ZuCritter

Probably something as earth-shattering and "personal" as "I like cats." ETA: In other words, I sense another Trollzuru momnet!

As a Sparkly Ruffle myself, I take it as a celebration of Yuzu’s fearlessness in costume choices. Unlike some male skaters, who are bound by conventional gender expectations, he’s not afraid to wear sparkles and ruffles if they fit the mood of the program.

Bless you for your work on behalf of those who are suffering. The strength and dedication of frontline workers are beyond imagination. May you find strength and comfort in many places, especially knowing that you have the support of Yuzu and all fanyus.

I must admit, I hadn't considered how Yuzu might have an impact beyond sports and the arts -- where I have no doubt that he will continue to be revolutionary. But I agree that he has a unicorn-like combination of analytical smarts, vision, determination, ethical convictions and a phenomenal ability to connect with and move people. He certainly could be a great force for good in any field he turned his mind to. Thanks, @Umebachi, for opening up whole new realms of Yuzu fantasizing!

I've tried not to have too strong an opinion about where Yuzu should train, although I lean to Toronto -- if for no other reason than the selfish one that I dream of traveling to Vancouver to see him in Skate Canada. But the vaccination issue cinches it for me. If he can vet vaccinated sooner in Canada (or even the US, of all crazy places), I hope the Canadian government decides to let him and other skaters in. And I hope he decides to come. I can't imagine what advantage of staying in Japan would outweigh the comfort of knowing that he was protected from COVID. But he's Yuzu: He's smart and he's strong, and he'll do what he thinks best. As he should.

I had such a laugh when I saw this. The only paper doll whose proportions (long legs and arms) are essentially accurate rather than impossibly exaggerated!

LOL. But you’ve got to admit, it would be an interesting effect. Though perhaps a bit distracting for the overlord.

I would love to see the star-lights become a tradition at all Yuzu's gala performances -- a way to remind him that he is our light.

3 or 4 attempts is practice. 11 is a STATEMENT, especially at a gala practice, when the competition is over and done with. It's all in his calculations.

I believe he was struggling to jump a double, and Ghislain finally suggested that he try a triple. He landed it right away. It turned out that he had abandoned the double so long ago that his body no longer remembered how to do it.

I just love the unstated assumption in Yuzu's comments about the 4A that if he can't do it, it's not humanly possible. Or, to state it the other way around, if any human being can do it, he can. I absolutely agree with that assessment because the available evidence supports it. But just think how amazing it would be to have that mindset: to take it as a given that, of all the billions of people on this earth, you are uniquely graced with the ability to achieve the goal you have set for yourself. King s**t, indeed. One other thought: attempting a quad 1000 times before landing it may be, if not expected, less extreme than it sounds to us mere mortals. I'd be curious to know how many attempts it takes, on average, for Yuzu or other elite skaters to begin to get the hang of a new quad. I'd be interested in hearing insights from the satellites who know the technical side better than I do.

I'm over the way he surveys the room from the top of the podium -- sort of checking out what the world looks like from that height. I can almost hear him thinking: "Cool! I LIKE it up here!"

And hence my avatar -- a nod to Yuzu's stated goal of making friends with the elusive monster.

Thank you so much to the Planet Hanyu staff who put together the information on how to support the recovery efforts. I enjoy supporting Yuzu in many ways, including attending competitions when I can. But donating to the relief efforts felt extra special. It's not something I would have thought to do if I weren't a fanyu, and I'm sure I'm one of countless fans around the world who could say the same. So truly his efforts to lift up the needs of those still suffering have made a tremendous difference. I hope he can feel that somehow. What a privilege to have him as an inspiration!

My Pooh is on its way, too. Thanks so much for this great idea. Very Yuzu-esque.

A young friend just got a kitten and named it Haru, so I showed her MOI Haru Yo Koi (with LMEY encore ). Her response: "He's so elegant on the ice! His body moves freely and it's like he's one with the ice/music."

Thanks for pulling all these together in one place! You've captured almost all my favorites. I'm especially glad you chose NHK '15 Seimei rather than GPF '15. Even though the latter got the bigger score, I love NHK for the freedom and exuberance of it. Two weeks later, he was so intent on surpassing himself that the GPF version has an air of tension that makes it, while perhaps technically superior, less fun for me. I also totally applaud your choice of SCI '19 practice Otonal: a world-record performance if ever I saw one!!! As for Otonal NHK '19, I prefer CoR '18 for a couple of reasons. First, Yuzu seems to inject an extra dose of drama when he skates in Russia, and that Otonal just radiates drama. Second, because of everything that followed: the injury, the struggle to increase his base values while wrestling with at least one program (Origin) that didn't play to his strengths, the ISU's determination to under-score him. That CoR Otonal was the last time we saw him truly happy with a performance for what seemed like an eternity. (An aside on the Russian drama factor: I've always loved CoR '17 Swanyu for the same reason.) Just one last observation: Although I will cry when Yuzu r*****s from competition, I look forward to seeing him revisit all his iconic competitive programs as exhibition pieces. The most fully realized versions of PW, Seimei and even H&L, for me, are the gala versions. And I'd add to that list the CiONTU versions of RJ1 and Sing, Sing, Sing. ETA: My favorite RJ2 is the Olys practice.

Often, my impression is that the music is skating.

Shhhhhhhhhhhh! Don't let him hear you say they're mismatched. We're likely to get a trashbag shirt. *struggles to unsee*

Totally agree. I hope I didn't come across as critical of Nathan. I like and admire him and wish I was more captivated by his skating. All the fault, in my eyes, falls on ISU and the judges. If he's as decent and perceptive as he appears to be, I imagine he's uncomfortable with the situation. And it certainly is beyond his control.

This. Yuzu isn't being metaphorical when he says he skates against himself -- or against his ideal self . It is a fact that only Yuzu can beat Yuzu. In Saitama and Torino he wasn't able -- for various reasons -- to skate up to his usual standard. He made it easy for the judges to pile the candies on Nathan. Which they did and continue to do. I'm not denying that Nathan's scores are ridiculously inflated. But in their last couple of head-to-head competitions, Yuzu's errors took the pressure off not just the other skaters but the judges. Yuzu in top condition and top form is a whole different matter. The iSU can steal it from him, but it will be obvious, and it will become an international story. Plus, the Chinese crowd will be behind him 1,000 percent. Pus, it's the Olympics. On a slightly different topic, one of the main reasons I'm hoping Beijing happens is that the field is shaping up so nicely. Forget the supposed Nathan-Yuzu rivalry, Kolyada and Roman are looking so strong. Add in Jason, plus Yuma and a few other newly-minted seniors, and we're in for some gorgeous skating. I couldn't be happier.

Thank you so much for the excellent context. He is absolutely right, of course. Much as I and other fanyus may like to fantasize about his competing in Beijing, there are far more important things in the world -- especially taming the pandemic. Yuzu learned long ago that he has the power to influence public perceptions, and he takes that responsibility as seriously as it deserves. I feel a bit ashamed, actually, for having posted about my aspirations to see him compete for a third OGM. The desire is understandable, but this is not the time to indulge too freely ...

Although the following thoughts were sparked by JNats, I'm posting here because they have more to do with Yuzu's future. I really wonder, given how brilliantly he skated in Nagano and how strong he seemed, if his best strategy for next season would be to skip the GP series and train largely in Japan. I'm assuming that his goal is a third OGM. I'm also assuming, perhaps wrongly, that qualifying for the Olys doesn't depend on participating in the GPS. I'm sure folks here will correct me if I'm wrong on that. My reasoning is that the wear and tear associated with traveling between Sendai and Toronto and all the GP venues may outweigh the advantages of racking up more competitive experience with his programs. He could still go to Toronto at some point to polish up the programs with his coaches and work on maximizing TES (hello, Nessie). But he wouldn't exhaust himself and risk serious injury (and exposure to COVID, which is not going to magically disappear, even with a vaccine). Let's remember that both ankle injuries happened during practices at competitions. Of course, he loves to compete and he hates to disappoint his fans. And I'm sure he'd love to r****** as the reigning GP champion, world champion and Oly champion. But the lesson of this year is that he's experienced enough and mature enough to train successfully on his own, and that there are benefits to conserving his strength for the things that really matter. So what do you think?

Well, it's definitely a "boy" pose!