Martina

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.

Ashura-chan in GIFT was wonderful, and the collaboration with Rhyzomatics and Elevenplay was amazing. In SOI, without the tiredness of everything he had done before, and with some passages of the choreography revised, the program has grown. Here we have only a fragment of a few seconds, but the energy is extraordinary. It's evident that he loves this song.

We have seen very few images of Yuzu's father, dating back to several years ago. We know Saya told him to stop talking about her when he talks about when he started skating. For years, Yumi has been doing her best not to be framed. They want a normal life, and they can only have it if they are not associated with him by the first person they meet on the street. Yuzu himself has always been very private about his personal life. For some reason I suspect his wife shares the point of view of the Hanyu family. As for the accusation of that absurd article... if only the writer had deigned to listen to Yuzu, she would have realized that he has always put respect for others at the center of everything, emphasizing the importance of individuality. Considering another individual inferior to him is something that does not belong to him. I'm guessing the writer was just looking for five minutes of notoriety, that she had a personal purpose for that attack. Too bad the newspaper didn't think before publishing that rubbish.

I wrote my post because I saw so many reactions, most of them joyous, but not all. I was taken completely by surprise by the announcement, but there were also those who told me they had caught some clues. I don't know if his behavior was related to the fact that there are people who enjoy hurting him, if it was just a desire for confidentiality or if something happened that made him change his mind, before he didn't think of getting married even though he was in love , and then yes. Not knowing him, I can't say anything. My post is, at least in part, an invitation to put things into perspective. To say that yes, he surprised us, but he is still him. I may be wrong, but in my opinion almost all of the fans who were disappointed by the sudden news because they felt an insincerity in a behavior that was probably just confidentiality, within a few days will find a new equilibrium and will look at him as before.

OK, I found you. Unlike me, who always write a lot, you stayed within the space of a tweet and were clear. How nice, another fantasy enthusiast.

If you don't use a different name, I don't think I saw your comment, but when I receive so many replies I often miss some. I don't think I will write more about his marriage, but I will definitely write more about Yuzu. Not just score analysis, I do those because I'm furious with the ISU, but what I really enjoy is commenting on the amazing things he does, so I'll post more text sooner or later. And as much as Yuzu has his own life, there is always room for us. We don't know when there will be a new project, but soon we will have the two episodes of Gen Hoshino's show, and we also just had the mini interview for the book illustrated by CLAMP. One way or another, Yuzu is always with us.

Thank you. I always feel that something is missing, that I would like to say more, and words escape me. I am glad to see that I can convey at least part of what I feel.

If anyone is interested, yesterday on my blog I published a post in Italian and English about Yuzu's wedding: Intorno a un matrimonio/Around a wedding | sportlandia (wpcomstaging.com)

No, both from Tohoku, but different prefectures.

Considering that Yuzu is Japanese, also an English article indicates that the interest is not only local. But you are right, it is better if there are texts from many countries. I'm glad you liked my review.

Great! Unfortunately, Italian is not such a well-known language, but having reviews from real newspapers and not just from users is important.

FantasyMagazine is a very small newspaper, especially now, but at least in terms of prestige it's better than a blog. I tried putting the link to the review in IMDb, let's see if they post it.