KendallKlaire

I hope Yuzu does go on a little tour... not only him skating, but also giving small lessons, sit-down interviews, etc. I think it's very possible he is going to do this in both Japan and China, but would not be surprised if he's getting offers from Europe (seems like Italy is already trying) and America (though I hope it's not Disney on Ice)

Out of curiosity does anyone have access to that New York Times article on Yuzu? (Or know if anyone posted screenshots?) I don't expect much but I was very curious if they were going to publishing anything and the title of it makes me intrigued...

Finally up this bittersweet morning and I have to say, despite how sad I am that I won't see Yuzu in competition anymore, my overriding feeling is that I am so happy for Yuzu. Really, truly. I'm so happy he is walking away from competition now that the ISU has destroyed it by ripping out the artistry. I think that the rule change was the nail in the coffin for Yuzu making his decision because it is obvious he cares so much about the artistry of figure skating - that it is part of his skating - now competitive skating no longer share his values. The skating he did at FAOI was so much better than any of the skating we'll see in this upcoming season (not that I plan to watch) But really, with him walking away quite suddenly I wonder if the ISU and JSF had any idea of this or were completely blindsided (I hope they were!) It's going to be a very difficult year ahead for competitive skating and it will show just how important Yuzu was for it because I doubt any venue is going to sell out (except maybe the NHK trophy and Japanese nationals because there are still dedicated fans of other skaters). I see a lot of skaters leaving pretty short, generic messages for Yuzu, but I think the sport is really in trouble without him. Anyway, I'm so excited for Yuzu's future! He can make his own ice shows, can actually have a personal life (no more training alone in the middle of the night), and pursue anything he wants. His impact on the sport and on those who followed him is immeasurable. I'm so happy I found him and, as many have already said, I wish I found him sooner! (I've been a fan since Worlds 2017)

I go to sleep for seven hours and wake up to THIS news? And how many more pages have been added to this forum?? I know that everyone has spoken their speculation for Yuzu's press conference, but I'm going to add my theories anyway (let me vent a little lol) 1. No big news - Yuzu just announcing he is indeed competing this season and aiming for the 4A, but with small notices we all speculated already (like leaving the TCC and going independent - staying in Japan permanently - or joining a Japanese skating club) 2. Retirement notice - Yuzu announces he is either retiring or going to retire after this season (just to prepare the JSF and ISU to their doom!) His injury in Beijing could have been more serious than initially thought and given it is a chronic injury it does not bode well for the future. The announcements about the conference would not mention retirement beforehand so it is possible... 3. Personal announcement like marriage or a lawsuit or legal matter - really out there since I don't think Yuzu would announce marriage loudly like this - but the presence of his legal team (or the team that manage his image/contracts) makes me think he may make an announcement regarding something bothering him legally (online harassments, libel press, etc.) Again, not likely at all, but I would love if Yuzu took some action towards his haters lol. It may also be Yuzu announcing he is parting ways with ANA since they will also be there. 4. Matter regarding ISU/GP series. We're supposed to get GP placements today (we were supposed to get them DAYS ago) and if we do get them today then we can ignore this one, but if not I wonder if the reason for the delay is something regarding Yuzu? Pure speculation, but if England and Finland agreed to take on GP events knowing they would get Yuzu to sell tickets (per an ISU promise perhaps) HOWEVER Yuzu does not want to go to these events given the dates or his preference to compete in NHK this could be causing big problems with confirming the GP events. This is probably not likely, though I like the idea that Yuzu is causing problems for the ISU haha

I hope everyone is safe and stays safe in Japan. An advisory is much better than a warning for tsunamis but am hoping for the best that nothing will come. I can't imagine how stressful it is for people in that region to have to experience earthquakes and tsunami threats after 2011

Funny, I was just thinking about this today... Yuzu definitely stands out and in many ways different from what is traditional in Japanese culture. Someone had brought up the expression (either here or on Twitter) "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down" and I think that is completely accurate of the relationship between Yuzu and the JSF. Yuzu stands out too much in ways they do not understand nor like. Yuzuru gets the most attention by far, in many respects (and I don't mean to offend) Yuzuru is more like a pop idol or rock star than an athlete and this doesn't really seem the norm for athletes in Japan (correct me if I'm wrong). Yuzuru has worldwide popularity that the JSF doesn't understand is very uncomfortable with. Obviously they are freaking out about the bubble popping when Yuzu is gone, hence why they supported Shoma and now Yuma so much. More than that, Yuzu is very independent and probably doesn't like doing what the JSF wants. I could see that the JSF would be pissed that Yuzu went for a 4A over medaling (which he very well could have done if he played it safe). But the fact that he went for the 4A, didn't medal, and still was the overshadowing star of the Olympics really must have made them mad. Regardless, this is all speculation. Unless Yuzu releases a tell all book in the future I doubt we'll really know of the extent of Yuzu-JSF relations.

The Javi apology is going to reflect very badly on Fanyus and maybe even on Yuzu himself. I absolutely did not send or comment anything negatively on Javi's social media through this whole thing. It's the more immature Fanyus (I'd like to believe) who mobbed on Javi. There was no need to even spend any time on Javi's page or posts to write negative things. Was I disappointed by what he said? Yes. But it's better to just move on than obsess or mope over his comments. It probably reached a point where he felt he had to say something and I think Brian knows Javi enough to know that Javi may want to lash out, but instead he did make an attempt at an apology. As others are mentioning, I don't think him putting "blah, blah, blah" in the first lines was the best choice, but hey, he's trying to end it. I do agree that he may have felt pressured to do it out of concern for his own future (opportunities in Japan) but I wouldn't put too much money on it. It's time to move on.

Sorry for the long post I think I understand what Hashimoto and the JSF is trying to say HOWEVER they make it so much worse in that they are totally obscuring and demeaning the achievements of Yuzuru. I understand that a country cannot rely on one athlete to make a sport SOLIDLY popular, I get it. It takes a dynasty and I do think now that Japan has a strong pairs team they are now more of a all-round threat. BUT they haven't ever acknowledged that Yuzu’s achievements have really made Japan stand out in skating on a global scale. He was the first one to break the 100, 200, and 300 point marks and bring in fans to competitions and shows from around the world. These are things countries would live to brag about! I don't believe the JSF knows what they have with Yuzu. They think that once they have another great competitor (very likely Yuma) the popularity of skating they've enjoyed with Yuzu will remain which I really doubt. Yuma is likely going to be the next world champion after Nathan and Yuzu retire, but he lacks the charisma and charm of Yuzu. Who knows, maybe once Yuma matures he will be more of a star, but again, I doubt it. Yuzu has so much passion for what he does I don't think it's comparable to any other skater now. The fact that Yuzu seperates himself from others and has a mind of his own infuriates the JSF. Like others have said, he was never one of them and after this Olympics has made it clear he skates for himself and for the enjoyment of others.

I always felt like Shoma was very grateful that Yuzu was there to take the spotlight so he could be in the shadows a bit more. It takes a lot of the pressure off him and, given how introverted Shoma seems, I'm sure he enjoys that. I do think Shoma does like Yuzu and I'd like to think he's genuinely grateful to him over the years. However, I think now Shoma would like his time to shine. He's got enough silver so I am sure he's tired of being second best in Japan - though with Yuma he seems just as happy (he now has his own fanboy). Yuma is a Shoma fanboy. Yuma loves Shoma and I think he mentioned Shoma was the only one he watched. From just that I'd infer that he and his dad are not Yuzu fans by any means. If anything I don't think they like that Yuzu has always come out on top of Shoma. Not sure what it is, I'm sure Yuma does respect Yuzu to an extent, but he's certainly starting to become a bit high-headed if he wants to be the next NC (I don't think NC is the best role model to have...) I wonder if there is some regional politics going on or if Yuma's father is aware of the JSF's seeming dislike of Yuzu that he wants to keep his son away from. It's perfectly fine to accept that not all up and coming Japanese figure skaters are Yuzu fanboys, but I think it's shocking to us here that Yuma already seems so removed from what Yuzu has done for figure skating in Japan. He's basically carried it for the last eight years even without the JSF's help.

I know this video and interview is making its rounds and some don't want people spreading it but I think this video is so important. I'm not sure if we've ever seen Yuzu so vulnerable and now (from other interviews) it really seems he's letting his vulnerability and uncertainty about his future come out. I'm incredibly moved by how much support there is behind him, despite not medaling. It goes to show how loved Yuzu is, not just as an athlete but as a person. I don't believe there will be anyone else like him in FS and despite all attempts by large media to overshadow him with others, he's the one that's trending. I genuinely hope that he gets some well deserved rest and hopes he takes a break. This moment shows that it's not his placement that matters but his character and I'm proud to be his fan. This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

Okay, now that I've had some hours to collect myself and gather my thought I feel like I have to share some of my feelings rn (sorry for this long rant) When I saw that Yuzu popped his jump last night I couldn't bring myself to watch the rest of his skate (no matter how amazing it was). I was so devastated and knew he just lost his chance for another gold. I am still super upset about it, however, Yuzu himself has taken the situation so graciously and calmly I have to wonder if he knows that others are more disappointed than himself? But I actually believe this just shows how Yuzu has fantastically matured in this sport. He is not blaming himself, nor is he blaming others. He says his condition was fine and he performed well, it was just an unfortunate event that happened, now he has no choice but to deal with it. I want to learn how to take events in my own life about that. Granted, I am still super upset by what happened, but what can be done? If anything, what I am seeing that is so uplifting is the amount of people still giving their support behind Yuzu and the many fans (fanyus and casual fans alike) still saying that Yuzu is the greatest PERIOD. It wasn't his night, but things happen, every person knows this. I love seeing how many still have faith in Yuzu and this unfortunate accident proves it is not his results that bring people to him, but his wonderful personality and aura. I do feel guilty I feel so strongly because I feel like lately I have invested a lot of my own happiness and good feelings into Yuzu which is not fair to him. It's just that my own life has been quite unhappy recently due to my dead-end, life-draining job that I do not enjoy (sadly opportunities around me are scarce so leaving is not an option right now). I battle depression and anxiety and COVID has not made things better. Yuzu has provided a light for me since I saw his 2017 Worlds free skate. I got invested and interested in skating because of him. After last night I realized that I don't think I'll have any interest in it once he leave. I thought I would, I thought I would find another skater to get invested in, but alas no. It's clear that Donovan was the highlight of last night for a lot of people (casual viewers especially).Inspirational stories are so important in sport and Donovan is the perfect example of one (but please don't let him go to Eteri!) Yuzu has always been an inspiration and he is someone that cannot be duplicated. I want to say that I love Yuma, given his great skating skills and general adorableness but I don't see him becoming a Yuzu level star. I've grown to like Shoma a lot more since 2018 (say what you want about his jumps, but it took a lot of guts to leave his Japanese coach). The less said about Nathan the better. He doesn't deserve the WR or the PCs he receives and I don't feel anything when he skates. When Yuzu retires, I'm done with FS. He's inspired me in so many ways and I hope one day I can thank him. It's rare these days to have a total stranger inspire the hell out of you and all you want from them in return is for them to be healthy and happy.

It's so funny, I feel like everyone is so anxious for Yuzu to appear that when he actually does things are going to explode I myself could not sleep well at all last night since I went to bed with rumors that he WD, but like others have said, if he did that would have been all over the news if he did. I think the JSF would have been all over getting the substitute ready and in Beijing. With all the media and hype, I would hope the JOC would've nipped that in the bud if they knew Yuzu wasn't coming. Just watch, Yuzu's been around for weeks and will appear in the opening ceremonies LOL

According to some reports he's there....

Twitter Fanyus, question: Does anyone else find their trending page a little odd? I understand as a US Twitter user I am bound to see things geared more for American audiences so I have been seeing 'Nathan Chen' trending for me. But the weird thing is when it appears it always has about 1,100+ Tweets with it but when 'Yuzu' randomly trends for me it is always with 10,000+ Tweets. The weirder thing is that when I click on Chen's trend a bunch of older tweets appear (and many of them are not kind towards his skating) meanwhile Yuzu always has recent Tweet and articles. Does this happen to anyone else or is this a more personalized thing? I mean, it's obvious who the more popular one is and who the media is using for clicks rather than being forcibly shoved down our throats.

Kind of a funny coincidence this just came out with Nathan's last interview. This is actually fun to watch, but again, Nathan openly admits he is not an artistic skater and that he struggles with doing a triple axel. I also have to say that Nathan's way of talking still "annoys" me (I don't want to say annoy since that sounds mean!) But he talks so fast and uses a lot of fillers in his sentences, such a dude-bro lol

Oy vey...I know that Nathan is smart and means well, but as has been pointed out here and Twitter, his edges are flat. There's been little to no improvement in his skating skills, transitions, or performance/interpretation. Even Vincent has noticeably improved (though I still don't want him to medal for other reasons...). Nathan's programs are literally him skating from one end of the rink to the other setting up jumps and barely interpreting the music, then doing his "breakdown, modern" step sequence at the end. I agree with Max that there should be no comparison or rivalry in their scores or skating. Yuzu does EVERYTHING. His transitions across his whole program are unmatched and his interpretation has ruined everyone else's skating for me. The scores don't reflect that. However, I will say that it is far more of a problem in women's skating IMO

I really don't mind when the media does profiles on Fanyus like this. It humanizes them (or us I suppose lol), but like others have said, I wish they did show more of Yuzu's accomplishments so uninformed viewers can understand why he draws people. I mean, they show a figure of him with his People's Honor Award and don't mention it??? My favorite piece on Fanyus and Fanyuism is still the Australian piece from Skate Canada 2019 which I highly recommend listening to if you haven't already. The reporter really tries talking to fans and reporters to understand the phenomenon and by the end she seems quite moved. (The whole thing was done with the purpose of promoting 4CC that was supposed to be in Australia but that was cancelled) https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/love,-obsession-and-fanyuism-in-figure-skating/11867136

Honestly I'm not so keen on what he said about Yuzu. The first part is nice, but I don't like that he adds that Yuzu landing the 4A will make him a legendary figure in figure skating history. Yuzu is already one, he doesn't need to land the 4A, if he does though that's just the cherry on top. But I'd like it if people credited Yuzu more for being the reason guys have to jump multiple quads (and more difficult quads) because his skating quality and performance is so high.

It's nationals they always do. I feel bad that I can't even bring myself to watch US Nationals because my only option involves having to hear from Johnny and Tara about how Nathan is the greatest skater of all time (ugh). I probably wouldn't mind Nathan so much if it wasn't for the propaganda.

I love all this debate on the costume Personally, I love the theory that it may be a blend of previous costumes (Otonal, Notte, Chopin). I would've preferred if it wasn't blue so it wouldn't remind me of Otonal but I actually don't mind the overall design of it! I actually love the collar... and I think it looks better in movement than it does when stands still (which may be the point?)

Johnny Weir also reposted the 4A footage on his Insta Stories - it's nice to see that both of Yuzu's main idols do support them (even if I don't necessarily like either of them myself...) This 4A drama honestly makes me appreciate and love Yuzuru so much more. Regardless of what happens during Nationals, I'm just so happy the Yuzu is pushing himself and the sport so much right now. This season has been a mess so far with drama and injuries, that with Yuzu intentionally driving himself towards this "impossible" goal is actually making me reappreciate this sport. (Not sure if anyone gets what I mean haha...) The ladies are a Russian mess rn (love my Japanese ladies though!) and the men have been quite boring IMO this season thus far. Nathan is going to recycle the programs he thinks will get him the OGM (and being praised for it...) Vincent is fighting to overcome Nathan (I will throw my TV out the window if Vincent get the OGM) and Yuma's become the new JSF fav (with a chance of sneaking in for the OGM). Yuzu save us!

Not going to lie, my Fanyu ego is rising a lot recently because of just how Yuzu's confirmed participation has reignited the GP's interest in figure skating. Suddenly Yuzu's trending on Twitter in Japan and he's getting huge spreads in papers, pretty sure the media is more excited than anyone cause Yuzu=sales. Despite the last few months of the Grand Prix series with Yuma and even Nathan, Shoma, Vincent drama/victories, I feel like no one was actually that interested or invested in figure skating this season. PR'ing does nothing to create a genuine star after all... I'm just so excited to see Yuzu again after so many months. New SP, new costume, perhaps new photos of him in a suit? I'll take all of it!

When I saw these statistics my first thought was honestly "gross". The fact that women in Russia can hardly continue skating past 18 is just crazy. It drives me mad that the ISU does nothing but encourage this type of training. It also is really upsetting to me that I should be excited to see women finally jumping quads and triple axels, but it doesn't matter because the way they train is unsustainable. I couldn't care less that a 15 year old is jumping quads when it's very likely her body won't hold up for another four years (till the next Olympics) and she'll retire soon.

I think the ways in which the media narrative, both Japanese and internationally, will spin Yuzuru's third Olympic appearance may be more of a reason I'm not so keen on him going...It's inevitable that the media will be talking about Yuzu going for a third OGM as his overwhelming desire however Yuzu has made it very clear in interviews thus far that he really doesn't have an interest in that. His goal has been to land the 4A in a way that satisfies him. If he wants to land the 4A at the Olympics then that is his main focus. If that remains his main focus, then it's going to be really annoying for me to have to listen to the media coverage and hype about Yuzu aiming for a third OGM when that's more of a second priority (at least as how I interpret his words). If Nathan wins the OGM while the media is spinning their story it's going to be unbearable to hear about his "triumph" over the 2x Olympic champion. And as much as I would love for Yuzu to be the flag bearer I doubt it will happen. The schedule of the opening ceremonies, team event, and mens event run very tight together I believe. I wouldn't be surprised if all the figure skaters (or male single skaters) skip it. But he might get voted as the flag bearer and he may feel too obligated to refuse. We'll see