Shimmering

Vertigo 2.0 could work for an SP Pragmatically speaking he could keep Otonal, as it's convenient, mature and reliable (if he decides that the emotional aspect could be overlooked). However, I think Origin should be replaced as impractical - it's too fast for Yuzu to pull off with all the jumps, and the kuyashi mood imo didn't help him along but rather pulled him under (I blame this program for many things this season). Something Japanese would be great. Hisaishi has lots of wonderful music...

You know, Russian media is also hyping Eteri girl squad, but many Russian skating fans prefer Japanese skaters over them. At the end of the day, new people who start to watch fs may get interested because of medals or titles or hype, but they choose their favourite with their hearts or according to their understanding of the sport. And to understand where preferences of a lot of such people lie we need only to see how many Americans tweeted under #weLoveYuzuruHanyuFromAllOverTheWorld. I am an example in kind, as well, - I didn't really have any preferences until this season, and yet out of all skaters it was Yuzuru's skating that spoke out to my heart (as well as my friend's and my mother's). So usfsa may hype all they like, and good luck with that. Of course, there will always be people who will support any athlete who represents their country. But they are a different story, and their allegiance is gone the day the athlete fails to come in first.

Is it too much to hope he would skip GP altogether and properly heal? Yes, I do remember his asking to support him no matter what.

The photobook idea is wonderful. I think themed sections would work well. We could include a small gift, too - just not a medal, guys, please! That platinum medal for Pluschenko was ridiculous (talking here as a Pluschenko fan in the past). I don't think Yuzuru would like that association.

Someone must have cast it already then

And lots of cats as presents! Poor Yuzu has to calm down by playing games

If he is a table, then he has all the cake. Smart move (oh, we are hopeless )

I remember somebody here was collecting all the ways in which Yuzuru's name has been mispronounced. I wonder if this one has been mentioned yet: Skate America 2012, Russian commentator: Yuzuka HanyU

I think I know why he was born in Japan. Because in no other country would he ever be so loved, cherished, gushed over, adored and generally spoiled as in Japan. Few countries would invest so much into his training and living conditions, would talk about him so much in mass media, call food and other stuff after him. In no other country this boy who needs love and moral support could get it in such amazing quantities. Japan has enough weight in FS world, though it is not the top federation in the world. Which is why Yuzuru has support, but also challenge to always prove himself best, and he has always liked that. Had he been born in a country with a stronger federation, he may have never reached such mastery, such heights. He was born in absolutely the right place. He was also born in absolutely the right time. Imagine him competing at the same time with Yagudin and Pluschenko at their prime. He came after them and succeeded them. They passed the torch on to him. He has achieved all the possible titles, he doesn't need to prove anything to anybody now, and his result at the Worlds will not influence anything. The only thing still lacking in his wishlist is 4A, and that does not depend on any judges or scores. So let us just wish him good health.

This program is such a great change after R&J2, which had all the right things a program should have, but just didn't fly - to me it seems that first of all Yuzuru couldn't quite relate to it. It is just not his type of story. Unlike it, POTO is amazing from the start - the music cut gives me goosebumps. The powerful and menacing beginning, the violin, the 'softly, deftly' - and he is magnificent in it, he just shines. This is his story, and I'm glad DW refused to do POTO for him - it would have probably been much like R&J2 (that is not to say anything about DW as a choreographer, I just think he and Yuzuru are not a very good match. He was great for Javi, though) Love, love, love the gorgeous second costume too - up to the smallest detail. Was not brave enough to watch CoC. Not sure I ever will be.

Seriously? And none of them said "Me"? (Yuzu probably would have ) I wonder if TAT has ever given music to any other skater who was not her student.

Thanks for explaining! I wonder if to land a quint one would need faster rotation or greater height (both?) And whether people are actually going to land any in, say the next ten years (I remember asking my mom when I was small why people didn't jump quads and she said probably the ice rink wasn't large enough for them to gain enough speed )

I was watching WC 2012 yesterday and generally got much more pleasure watching all skaters than I do now. It seems they were more concerned with the performance, the interpretation of the music back then. When the era of quads began for real, most guys seemed to give the performance up for more quads (with few precious exceptions), and the choreo very often was formal and uninteresting. But I have a feeling it is somewhat better this season, with the number of quads limited and all that. BTW, I don't know much about the technical aspects, but the jumps of most of the top guys seemed higher and covering more distance than what I see today (and they were mostly triples, too). Is it just a false impression, or do many guys today tend to jump lower?

It seems to me it would be easier to land a 4A in an old tried-out program than learn new choreo and get the 4A. But then, what do I know? Inspiration is a great factor too, and new beautiful choreo that has a special meaning for him could be just that. (I may be in the minority here but I don't really like the badass image on him. He has a more positive energy. Maybe with a bit more sass...)

It's a disaster, really. Download everything you can still get (am I saying something illegal?)

Love the idea. But poor Javi was so sad during his EC ex. I'm not sure such a visit would do him good

185. For telling a schoolboy who asked him for advice about dealing with pressure at competitions to remember that he could make the people happy with his performance. 186. Speaking about shallow: for the way his vertebrae stand out in the back of his neck in the Swan costume

Thank you! It was absolutely unique. Can it even get any better?

Thank you! The commentators clearly cheered for Yuzuru throughout the program, worried that he would spend too much energy on emotions in the step sequence and gushed over every jump ))

I tried to convert my mother and my friend. They both like FS but haven't watched it much lately. I decided not to be direct and sent them one-two best programs by top male skaters, including Otonal. My friend said she liked Javi best of all (sigh). My mother said "They are all ok, but that Japanese guy in blue - just magnificent! He was flying there!" She likes him now, though I didn't manage to turn her into an actual fan. Must work on it ))

Thank you! I love it here ))

Hi everyone, I'm from Russia, and figure skating is rather popular here. I watched since childhood with my mom, was a big fan of Pluschenko and Lambiel. Then after Torino, when they stopped competing, I stopped watching, and didn't watch FS for more than ten years. Then this autumn I went to see SP at COR in Moscow with some friends just for fun. Vaguely knew there would be a two-times Olympic champion (cool!), whom I had briefly seen somewhere. And then there was Otonal. The funny thing is, I didn't really know what hit me. I just decided after I got home that I should catch up on what I had missed in those ten years, especially on the two-times Olympic champion. And I'm still catching up )))

Hi everyone! Russian commentators absolutely love Yuzuru (don't know if I should include youtube links - none of the videos have English subtitles). TAT after GPF 2016: "The audience is on their feet, and I will stand up too. Such a program, and he is so magnificent in it, so free! If the Japanese have someone new, it is someone incredible." Zhurankov GPF 2015 gala: "I think people who know Japanese should share with us the translation of Hanyu's first and last name into different languages. In one of these languages the letters of his name will surely make up the word 'genius'. Zhurankov WC 2016 gala: "Second year in a row, skating before Fernandez, Hanyu loses to him. But this year Hanyu has proven multiple times that he is the unique one." WC 2017 FS commentators, as Nathan Chen is preparing to skate: "Now others will try to beat Hanyu's result, if it's possible. - Is it possible to touch the stars?" COR 2018 SP Yagudin: "I'm glad I will finally see Hanyu skate in person, because I've never seen him skate with my own eyes before." Another commentator: "Never? Then you shouldn't miss a single second." TAT after the program: "Now if I were in the judges' place, I would give +5 for everything, because they may never again have a chance to do it and to get such pleasure." I should say that I also saw Otonal with my own eyes - went to COR to keep my friends company, hadn't watched figure skating for more than 10 years, and now... now I'm here )))