rockstaryuzu

Hence why I say we're in for a great season... actually a great couple of years. The depth of talent is amazing. As for Jun, I'm basing my opinion of him off what I saw at the practices at ACI and Skate Canada. Right now he's the only other skater in the men's that moves even remotely close to the way Yuzu does. It stood out to me. He may be young yet but he has the potential for sure.

I hope it works well for him.

Once Jun gets his technical content up to par, I predict that Yuzu will have a fight on his hands to stay on top. So far this year, Jun's as rock solid consistent as I've ever seen in skater, his spins are bang on, his jumps are crisp and sharp and he gets huge air. He has some of Yuzu's catlike qualities in skating skills already. If he figures out the same skill Yuzu has of holding on to a jump even when the landing's going sideways, then watch out because he'll be coming for all the gold. My friends, we are in for an amazing season IMO.

I think it's a maturity thing. Like, right now it's as if he's doing the sport like a talented prodigy: amazing skill, he's having fun, but he doesn't fully own it. He hasn't discovered his own internal drive to mark his mark; skating's just what he does, not something he lives for. I think that if he ever discovers the fire of his own intrinsic motivations, he'll give Yuzuru a huge run for his money. But seriously, right now Junhwan does a better job on the emotional/connect with the audience side.

Brian is his skaters' biggest supporter. I noticed during Skate Canada that he was always the first to clap whenever Jun, Jason, or Evgenia landed an element. You'd hear three or four lone claps from the coach's area, then the audience would join in.

Shoma's skate was great technically. In the sense of blade control and technical mastery, he mostly put on a clinic at Skate Canada. But the soul was missing. There was nothing of himself in that skate that the audience could connect to. Shoma's said in interviews that he doesn't think too hard about his pieces and just skates to whatever music and choreography he's given, and from watching and comparing him to Yuzu I'd say that's very true. He's great, but he doesn't have that extra something Yuzu has. If I had to sum it up, I'd say that Shoma is doing a sport while Yuzu is trying to communicate with the world through the medium of figure skating. So as long as both skate clean, IMO Yuzu will win every time.

I know, right? Kills me dead every time.

I hope he'll be able to come up with something...it's not like he can use a previous season's FS as a temporary measure what with the change in length and all. The best option would be to find another piece of music that'll fit the program he already has.

Not sure how to answer that...maybe? I mean everything depends on your usual taste in objects of affection. Although, when it comes to finding him attractive, since it's Yuzu, maybe that attraction should have it's very own label? Instead of 'gay' or 'straight' or whatever, we can all just be Yuzuphilic.

There's actually a quote from Christian tradition that I think quite fits the idea of Origin and also how Yuzu is portraying it: "the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." (Gen 1verse 2). What is Yuzu in Origin, if not a spirit moving upon the face of the waters, creating the world from the formless void? Although, as poetic an image as that is, it may not be Yuzu's idea of the program at all.

Hey, no judgement here...if I were a guy, Yuzu would have the power to make me gay too! It's so nice that we're all on the same page when it comes to murder face/ pre-performance Yuzu.

That's definitely how I see it. And I hope I'm not the only one who is really excited about the idea of Yuzuru as some kind of powerful spirit creating a universe through his skating. I think it opens up an amazing Avenue for him to express the power of his will on the ice.

Just purely from a writer's standpoint, I get what you mean. It's annoying to hear such over-the-top praise because you know that factually it's not true.

You've just reminded me of something. While I was at Skate Canada, I got chatting to the American woman sitting next to me, and she mentioned that the NBC Olympic coverage was so over-the-top people were literally believing all the US skaters had a shot at gold. (Well, technically not wrong, if everyone else ahead of them had simultaneous food poisioning and couldn't skate or something...) Anyway, my new acquaintance said it was so refreshing to see skating live and be able to witness to the fact that there were other great skaters out there. Some of whom she'd never seen, because NBC doesn't show them that much.

Well if they didn't , the rest of us would have nothing to laugh at...:)

With Javi gone, Yuzu has to be the senpai now and support the younger skaters. Looks like he's made a start on that.

I like the new default theme!

Junhwan is starting to show signs of that same smoothness though. At least I thought so from observing him at Skate Canada practices. None of the other men even come close to having that light flowing style. *Ooh, look, I'm Notte Stellata now!

This made me laugh an unreasonable amount. Where's Ondrej when you need him? But you know, Shoma got the ladies to lift him (take a look at the photo, the guys are only at either end, the girls are doing all the hard work.) I wonder if Yuzu dares....

Just attending SCI was intense ( as is attending any comp, it seems). I can't imagine how hard it must be on the body to compete in one...and then go do it all again a week later. Junhwan must be planning to hibernate for the next week. Also, I noticed a few comments from people wondering why Yuzu was spotted on intra-Europe flights going to/from Helsinki. Maybe I can shed some light here: although I don't know what airline he travelled and have no knowledge whatsoever of his travel plans, the fact is that there aren't that many airlines that fly direct from Toronto to Helsinki (or most European cities) at this time of year (in summer there is more). He probably had to connect in London, Paris, Frankfurt or Amsterdam, since those are the main hubs for flights out of Toronto Pearson. Hence why he might have been on an intra-Europe flight. Basically it doesn't necessarily mean anything vis-a-vis his plans for going to Moscow. And one more (OT) comment: I just want to say that, after watching Alina's EX, I think her channeling Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, is infinitely healthier and more positive of an image than whatever that leopard thing was last year. That is all.

Wow. That really puts the "planet" in Planet Hanyu. And some of those places are really far-flung. Cape Verde? Mongolia? Wow! (BTW, we badly need a 'Wow!' Yuzumoji...I'm sure he's done a wow face somewhere...)

You pointed out something important here. It was something I noticed at ACI too. I was remarking how being a Yuzu fan was creating all these moments and communities and opportunities for so many people who otherwise would have not had them, and they're all basically positive opportunities. And it occurred to me that the Yuzu fan-omenon has gotten so much bigger than just being about him, even though it's still because of him. Is this his secret superpower that not even he realizes? It might be...

when I read things like that, I feel really glad for him that he's able to train in Canada, and Toronto specifically. Not that it's a perfect place, but it's so far removed from the general craziness of idol-style fandom that is starting to engulf him. And it's such cosmopolitan place ( every language in the world is spoken there, more 50% of residents were born somewhere else outside of Canada), that narrow-minded racialism is frowned on. TCC itself is a reflection of that.

Brian and Ghislain seriously look like they're ready for anything right there. Yuzu looks protected.

I know he had to do this at ACI - did he have to do it again at Helsinki? Yikes.