Melodie

Oh darn, I just watched TSL (cos curiosity kills the cat LOL) and... same

Yup! Anyway, I guess it does have to do with perspectives because still I see people thinking it's OK (Eg: "He is only 18, give him a break", "he is just being brutally honest," "I'm gay, I don't find this offensive at all", "it's OK, we love you", "it's a joke" kind of thing). But, I do wonder, where were Ari and his parents when he said all these? At least Nate had some IMG guys to cover up his a** nicely. Also, let's sleep on this for now, lest we feel weird about the whole thing LOL.

Long story short, the lad recently said something homophobic and proceeded to throw out some half-assed non-apology apology. The catch? He used to post some racist stuff on social media a couple of years ago. I don't mind if he boasts about his jumps or whatever, but those stuff? Not a good thing in my book. The kid's behaviors really make me wonder about the environment in which in he trains and grows. The fact that he tried to jab at Yuzu doesn't help. Why can't people let him enjoy his pro days in peace I do wonder.

I did not wake up to see the rising star of USFS still casually making offensive comments after all that he said moons ago and passing them off as some sort of joke and teenage mishaps. Everyone makes mistakes, but if he makes the same type of mistakes more than once then he has some serious self-reflection and public apology to issue. From Nate to I**a, USFS sure knows how to pick the right one to politick for. PS: And he said something annoying about Yuzu too. Boy...

Speaking of Mai and this is not related to skates at all but both she and Rimi Natsukawa are going to be in the first leg of FaOI. Her voice is every bit as magical as when she was younger, it is astounding. I think we might be in it for an amazing "Sakura" number As for Yuzu, perhaps something folk music with Rimi-san? I know his recent numbers are cool and all, but Yuzu and traditional music are match made in heaven

Well it is possible. Yuzu recently skated Raison and One Summer Day with boots covered in white, yes? They look just fine

The ladies? Mai and Marin from the top of my head. Gold blades are more popular. I just can't stand both. Color aside, Yuzu's blades are top notch quality wise.

Nope LOL. He is beyond that.

IMO gold plating makes blades look tacky so black is the way to go LOL

If I may be honest, while it is a lot of fun, Ashura-chan is not my most fav EXs of his, simply because it relies a whole lot on upper body movement. Fast and complicated footwork is not distributed evenly thruout. It doesn't help that the program was originally made for GIFT with all the tecs going on. BUT (and this is a big but), it is a very good attempt at a new style of movement (darn if the whole thing doesn't look good). Since this is Yuzu, I have faith we will soon see both the insane footwork and now insane upperbody movement in one perfect combo with those new-found, electrifying style of his.

Hana's 3A is looking better and better. Now off to making jumps in general less rushed, reducing UR in combo, bending those knees more, and expanding PE & IN!

I should have mentioned that this is in the context of FS LOL. But yas! Thanks for the rec I love it when I'm introduced to stuff like this Probably Buble's music is the most circulated in FS (in terms of music from Canadian)? Anyway, pls blame Patrick LOL.

Do tell. For a non-Canadian like me, for some reasons Buble's music is the most Canadian thing ever

Keegan is a mix of American & Canadian, but Patrick? Purely Canadian. He is Micheal Buble on ice

I don't think his programs (or outfits) lack care for the music. It's more like "hey, this is what I'm comfortable with so imma stuck with it" kind of thing. He knows his skating skills are god-send so that's what he focuses on, a tunnel vision, if you will. The music is there to highlight his strengths, not to accompany them. That there is little versatility in his programs also doesn't help. For a lack of better word, his are very much Canadian. Like, I don't think you can find programs that are more Canadian (or North American) than Patrick's LOL.

Yuzu the choreographer strikes again. No wonder it feels and looks so different from the rest. His is sharp, somber and matches/expresses the music to a T. Others are cheerful, fun and a bit messy (which is obvious, no one here competes in synchronous skating after all). But this comes to show that Yuzu can pull off an NA-style choreo, AKA Keegan or Patrick kind of skating, if he so desires LOL

Late to the party but... man, the visible difference when comparing these ice shows with Yuzu's, especially Gift... Anyway, standing out for me were Mai, Kaori and Yuzu, then Loena. Mai for that lovely presence on the ice, a cherry blossom blooming every so brightly after the bitter snow melts away. Kaori for that insane speed and powerful skating especially towards the end. This program of her has certainly grown. Yuzu for being Yuzu, that massive, dominating, powerful, emotive presence on the ice. So very intimidating and captivating. He is still on a league of his own. And lastly, Loena, for being so much fun (and sexy). The girl really does know how to perform. PS: I still feel like the rink is way too small for skaters like Kaori and Yuzu LOL. PS2: Was the ice not too soft I do wonder? Skaters kept falling left and right in one particular corner.

Rimi Natsukawa, Mika Nakashima, Miho Fukuhara and Dean Fujioka. Now we are talking!!! PS: I'd be damned if History Maker is not thrown out there LOL. PS2: For those who don't know Miho Fukuhara, this is her official YT channel: https://www.youtube.com/@mihofukuharaofficial . Check it out. I adore her soulful voice and her versatility. I really, really hope Yuzu can collaborate with her. A personal recommendation: PS3: Imagine if Yuzu skates to Nada Sou Sou 😭

She has very good jumping techniques. Her Lutz is amongst my favorite, alongside Yuzu's, Liza's, Misha's and Boyang's, with light toepick, deep outside edge and low picking leg (Stress on LOW, because more often than not people talk more about the pick than the leg). That said, her jumps are kind of tiny. I hope she can continue to build up strength and muscle so she can get more height and distance in her jumps. She will need those. Re her FS, I thought her movements and interpretation are a bit immature, but this is something she can improve on with time. The potential is there.

Yuzu vs the ISU be like 😎

Hey come on! It gives me a good chuckle and motivation whenever I'm frustrated at work. Perhaps it should do it for him just the same

Update on Saturday: 18,081. So I guess the official capacity, as mentioned by the Olys channel and the EU (20,000 seats), is correct. I'm trying to see if I can find articles dated back to 2014 and 2019 regarding attendance rate, but haven't not found any so far. So in short, from what I have gathered, Worlds in Saitama this year should have some 20,000 seats. The number of audience attending each competition day were Wednesday: 6,110 (30.55%) Thursday: 10,428 (52.14%) Friday: 12,976 (64.88%) Saturday: 18,081 (90.46%) Assuming that double counting is allowed, these four days attracted 47,605/80,000 people to the arena (59.51%). Is that a good or bad number? I do not know. I would like to compare with the previous years or perhaps an alternative source to find out. Please take these data with a grain of salt because that anti-Yuzu, self-proclaimed reporter can't even report the correct total seat capacity. Also that guy said the organizer was happy with the attendance rate over the first two days. I believe that was also a lie LOL. If I were an organizer I wouldn't be happy seeing just half a stadium or less filled. PS: From what I have seen so far probably the gala exhibition should attract the same amount as on the third day.

WDYM? Towa is one of his sponsors, not any skaters. Perhaps he will join SOI partly because Towa is there or perhaps not. But it is interesting to note nonetheless. Also WDYM what other skaters will do? Like are there some sort of conspiracy theories I should know about or did I miss sth??? PS: I don't mind if he skates to Galactic Mermaid throughout SOI if he so wants to, but I know he is too polite of a person to do that LOL. Search that song out if you are curious or don't know about it. I won't put it here for reasons but well LOL.

SOI is partly sponsored by Towa. Perhaps this also contributes to why Yuzu decided to participate in?