Yuzurella

For all those who need a good motivation to go to the gym...

Yuzu adjusting his antenna.

I'm so happy that now there is also an English description on Runrun's wonderful work! I finally understand them fully! These are so touching and beautiful!

"Everyone loves you. Everyone is supporting you. Get well soon."

This adorable dork!

This is the gist of the videos: Han Yan is showing reporters his home in Beijing. He says that his apartment is very small, only about 50 square meters. Han only needs to twirl three times to go from one end to another. It's actually mainly his grandparents who live there, as he comes back to live there only a couple of days a year. He then proceeds to show the single rooms of his home. Han mentions a couple of times how small everything is and that it's not easy to clean everything because of the size. His grandparents live in the main bed room and there they keep their own favorite things and memorabilia. A whole wall is dedicated to Han's medals, awards etc. Through all the years, it was mostly his grandfather who accompanied him to his skating practices. Han thinks that all these signs of his accomplishments are also a kind of reward for his grandparents. He then talks about how he's turned from amateur to professional skater (I guess that means he's not competing anymore? I wasn't sure about that.) and how he now has to organize everything himself.

Thank you for the info!

That looks amazing! I was wondering what's up with Han Yan. Is he still competing?

Awesome! So he's already finished his bachelor's? What does he actually study?

I really like Brian and Tracy's outfits. So colorful! I don't think I've ever seen them wearing colorful clothes. And Brian in shorts!

Wow! It's amazing how much Patrick has grown and matured over the years. He talks about how his perception of Yuzu has evolved through the years. He speaks so highly of Yuzu. It's really good to hear Patrick say these words and watch his body language on video. Kudos to him for acknowledging a competitor's excellence like this. I'm so happy that Chiddy has found peace and closure. Besides, he has achieved amazing things and should be proud of himself.

A cutie strawberry Yuzu to brighten up your day!

This is something I've wondered about too. I think Yuzu's so famous now that in Japan it's probably become more or less impossible for him to just leave his house and walk around in public without attracting lost of attention or even creating spontaneous mass hysteria. On one hand, it's great that he's so popular and beloved. On the other hand, that practically makes it impossible for Yuzu to live a normal life in Japan. So, in that sense, he can probably enjoy much more freedom and a much more normal everyday life in Canada. I remember Yuzu saying in a recent documentary that Japan has become his workplace where he works, attends events and such. He obviously still loves and enjoys Sendai a lot and loves spending time with his family, but outside of the privacy of his home, it's probably become difficult for him to just relax and be himself because of his superstar status.

Don't forget famous American actors! John Cameron Mitchell and Jim Parsons are Yuzu fanboys.

1. Regarding your first question, I'd say that in general, a sport always progresses and this progression is generally a good thing. The issue is how far can humans really go without damaging their bodies severely or using dangerous and illegal methods like doping. I think in most sports that limit is already coming close or has already been reached. Figure skating is a special case because it's not just about running faster or jumping higher. The sport is every complex and those who are more familiar with it know that it's by far not just about the jumps. But the jumps are the part that stands out the most. For most casual viewers, if they see a program with (seemingly) clean jumps and a half-decent performance, they are convinced that this skater should receive high scores and/or win. And especially if the media are glorifying a certain aspect of a very complex sport like it has been the case in the US with all this hype around quads, quads, quads, the public also start to believe that quads are the most important measurement in figure skating. In theory, the system of judging and scoring should take into the consideration the complex nature of figure skating and the fact that jumps are not the only important factor of measurement. Theoretically, things like spins, skating skills, transitions etc. should be rewarded more. And in theory, the high quality of elements should also be rewarded. The new scoring system was introduced to exactly do that, namely reward quality. Unfortunately, what has happened instead is that this new system rewards skaters for a high number of different and difficult quads even more, regardless of the quality of execution. It's like, even if the landings are bad, there is a long preparation phase for going into jumps or underrotations, it doesn't matter as long as a skater lands the quads. This system creates room for even more biased and skewed scoring than before. At the same time, someone like Yuzu, who as achieved this complete package as a skater more than anyone else, who is a far superior skater to anyone else, is punished because he doesn't have quads like 4Lz and 4F. Again, in theory skaters should be scored based on their strengths in different areas of this sport, but this isn't happening. Having multiple quads, even bad quality ones, has become the most important factor to get a high score and win a competition. Yuzu was already often underscored in the old system considering his superior quality in all aspects of skating. In this new system, he is more disadvantaged than ever. This is why he has also come to the conclusion that in order to win, in order to force those judges to give him high scores, he needs to upgrade his arsenal and get those quads with higher points. Yuzu shouldn't have to. If the judging and scoring would actually be based on ISU guidelines (and disregard athletes' nationalities), Yuzu should be able to get high scores and win comfortably due to high excellence and superior quality of elements. But unfortunately that's not the case. I just hope that he takes things slowly and doesn't put too much pressure on his body, thus risking another injury. The 4A has been his dream for a very long time anyway. So, I'm sure he would pursue it regardless of the results at WC 2019. And 4Lz and 4F... well I try to think positively and considering Yuzu's ambition to be the best he can be, it might actually be a point of pride for him to get all the quads. Like I said, I just hope he takes his time and doesn't push himself for quick results. The way figure skating is developing, I'm afraid that the focus lies more than ever on jumps. In fact, young skaters have less and less incentive to focus on other aspects of skating. The other big issue is of course that more and more young skaters push their bodies relentlessly and that results in injuries and short careers. In the long term, this might lead to this sport becoming "ice jumping". I just hope that if that should happen, Yuzu will already be retired having achieved everything he's ever wanted to achieve and content with his legacy and - most importantly - healthy and happy. 2. For me, Yuzu is the GOAT because he simply is the most superior skater ever. Regardless of which aspect of figure skating we're talking about, Yuzu simply has the complete package. He has reached levels of skating that no one has reached before. I honestly don't think that anyone will ever surpass him as a whole package skater in a very, very long time, maybe never. Of course other skaters might do more quads or get higher scores or beat Yuzu in competitions, but for me that wouldn't make them the new GOAT. A skater would have to offer a complete package on as high or an even higher level of excellence for as long as Yuzu has done in order to become that new GOAT. And the way figure skating is going with quantity being more highly valued than quality, I'm afraid careers will become shorter and shorter. As a result, the possibility of another skater achieving the excellence of Yuzu and having a career that comes even close to Yuzu's will be even less likely.

Home, sweet home. I wonder if Yuzu's still in Sendai.

Considering his love for ice that would make sense.

Brian is such a wonderful coach. He's doing an amazing job. I'm so happy that Yuzu has found such a great dad coach and a warm, loving, supporting and caring family at TCC.

Satomi is a true artist and a genius when it comes to figure skating costumes. I think a beautiful costume that matches a program adds so much to a performance. It's part of a complete package. I'm really glad that most skaters still put a lot of attention on their costumes. And among the men, Japanese skaters definitely have the best costumes in my opinion.

With English subtitles: Really interesting short clip about Satomi Ito, the costume designer of Yuzu, Shoma and many other skaters. I'm blown away by how intricate these costumes are and how much work and attention to detail goes into them.

Awww... Yuzu's being shy...

Brian is such a great dad coach.

Sensei, thank you. I'm so grateful that Yuzu has such a wonderful coach in Brian and a warm, loving and caring family at TCC.

Yuzu's full press conference after the Sendai monument revealing. I'm hoping and waiting for English subtitles.

I agree. Other people in his position might be tempted to actually use their power to influence other people and things to their own advantage, but not Yuzu. He has too much integrity for that. And this is one of the things I admire most about him. He leaves all that politicking, bitching and complaining to other people. And even during hardships and failures that are true tests for a person's character, Yuzu always keeps his integrity and is true to himself. The only place where Yuzu shows his full power is the ice. And on that slippery surface, he's unsurpassed and will be for a very, very long time, maybe forever. I just re-watched CiONTU and even though I've watched his performances in these shows multiple times, I'm once again blown away by how Yuzu just moves on the ice. His grace and elegance on the ice is out of this world. His love and passion for skating is so obvious every time he steps on that frozen water. And this is something that differentiates him from other skaters that I've seen. For Yuzu, skating isn't just something that he does and excels at. He literally becomes skating. He is skating. Every time he steps on the ice and starts skating, it's like he enters another magical realm where the laws of earthly physics don't matter. Yuzu creates beauty that is out of this world. It's a magical experience. And I feel soo fortunate that I get to witness this.