decide to give it a try as an SP again and switch with Ballade and it'd go well and he'd stick to it? I can dream, right? *happily ignoring LGC Ex would be at least partly different choreography from LGC SP*)

Actually, I hope they do keep you waiting! I really enjoy reading your posts. They're informative and more often than not bring a perspective I couldn't have imagined myself. I think you're totally right about why Seimei is getting the criticism. In a way I think that's better, though. Since even Yuzu hesitated about Chopin, having it get the most criticism might have been worse. Seimei is Seimei. Anyone doubting Seimei is either going to be convinced at some point or die of bitterness, I guess. I wonder if FS seasons were somehow longer or he could safely do more competitions that'd have different results, as he'd have more time to fine tune the programs in competition. But what ifs are pointless. Regarding artistry in remakes, I'm actually a fan of a musician who remade the same song six times. Admittedly, the six versions are all completely different. But when asked about it, he said remaking was about expressing the same theme at different points in his development as an artist, through different perspectives. Yuzu redoing his programs this time won't be quite like that - in a way, I guess R&J2 was more like that, to R&J1 - but I found that fascinating with that artist, and, like Nakamaru said, we'll get to see Yuzu's growth in his programs, too. The programs might be 2015-2016 programs. But the one skating them is 2017-2018 Yuzu.

Just the other day, I read an old interview with Yuzu, from his senior debut season, in which he said his generation have to add quads, because they can't compete with the veterans otherwise. I thought that sounded familiar. The big difference, to me, was that Yuzu used quads to boost his speed a little, but never gave up on the rest. (Of course, back then "add quads" meant having 1 quad vs. having none. So BV increase wasn't that great and overall wasn't 'spectacular' enough to drag PCS up as well. ) For Yuzu, adding quads I guess was part of getting him a bit closer to the top while he worked on the rest. Of course, the true work started after he moved to Canada - and kudos, again, to Brian; I wonder if Yuzu had gone to another coach, to learn to jump quads, if they'd also said: sorry, no, skating skills first. By the time of Sochi, he was already pretty much there. I guess the big problem with the quadsters is they don't have time. Yuzu came to the senior scene with four seasons to go. And moved to Brian with two. The quadsters came with two or one season to go. And yet they want to fight for Olympic Gold. Adding quads and increased BVs are the only way they stand a chance. I think what grates is that they don't seem to have a longer term plan and there hasn't been proof that for them, too, counting on quads is just a temporary thing, until they grow as skaters. Shoma is probably the closest in terms of trying and aiming for the Yuzu-style of figure skating. But if he doesn't work on his jump technique, that'll be a "does he really mean it?" thing. I've seen people say Boyang has been working on the artistic side. I haven't followed him, so I can't say, but he is fun to watch. In a way, I guess he's also the one who clearly has a longer term plan, because he'll definitely want to be there for the next Olympics. I guess consistency is his biggest issue - and probably the hardest to fix, for any skater. Last year's FS has made Nathan the most disappointing of them. The SP proves he can do better, but if the FS doesn't improve, if he ever wins over Yuzu again - or in fact any of the others - people will talk again. I think there actually wouldn't be this much talk about piling quads upon quads if the Nathan hype and wins hadn't happened. But I guess, he has the shortest term plan and if he wants to win OG, he has no other choice. Sad though it is for the sport. (And really, Nathan getting a gold medal with an FS like last year's, so he can then quit, at 18 years of age, would probably be the worst thing for the sport right now.) Quads are exciting, but we've pretty much reached the limit already. OK, someone might bring in the axel and then tried to make every jump a quad. Great. Then what? Quints won't happen that soon - if at all - and there would be many injuries. But there'll be no way to move further without maybe taking a few steps back, or just watch the sport slowly die by itself, as everyone does 7 quads and virtually nothing else. So, I'm not sure even politically it'd be smart to help the others beat Yuzu. (I guess they could give it to Shoma instead, but is rewarding his - apparently; I can't say anything myself - bad technique a good idea for the sport? A perfect Boyang, maybe, if his skills have truly improved, but that's a matter of luck. And I'm not sure Javi or Patrick stand a chance anymore, though I'd prefer them rounding off the podium for a silent: "Enough is enough! This is figure skating, not jump skating." message. And I got way carried away. I still have issues with Chopin, for personal taste reasons. I understand why he chose it - though, I admit, I might be projecting, but in the FaOI performances, he doesn't seem happy with it, to me; more like he had no other choice. Which in a way is true. For this "aim for consistency" plan, when LGC fell through, he had no other choice (PW would be overkill :P). Though now I wonder what an adult, upgraded Etude would have been like... Anyway, it is music he knows and he will probably do wonders with it anyway. But I hate seeing him apparently not so happy. But again, I might be projecting, since pretty much everyone else says they feel moved by the performances. I don't understand why anyone would have problems with Seimei, though - beyond personal taste, again. It was a commanding program already in 2015-2016. Adding the gorgeousness of H&L and applying it to Seimei, improving it, it will probably be mind blowing. But I think most of the worries aren't so much about Seimei, but about BV and layout and judges and the overall "repeating two programs" thing, even though those are arguably his best programs to date. It would be nice if we could stop worrying about things we can't help, but worrying about something one cares about, is another thing that can't really be helped, I think lol.

I've read about 4Lz at the end of H&L before, but I don't remember the source... do we know if it was successful? I guess training that could also be stamina training. But it is interesting in this context. PCS damage would be an issue, even with the extra point, I guess...

Nakamaru! lol (For anyone not familiar, it's a bit of a running gag for him. People always get his name wrong and he has to point it out lol) But I agree, I liked what he said. As for everyone worrying about layouts, I do, too, but, while perhaps naive and a consequence of my lack of experience with figure skating, I can't shake off the idea that Yuzu's leaving himself room to improvise, depending on his things go. What the competition does. How his SP goes. How the first half of his own program goes. I also can't stop thinking about the last jump being usually a 3Lz, but kind of optional. He'll probably YOLO a 3A more often than not, if necessary. But what if at some point, he's behind after the SP, has done a picture perfect FS, but feels he doesn't have enough points to get first, and he feels good and not very tired... he can't YOLO 3A. But he could try to make the 3Lz a 4Lz. That would be BV increase and if he doesn't fall, it'd beat a 3Lz. If he pops, it'd still be pretty much the same as doing a 3Lz. So no need to go for broke. Doing it regularly, would probably be risky. But maybe that 3Lz is more of an intended popped 4Lz, for times when it'd seem worth it? (Actually, now I wonder how a fallen 4Lz compares to a good 3Lz. Does he get +3 GOEs on 3Lz?) Four quads in the second half would be crazy, though... Especially for the guy who used to virtually pass out after his FS a few years ago... So it could be just wishful thinking on my part.