glilikoi

Calling it a confession is really misleading, as you'd expect from Fuji TV... It's just longer segments of the interview filmed just after MOI. I wish we could have seen some more recent footage, since I think Yuzu's mindset has probably already changed since then, but this interview is still pretty good. I'll do a very rough translation below, I'm sure someone will do a more careful one later. Sorry for any mistakes there may be! Q. 'Were you able to sleep yesterday?' A: I tried to not look at anything, but (not really). To be honest, I couldn't really remember the performance, since I was just (focusing on) giving all I had, and it's difficult to express now.. But to be honest, I felt regretful and I had a feeling of loss.. While also feeling that I was able to put out there what I really needed to. With these kinds of thoughts, I spent the night without being able to sleep much. Q: 'Yesterday you said your thoughts were chaotic, but were you able to get your thoughts in order during that night?' A: I think today is already different. I was able to enjoy a very special time during MOI, to perform a program that feels special to me. And the contents of that performance as well.. Recently I've been repeatedly making mistakes on 3A, not being able to do it beautifully, but even despite that, there was a moment of feeling a bit like 'I'm back'. So now I feel just a little bit happy because of that. Q: 'Why did you choose to perform Seimei?' A: Well, I felt the pressure of absolutely not wanting to harm this program (with a bad performance). But I also wanted to get this program a bit closer to its 'complete form' with live music, so I'm glad I was able to try it out. Q: 'So this performance became one step in the evolution of Seimei?' A: Well, it'll be good if it did. My excitement (from the performance) hasn't cooled yet, but it will. And when I suddenly go back to being just one person 'Hanyu Yuzuru', there is a fear that I won't be able to stand up/move on.. So I turn to various things for support, I think many things and many people are (going through the trouble of) supporting me, and I rely on those people. First I want to stand up on the ground/ice (not sure if he first says 'ground' by mistake or if this is some idiom I don't understand). Q: 'How do you feel about confronting the public image of 'Hanyu Yuzuru'/is there tension with the public image and yourself'? A: Sometimes it gets to a point where I'm confused/don't really know what's what. But I don't really think I project any falsities, I'm basically being myself. Of course as a member of society, as just another person, there are standards/moderations one must respect, and I think I normally do the same things that any person would need to do. But I do think this is myself/how I really am, and I'm very particular about/fixated on a lot of things, so there are times when I'm on the verge of losing control/my thoughts get chaotic. But I think this is just how 'Hanyu Yuzuru' is. Q: 'I think the pressure on you is sometimes excessive/too much. Are there times when you feel like you're being crushed by that?' A: I feel like I need to be cornered by something, if I'm going to do something then I never want to do it halfway. Like today at practice, I felt very tired, and for the first time in a long time I felt scared to go out there and skate, scared to perform in front of everyone, but when I decide I'm going to do it, I'll do it with all I have. That's 'me' essentially. There are times when it seems like I'll get crushed, probably also times when I do get crushed, but I'll still try to set it aside, to take the burden (and keep going). That's how I feel most of the time. //A lot of the things he says here are kind of concerning/sad, but I think it's largely because it's so soon after his disappointing performance in the FS. I'm pretty sure he's already been able to process many of the difficult things he talks about here in a constructive way. Also I found it kind of interesting that Yuzu uses the word 社会人 (shakaijin) about himself here. Literally 'society person', it's a word that doesn't really have an equivalent in most other languages. According to the dictionary definition, it means 'working adult; full-fledged member of society' - basically in Japan, someone who works full time and is not a student, part-timer, housewife, etc. It's a pretty narrow definition. It's true that Yuzu has a position as a company employee (as well as multiple other contracts) so it's not false in any way, but it just feels weird to me to think of him as a 社会人 somehow. This is completely OT, just something I personally thought amusing.

I don't think there is any indication that the government would actually implement such a blanket ban - this is just a petition, and while half a million people is a lot, it's still less than 1% of the population. Various kinds of travel restrictions and extra checks can be put into place, but I very much doubt the South Korean government would impose a complete ban on all incoming Chinese nationals. So far, I've heard that some countries might restrict entry of people who aren't able to provide any documentation about their health. But the health of athletes is constantly monitored anyway, and they get their bloodwork done regularly etc, so I doubt this would be too much of a barrier to them. Some spectators might find it more difficult to travel, though, which is why I guess so many people are already selling their tickets.

I listened to this while working, it's pretty long but he said some nice things. He's basically bringing up this old story from 2014 to promote his current Youtube channel, which is kind of opportunistic, but he's being self-aware about that and seems genuine so I'll give him a pass Just to summarise some key points - He's the same age as Yuzu, he was in his university's cheerleading club when Yuzu came to visit Beppu for an ice show in 2014. He lifted Yuzu by his hands for a commemorative picture. He was living in a tiny room and didn't have a TV, so he had no idea at the time who Yuzu was. But everyone else was excited about the visit so he remembers being caught up in the excitement too. Afterwards, his sister posted about it excitedly on FB and he only investigated then why Yuzu was that famous. - He says Yuzu has a very good energy and his fans also seem kind-hearted, he thinks Yuzu is sending positive energy to his fans, while he is also probably attracting these kinds of 'good people'. He hasn't received any negative comments from fanyus and thinks there seems to be a nice sense of community/unity. He says he kind of considers himself a fan now too/will continue to support Yuzu. - He talks abt how he's a Youtuber now and how Yuzu's influence is so great that even though Yuzu has no idea who this guy is, he's still kind of received a favour from him through this attention his channel is getting through the story. He's kind of apologetic about using this story to promote his channel. - He also talks abt how Yuzu seems like someone translucent and ethereal, like he shouldn't age and it hard for him to process that Yuzu will also become old one day (they're the same age). Says he thinks Yuzu will become sexier with age, like a dandy (:D).

Thank you, in the light of this interview Jack's column seems even worse. Especially seeing that Mai's team has publicly confirmed she has a physical illness, which is often linked to weight loss, I just don't understand why Jack needs to start speculating about an eating disorder. If he wanted to make some kind of a point about eating disorders being a big problem in figure skating (which I'm sure is true, as it is in many other sports and across society), he could discuss the topic in general and maybe interview someone who is open to speaking about their own experiences, such as Akiko Suzuki. This is just so messy - I don't understand what he is trying to achieve here. The whole headline of the article is so weird - 'rumours swirl', yet he's the one adding to them on an extremely public forum? I don't really think the rumours about Mai are that widespread, most people would never have heard of this without Jack's column that's now calling unwanted attention to her. In any case, the only legitimate way for a journalist to address 'rumours' is to either confirm or dispel them, yet Jack is doing neither - this is literally just gossip. I wonder if he's being malicious or if he's genuinely so clueless that he doesn't understand this is a very sensitive subject matter. I wonder if anyone has got in touch with JT to ask them to take down the article yet. I might write them an email just because I think this definitely crosses the line.

I just saw this new Ice Time column on Japan Times about Mai Mihara. The article is basically claiming that Mai probably has anorexia and lamenting that, even though Mai/her team have never confirmed that she has an eating disorder. I already knew Jack is a jerk, but I honestly think publishing this is in really poor taste from Japan Times. It doesn't even matter whether or not Mai actually has an ED, it's just really disrespectful for a random third person to come out and make all these claims. Mai is the only person who should be speaking about this (if there is even anything to speak about). There's a huge difference between talking about the ED of someone who has publicly talked about it, such as Akiko (who continues to spread awareness in a positive way, and I admire her for it), and just writing a whole article based on rumours. I don't know why I even bother getting offended, I already know Japan Times has really gone downhill in general, and the figure skating coverage under Jack has been poor for a long time.. But I think this just really crosses a line and should not have been published. It's written in English, but I think Mai will definitely see this, and I don't think she'll be happy that Jack is basically using her health as a source of gossip masked in 'concern'. // Just looked at the previous page and saw this was already brought up yesterday, sorry for my oversight. In any case, I wanted to discuss this because it just really rubbed me the wrong way.

He's saying 'Congratulations Nathan. [He is] so far ahead.. I want to get better, I want to practice'.

I doubt it would be hyper critical either - seeing that the starting point seems to be introducing something that is not well known in Australia, it would be weird if they portrayed Hanyu and/or his fans in a bad light. If the target audience is people who don't know anything about FS or Hanyu, what's the point of saying 'actually these people are all insane'? It would just give the impression that this isn't really worth knowing anything about lmao. I think it's more likely that they'll kind of exoticise it in a 'look at this amusingly/endearingly weird phenomenon' kind of way, which would not be ideal but not necessarily negative either. In any case, I think the reason why they are choosing to cover Hanyu in an Australian radio show at all is that the creators genuinely want people to hear about him. I doubt they would be very harsh, especially if they're actually getting Tracy and Yuzu on the show.

I don't think we should draw any conclusions regarding FAOI attendance from the fact that Yuzu is going to SOI. These aren't mutually exclusive - Yuzu has done both SOI and FAOI before in his career. The dates don't overlap, and in any case, Yuzu doesn't need to participate in all of the locations. In the last couple of years, he's been limiting ice show attendances due to injuries, but if he's healthy, why couldn't he do both? He likes performing after all, and there are ways to change program layouts etc. depending on condition, so he doesn't necessarily need to do super demanding programs all the time (although we know that often happens anyway..). FAOI isn't cancelled because of the Olympics (if that was the case, they wouldn't have announced it in the first place), and I'm pretty sure the Il Volo 'tour' is linked with FAOI, because they mentioned it would be in May (FAOI has both Japan and Shanghai dates in May, while SOI is in April). I still think it's quite likely that Yuzu is going to FAOI, and this SOI announcement doesn't change that in any way. FAOI has often announced Yuzu's participation pretty late, as far as I recall. In any case, this SOI announcement makes me happy - it seems that Yuzu is confident he can stay in good physical health throughout the spring. And SOI is a pretty high-quality production too. Looking forward to it

I have those in some running jackets, I think they're also meant to warm your hands a bit - if you put your thumb through the loop the sleeve becomes like a half-glove. It's not as warm as a real glove but it's OK for milder temperatures.

It's like a mix of anger, regret and shame directed at yourself. It's a bit more complicated than just 'frustrated' but that's the closest translation in English. The cause can be losing to/being humiliated by other people, or falling short of your own standards/making a stupid mistake, or something like that. It's a pretty strong word but of course some people use it more casually than others (Yuzu loves to say it but of course he is extra in many ways). I guess it's a feeling that perfectionists and high achievers have more often than others.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think the TV broadcast is on the 15th of February, not January. I remember seeing that date before but can't verify now - does anyone else know for sure? Anyway, I'm sure it will be great! The guidebook also looks so beautiful, I would love to get my hands on one someday. //Found a link to the broadcast schedule here, it says 15th February. Not sure if there is another broadcast before then, but I doubt it. Too bad But at least we have something to look forward to after 4CC!

I'm hoping for either H&L or LGC.. Programs that are a bit more recent but also ones he hasn't brought back yet. 2017 feels like it was so long ago! Is that because the Olympics were in South Korea too? I could see that, and Yuzu just did Seimei so maybe he'll be all completionist about bringing his Olympic SP back too.. But I'm hoping he'd do H&L or LGC, because it's been too long since we saw those. Although I absolutely love his Chopin - the step sequence is one of my favourites ever. So I wouldn't complain if he wanted to do that either. As long as he stays healthy and gets to do an EX, I'll be overjoyed

Apparently someone on Twitter saw Yuzu grocery shopping with his mom a couple of days before New Year's in Toronto (they didn't bother him for a picture or autograph or anything like that). It seems plausible that he would have already gone back. I guess him being in Toronto doesn't mean he couldn't have spent New Year's with his family, since I'm sure they could afford to go to Canada. And in a way, it might be easier for Yuzu to have a quiet/relaxing new year in Toronto, because there is less media attention. In Toronto too, someone might notice him in a supermarket, but people generally respect his privacy. Apparently there was 1 time somebody in Toronto posted a sneaky pic of Yuzu they'd taken in a supermarket, but a lot of people criticised them and they took the photo down quickly. This kind of incident is still rare in Toronto, thankfully, and there certainly isn't the same level of media interest as there is in Japan. Sure, he could hole up in his house for New Year's in Sendai, and I know people there make a point to respect his privacy, but I think it would still be difficult for him to even go grocery shopping with his mom in a big supermarket without extra attention. Anyway, I don't think him being in Toronto necessarily has anything to do with the media at all. Probably he just wants a good start on 4CC training and it's convenient enough to just spend New Year's in Toronto. TCC has been his home rink for a long time, and being able to start off training well might just be Yuzu's ideal way to start the new decade, so I'm happy if he can do that. Although I also hope he took some time off! I don't think I posted on here in the last couple of days btw, so happy new year everyone! 新年あけましておめでとう！　

It's so funny that nearly all the responses are from fanyus It makes me think though, it seems that fanyus/figure skating fans are more likely to use Twitter or to engage with Olympic channel, because of course in reality, figure skating is still a pretty niche sport and most people on the street would mention some athlete in football/basketball/ice hockey/etc. when asked this question. It's kind of interesting. I wonder if FS fans are more likely to build online communities precisely because the sport is not so popular in most countries, so it's harder to find people to talk about it in real life.

This is really well put, and reminded me of this bit from the Future of Tohoku document I mentioned before: I think it's really amazing that Yuzuru could already articulate it like this when he was 15. (A small note about the translation - it's close enough, but in Japanese, he literally says 'I want people to feel my world, I want people to know my worldview. I think skating is what allows me to create that connection.')

I think these names are not really used outside the Japanese language. Particularly Yuzuru (結弦) is a clearly Japanese name and definitely isn't used in other languages. I could imagine the shortened version 'Yuzu' might be used like a nickname for some non-Japanese names, but I don't think it's a common name anywhere else. Maybe the meaning of Yuzu, as in yuzu fruit, is used as a name in some other languages as well. You could still use the name even though it is clearly Japanese, but it would probably require quite a lot of explaining to everyone around you I think in Japan, the name Yuzuru has probably increased in popularity somewhat, although I haven't seen any article about it. To be honest, I would be afraid of naming my child Yuzuru if I was Japanese, because I'd feel the expectations are super high! Could they possibly ever live up to the name? Actually, I tried looking it up, and it seems 結弦 still isn't a particularly popular name in Japan, but the kanji 結 is used increasingly in both boys' and girls' names, probably owing to Yuzuru's influence to some extent. Apparently the names 結菜 (Yuuna), 結依 (Yui) and 結愛 (Yua) have been among the most popular girls' names in the last few years. The gender difference is kind of interesting.

Yeah, I mentioned that after watching the Yuzu-centric episode of 'Future of Tohoku' from 2010 a few days ago. That has a lot of content about Yuzu's stamina-training in preparation for his first senior season. It's not on any streaming sites as far as I know, but it's available to download from Nonchan's site here in case anyone else is interested - and I wanted to mention it again because I really recommend it. I had never seen this doc before and thought it was very interesting, especially the way Yuzu talks about how important his hometown is to him and how he wants to give back to it if he becomes successful. It feels very poignant considering that this was before 3/11 and after that, Yuzu's relationship with Sendai/Tohoku has become even stronger in that way. In general, I think this documentary really shows that Yuzu's motivations and the things he wants to achieve with his skating haven't really changed that much, he seemed like a person of high integrity then and still does now.

No, he doesn't, I completely agree about that. It's just one of those things that can be frustrating as a fan (because it's painful when he calls himself weak, or other people do, when that's not really the case and there is another reason) - but ultimately it's of course his own decision. And this firm refusal to make any excuses, or to do things the easy way, is one of the things that make Yuzu so successful and so interesting as a person. I'm just venting because I'm still getting over GPF and Japanese Nats I guess And I have too much time on my hands now that I'm off for Christmas..

Yeah, that's exactly what I think as well. It's just that most people (non-fanyus) aren't aware that he's asthmatic, so when he (or his team) doesn't say anything about it, people start saying his stamina is getting worse, when that's not the case. I do understand why he wouldn't say anything about it, even after the competition, because he thinks it would be an excuse. But I think it would help with the naysayers. Of course people might still say that the reason he's struggling with asthma is that he's too tired, but most people would probably just accept that it was a short-term issue and doesn't mean his stamina has deteriorated. To be honest though, I think the JP media has been a lot nicer than I thought. Several articles in Japan have pointed out his exhausting schedule, and Sano-sensei even defended him on TV. If the 'backlash' after his FS would have been worse, I would feel even more strongly that he (or Brian) should have mentioned possible health issues instead of just blaming everything on Yuzu's 'weakness' (which is not true). Now I think it's okay, but I still wish Yuzu didn't always feel so strongly that he needs to hide vulnerabilities. But I understand that's just the kind of person he is, and there's nothing we can do about it, and that's why being a fanyu is suffering

I know it's pointless to say, but I really wish Yuzu would just spill and say what was the health problem he was having around Nats, because that might balance out the toxic narrative currently brewing about his stamina - it wouldn't be an 'excuse' at all. But I know that's how he views it so he won't say anything Reading the interviews after Nats, there were at least 2 separate occasions where he was asked about a possible health issue and said 'I don't want to talk about it because it would sound like an excuse' which pretty much sounds like confirmation of a health issue in Hanyu-speak. At least this time, I do think that whatever issue he was having was short-term and not ankle-related (and also not something super serious because otherwise he would probably have WD'd and not asked for a 4CC assignment). Why must he be so stubborn and make us worry so much It just makes me think of this kind of do-S observation he made before the season.. For real though, I don't think the problem Yuzu is having this season is that his stamina has decreased at all. Comparatively speaking, stamina has always been the main issue for him beside injuries. I think he's actually been handling Origin really well this season, even though it's a very demanding program. It's obvious that trying to do a 5-quad layout when asthmatic is a really difficult task, but it wouldn't have been any easier when Yuzu was 17 or 20, so this recent narrative that it has to do with his age just seems completely off to me. I've been rewatching some old documentaries recently because I finally have time, and it's clear that young Yuzu was much worse off in terms of stamina than current Yuzu. A couple of things that caught my attention -first, in a documentary about Yuzu's transition from juniors to seniors back in 2010, he's shown really struggling to keep going for the full duration of the FS. Abe-sensei assigned him 1-hour sessions of continuous skating as well as other stamina-building exercises, which he found really tough. So clearly he's been working hard to build and maintain stamina from a young age, it's not something he's just naturally 'losing' now that he's becoming older. Second, in an interview after his Sochi win, Yuzu mentions that he can win with 'aggressive performances' containing several quads now because he's a teenager, implying he didn't expect to be able to do that later on. It's quite surprising to hear that now, because it's obvious Yuzu has only increased the jump content in his programs year on year. Sochi-era Yuzu would definitely struggle with a 5-quad program, and that in itself is proof that Yuzu hasn't become weaker over time, but quite the opposite. Avoiding injuries when older may be more difficult, but that's another issue and shouldn't be conflated with the stamina thing.

Nope, it's an older clip thankfully

I don't think he intended to shade Nathan at all, but..

New Yuzu segment on News Every - (Before the season started) Yuzu says he watches Nathan's FS A LOT, has probably watched it at least a hundred times, says he's putting the views count up on the video by himself //in case anyone is curious, this segment contains a few previously unaired clips from interviews before the season and after GPF. I summarised the new content below. There aren't that many surprising things, most of this Yuzu has already said in other interviews, but it's still nice to see new clips. Talking about Worlds, he says he was nothing but 'kuyashii' and the sense of defeat was huge. In the end of the first clip, he's going over his protocol for Worlds, circling deductions he got and saying 「もうやるなよって」 /'Don't do that again'. In the 2nd clip, Yuzu says Nathan has become like an ideal image of an athlete, and so he's honestly grown to respect him a lot. There's an old clip of him saying it will be fun when other skaters will push him and the sport forward. In the new interview, Yuzu says there was a time when he had a firm convinction that if he went clean, he could always win, and reality reflected that. During that time, he wasn't really fighting with another person but instead with a fixed version of his own ideal image of himself. That became a bit lonely. Nathan changed it, and Yuzu says losing in itself was almost kind of fun/made him glad. He used about 80% of his real/maximum ability and still lost, it was kind of fun/made him glad (he repeats this point). Because there is an athlete like that, he can feel he wants to become stronger. Ultimately, Yuzu still wants to/has to win, so being in this current state is fun. In the 3rd clip I think there is no new content to translate In the 4th clip, it's pointed out that during GPF, Yuzu's expected PCS for jumps were higher than Nathan's for the first time. Yuzu says that if he can land them/make it work, he can still put up a real fight. He will have to put in a lot of hard work, but that seems to be the hard road Nathan is also pursuing (so neither of them has it easy). Yuzu will keep steadily climbing up and working in order to ultimately win. In the end, the narrator points out his thoughts/feelings haven't really changed from before. In the last older clips, he's apparently demonstrating some 4A image training and saying that he wants to win after everyone else goes clean. He wants to create a condition where, no matter who are the other athletes going clean, he will still be able to win if he puts out not just 'almost his maximum' but his 'perfect maximum'. Lastly, the message he's written is (to go) 'Beyond the wall' - this definitely seems to be his motto this season. // Someone uploaded it to Youtube in good quality, here (not divided into clips). I've realised I have a bad habit of editing my comments way too many times, sorry about that I always think of something else I wanted to say or something that could have been translated a little better and start tweaking it around, but I hope it doesn't get confusing..

It's true that being a fan of Yuzu never stops feeling like a rollercoaster. I mean on Friday, he rewrote the national record and gained his (unofficial) SB on the short, only to follow up with such a spectacularly bad FS. It was a pretty wild ride just in the space of a couple of days. Thank goodness for the gala

I've been feeling very emotional and mostly sad after today's FS, but in the long run, I think this is just a natural step in the process. Seeing Yuzu be the runner-up twice in a row hurts, but I think in a way losing is good sometimes - the more often Yuzu wins, the more pressure keeps building up, and I think sometimes it gets to unhealthy levels of expectations towards him. He described feeling kind of relieved after Saitama silver (like a bubble of others' and his own expectations had burst), then went back to winning both GPs this autumn, creating a lot of hype - and now losing again, reducing the pressure of huge expectations. Maybe returning to a kind of 'underdog' position is good sometimes. Especially if Yuzu does keep working towards Beijing, I feel that it's natural to have a kind of a low ebb (or several) during an Olympic cycle. Yuzu doesn't need to win all the time and that's obviously not why we support him. I don't even really care about the results, I just want to see good skating - but I know Yuzu cares, and it makes me sad to see him be so hard on himself. So watching the FS today was rough. I also felt the scoring was blatantly favourable to Shoma, who had lots of issues here and there as well. But this wasn't as bad as GPF - Shoma wasn't overscored to the ridiculous extent Nathan was, and the selection of 4CC and Worlds teams seemed pretty fair (for the women as well). This is obviously just speculation and kind of pointless to say, but I have a feeling Yuzu may have had a bad asthma attack or other health issue sometime between GPF and travelling to Japan. It seems a lot of little signs are there. He looked extremely tired and had deep dark circles under his eyes - this isn't the first time we've seen jet lagged, sleep-deprived or anxious Yuzu, but I don't remember seeing such dark circles before. Of course it could be he's just getting older and slower at adapting to jet lag, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was an effect of him still recovering from a health issue. He was also apparently wearing an additional health monitor he doesn't usually wear, his breathing after the FS seemed worse than after the five-quad effort at the GPF, and Brian mentioned this having been a "tough week". It might also explain why Yuzu was travelling to Japan so late. I don't think he would talk about it because he hates making excuses, but it seems to me that this wasn't just regular exhaustion/jet lag, but the after-effect of an asthma attack (or possibly influenza or something similar). I remember he had a bad asthma attack a couple of weeks before Helsinki Worlds - maybe this time, it happened closer to the competition so the pattern of recovery was different. But yeah, this is kind of empty speculation since we haven't heard anything from Yuzu himself.. Of course, it's also possible that he really was just physically too tired from having to adapt to this extremely demanding schedule for the first time in a few years. In any case, I'm glad he's going to 4CC and that there should be enough time to rest and recover. I do think that it makes a lot of sense to go, to do a test-run of the Worlds layout and (heaven forbid..) possibly the 4A, as he said himself. For now, I hope he can just rest and enjoy a quiet new year's with his loved ones. This has been a tough season, but all things considered, he's done amazingly well, and I'm so proud to be his fan.