ZuCritter

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

The King of Ninja Trolls is toying with his subjects! In other words, all is right with the world.

It feels like we are on the threshold of a new chapter, and that chapter is titled "The Road to Beijing." I know Yuzu wants with all his heart to regain his national crown and his World title. But from here, every decision, every move will happen within the framework of the biggest quest of all: OGM#3. Of course, a million things -- good and bad -- can happen between now and then. But my heart turns somersaults and I can hardly breathe when I feel how privileged I am to take this journey with him.

One more good reason to hope that he competes -- while being nervous about his health all the while! Sigh. Fanuy-dom is not for sissies!

I always love it when I agree with your mom (and you, too, of course). It makes me feel so smart!

A little late, but I couldn't resist ...

For me the date on which BY became AY was Jan. 4, 2018. That day the New York Times published a story about his quest for a second OGM. The headline called him "the greatest figure skater ever" and mentioned Pooh. After I read it, I googled him and started watching videos. One of the first that popped up was swanyu with an LGC encore. That was it: Instant, undying, boundless obsession. It's so strange now to look back on all those years when he was competing and I was totally oblivious. Or to think that if I hadn't seen the Times' story, I might have never known the agony/ecstasy of being a fanyu. A genuine life-changing moment.

It's such a shock to see him skating in front of stands that are 4/5 empty. And with (as far as we can see from this camera angle) just a single, lone Pooh tossed on the ice. The FS world had no clue as to the force of nature that was about to overwhelm it!

@Henni147 my heart hurts for you. This pandemic is bringing so much pain to so many people. I pray that your grandfather and friend will recover and thrive. You are such a bright light on the Planet. Thank you for all your lovely, creative posts, including the Apollo analogy. For Americans, of course, Apollo has the additional significance of being the series of spaceflights that included the moon landings. I also noticed some time ago that the musical score for this inspiring fan video is "Apollo's Triumph" by audiomachine. Cheers!

Hey, someone give the hint to the OC: I'm sure they'd be happy to host it! ETA: Really, it should be the O(F)C -- the Olympic (Fanyu) Channel.

It's partly the skates, but my impression is that his legs are a bit longer. I guess we'd have to ask him to pose in his stocking feet to know for sure. Or, I would volunteer to measure ...

Had the same idea a while ago. The correspondence is fairly close -- except that Yuzu's legs are longer

Screenshot from the video promoting the new photo book by Toru Yaguchi: How is this possible? Even the gods must be jealous.

And his partner would have been in diapers when Yuzu won his first OGM ...

Yes to both COC POTO and COR Origin. If the standard is performances that left “an indelible impression,” they certainly rank near the top. (Trauma is the most powerful type of memory, after all.)

For me, it's PC, not because it's a more perfect skate, but because he put absolutely everything on the line. I forget which journalist asked him later, "When did you know you'd be ready?" And he said, "I wasn't ready." He believed that if he competed with his injury, on painkillers, he might never skate again. And he did it anyway. Same with the FS. It's not his best Seimei, but it's his greatest Seimei: the ultimate YOLO statement of his absolute will to win. I agree that he had a lot at stake at 4CC -- lots of demons to exorcise. But nothing compares to PC for sheer courage and determination. At least not in my book.

This has been an interesting week, especially with the Yuzuru Award happening in the background. As one of the fanyus who had tickets for the WC, I've found myself mentally marking the days: "Today, I would have seen him in practice ... today, I would have seen Chopin" ... etc. Of course, all those thoughts came with surges of bittersweet emotion, but I find that, "Today I would have seen Seimei," is qualitatively different. Chopin is a sublime program (as is H&L), and I recognize that the Hanyu Award was about specific performances, so I have no quarrel with the outcome of the voting. But the chance to see Seimei live feels like more than a chance to see an extraordinary and beloved piece of art. It feels like the chance to witness something that transcends normal categories, something almost holy. If skating had "World Heritage Programs," it would be one. I was privileged to see Swanyu live in Torino, and I started crying before he struck his opening pose. (Actually, because I had "peeked" and knew what he was going to skate, I started crying at least five minutes before he appeared, and had to hide my tears so I wouldn't spoil the surprise for the fanyus sitting next to me!) But as much as I adore that program, for me Seimei is something more: THE quintessential Yuzuru Hanyu program. It, more than any other program, is HIM. Although I missed the chance to see Seimei in competition, I'm confident that -- after the purgatory of skating tributes and the realization that expressing his essence is why he skates -- we will see two very "Yuzu" programs next season. So, as I feel the melancholy of NOT seeing Seimei today, I'm holding onto that thought.

Beautifully done. I know I'll be watching it over and over in the coming dry months. Thank you so much.

Being present at practice in Torino, realizing he was setting up for Nessie, then actually seeing the monster surface. Even though he fell, it felt like watching history.

I recently sent a male friend the video of Chopin from 4CC. His response: "He's beautiful!" A couple of days later he asked me to remind him of Yuzu's name. I think he watched a couple of other videos, and after that he brought him up again in conversation. We talked about how Yuzu completely transcends traditional expectations about beauty and gender. My friend kept searching for ways to describe Yuzu's appeal and falling back on, "He's ... beautiful." And this is a 70-ish white, straight, American. Maybe there's some hope in this world after all.

Sorry, but who can tear their eyes off that face to look at jewelry?

How we'll know that Nessie is finally, for-sure going to appear:

I watched his 4CC ex again last night and was struck so forcefully by the difference between Yuzu skating to win and Yuzu skating to skate. Of course Helsinki ‘17 is and will always be a transcendent moment, but as jaw-dropping as it is, there’s a sense throughout of carefully metering his energy and avoiding mistakes. The H&L we saw in Seoul, by contrast, had a freedom and an abandon that made it in some ways more exhilarating. (He knew it, too — just watch that self-satisfied grin at the end.) All of which is to say that we will lose something when he no longer competes, but in time we may come to feel that we’ve gained even more. Meanwhile, I will go to Montreal and cheer for him to set new records, regain his crown and demolish the judging system. ETA: oh, and I haven’t even mentioned Nessie ...