EisElle

thank you @Mastyaeva it took me a while to realize the jump in the SP combo was supposed to be Lz and of course unclear edge on F...I can't escape from that I like him a lot, fingers crossed for him to take part into next season JGP adding another problematic fave to my list I still haven't congratulated Anna for those two 4Lz whoa...amazing it looks like these young ladies need to add even more insane difficulty to do well the race for JGPF gold is open... In the meanwhile, I'm gonna keep reasonable expectations for Nastya T instead... I hope she'll get new PB in the final! Of course she can surprise me with something more

it was a unique instance where Yuzuru popped a quad into triple... usually he's extra and pops to double with that very distinctive halting middair

he's really good, I remember he skated with so much charisma at COR gala tho I wish some or the TR they gave him in this program had more to do with the mood of the music and less with showing variety and difficulty (like that microsecond-long lunge into spin). Tho imo he looks a bit less in his element with this kind of music...but he's so promising! (will Eteri finally give FS the ultimate ConsistentBoy? tho to be fair most of the new russian boys we're seeing in JGP are already more consistent...well, without quads and sometimes without 3A, but still...) sorry for asking, but anything about Andrey Kutovoy? I saw a video from last season and I kinda adopted him I don't even remember how old is he, I think he was too young to be junior eligible this season...

he can be a cute kitty at FaOI with his kitty ears and neck scarves and so on, but please no oversized costumes that kill his lines, it would be a crime (also, he would have trouble jumping 4A). Also, that was not the kind of red costume I was thinking about Now, if he wants to go for a black panther, instead, and wear a UA-like costume... we can talk about that ETA: of course we've already been blessed with the current Origin costume, so maybe he'll not wear another dark costume for a while after that...

remeber lurker Zu can get *ideas*, don't encourage him!

I'd be on board for that I was thinking about a Chaplin or aerobics class but maybe Yuzu could do the drunk pirate instead, he kinda tried it already and I've always found hilarious how some of his moves (like his weird off-ice run) kinda resemble how a Jack Sparrow would move LOL

I hope the Javi tribute is a flamenco, not a comical-type program tho it would be...interesting to see Yuzuru trying that...but no, much better a flamenco with some red in the costume and LGC hair (also, while some skaters make comedy work, I usually don't go and rewatch that type of program...) Stephane tribute...as long as Yuzu doesn't want to take inspiration from the zebra or the cat-thing costume, he can do everything he wants, Stephane did so many good programs ETA: of course we don't even know what yuzu's plans for next season are... we're thinking a lot ahead LOL

I'm really disappointed about Shun missing his JGP debut. He and Stephen were those I was looking forward the most (before I discovered a whole bunch of lovely Russian boys ... tho I guess Shun has better tech than them spins aside) I hope he'll slay Jr JNats (he's going to JrNats, right?) and that he'll earn again the right of an appearance in Sr Nats too...well, not an international comp, but at least there will be some more experience to garner... and while Brian has started talking about Stephen seasons ago and Skate Canada happily backed him...a skater whoìs among the closest to Stephen in the tech vs. age ratio is unceremoniously left at home by his own fediirc Shun was defeated is some pre-JGPassignment comp, so maybe JSF was trying to be 'fair', but it's such a lack of foresight but looking at the bright side...he doesn't have to deal with the hype yet? btw I love the Eastern Japan boys

LOL still better than me, I forgot to press the right key and as a result when I went to stop, only then I started recording it wasn't even the first time I was recording, I have no excuses (besides being way too hyped about watching Yuzuru again)

But if the livestream buffers, the recording will be like that too Tho, of course, still better than nothing

posting some GIFs with random details I find interesting. Some of them were already giffed a thousand times, but I wanted too The video source is this fancam from 라흐-Rach I had made gif of the official feed too but I ended making again the very same GIFs because those moments are just sooooo good (ETA: if you want to use the gifs, please credit to the original video source, in some of them the watermark is cropped and I don't want to disrespect the uploader) taking position Of course Mr. Yuzuru EXTRA Hanyu not only crouches, but he spreads his arms for good measure, he wants to challenge his balance too. I'm kinda mesmerized by the breathing starting the program so scary sit twizzles into camel spin such a smooth transition, he makes it look as if it isn't such a big deal powerful hydro into sit spin He goes from extremely low and crouched, sliding in clockwise circle, to leap and spin counter-clockwise. I'll forever worry watching him go into his spin, the potential of stumble is high (ad he messed the illusion entry in the SP LOL I was expecting him to mess this in the FS) dramatic move I had to cut the moment when he lifts his arms, stupid gif duration limitations Actually, giffing him is hard because you don't want to cut any move, one goes into the next and the dynamism gives it something more that the isolated frames (tho of course the isolated frames are still amazing). Also, I love that arching back so much, and with the spread arms he takes all the spaces around him IB and leap it goes so well with the music He transitions so smoothly from one move to the next and changes direction and moves in the vertical space multiple times in just a few frames, and this isn't even a stsq (where skaters are kinda forced to do all of that). If anyone says the program is empty, feel free to spam this gif on their faces I can't wait to have HD footage with better lightings and more camera angles

actually the delay on 4Lz happens on the first rotation, and the low landing is a consequence of tilted axis, maybe combined with not having enough airtime (related to having first delayed rotation. In theory Yuzuru could have landed a perfectly fine 4Lz with even shorter airtime than 0.78s, if he had tightened his arms immediately. In the analysis liked by @Xen, you can see how insanely fast he does his last rotation compared to the first...with such rotational speed since the very beginning, he would have had all the time to unwrap his free leg properly. Apparently in the practice 4Lz he landed well he also had less airtime) here's an amazing post from Alice on Axel take off. Achieving (and controlling the landing of) 4A requires getting more airtime (possibly a bit more airtime than on 4Lz to squeeze half more rotation in) and getting high rotational speed (as high or maybe higher than his average speed on 4Lz, possibly doable for Yuzuru, without first delayed rotation...tho it depends on how efficiently he can tighten his air-position on the axel. It's isn't that easy to make comparisons, as the position of arms and legs at the take off is quite different) tbh I'm not even really sure a 4A would necessarily need to be bigger than his biggest 3A... The jump has such weird mechanics, it isn't a given that higher number of rotations = more airtime. quoting from Wiki (it doesn't have sources but I'm positive I've once tread the paper where this was reported) (nb: airtime is proportional to max height) Going from 2A to 3A usually the jump gets smaller because the moment of step up into the jump (related also to what in Alice's post is skater's arms 'reaching back') gets sacrificed to achive high rotational speed asap. Yuzuru has a great, airy and controlled 3A because he can do both: do a big step up going into the jump (so long airtime) and efficiently snap into tight position (the two combined allow him to finish his 3 and half rotation a few precious moments before the actual landing) We have footage of Yuzuru's 3A when he clearly is already unravelling several frames before landing, so his airtime is definitely increasing. What we don't know is how much faster he can rotate on the axel (we've only ever seen 3As from him, so no reason for him to rotate any faster than he needs to). And we don't know if that speed is enough with the current airtime he can get. one thing is sure tho, with the kind of rotational speed and time duration we're talking about, even the smallest thing can become a very big issue and make the difference between a fine landing and a very dangerous fall. Less time to check position on landing, less time to correct the axis if needed, and of course a much more intense impact... ISU probably lowered the BV of 4A to make it less appealing to youngsters in search of a 'fast' way to get on top thanks to BV (that's what happened with 4Lz, most of the guys jumping it are younger than Yuzuru...actually, are he and Misha the oldest guys with 4Lz?). I think it's significant that many of the skaters rumoured to be training 4A are seasoned competitors, while till now we aren't hearing that much from the jumping wunderkids. At the moment a 4A isn't as appealing for an upcoming skater as a 4Lz or a 4F. Yes, there's the glory of landing it but it's much more dangerous, so cost-benefits is skewd towards 'no point in training it yet' from this point of view, that was a good call from the ISU, despite how much I hate that 4A has been lowballed (of course they could have avoided inflating scores for trying difficlt quads to begin with) so while there is a race for the history books, I don't think any skater would attempt 4A in competition without being aware of how risky it is. And Yuzuru might be hot-blooded and craving to land that first 4A in history, and I bet he's probably using the competition to push himself, but he loves skating too much to risk that for a mindless pursuit. We're talking about the risk of not ever being able to jump... or skate (or even worse tbh). And Yuzuru is particulary aware of those risks, having been so close to that. Yuzuru has a plan, and he can be patient, and till now he's always delivered, following his plans. So I trust him, I trust that when he'll bring it to comp it will be with good reason and on his own terms

others have already answered but, if you're interested, the previous discussion in this thread starts from this post. We did quite a bit of research on the subject

blasphemy! now we're planning to give him a whole zoo of plushies, with goats, Nessies and so on... Yuzu somewhere: I just wanted one Pooh

nice to read back knowing what's happened later I guess it must have been heartbreaking reading anything GPF15-related right after Boston.... also heartbreaking to think about the competitors back then...some with so much promise...and of course, Denis, it alwasy take a while for reality to sink in also interesting how some perceptions have shifted, while some other things are still the same... the debate of TES vs 'artistry' never dies, as well as the one about the PCS quad-bonus. Kinda weird to see now sometimes we have Yuzuru in Patrick's role now I guess it's the natural shift that always happens when one raises to the top and new challengers appear...tho it feels unfair to really overlap current Yuzu with the Patrick back then, and current challengers with Yuzu-back-then. IMO Yuzuru still is the most complete skater, and he is the one with the most intricate programs, and he is the one making everything look the most effortless, and he also has the best jumps too and should get the highest GOE...(well, he has among the best spins too, when he isn't forgetting how to spin properly 'cause jelly legs) Yuzuru has it all, more than Patrick, who had some quite glaring weaknessess... anyway, saying two-times Olympic Champion in my head has a particularly sweet taste ETA even more funny, reading old pre-Sochi threads, when people were or about Yuzu carrying Pooh, or people who found that cute and were worried about him having one day to 'grow up' and leave pooh at home (I also read once about someone worried that moving to TCC meant he had to ditch the Pooh, 'cause Brian would have not carried it) flash forward now, Pooh rain has changed the landscape of FS rinks for ever, and our Zu, possible GOAT, still carries his beloved and faithful Pooh-san around, cuddling it and absolutely not giving a damn about looking childish LOL (and using a fluffy strawberry shortcake in its place at the freakin' OWG LOL) I stan ETA 2: and even better, now it's perfectly acceptable to carry fluffy tissue-cases around...

I don't know how many programs Shae had choreographed before Yuzuru, but I think it's fair enough to say he's popularized her and now she's quite sought after (Nathan and Waka last season and this, Shoma's EX which is by far my fave of his in the last couple of seasons...) some of her programs are really good I have to say...I think on average she probably does better programs than DW, tho idk if the number of programs they do is comparable I guess creativity suffers when workload is too much... I have the feeling people usually start with DW because he's kind of trusted TCC choreographer (maybe he's even at the rink more often), so they go with him and see how it goes... he obviously worked well with Yuna and Javi (negl I hoped Zhenya would get one non-DW program tho). I wonder why there was the switch from DW to Shae...was it Brian's idea, or whose? On the other side, glad that with Jeff it worked well since the very start (and that DW has done some beautiful programs for Yuzuru too) aaaaaaaand to say on topic yeah, I hope one day we can see all of them...but I'd really love for specifically Yuzu and Patrick skating in same ice-show tbh...because it's so rare, I think it's only happened in summer 2014...it's such a waste...

I love this Q&A some relevant quotes Zuzu back overthinking things he laughs, the troll but also, keep doing what you want! We (and our hair) will survive...somehow I bet he knows unrelated, but I hope he keeps the current hair-lenght and those hair-styles, he looks so good Also, thank you Yuzu, our benevolent King of delivering...LGC hair, black-ish costume, first pancake, fluff, kuyashii, giving heart attacks...I'm starting to think that we might one day see a tango program from him too... in a red costume...those are basically the only not-delivered things at the moment...next season maybe?

I advice people to watch a bit of Patrick's warm interactions with Team Canada and this funny video of Javi and Patrick playing videogames. (I don't remeber if it has already been posted). He's just a normal guy, who, as a competitor, had this big issue of not being able to look around and see what his competition was doing and learn from them, instead of dismissing. Or at least, not just seek refuge and reassurance in his own strenghts, but be inspired to improve his weaknesses too...at least that's how I see him (and probably the judging before Sochi in several instances might have reinforced his views and made him quite complacent). Anyway, I admit I have kinda warmed to him a bit more after he finally said something nice about Yuzuru LOL (I count this as character development...not his, mine) As for his skating, it will never be my cup of tea but I've come to appreciate it, and one has to give credit where it's due Actually, I think that the type of music he usually skates to doesn't help me liking his progams (but then again, Yuzuru made a fanyu out of me skating to a music I didn't like) @hoodie axel I don't know if you've seen @Fresca's analysis of R&J2 choreo (in this thread maybe? I can't remember) the choreo itself wasn't bad, tho execution in competition was never really as it could have been... tho I also don't remember Patrick's long from Sochi, so I can't really compare the two whops

I'm still super-confused about his intended layout, because if 3Lo is there to stay a 3F and even more a 3F combo in 2nd half are kinda crazy and extremely out of character for him LOL. Also, if he goes for 4T3A instead of 4Tlo3S, to change 3A2T in 3Alo3S kinda changes the rythm and idk if it would fit well with the music... and if he'll go for 4A, I guess he'd keep the solo 4T 'cause it's probalby the one quad that requires less focus (tho of course he can pop that too), and idk if he would jump 4Lo at all then... but then maybe he'd switch for 4Lo in the SP...but if the SP 4S is kinda a Javi tribute he can't just do a Lo instead...ahhhhhhhhhhhh too difficult, too many things we don't know... anyway here at 2.56 in case you still haven't watched blasphemy!!! watch NOW! https://youtu.be/_8TLD10Rzug?t=176 I wanna gif those pancake twizzles, they're so pretty and I wanna gif so many things from fancams of Origin and Otonal, too. Seriously, there are always so many wonderful moments in Yuzu's programs, I don't know how to pick a fave EDIT to timestamp

I remember a protocol with 4A< from Dmitriev (from a russian comp?), but I don't remember watching the jump itself...as in, idk if it was 'just' UR or panel had been generous with that call...anyway, kudos to him for going for it, and to see that 4 next to the A was pretty epic It will be kind of surreal to see at COR 3 skaters who have tried/possibly landed 4A but I'll always root for Yuzuru to conquer it first just like he did with 4Lo, despite not being the first one to attempt it in comp... (also, sorry you other axel guys, but the Universe might want to add another similarity between Dick Button and Yuzuru, after the double back to back OGM and first 3Lo/4Lo)

I'm late to the topic so only under spoiler hey welcome welcome! I can relate to everything you've said, about Yuzuru and how special he is and how he deserves respect and privacy. I've always thought fans should never become a burden for the people they cheer on. Not if they really care for them. Isn't it natural, to want the people who make you happy be happy? Or at least try not to make them feel bad... We, as fans, can only spread this awareness and do our best to be respectful of their boundaries and wishes so sweet... he can't have Javi there on the same rink every day so he's doing something that reminds him (and us) of that important person everyday I hope Javi knows and feels proud Yuzuru is out there fighting the Javier-erasure! but also, beware, you skaters, 'cause dragonZu is coming to steal all of your tricks, no one is safe his ability to take techniques and strenghts from other skaters and make them his own is one of the reasons he's so amazing anyway, I think we haven't celebrated his 3F properly It means he felt good enough to pick with his right food I know he had already jumped one in ice show, but during practices he jumped it with his usual quality, and in combo how long has it been since we've last seen a 3Fcombo from him? since his junior days?

so scary So this season we have the noble Ice King and The Dark Lord, I'm lovin' it TCC chaotic energy😂 Our hoarding-gold Dragon-Zu has awakened Tho I hope zen-Zu will still say Hi! now and then so Yuzuru doesn't get too intense 😅 Does anyone know why Kikuchi wasn't there? Was it because there were 3 TCC coaches already? Without his warlock powers spins and scores went wild

I wasn't surprised about the 4S...always been moody dependable when you least expect it but a bit sneaky from time to time (but it's so, so gorgeous!) I was more disappointed about the popped toe, tho he had had some pop in practice too, right? mainly because I wanted to see him go for the SEQ A pity tho, that he had such +5 goe jumps in runthoughs and in the actual programs some of them, while landed, were of lower quality... to stay on topic, I'm still in the next season camp, but wishing very fervently that Yuzu will land Nessie this season, because he wants to and for the lulz

we've been desensitized by all that talking about 4A it feels another time when people were even afraid to mention that jump it has changed from people being 'ehhhh not possible, too dangerous, he shouldn't try' to all the media asking him about that at every chance they get...and apparently...he can't land it everytime. Just, you know, sometimes

I shouldn't laugh, but I am laughing I think that until he won't manage to have a decent 2nd half in comp he's not going to bring in his program such a disruptive element for his stamina (other than a mightly dangerous one) In runthrough he has always skipped some jumps, spins or stsq, so we don't even know how clean he is in practice on the whole program at the moment...