General Yuzuru Chat

[yuzuangel]

 

[rockstaryuzu]

  On 1/14/2020 at 4:09 AM, yuzuangel said:

 

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When was the last time a man was the face of a global-reach women's skincare line? I can  only think of RuPaul for M.A.C. Viva Glam back in the 90's - and that was just a lipstick, not a whole brand... 

[yumeaki]

  On 1/14/2020 at 4:09 AM, yuzuangel said:

 

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Global muse means we can start seeing his poster at all Kose counter worldwide? 

[tuyettu]

  On 1/14/2020 at 4:14 AM, rockstaryuzu said:

When was the last time a man was the face of a global-reach women's skincare line? I can  only think of RuPaul for M.A.C. Viva Glam back in the 90's - and that was just a lipstick, not a whole brand... 

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There are actually a lot of male stars/idols that got beauty contract in Korea and China. I am not sure about Japan though.

[FlyingCamel]

  On 1/13/2020 at 6:06 PM, LadyLou said:

 

I see you have already got your reply, but I wanted to expand a bit

So, short answer to your question is: Yuzuru has a... complicated history with the flip jump  

Long answer (seriously, it's LONG)

  Reveal hidden contents

 

maybe you know this already, but all skaters have their fave jumps and their non faves, usually regardless of how difficult they are "in theory".

Flip happens to be Yuzu's non fave, or to be more accurate, he has his share if struggles with the inside edge. His situation is not uncommon, on the contrary, I'd say it's quite frequent that skaters who have nice outside edge on their lz struggle with getting inside edge on their flip, and vice versa (though ISU protocols rarely mirror this fact). Think for example about Misha Kolyada who has gorgeous lz but still has a clear lip, or Shoma Uno having deep inside edge on his flip but flutzing (at least he did the last time he jumped a lz).

It isn't clear why a skater would develop a preference for a outside edge rather that inside, it probably is related to both the body/natural inclination (like some people prefer clockwise to counterclockwise) and earlier technique they have been taught.

Correcting a wrong edge is difficult, and takes time, and there are no guarantees that in the end people will succeed. 

 

Now, Yuzu has an excellent lz, nice deep outside edge. He loves that outside edge. So of course the flip had to be his problematic child😅  as every other Yuzu jump, his flip had textbook toe pick, virtually 0 peroration, was big, with nice tight air position, could be landed out of transitions AND very consistently too. Everything was top notch... BUT for the edge (which, of course, being Flip jump defined as a jump that takes off from back inside edge, was a pretty big deal)

He used to have a clear lip in his earlier days, got his share of edge calls, but he has consistently kept working on improving, painstakingly getting it to flat first, finally slight inside. He tried a number of strategies to make sure his edge didn't switch to outside at takeoff (lippers and flutzes usually do have correct edge at one point leading into the jump, but then switch to flat/wrong edge right at take off). Apparently, Yuzuru succeed with the "help" of a difficult entry of double three turns and super-brief toe pick. Basically, he made sure to force an inside edge on his entry AND that he went up in the air before his stubborn ankle could be tempted to switch to outside edge.

This, btw, is just another proof that Yuzu's philosophy is "if you can't get it right, make it harder(and you will succeed)" 😆  

 

But still, keeping that inside edge isn't something that is natural to him. It requires quite a bit of focus and energy, and that's why for YEARS he has had the 3F as his 3rd jump in his FS, while 3Lz and 3Lo were usually backloaded in the second half if the program. Also, that's why we were all so surprised and proud of him when last season he finally put 3F in second half (and in combo!). Also, why we were all so shook (and tenfolds proud of him) when he showed up with a 4T1Eu3F. The 1Eu3F combo was a possibility no one had ever given serious thought when thinking about his potential layout, but then he went and not only landed it but it was so.pretty!!!

But still, even now his inside edge isn't deep, and when he is tired he still has troubles keeping it from switching to flat (e.g. I think his edge at JNats wasn't that good).

 

Now, getting to the quad: chances are high that whatever habit you have on your triples, they will be amplified in the quadruple version (flaws included, like e.g. amount of prerotation)

 

For example, Yuzu has an even deeper outside edge in his 4Lz compared to his 3Lz, and his delay in rotation is even more visible.

 

It's legit to think that when trying 4F the temptation to switch to flat/wrong edge might be even stronger than on the 3F

it would be extremely hard to enter a quad F from the entry that "helped" him with the triple (no one has ever landed a 4F with such a difficult entry), because... it's a QUAD, so you need more speed into the jump, more accurate timing (adding stuff before the jump clearly messes with all of that). So Yuzuru likely needs to find another way to control that stubborn edge.

 

Btw, it would be interesting to know also why Boyang hasn't tried to get a 4F either. He did 4S, tried 4Lo too but never tried the 4F in comp, despite iirc his 3F having correct edge. He has shown a clear predilection for the lz, so probably the reason why he hasn't brought a 4F yet might be the same, the inside edge doesn't feel as natural to him 

 

I think it's also looking at who jumps "4F". Off the top of my head:

skaters with clear predilection for flip jump over the lz (like Shoma);

people who also have poor "4Lz" (sorry Sasha Samarin, Anna S), hence legit to think they don't have a natural strong predilection for outside edge (contrary to Yuzuru and Boyang, iirc JunHwan tried 4F too but his Lz is mostly flat too so I would put him in the  not-natural-born-lutzers corner);

Sasha T who has correct edge on her lz but prerotates A LOT; 

Nathan.

 

Nathan is probably the only one who also as a true lz without excessive pr (but his edge on flip has been getting shallow, even flat at times). Still, Yuzuru's no-prerotation technique on the flip is, on its own, an additional hurdle that Nathan didn't have to face (Nathan has a little but more of pr on his lz and f, so he needs to rotate a bit less in the air to get a quad called as "clean". He "needs" less airtime, while Yuzuru would need more airtime, meaning more strenght/speed into/energy)

 

 

To summarize, I think the reasons why Yuzuru doesn't have a 4F (yet)

1) that mischievous inside edge

2) would need more airtime than most other quads (aside his own 4Lz and Misha's and Boyan's 4Lz maybe)

3) multiple injuries that have delayed Yuzuru's plans for 4Lo and 4Lz (and 4A) for several seasons (and forced him to stay away from both lz and f for a while)

I would also add

4) 4F hasn't been on his wish list for long 😅 (and when he put it on his wishlist he already had his hands full with getting back his other quads)

5) he just... loves Nessie (4A) much much MUCH more 🤣🤣🤣 That's why us fans kinda expected that one day he would go for 4A (though we did NOT expect that to happen in Turin) but there was an epic meltdown when we heard he tried 4F in FaOI19 Toyama (was it? we never got footage I think, so we couldn't confirm if reports were right and those really were 4F attempts with dodgy edge, not just 4Lz with a weird entry 😱😱😱)

 

Anyway, it's true that theorically (from mechanics POV) 4Lz should be "harder" than 4F. But we also know that a 3A should be easier that any quad and yet Sasha T landed 4 types of quads before going for 3A, Anna S too has 3 quads but 2A still, and many male skaters land 4Lz before getting 4T or 4S or both (and the struggles of Patrick Chan with 3A are legendary, and Nathan, too, even if he is landing it most of the times these days has much more confidence in his quads) 😅😅 so a lot depends on the individual skater (and also on what is the current ISU standard for "quad" and "lz", otherwise we would see only a few 4Lz on protocols)

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Thanks so much for your long and detailed reply!! And everyone else who replied too  I understand why some skaters find 3A harder than quads because the takeoff technique for axel is completely different from the other jumps but I didn’t get why a skater could do the Lutz which was supposedly harder but not the Flip so your reply cleared that up

  On 1/13/2020 at 8:19 PM, liv said:

ahhh, so Yuzu spent time at a hot spring hotel.... hmmm, that makes me very jealous, actually, lol!!!

 

Seriously, good for him. Hopefully he was able to really relax and enjoy some down time.

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 Haha jealous of Yuzu for being in a hot spring hotel or jealous of the hotel because Yuzu went? :p

 

also english translation of an article about Yuzu!! If it hasn’t already been shared  

 

 

[monchan]

It only takes ONE year to be upgraded to global muse lol. Apparently Hanyueconomy works for KOSE.

 

Btw this line (SEKKISEI MYV, just changed to SEKKISEI Miyabi) is one of the high-prestige lines of KOSE (their skincare lines divided into High-prestige and Prestige). And the only other global ambassador for high-prestige lines is Kate Moss. So Yuzu can be proud.

 

Prestige lines are mostly endorsed by Japanese actresses: Yui Aragaki, Keiko Kitagawa etc.

[rubyblue]

This is the main article for today on YOG official website:

https://www.lausanne2020.sport/en/news/figure-skating/japan_s_ice_dancers_nishiyama_and_yoshida_inspired_by_club_mate_hanyu

[ralucutzagy]

 

Awww ... so cuuuutee!!!

[Veveco]

 

[monchan]

  On 1/14/2020 at 4:21 AM, yumeaki said:

Global muse means we can start seeing his poster at all Kose counter worldwide? 

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No, only SEKKISEI stores (East Asia, SEA and USA), or duty-free shops at the airport, and only if they import this new line. But apparently KOSE's plan is to expand this line overseas, esp in Asia, I suppose we'll see his poster together with these series in SEKKISEI stores around Asia soon.

 

 

 

Product statement of SEKKISEI MYV in KOSE's official website:

SEKKISEI MYV
The aesthetics of traditional Japan. Advanced formula. SEKKISEI was born out of Japanese unique concept of aesthetics, “MIYAVI.” The goal is to achieve brighter and clearer skin tone that creates an elegant atmosphere. With the advanced formula to maximize the beneficial effect of Japanese and Chinese plants, SEKKISEI brings out the maximum brightness of your skin.

 

"The aesthetics of traditional Japan", "brighter and clearer skin tone that creates an elegant atmosphere", danggg like this product is the perfect embodiment of Yuzu! No doubt they call him a "muse" lol 

[Umebachi]

More from the amazing fanyu calligrapher, 紅鳳 (Koho) at kohoshodo.

 

軸 is "Jiku" in Japanese, meaning axis (e.g., of a jump or a spin) as well as "core" (as in the Pilates core).  Echo Cheng has interpreted it as an axle of the wheel of life.

 

In the tweet below, Kohoshodo asks: 

"Oh Hanyu-senshu! Why do Kanji characters fit you so perfectly?  It is just too amazing!"  

 

Kanji in the photos, from top left, clockwise: 夢　Yume -Dream; 舞　Mai -Dance;　躍進　Yakushin - Breakthrough;  魂　Tamashii - soul.

 

The character 躍 in Yakushin also means to dance （躍る‐　おどる　Odoru) in a special way, implying dancing with jumps and dynamism.  The kanji also appears in the word that means "dynamic".  The multi-dimensional aspects of kanji aesthetics are captured by this calligrapher. 

 

 

 

 

 

[Corina]

I’m not sure where I should be asking this question but I’m gonna give it a go here

Is there any place in new york city from where I can find yuzu magazines or something? Because in my country there is no chance of having anything related to him

I’m going to new york in march and I wondered if there is a chance I could find something there...

[yuzuangel]

  On 1/14/2020 at 7:41 PM, Corina said:

I’m not sure where I should be asking this question but I’m gonna give it a go here

Is there any place in new york city from where I can find yuzu magazines or something? Because in my country there is no chance of having anything related to him

I’m going to new york in march and I wondered if there is a chance I could find something there...

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There's a Kinokuniya that often has yuzu magazines

https://usa.kinokuniya.com/stores-kinokuniya-new-york

[rockstaryuzu]

  On 1/14/2020 at 5:30 AM, tuyettu said:

There are actually a lot of male stars/idols that got beauty contract in Korea and China. I am not sure about Japan though.

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Yes, but those brands  don't have global reach. I can even order Kose from Shopper's Drug Mart (Canadian chain) online. 

[Corina]

  On 1/14/2020 at 8:23 PM, yuzuangel said:

There's a Kinokuniya that often has yuzu magazines

https://usa.kinokuniya.com/stores-kinokuniya-new-york

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Omg thank you so much!