glilikoi

Honestly Etude is one of my favourite programs, it's just incredible how Yuzu could perform a program with such emotional gravity at just 16-17. His skating here isn't as refined as more recently, but the fast and unrestrained movements suit this program. One of the reasons why I always appreciate Etude is that it's a program carrying so many difficult emotions from 3/11. It's impressive that the season right after the disaster, Yuzu skated a program that connects to it so deeply - I think it takes a lot of courage to do that. Maybe skating to it was a way for him to process his feelings about 3/11 as well. I could see it as the beginning of a continuum of programs connected to the disaster, gradually becoming more and more hopeful, with Haru yo Koi as the conclusion (for now). Although it's the first, Etude isn't the most sorrowful of these programs (that would probably be Requiem). To me it conveys a sense of coming to terms with the disaster by embodying nature, finding some acceptance, although there is also a lot of pain and anger. There is this very short clip where he talks about it a bit, I wish it was longer.

Did TV Asahi broadcast a new Figipedia episode today or am I wrong? Has it been uploaded anywhere yet? I'm just starved for FS content

Edited it into the post above now

Someone on twt already did, there are links on the previous page //Actually I'm too tired to focus on my work so I might do a line-by-line translation anyway, I'll edit it here in a bit. Also I noticed the fsnanchara account didn't do a full translation, they just pointed out the translation was lacking. //So here's a more detailed translation. It's still pretty rough so please forgive me for any mistakes. 1:36- Y: Figure skating is something you can do on your own in a huge rink, where everyone kindly focuses on watching just you. I think that's what's really special about it. In other sports, I don't think anyone pays as much attention to just one person. If I were doing another sport, I also think I could not express what I want to express to the same extent. That's why I think figure skating is really special, and why I love figure skating. 7:00 - Y: A lot of people have said to me, 'I felt encouraged when I watched your skating', or that they received some kind of happiness from it, and being told things like this is what motivates me to continue skating, I think. It's what makes me want to continue skating til the end/to pursue what I've started to its conclusion. 7:50 - I don't think anything about this season is particularly different from the usual. I'm being called a challenger a lot, but.. I'm always chasing after the strengths of other skaters and challenging them. So I always think of myself as a challenger, and that applies to last year's and this year's world championships too. 8:38 - I find it enjoyable to try answering to people's expectations. But.. the times I'm unable to do that are very frustrating and hard. In order to achieve that goal (of fulfilling expectations), I also need to accumulate a lot of practice and training. It often feels like a struggle, but I think that if I can overcome that struggle, I may be able to give a performance that fulfils people's expectations again. Because I'm able to think this way, it's enjoyable. So for me, I think it's like my mission/duty in life, and I'd like to see that mission through to the very end.

RIP Chris Such a sudden and shocking way to die. It seems there has been nothing but bad news recently... The CBC interview with Yuzu was lovely though, I'm glad they released it. Agree that the translation could have been better though. I don't really understand why a big network like CBC would use such poor subtitles. I'm not really familiar with North American TV customs - do they perhaps think that people don't have the patience to read longer/more lines of subtitles or something like that? They left out so much detail, there were parts where Yuzu was clearly saying multiple sentences and expressing various viewpoints but the subtitle wouldn't change at all. The interview itself was very good, but they omitted a lot of nuance in the translation. I don't want to complain too much though, because it's still one of the best non-Japanese interviews of Yuzu I've seen. His embarrassed laughter at being praised was so cute

It's true that facing the beginning of a long drought feels MUCH better when it's not forced by injury.

Although not being able to see Yuzu skate (or appear anywhere) for weeks/months is sad, I think that all things considered, this is actually the best season the cancellation could have happened in. We had such a great season so far, with Yuzu being able to do all the competitions he wanted to do without injury. That's already more than I could have asked for. And 4CC really ended the season with a high note, with the super slam and gala shenanigans and everything. To be honest, I also felt that Yuzu's decision to go back to Chopin and Seimei was like the best of bad options. He said that after the kuyashii experience with Otonal and Origin, he just wanted to skate in his own way/feeling like himself again, and was even considering creating new programs after JNats - but there just wasn't enough time. That indicates that ideally, he would have liked to get new programs, but out of necessity he went back to the old programs that made him feel the most 'himself'. But this decision was also difficult, because the programs are already iconic and there is the added pressure of not wanting to 'damage' them. While I obviously don't know how Yuzu feels about all of this, I could imagine there's maybe some relief in being able to just move on and not having to reuse these programs for Worlds, where the likelihood of messy scoring is also high. The 4CC outing of Chopin and Seimei was great, but I think it's ultimately good that now he can put them back to sleep and move on to something different. Based on the things he's been saying in interviews after JNats, I think it absolutely seems likely that he will create completely new programs, and I am so looking forward to that. It seems he's had some important realisations about what it means to him to skate in his own style, and I'm sure the results will be amazing to see. Now we just have to be patient. On a final note, seeing as Yuzu had such a packed schedule earlier in the season, I think having some extra time to just practice at his own pace is really good at this point. Who knows, maybe this will end up accelerating the 4A development - I very much doubt we would have seen that in Montréal anyway, and now he can probably focus on this and other pet projects more. So yeah, of course I feel disappointed at not seeing Yuzu (and many others) skate, but I think ultimately this was the right decision. And for Yuzu/fanyus, it might really be a blessing in disguise (sorry if this sounds insensitive right now - I know it must really hurt for people who have lost precious time/money and have been really looking forward to this, but I really think that some silver linings will be visible in the long term). Oh yeah, and I feel relieved at not having to witness the abomination that would have been the red carpet/awards thing.. The whole thing was such a mess from the start, I hope they just kill it for Stockholm.

I think in this case Yuzu had nothing to do with the naming, the only promotion he did was literally appear on camera reacting to this product.. although it's true that's more than enough to get hanyuconomy moving. Afaik Narahamachi is already using the yuzu fruit as its mascot/symbol, as I think it is a big yuzu producer. But of course it's possible that the name is simultaneously a nod to Yuzuru since he has a connection with the town now. There's that one cute video where he visits the sewing classroom and they show him a Yuzutaro plushie or something like that too.

Well at least that will be.. interesting.. I don't think he'll be attempting 4A to be honest, it seems that the landing chance is still too close to zero to be worth the risk given that he also wants to win. I know other people might think that just landing 4A is worth it even if everything else is messy and doesn't result in a gold, but I think Yuzu really wants to land the 4A and win, so the probability needs to be high enough for that. The way he's talked about it in interviews, it's clear that he really wants to do it but also feels there is still a fairly long way to go. I'm hoping that it might be a motivating factor for him to continue beyond this season tbh. But you never know with Mr. Hanyu, it never stops being a rollercoaster, so I'm trying not to be surprised by anything that may or may not happen

I think Yuzu definitely doesn't wear make-up on ice, for reasons stated by others above. Off-ice, though, they sometimes put some make-up on him for CMs and such (which is done to literally everyone for TV appearances, photoshoots etc). I think he looks best without skin makeup - there's a couple of shoots where the shade of foundation is slightly off or something. He definitely doesn't need any. It would be cool to see Yuzu wear some eye make-up for a show, I think it'd look really striking. But the fact he's never visibly worn any eye make-up in the 10+ years he's been skating in shows, where people tend to go for all kinds of experimental looks, indicates that he probably has zero interest in doing that. Maybe it's because it'd get messy or something. On that note, I always wonder if it feels uncomfortable when I see women skate programs wearing heavier make-up. I guess you just have to find the stuff that works for you/feels comfortable and is durable enough, but it must take some trial and error.

I'm not 100% sure but I think I saw some announcement about the Kose campaign being postponed because of the whole coronavirus chaos

@Umebachi thank you for writing so clearly and comprehensively about this, it really is a very complicated discourse surrounding the flag. As someone who is aware of this history and generally wary of nationalism, I also have mixed feelings about people showing reverence to the flag etc. including when Yuzu does it. I think this is a big cultural difference, especially between US/Canada and many other countries (I'm not Japanese but we have similar discourses in many European countries). I've noticed that North American people often make it a big deal and comment positively when athletes do things like display a flag or treat it with respect (like what Keegan did for Yuzu back in ACI). But for people from other backgrounds, it can seem more complicated and not something you should just celebrate as if it's uncritically the 'right thing' to do. It just comes off as a bit tone deaf to me, but that's because I have a different background. Anyway, to the point - although I also feel kind of uncomfortable about flag-waving, I understand that for Yuzu, it's probably just another way to express respect and gratitude. He's always stressing how grateful he is for being able to perform, to compete, to represent his country etc. And I think that's all there really is to it. I also think this is the kind of situation where he can't really win - if he would act in an indifferent/hostile way about the flag and Kimigayo, then people would attack him for that, and if he acts earnestly, then that attracts criticism too (like what happened with Kamakura FM). He's just trying his best. In any case, I think it's clear from all of Yuzu's interactions with people from foreign countries, how he asked Shae-Lynn to choreograph Seimei etc. that it's not like he holds any exclusionary nationalist views - and suggesting that is just silly and malicious. No matter what he does, he'll always get criticised. But at the end of the day, I think it's clear that he's an exceptionally open and empathetic person.

OT so under spoiler.. Also about this point @shanshani I completely agree, I didn't mean that remark seriously - no matter how much you study medicine or psychology, you still need to have a good support network/someone to get an external professional opinion from. But to an extent it is still helpful to study these things to understand yourself better. I think having knowledge of clinical psychology does help a person make healthier choices in daily life/to avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms etc. But it doesn't mean one is equipped to handle crises alone or anything like that. Basically my point is that it is helpful, but only to a certain extent, and understanding one's own limitations is also important.

The fact that Yuzu's mentioned specifically studying clinical psychology makes me think he's really trying to get better at being his own therapist lmao. And he's explained multiple times how many of the little habits he has are really tried-and-tested methods to balance his mental state. I'm sure he also has lots of habits we never see - he mentioned purposefully making himself cry before competitions for mental balance or something like that, too. Because of his studies and the fact he's spent so long in Canada/TCC (which I think are much better than Japan when it comes to appreciating mental health/sports psychology), I also think he's very unlikely to have any hostility towards therapy/people who need therapy. We wouldn't know if he sees a sports psychologist/therapist and it's none of our business, but I wouldn't be surprised either way. Whether he does or not, I'm sure he has his own ways to take care of his mental health, and also a lot of people around him who are available to help. Maybe a few years ago (like before Boston) the situation would have been different, but I think he's really taken some lessons to heart in this department. I kind of sensed a change in the way he spoke at PC, when he specifically mentioned studying about stress management, controlling anxiety etc. while he couldn't be on the ice. It seemed to me that he'd started to take mental wellbeing more seriously, and a lot of it was probably connected to his studies. So I have more faith in him being able to handle this kind of stuff positively than I did before.

I was thankfully able to watch Music with Wings in its entirety today, and I was really impressed! The performers were first class and it was very well presented. Standouts for me were White Legend and Seimei, I really appreciated how Western and Japanese instruments were so seamlessly used together in these arrangements. I also really liked NDP, and hearing new renditions of Requiem, Ballade No. 1 & Etude was great. The weakest links for me were PW - but I've never particularly liked that song anyway - and Otonal. While I don't mind Otonal, hearing it side by side with Chopin's and Scriabin's arrangements makes it kind of obvious that it's just not on the same level musically. It has a pretty melody, but a full orchestra arrangement kind of emphasises that it lacks the rich nuance/complexity that the other arrangements have. But this is obviously not the orchestra's fault, they were perfect. My point is that I could listen to Chopin forever and Otonal is just not on that level.