Martina

Wonderful video. A huge thank you to everyone who worked to edit it. An article about Yuzu on the AIPS site: https://www.aipsmedia.com/aips/pages/articles/2024/36133.html

Thank you. Mine is just one of the possible interpretations. I left out many things because it is already a very long article, and I had to focus on videogames, it was my basis for being able to publish in that magazine. Aside from that, there are certainly countless things that I missed, and things that can be interpreted in another way. But I think it's important to write critical texts, to talk about Yuzu. We can help each other discover details, and we can contribute to Yuzu's fame. He is the genius, but if no one highlights it, his fame remains confined to those who already know him, whereas I would like ever greater recognition for him.

I published an article about Yuzu's solo shows. It is in Italian, but with the automatic translation into English it is understandable. If you want to read it, you can find it here: https://www.fantasymagazine.it/36238/i-videogiochi-come-rappresentazione-della-vita-il-tour-re-pray-di-yuzuru-hanyu

Today the Japanese National Championship began, and there is a real possibility that Uno will win his sixth title, joining Yuzu who has already won six titles. I explained why, even if Uno were to win their sixth title, their successes are not comparable. https://sportlandiamartina.link/2023/12/21/all-japan-figure-skating-championships/

I watched the video live. Congratulations to everyone for the beautiful messages, and thanks so much to all the people who worked on the editing. You've done an amazing job, and the beginning is brilliant.

I sent an email yesterday with a photo and a very simple message written on it.

I am speechless. I am devastated by this announcement.

Today I published my review of RE_PRAY on FantasyMagazine. The text is in Italian, so if you want to read it and you don't know my language you have to use an automatic translator. I still wanted to publish it there because, however small, FantasyMagazine is not a blog but a registered newspaper. To the extent of my possibilities, this is an attempt to talk about Yuzu in a context other than the sporting one, because Yuzu has now gone beyond sport and what he does is art. The review: https://www.fantasymagazine.it/35689/-

I didn't even consider going to Japan because of the costs and time needed to make that type of trip. But I took a train trip of almost 800 kilometers to watch RE_PRAY with two friends (one of whom traveled 250 kilometers). We wanted to share the experience. I only saw Yuzu live at the 2019 GPF. When he was on the ice he was magnetic. During the warm up, or the official practice on Friday, for me it was as if there was only him on the ice. It's not that I chose not to watch the other 5 skaters, I just didn't see them. Yuzu caught my eye. So I understand that your gaze was drawn to him, regardless of how wonderful what he had built was. As far as I'm concerned, RE_PRAY is a work of art.

Yes, several people took an intercontinental flight to be able to see RE_PRAY live. I didn't feel like it, congratulations to those who did it. And while the Japan Open gave away freely 4,000 tickets, Yuzu tickets were sold via lottery, with many people unable to attend the show live and having to settle for cinemas (over 100 halls) or Asahi/Beyond depending on the country they live in. But I can't put these people in the screenshots, I limited myself to the simplest comparison.

A month before RE_PRAY the Saitama Super Arena hosted the Japan Open. This is the audience in comparison:

I agree. And I have the impression that this conversation provided Yuzu with many ideas for his projects.

There will also be subtitles in Chinese. For me, Yuzu knows very well that many people will find a way around the limitations to watch RE_PRAY even from China, so he made sure that they too could understand and appreciate the show.

Subtitles in other languages will arrive as soon as possible.

In Korea steaming works, it's just the archive that isn't available. In Japan they have Asahi. Those who have to find alternative solutions are the Chinese, and we know that this problem exists with China, and the Russians, and I think this is linked to the international situation, with limits set by governments that Yuzu cannot do anything about.

Not in a competition, but in training he tried it. Of course, he have done it only few times compared to current skaters, but for his time he was one of the most important jumpers. He was the second skater to perform the triple axel, and the first to do it regularly, and he was the first skater to perform two triple axels in a free program. We can only hope that Yuzu doesn't get hurt. I too understand why he is dissatisfied with that free skate. But he's dissatisfied because it's him, in recent years we've seen a lot of skaters who, as long as the result arrives, don't worry about how they skated. Who knows why it is him we support, and not the others...

we will never free ourselves from worries, even if he now trains on 4A less intensely than in the past. However, the fact that in GIFT he skated under the influence of painkillers is emblematic. He can't afford not to skate in one of his solo shows, and figure skating is a risky sport. We can only hope that he doesn't get hurt, but there will always be worries. It makes me laugh a little to think that the man who won gold thinks his competition was a failure. It would be nice to know what Patrick Chan, Javier Fernandez, or even Daisuke Takahashi think. But it's true, he could have skated a much better free skate than the one he skated. And in Beijing on the salchow of the short program he was unlucky, in the free skate he had a sprained ankle, he knew that the marks would be meaningless, and he presented two extraordinary programs. Extraordinary even with their imperfections.

Yes, that's no surprise. And not only on that 3A, because the judges would have to explain to me what the other elements are missing in order not to give a +5. In my opinion of the 49 marks he received in the GOE, only 14 were assigned respecting the rules (and two of these, the 0 on the 3A, with the highest deduction, so they are fair but severe marks). And then there are the PCS, in which the Canadian (Karen Butcher), Japanese (Sakae Yamamoto) and Korean (Jungsue Lee) judges placed him behind of Chen, and the Italian judge (Walter Toigo) placed him behind of Chen and Brown. Not even Lorrie Parker was capable of that. We could write a book about how many times he's been underscored.

We had already read in Aoi Honoo IV that Yuzu had injured his back before Gift. In Ogen-san Yuzu mentioned the injury again. He didn't give us many details, but what he said touched me a lot. And I wrote a short text where I tried to reflect on what I had just heard. If you want to read it, below the Italian text I have published the English translation. https://sportlandiamartina.wpcomstaging.com/2023/08/27/prospettive-perspectives/

I agree. Both on the doubts that Yuzu certainly had, and on wanting the ISU (and the JSF) will go bankrupt.

Considering that this is the WTT, one of the most useless competitions on the season, for me that 3A is perfect in that way. It ruined his stats, all the other 3A's he's done in SP in the senior category had a positive GOE, this is the only one that had a negative GOE, but that's okay in that program, I wouldn't want a different one. However that negative GOE is a mistake. The bullets are: 1) very good height and very good length (of all jumps in a combo or sequence) 2) good take-off and landing 3) effortless throughout (including rhythm in Jump combination) 4) steps before the jump, unexpected or creative entry 5) very good body position from take-off to landing 6) element matches the music In Yuzu's 3A there are bullets 1, 4 and 6, so we start from +3. The only applicable deduction is: Weak landing (bad pos./wrong edge/scratching etc), from -1 to -3. By rules, that jump deserved a mark between +2 and 0.

I love LMEY too. I haven't mentioned it because, as beautiful as it is, it's not at the level of the other two programs, which are absolute masterpieces. But no one else can skate a program like LMEY. And that 3A of the WTT is extraordinary. In the mistake, he has shown us that he has incredible body control. As well as remarkable courage, because if he lost control he would go down on his face and get really hurt.

The fact that he left competing not because he wanted to leave it, but because they made him understand that, no matter what he did, they would never let him win anything important again, will always remain an open wound. I can't help but think, in addition to the medals they stole from him, the suffering they inflicted on him, to all the masterpieces we will never have. If he had left when the situation was now clear, in December 2019, we would not have had masterpieces such as Ten to Chi to and Introduction and Rondo capriccioso. Yuzu has shown tremendous strength going all the way to Beijing, and even more amazing strength going through the competition, and everything that happened during that time, in the way he faced them. I will always support all of his decisions, the one to leave the competitions like all the others, but the wound remains open, even if he is happier and if I'm happy for him and with him.

In April's video, the one with the two Poohs, ends with the sequence 4Lo+3A. Apart from that, in the Italian group on Facebook someone asked me if anyone has ever performed this sequence. Here is the translation of my answer: The 4Lo in combination in competition was attempted only by four skaters: Daniel Grassl, Matteo Rizzo, Adeliia Petrosian and Petr Gumennik (the last two in Russian competitions). Grassl is the only one who has obtained a positive GOE. They were however different combinations, 4Lo+2T, 4Lo+3T, 4Lo+1Eu+3S. No one has ever performed a 4Lo+3A sequence in competition, but I think that, apart from Yuzu, no one has ever performed it even in training. I remember that when the second jump is an axel the element is called sequence because while in the combination the second jump is performed immediately after the landing of the first, with the axel the skater has to turn to be able to take off forward. Until the 2021-2022 season this difference had a relevance in the score, the sequences were worth less than the combinations (i.e. if a skater performed 3A+3T he had a higher base value than a hypothetical 3T+3A), now instead the rules has been changed and the base value is the same. Having said that, let's see the sequences with the quadruples. 4T+2A: performed only in Russian internal competitions by Kamila Valieva, Adeliia Petrosian, Sofia Akateva, Makar Ignatov, Gregor Fedorov and Eduard Karartynian. 4T+3A: Performed by Yuzuru Hanyu only. 4S+2A: performed only by Alina Gorbacheva, Artur Danielian and Maria Gordeeva in Russian domestic competitions. 4Lz+2A(+2A): performed only by Lev Lazarev and Alisa Dvoeglazova in Russian domestic competitions. None of the other types of sequences with a quadruple jump as the first jump, and a double or triple axel as the second jump have ever been performed. This means that Yuzu was the only one crazy enough to perform a 3A as the second jump of a sequence after a quadruple, and this when the sequences were worth less than the combinations. Why crazy? Because he's taken crazy risks, but we know he likes to challenge himself, so that's okay. This also tells us that Yuzu has a command over jumping that no one else has, because none of the others have the guts or skills to do what he does. Let's move on to the sequences with 3A as the second jump after a triple. 3F+3A+SEQ: performed only by Ilia Malinin. 3Lz+3A(+3T)+SEQ: performed only by Ilia Malinin. 3A+3A+SEQ: performed only by Matteo Rizzo (once only, and with the second 3A underrotated). Sequences with a 3A as a second jump are very rare. The fact that Yuzu attacks a 3A on pretty much everything isn't normal. Yuzu is Yuzu, and even now he's the best jumper. If he returned to competitions, and the scores were awarded correctly, he would dominate without any difficulty. But, knowing how scores are awarded, and how much fun he's been having since he's been a pro, why would he come back? One last thing. We first saw Yuzu perform the 4Lo+3A sequence at the 2015 World Team Trophy gala. This is the last competition of the season that started with the crash with Han Yan and complicated by the December operation. Yuzu was frustrated because he had only finished second at the World Championships - he still had a bandaged stomach, a sprained ankle, and only two weeks of training behind him, it's already a miracle that he skated the way he skated - and in the conclusion of the World Team Trophy, a little later than the World Championship, when his health was improved and he had managed to train more, he wanted to prove that he was capable of doing things that others didn't even dream of. Ok, on the 3A he was a bit unbalanced backwards, but I remember Yuzu landing the first 4Lo in competition at the 2016 Autumn Classic, a year and a half later, so that sequence was really incredible.

Visto lo scambio di messaggi fra Yuzu e Sandwichman, e l'impegno del duo per la ricostruzione del Tohoku, non mi stupirei se in un prossimo futuro Yuzu facesse qualcosa insieme a loro.