ZuCritter

@Henni147created this video of some of Yuzu’s most amazing YOLO jumps: This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

So true. So on point. Given the scrutiny she will surely face and the hostility she will likely face, if only from a few twisted souls, it's entirely understandable if she would rather remain unknown. I assume that it was a joint decision. Even if Yuzu's own feelings on the matter weighed heavily into their choice, we must remember what happened when a tabloid reported, falsely, that he was dating a young woman he'd gone to school with. She suffered all sorts of abuse, and Yuzu talked about how deeply it troubled him -- to the point that he questioned whether he wanted to remain alive. That incident alone blows a huge hole in the supposition that he made a unilateral choice based on some sort of misogynistic impulse. He knows what it is to live in the public eye, he's endured all manner of vicious attacks. Why would he want the woman he loves to suffer the same? That's not some patriarchal over-reach, it's a well-founded, considerate position based on personal experience. If she were the ultra-famous one, they might make the choice to shield his identity for the very same reasons. Basta!

Exactly. And, as @Perelandrapointed out, the conclusions we draw about people say everything about us and our cultural conditioning and nothing about them. And the conditioning varies tremendously, both between and within cultures. Those of us in the West could probably have a lively debate about whether the costumes for Swanyu and HYK or the costumes for LMEY and Glamorous Sky are more "gay." (I belong in the latter category, which probably signals something about my age.) The way someone dresses or moves may be meant to convey something about their gender identity or sexuality or nothing at all. Personally, I think Yuzu delighted in confusing the heck out of us -- especially because his private life is none of our damn business.

I've been imagining the response Yuzu will get the next time he appears in person in front of a crowd. The outpouring of pure love will be overwhelming, beyond anything even he is accustomed to. I hope he can take it all in and realize how much we love him just for who he is and not what he gives us. PS -- the official announcement got over 59 million views in the first 24 hours. Wow.

So THIS is why he had to go to Toronto and retrieve Old Man Pooh-San. How could he let Pooh miss the wedding?

I'm grinning from ear to ear. What wonderful, joyful news! I'm so glad Yuzu has someone to share his joys and sorrows. May every good thing come their way!

GORGEOUS banner, worthy of its subject and the occasion. Thank you @fenraven!!!!

These photos of Yuzu also crystallized something I've been thinking about for a while: Yuzu's ability, unique to a handful of great artists, to not exist within a space but to create the space by giving it shape and definition. It's not merely the beauty of his physical being, his lines or the shapes into which he can mold his body, but something ineffable -- almost mystical. The closest I can define it, it has to do with the absolute conviction he brings to every move, look, breath and pause. It's the thing that allows him to stand stock still and, simply by thrusting one arm into the air, hurl flaming worlds into being during the H&L segment of GIFT. He's unabashedly embodying a god, and we believe it because he believes it. If he didn't believe it, he would over-sell it, and it would be preposterous. But he stands there, delicate and terrifying, serenely awe-inspiring in his concentrated presence.

These images call to mind the iconic photos of modern dance pioneer Martha Graham. I honestly think they're in the same league, which is to say the most rarefied realm of fine art.

I am NOT complaining, but imho Glamorous Sky just goes to show that a program built on jumps is going to be less engaging than one built on superb skating and unique interpretation — as a certain international skating federation is now learning to its detriment. Just sayin’.

The thing about Yuzu that continues to astound me is how he manages to skate on the absolute knife edge between abandon and control. Other skaters, including Johnny, may skate with proficiency and even passion, but they seldom transcend the impression that they are very carefully, with great effort, executing a series of choreographed elements. Whereas, with Yuzu, it looks as though the most technically exacting elements are simply bursting out of him, spontaneously and inevitably, spurred by the music. It is beyond proficient, beyond even greatness. It is the essence of genius. On the subject of Yuzu's relationship with Johnny, I personally am glad that he can still connect to that boyhood impulse to take what is good in Johnny's skating and draw inspiration from it. His generosity of heart is one of the reasons I love him and want to be worthy of him.

(virtual screaming for costume reveal) ETA: DW mentions the opening number, so I think this is the costume for that. The details of Yuzu’s solo perf seem to still be a mystery.

As a couple of you have alluded to, Yuzu's reappearance at TCC has been very emotional for me. That's a bit surprising, since in the interim I've celebrated the fact that he was back in Japan, where he is so thoroughly in his own element. So my reaction was a bit puzzling. On reflection, I think it goes back to the fact that when the COVID lockdown happened, I was within days of flying to Montreal for Worlds. The sense that, overnight, the world had become more dark and scary was inextricably linked in my nervous system with the cancellation of that event and Yuzu's abrupt return to Japan. The impossibility of seeing Yuzu live since that day has colored by entire outlook. It was a loss I felt keenly. Obviously, his return to Toronto doesn't signal that the pandemic is over or that we're back to where we were before COVID. It is still with us and, as far as we know, always will be. (Although I've been very struck by the fact that in the images we've seen thus far, he's not wearing a mask within the confines of TCC.) Nevertheless, I have this gut-level sense that after more than three years of holding my breath, I can symbolically exhale. And, crazy as it sounds, having him in the same timezone makes me want to shout and sing!

The curator is a fanyu! Maybe we knew that already, but it had escaped me. Now I’m wondering how many fanyus are associated with the fine arts. It makes perfect sense, since he is a living work of art.

In my imagination, it’s something like a pit stop in an auto race. Five or six people swarming around Yuzu: one for each skating boot, two for the costume itself, one to wipe his face, another to style his hair. Maybe someday we’ll get footage (and that WILL break the internet!) LOL.

I’d love to see Satoko and Yuzu skating together. Maybe she could help him improve his lay backspin. (Kidding not kidding.)

I LOVE Max’ idea. I hope he’s right. (And, yes, we can be sure Yuzu is aware of the dates’ significance. It’s all in his calculations.)

Some of the other skaters are quite skilled as athletes and performers, but after Yuzu’s shows it all feels so … EMPTY. (Except Satoko’s skate, which did touch me.)

OK, somebody wake me up when Yuzu is on again ….

I don't see any weight on the shipping info, but it's the black hoodie, if that's helpful.

I live in a rather remote part of North Carolina, USA. For me, the shipper is DHL and the cost is roughly 3900 yen (about $33 USD).

I was notified of the shipping cost and paid it two days ago. Shipping confirmation arrived today. Goods supposed to arrive Friday. I’m over the moon!

Thank you to the admins and mods for coming up with a policy that places Yuzu’s interests first. Like all fanyus, I would love to have free access to every piece of Yuzu content — but not if it infringes on his right to control and profit from his own creative output. He has given me more than I can ever repay, and I will gladly spend whatever is within my means to buy what he chooses to make available for purchase.

You're braver than I am! (And your English is excellent.) I saw references to CC14 for maybe a year or longer before I worked up the courage to watch it. By then I was hopelessly under Yuzu's spell, but, just as you said, CC14 brought a whole new level of awe. I know that all professional athletes must have extraordinary levels of discipline and emotional strength in addition to talent, but Yuzu has something I can only describe as spiritual power. I suspect that in part it's inborn, in part it's thanks to the guidance he's received, in part its because of everything he's suffered, and mainly it's something he's created through his conscious choice to meet life with an open heart, no matter how painful. That is the most courageous choice a person can make, and those who live that way in the face of great hardship become beacons of light for others. In the end, Yuzu's greatest legacy is the countless people (I feel confident it's in the millions) who choose to open their hearts a little each day because he has shown them the way. I know that applies to many, many of us on this forum, and people close to Yuzu have described it, too. He is a gift to the world, and my hope is that in this pro phase of his career he will truly become a worldwide figure, known far beyond the bounds of FS. That is true to some extent now, but creations on the scale of GIFT have the potential to crossover into a wholly different realm. May it be so.