YuzuSkating_IsTheTruth

Wishing all a New and Blessed Year that's as bright and hopeful as a sunrise! My thoughts and prayers are with those caught up in the recent catastrophe in Japan. My new year wish for Yuzu - May you continue to evolve as an athlete/performer/entertainer and as a brand. Lead with impact, be a visionary creative leader in your chosen field. Stay happy and healthy!

To add on, top notch artistes have long been doing residency in Las Vegas. I'm just thrilled Yuzu's creating his own Las Vegas dream at Sendai

Thank you Admins for your prompt response and explanation. Appreciating the hard work you guys are doing

Yes, this is what I have in mind. I would love to have this idea materialise, especially with news of a new ice rink, in line with Yuzu's vision of FS development in Sendai. However, unsure if this is doable due to resource -manpower, time and monetary considerations. Hoping for positive response from Planet's admin.

I confess I'm greedy. Besides a photobook, I look forward to such a Fantasy DVD.

With regards to Yuzu’s divorce (and its reasons), it is heartening to read statements of support from fanyus all over the world eg. the Italian and Chinese fanyus on social media. Referencing the Sponichi news article shared by @SuzyQ, it printed a photo of international fans showing their support/love for amateur skater Yuzu at the end of his program. I’m thinking as a follow-up to this article, we, the international fans should band together (to show unity among international fans and save cost. Planet’s admin to collaborate with other groups of international fanyus) to publish a birthday wish and statement of support (translated in Japanese) in the print copy of Sponichi for the now athlete-professional skater Yuzu. With this action, we want to reach out directly to the Japanese public (especially those without access to social media) and share their support/love for their two-time Olympian, who is not only their national treasure but one to the rest of the world. Hopefully this might in turn encourage the Japanese public to speak up and demand for better protection from media harassment. I sincerely hope the collective voices of his massive fanbase (and its spending power) is loud and powerful enough to effect a change in mindsets and regulations. Yuzu (and others in similar predicament) deserves the right to start and lead a normal family life, just like any other individual on earth. Once again, many thanks to fellow satellites for your efforts and time in sharing Yuzu contents and your thoughts here.

With Yuzu's marriage becoming talk of the town, I know I have to come back here (been kept away due to commitments) to congratulate him and share the joy with fellow satelites. Congratulations to Yuzu for finding your soulmate to share your life, dreams, goals, love in figure skating, music, dancing, etc with. May you and your family continue to lead a blessed life.

Thank you for sharing the link here for the easy access. I've forgotten cos I've watched the anime many years ago (and didn't rewatch it recently) but I found this "Haku is the only character in the film able to turn into a dragon at will." from https://ghibli.fandom.com/wiki/Haku. Anyway, many thanks to @whoeveriwannabe and you for directing me to the issue of identity. I've expanded my interpretation on One Summer's Day after looking through my notes.

I'm thankful you last through my lengthy post (I didn't realise it's so long) Yes, it takes a man of steel, a real-life warrior like Yuzu to announce and go ahead with his lone mission of Hanyu Yuzuru Skating. Besides preserving his ideals of figure skating, his efforts (maintaining high public profile/interest plus any proceeds/funds earned from shows/merchandise) will be key in reconstructing the Tohoku Region and the building of a new rink in Sendai/Miyabi. Whatever you are going through, I hope things will get better for you in the coming days/weeks. Appreciate your input on Haku and Simei as it makes my version (of interpretation) more complete. I was thinking along the line - Yuzu is proud of his Japanese heritage, hence I hope he will continue to draw on Japanese culture and other performing art forms to give us more iconic programs like Seimei.

Am relieved my posting helped you to have a better understanding of Yuzu's story. Frankly, we are from such diverse cultural backgrounds, plus Gift comes with abstract concepts that makes it challenging to understand his story. After putting heart and soul into preparing for and presenting this ice story to us, I think we owe it to him to make (extra) efforts to share our interpretations (there'e no wrong/right one but which one you prefer) so more viewers can get his story. Same here, I don't have Disney subscription and would just like to stick to Global Coding (it was a breeze to sign up for Gift), if possible.

The quality and contents of Gift caught me by surprise. It got me emotional for sometime. Gift sets me in awe of Yuzu’s remarkable storytelling abilities. He has brilliantly weaved his (athlete) story from birth through 3 Oly cycles within a 2.5 hr ice show. I like that it allows for open interpretation. So after sorting out my thoughts and interpretations, I would like to humbly share them here: Watching the intro transported me back to the days I watched the movie of my childhood superhero - Superman, Man of Steel. I like the part which showed a light illuminating at the Eastern part of Japan, symbolising the birth of a superhero/star/king where the story begins. In my fanyu’s mind, it has to be the brightest star - Sirius (calculated move for naming his team Sirius?), also known as “Dog Star”. Interestingly, Yuzu was born in 1994, the Year of Dog (according to Chinese zodiac). I’m captivated by the majestic entrance of Firebird Yuzu. The dramatic effect perfectly matches Yuzu’s charisma on ice. I like that in Russian folklore, the firebird represents a treasure that is rare and difficult to possess, just like Yuzu. Somehow, this Firebird version gave off the same vibe as a ballet/theatre musical (on stage ) performance accompanied by a live orchestra. As this was the opening performance, I would like to think he was telling us to expect a magical Gift, his magical/glowing presence in the pro stage. At the personal level, this program was a milestone for him where he came in first for FS, in his first Jpn Jr National. It signified his junior years where he dreamt of being two-time Oly champ. He made many sacrifices and endured injuries and pain while single-mindedly pursuing his Oly dreams. In this way, as narrated, he chose his path, a lonely one. Metaphorically speaking, Yuzu aspired to be the Sun, bringing energy and positivity to others. But there were times he just wasn’t up to it (the Sun being unavailable), he likened himself to be the moon where despite sustaining painful and agonising scars - both physical (due to injuries) and emotional/mental ones over his long amateur career, he continue to shine by drawing strength n hope from within (the moon can’t shine on its own but gets its light from the sun). I see the connection to anime Spirited Away (from Wikipedia, Hayao Miyazaki’s quote “I created a heroine who is an ordinary girl, someone with whom the audience can sympathize.. It’s not a story in which the characters grow up, but a story in which they draw on something already inside them, brought out by the particular circumstances…I want my young friends to live like that, and I think they, too, have such a wish.”). The references to nature was aptly expressed with a sublime performance of H & L. I love the superimposed image of Yuzu’s ending pose on the moon. The narrative continued to give us a peek into his inner thoughts of the impact of the 3.11 disaster on him, leaving a deep sense of lost/confusion and sadness when all of a sudden, what he cherished was gone - countless human lives, including flora and fauna perished on 3.11. Buildings, homes, roads, etc were not spared either. He lost the Tohoku region. In the anime Spirited Away, water was used to symbolise entrapment and freedom, life and death. Though I feel Yuzu resonates with Chihiro, the main character, donning a white costume, I associated him with Haku, (who had the ability to transform himself into a white dragon) while skating to One Summer’s Day. Haku was actually a river spirit who lost his home, the Kohaku River when it was filled and covered up with apartments. This led him to the spirit world where he became an apprentice of Yubaba, losing his freedom because he had forgotten his name, his true identity. But unlike Haku, Yuzu always have a clear sense of his identity close at heart. He has never forgotten where he comes from eg. he has been donating the sales proceeds of his books, OGM cash prizes, etc to help the disaster-stricken region. We now know up until last year, he had been lowkey skating to Requiem on the anniversary of 3.11 to pay homage and respect to those affected by it. One Summer’s Day evoked an image of Yuzu being nostalgic, recalling the past on a particular summer day where the visuals change from the initial calm water to a destructive one, followed shortly by a greyish background (to depict the aftermath of the disaster) before colours gradually appearing on it and on the ice, signifying renewal and reconstruction efforts, hope and a better future that follows. As Haku taking flight in his dragon form,, Yuzu’s arabesque at the end suggested his subsequent competitive career soared to greater heights. The story unfolded with the starry lights on the night sky renewing his hope for the future…He was once again reminded of his initial motivation, his dreams. The story continued with the ceaseless cycles of daily mundane training and making progress in comps, including breaking WRs and winning his first Oly gold along the way. The visuals came on where clouds of fairy dust revealed the image of Yuzu in Ballad No 1 costume and him coming on ice to perform it, suggested the passing of time where he fulfilled his dream of being a 2-time Olympian at 2018 Oly. Despite this monumental win, he continued to search for happiness in the sport. Fulfilling his last childhood dream brought him to 2022 Oly. It’s heartbreaking to listen to this part of the narration, him grappling with inner emotional turmoil (pain, scab forming yet not healing, he had done many disagreeable things, patience, cried heavily, with much regret) he was experiencing throughout the last quad (This will be explored further in the second half of the show). The story then brought the audience to relive the 6-min warm-up and SP performance of Rondo. He was regretful he couldn’t skate it to his satisfaction at Beijing 2022. Performing it at Gift, I’m sure Yuzu left this regret behind him and successfully led the audience to a mass healing session. The second half of the show focused on the increasingly hard times he was facing at the last quad and the pandemic was making it worst. It took a heavy toll on him mentally/emotionally. Amidst him enjoying himself with program like LMEY, he found himself in a more hostile competing environment, to the point where he stopped liking and enjoying the sport and feeling unwanted. This is despite pushing himself to do more and getting better than before. Still, he persisted and didn’t throw in the towel. Ashura-chan showed us the attitude he adopted - when facing adversities and challenges, one must persist to overcome with courage. The story continued with his inner struggles and insecurities though he may appeared calm and composed on the outside. Meanwhile, the perception/expectation of him to be perfect, strong/brave, to perform and produce results persisted and weighed heavily on him. Through POTO, he wanted us to know and understand the multifaceted sides of him - sad, scared, self-doubting, vulnerable, strong side of him, just like everyone else. Thankfully the narration continued with him developing mental and emotional maturity, an acceptance of himself - his achievements and flaws/limitations because of what/who he is, a precious being. I feel this message is reinforced and expressed through Boku no Koto. With Fleeting Dream, Yuzu accepted his dream came to an end when he couldn’t have the first ratified 4A in a comp. He’s shown us that in order to love and protect himself, he chose to move on, thus freeing himself from amateur skating (he can always pursue 4A in an extended time, at the pro stage). Back in 2011 when it was pitch black, the starry sky provided a light of hope for young Yuzu on 3.11. Now that he had to build his pro-ath career from scratch (described as pitch black in the narration), a Notte Stellata performance at this juncture indicates - together with our undying love and support, he’s staying hopeful while embracing the unpredictable future, pursuing Hanyu Yuzuru Skating, preserving the essence of figure skating he loves and sharing it globally. This is my understanding of his (translated) words “My Dream is a Gift from everyone.” Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions have brought the spotlight on mental/emotional health issues. Using his influence to address such issues in Gift, a deeply personal ice story , I would like to thank him for sharing his experience and reassuring viewers that it’s acceptable rather than a weakness to feel like crying, scared, sad, lonely, etc. When viewers seek solace, they know they can return to his Gift. Therefore, am waiting for the availability of Gift DVD/blue rays. In an interview, Hayao Miyazaki noted Chihiro ultimately returns to her ordinary world ‘not by vanquishing evil, but as a result of having learned a new way to live.’ I see Yuzu going through a similar process of self-realisation (ie. staying true to himself, realising dream and achieving inner peace) and growth as Chihiro and Boku no Koto expresses this perfectly. The live piano performances of Gift and One Summer’s Day teleported me to a mini world class piano concert. A stark contrast from the emotional ride I was in earlier. This set the mood for the next performance, HYK. Being on the pro-athlete stage, Yuzu would certainly welcome spring with Haru Yo Koi as this season symbolises renewal, new beginnings, fresh ideas and growth while being mindful of transience of life. It was fitting to end the show with the iconic Seimei, the piece of Japanese music that had him winning back-to-back Oly gold. To end it all, he gave an emotional encore to (Suiheisen) Horizon which summed him up well. It left me feeling emotional and teary. So on 26 Feb, I received an out of the world Gift (Yuzu himself) with Gifts. Your Gift had been well-received, thank you Yuzu! When a genius is at work, expect no less than a masterpiece from him. Am sooo looking forward for more of his ice shows!

Talents and dreams shouldn't be defined by/limited to a nation. They should be recognised and celebrated by all.

I have been away and would like to thank fellow satellites for the contents (including translated ones) shared here. Yuzu’s beautiful disaster commemoration of 3.11 is an emotional time for him and the people from Tohoku region, part of a long-term healing and recovery journey. He emitted beams of hope to not only the surviviors of the 3.11 Disaster, but also to all who are following his pro-athlete career. Him reminding us to be grateful of each day while we are still breathing, loving and cherishing ourselves, our dreams and those whom we love - this is the man fans/supporters have grown to know, love, respect and admire beyond his graceful, elegant yet powerful figure skating. For me, all is well except for…

Thank you for sharing the sad news here. R.I.P Muffinator. I take comfort that Yuzu, like a godsend, came into her life and provided her with emotional and spiritual support through his actions and performances, inspiring her to be brave, courageous and strong in her dark moments. My deepest condolences to her family and may they find peace and strength to get through the difficult days ahead.

Thank you fellow satellites for all the Prologue contents and the important link to today’s live streaming by starrynote. My heart melted and I’m drowning in happiness at the end of his day 2 solo ice show. I’m in awe by what he has put up. Yuzu, thank you so much for delivering a world class production of Prologue! Going by ticket sales and interest shown, I’m relieved and overjoyed that Yuzu’s unprecedented solo ice show has the overwhelming support of the Jpn public and fans around the world. He truly deserves it. Prologue, undoubtedly signals the start of a revolution on the pro stage. Can’t wait to see what lies ahead… Wishing him good health and success for his remaining Prologue ice shows! PS: I agree with fellow satellites and hope Yuzu and his team seriously consider that there should be at least a day’s break before the next ice show to ensure there’s sufficient rest and to minimise fall/accident risk. We need many more ice shows from Yuzu and like many others, I aim to catch one live in time to come. Happy weekends to all!