General Yuzuru Chat

[tafattsbarn]

On 2/23/2020 at 11:26 AM, MatchaBeans said:

Sorry this is slightly off-topic,

 

I'd like to create some GIF content of Yuzu.

 

Does anyone know of any free but decent online websites that can create GIF from videos (ideally without watermark)? Thanks!

 

I know this is very late, but i usually think ezgif gets the job done well. 

 

https://ezgif.com/ 

[memae]

17 hours ago, river said:

One of my coworkers fell down the Yuzu-watching rabbit hole until midnight last night - now she keeps popping into my office to show me pictures she likes so I can tell her what my favorite version of that program is to watch. She keeps going "but the way he moves...." So far over lunch we've watched 4CC Ballade, GPF LGC, and Worlds R&J 1.0. This is easily the most fun I've had at work in a while.

 

(She also framed a picture of Etude and put it on my desk to find this morning... I think the bug bit her hard.)

 

I had some small groups in my last school's reading program for a few months and we read a couple of articles about Yuzu and the Poohs so I could justify watching some of his programs in class time. You know, for building understanding of context and all 

Kids love him without knowing anything about skating. They were so impressed  by Origin at WC 19 and so outraged Nathan Chen won (just 'because' in kid terms - like they literally have no understanding of scoring or the elements or anything or the impact from 4S snaking in the short). Thank you Yuzu for making even boring reading programs enjoyable  

[glilikoi]

@Umebachi thank you for writing so clearly and comprehensively about this, it really is a very complicated discourse surrounding the flag.

 

As someone who is aware of this history and generally wary of nationalism, I also have mixed feelings about people showing reverence to the flag etc. including when Yuzu does it. I think this is a big cultural difference, especially between US/Canada and many other countries (I'm not Japanese but we have similar discourses in many European countries). I've noticed that North American people often make it a big deal and comment positively when athletes do things like display a flag or treat it with respect (like what Keegan did for Yuzu back in ACI). But for people from other backgrounds, it can seem more complicated and not something you should just celebrate as if it's uncritically the 'right thing' to do. It just comes off as a bit tone deaf to me, but that's because I have a different background. 

 

Anyway, to the point - although I also feel kind of uncomfortable about flag-waving, I understand that for Yuzu, it's probably just another way to express respect and gratitude. He's always stressing how grateful he is for being able to perform, to compete, to represent his country etc. And I think that's all there really is to it. I also think this is the kind of situation where he can't really win - if he would act in an indifferent/hostile way about the flag and Kimigayo, then people would attack him for that, and if he acts earnestly, then that attracts criticism too (like what happened with Kamakura FM). He's just trying his best. In any case, I think it's clear from all of Yuzu's interactions with people from foreign countries, how he asked Shae-Lynn to choreograph Seimei etc. that it's not like he holds any exclusionary nationalist views - and suggesting that is just silly and malicious. No matter what he does, he'll always get criticised. But at the end of the day, I think it's clear that he's an exceptionally open and empathetic person. 

[memae]

13 hours ago, Umebachi said:

 

  Hide contents

His stories from that time made me strongly distrust flag-worshipping and singing of kimigayo, even though as a nation we have undergone democratic transformation (sort of) and the flag does not mean imperialism anymore. It's hard to undo the feelings that I inherited from my father, but in recent years my feelings have somewhat mellowed although I still disdain the ultra-nationalists who still go around waving the flag and blasting war songs around town.  So perhaps you will forgive me if I admit to having a mixed feeling when I watch Hanyu-senshu singing kimigayo and treating our flag with reverence, not because of his own actions which are pure and honourable, but because it reminds me how much this would be pleasing to those ultra-nationalists.  Yet I could never have imagined this would end up in the opposite direction in the crazy world of anti-fanyus, with this imbecile DJ talking trash about Hanyu-senshu and equating him to those horrific ultra-nationalists!

 

   

 

I think that a lot of people across the world are looking back at history more openly and finding they have some level of unease for their country's flag. I feel that way about the Australian flag and about Australia. In a way, I'm patriotic - not in that I think we're the greatest and that my love for my country is perfect and unconditional, but I want us to be better and better and better. I do love my country - so when our government does terrible things (our whole refugee travesty for one) I get furious because I expect better from and for my country. I don't like our flag because it represents ideas of Australia as a new country on 'discovered' land when we know that our first nations had tens of thousands of years of history before Australia even existed. But I don't hate our athletes for being proud to have our flag flown when they do well. They're representing our country and that's the flag they're doing it under - there's absolutely an appropriate context for it or for Yuzu skating around with the Japanese flag while the other medalists skate around with theirs. There isn't really much they can do in those moments without being disrespectful to their country, supporters, sport, etc. There was huge uproar 20 years ago when Cathy Freeman did her victory lap at the Olympics with the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag.  She had BOTH of them. It's not like she chose the Aboriginal flag over the Australian flag. Imagine if Yuzuru wasn't so respectful with the flag. I bet people would have more to say about that than the way he treats it so carefully. And I guarantee that if he had another country's flag in his hands for whatever reason, he'd treat it respectfully too. 

 

 I feel uneasy when I see Australian flags flying in people's yards any old day of the year. That screams to me of a sense of nationalism that is likely to be problematic. Those ultra-nationalists would probably be super careful to fold flags and not let them touch the ground etc if they knew other people were watching, just to make a display of how patriotic they think they are. I'm pretty sure, judging by Yuzuru's character, he acts the same way whether there's people and cameras around or not simply because he's a good egg. It's so insulting that people read into his actions being ultra-nationalist when he's just doing his job as a representative of his country and being thoughtful in how he does it. 

[rubyblue]

23 minutes ago, memae said:

 

I think that a lot of people across the world are looking back at history more openly and finding they have some level of unease for their country's flag.

Yes, in my country (Poland) national flag as well as emblem are also very often appropriated to expose extremely nationalist (and xenophobic) views by some groups of people but it never occurred to me to perceive domestic athletes - who celebrate their victory singing national anthem and showing respect to the flag - the same way. It's completely different context and completely different energy or pattern of pathriotism those examples represent. 

 

 

[FlyingCamel]

❤️

[cereus]

3 hours ago, memae said:

And I guarantee that if he had another country's flag in his hands for whatever reason, he'd treat it respectfully too.

 

 

Or even when another country's flag is in someone else's hands....

 

Ensuring the Japanese flags don't cover the US flag:

 

 

Yuzu adjusting the national flag for Boyang!😭 How can he be so nice and so considerate all the time??❤️😭 #YuzuruHanyu #HanyuYuzuru #羽生結弦 pic.twitter.com/IoJhmvskxf

— 小小🎀 (@Xiaoxiao_Leslie) May 5, 2017

[rubyblue]

11 minutes ago, cereus said:

3 hours ago, memae said:

And I guarantee that if he had another country's flag in his hands for whatever reason, he'd treat it respectfully too.

 

 

Or even when another country's flag is in someone else's hands....

Frankly speaking (I hope it won't offend anybodie's feelings) he shows similar attitude even to his pooh-towel (folding it carefully) any many, many other things. He just treats people, objects and symbols with care, that's his manner. Shows the same level of respect and attention towards his rivals, to the ice, to coaches, to the audience, to the pooh, to his costumes, to mascots etc. 

 

[Umebachi]

What an interesting discussion!   I realize now that Yuzu's performance during Sochi made me proud with pure joy - unsullied by any of the mixed feelings toward the flag - and be able to sing kimigayo without feeling ashamed.  His care toward the flag has none of the prideful and egotistical gesture, and his genuine respect toward all the others has helped to make me see our flag as a member of the global community.  He has certainly helped me getting over the stigma of the war and the shame of it all, even though I was not personally involved.  I have only become aware now, after much reflection, how much this feeling had colored the earlier years of my life and it took Yuzu to wipe it clean.  Truly he is the modern-day Onmyoji! 

[rockstaryuzu]

3 hours ago, rubyblue said:

Yes, in my country (Poland) national flag as well as emblem are also very often appropriated to expose extremely nationalist (and xenophobic) views by some groups of people but it never occurred to me to perceive domestic athletes - who celebrate their victory singing national anthem and showing respect to the flag - the same way. It's completely different context and completely different energy or pattern of pathriotism those examples represent. 

 

 

I agree. The context matters. 

 

 

[peach-blossom]

17 hours ago, Umebachi said:

Recently, there was a twitter storm in Japan over inappropriate comments made by a DJ "personality" on Kamakura FM radio.  I hesitated to mention it here because it involves an infamous Japanese anti-fanyu, but I thought I should share that there was a positive resolution to this, with leaders of Kamakura city council finally coming to their senses and banishing this "personality" from the station .  A hopeful sign that social decency and resilience is still alive and well in some corners of Japan and capable of vanquishing hate.  More details under the spoiler. 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

It is well-known among the Japanese fanyus that a DJ on Kamakura FM who often spouted anti-fanyu sentiments.  This personality stepped over the line recently when he made comments on Twitter that went viral, which went along the lines of equating Hanyu-senshu with a certain German autocrat from WW2 - the ultimate mother of all slanders.  The background to this hateful talk is that this DJ disliked Yuzu for showing patriotism by singing Kimigayo and showing reverence to the flag, which reminded him of the ultra-right wing nationalists (yes, we have them, too).  But it's not just the ultra-nationalists, but the left-wing groups in Japan also feel a bit uncomfortable about our flag.  

  

For those who are not familiar with this aspect of our recent history:  among the more liberal wing of Japanese political sphere during the post-war Showa era, there is a strong distrust toward flag waving and reverence for the national anthem.  The Japanese Teacher's Union is famous for being a strong proponent of this anti-flag sentiment and has clashed with the conservatives on these issues.  I must admit I share this mixed feeling about our flag,  which requires some explanation.  My father was born in the Taisho era (b.1913) at the height of the "liberal" era (he was a typical "Mo-Bo" = modern boy of the era) and he studied economics, English, Spanish and French, and served as a young Japanese diplomat in Washington DC just before the war (1937-1938).  As a junior diplomat, he was mentored by Ambassador Saito, who is well-known to have been close to President Roosevelt, and had worked hard to avert war - literally worked himself to death and expired on the job (he had throat cancer but exhaustion played a big part).  In honour of the Ambassador,  Roosevelt sent back his body on a US naval frigate with full honours (from Norfolk VA), and my father was one of the pallbearers (NHK filmed the body being carried onto the frigate, and my grandmother later saw her son on the news reel and shed many tears, according to my aunties.)    

As you well know,  war happened despite their efforts.  My father fortunately survived, or I wouldn't be here on the Planet!  Having lived through the worst effects of ultra-nationalism-gone-beserk and having had to serve under that military regime (where anyone speaking enemy languages was suspect), my father has instilled in us a strong anti-war sentiment. His stories from that time made me strongly distrust flag-worshipping and singing of kimigayo, even though as a nation we have undergone democratic transformation (sort of) and the flag does not mean imperialism anymore. It's hard to undo the feelings that I inherited from my father, but in recent years my feelings have somewhat mellowed although I still disdain the ultra-nationalists who still go around waving the flag and blasting war songs around town.  So perhaps you will forgive me if I admit to having a mixed feeling when I watch Hanyu-senshu singing kimigayo and treating our flag with reverence, not because of his own actions which are pure and honourable, but because it reminds me how much this would be pleasing to those ultra-nationalists.  Yet I could never have imagined this would end up in the opposite direction in the crazy world of anti-fanyus, with this imbecile DJ talking trash about Hanyu-senshu and equating him to those horrific ultra-nationalists!

Anyway, the good news is that the head of the Kamakura City Council stepped in (on twitter) to express his deep distress toward the disrespect shown toward a certain remarkable athlete from Tohoku, and how much he admired this athlete who is giving hope  to people suffering from all kinds of terrible experiences.  This was followed up by an official apology from the head of Kamakura FM, announcing the dismissal of the DJ and how a municipal FM (supported by local taxes) must remain open to feedback from its community and not spread toxic messages.   So for now, this story has a happy ending.

   

Thank you for posting such a concise and well articulated summary of what happened. 

 

Spoiler

I have complex feelings about this whole situation, because a lot of right wing nationalism is currently occupying the centre stage in my country. National flags represent many things, both good and bad. But I don’t think there’s any reason to criticise an athlete for showing respect to their home country via the flag. I think Yuzu’s situation is such that no matter what he does, there will be people who nitpick his actions. I hope he’s able to peacefully prepare for worlds without being affected by all this.

 

 

[Henni147]

4 hours ago, memae said:

 

I think that a lot of people across the world are looking back at history more openly and finding they have some level of unease for their country's flag. I feel that way about the Australian flag and about Australia. In a way, I'm patriotic - not in that I think we're the greatest and that my love for my country is perfect and unconditional, but I want us to be better and better and better. I do love my country - so when our government does terrible things (our whole refugee travesty for one) I get furious because I expect better from and for my country. I don't like our flag because it represents ideas of Australia as a new country on 'discovered' land when we know that our first nations had tens of thousands of years of history before Australia even existed. But I don't hate our athletes for being proud to have our flag flown when they do well. They're representing our country and that's the flag they're doing it under - there's absolutely an appropriate context for it or for Yuzu skating around with the Japanese flag while the other medalists skate around with theirs. There isn't really much they can do in those moments without being disrespectful to their country, supporters, sport, etc. There was huge uproar 20 years ago when Cathy Freeman did her victory lap at the Olympics with the Aboriginal flag and the Australian flag.  She had BOTH of them. It's not like she chose the Aboriginal flag over the Australian flag. Imagine if Yuzuru wasn't so respectful with the flag. I bet people would have more to say about that than the way he treats it so carefully. And I guarantee that if he had another country's flag in his hands for whatever reason, he'd treat it respectfully too. 

 

 I feel uneasy when I see Australian flags flying in people's yards any old day of the year. That screams to me of a sense of nationalism that is likely to be problematic. Those ultra-nationalists would probably be super careful to fold flags and not let them touch the ground etc if they knew other people were watching, just to make a display of how patriotic they think they are. I'm pretty sure, judging by Yuzuru's character, he acts the same way whether there's people and cameras around or not simply because he's a good egg. It's so insulting that people read into his actions being ultra-nationalist when he's just doing his job as a representative of his country and being thoughtful in how he does it. 

 

This is a bit OT, but I can share some special personal experiences with flags and anthems:

Spoiler

 

Here in Germany it's still common to see flags on the balcony, on cars or in the backyard of private houses. They are mostly remains of soccer world cups or European championships, where people buy national flags on masse. On my way to work I still can see German, Italian, Polish, Turkish and Serbian flags in multiple streets. It might be that in individual cases there is some nationalistic intention behind it, but in 99% of the cases it's really just the usual soccer fandom thing and everyone's okay with it.

 

Last year we watched the world aquatics championships with friends from Hungary together. When Milák Kristóf won the gold medal, they raised up from the couch in our living room, put their hand on their chest and sang the Hungarian national anthem along the lines of the live broadcast. It was quite unusual, but not in a negative way at all. I think, in sports it's just normal to be proud of your country and your country's successful athletes. I would make a clear cut between national affiliation and celebration in sports on the one hand and political nationalism on the other.

 

EDIT: That's why politics and national bias shouldn't have ANY place in sports and judging at all.

 

 

I think, Yuzu treats this topic in a smart way and I hope that he doesn't change his view and rituals because of inappropriate accusations like this.

[rockstaryuzu]

13 minutes ago, Umebachi said:

What an interesting discussion!   I realize now that Yuzu's performance during Sochi made me proud with pure joy - unsullied by any of the mixed feelings toward the flag - and be able to sing kimigayo without feeling ashamed.  His care toward the flag has none of the prideful and egotistical gesture, and his genuine respect toward all the others has helped to make me see our flag as a member of the global community.  He has certainly helped me getting over the stigma of the war and the shame of it all, even though I was not personally involved.  I have only become aware now, after much reflection, how much this feeling had colored the earlier years of my life and it took Yuzu to wipe it clean.  Truly he is the modern-day Onmyoji! 

 this brought tears to my eyes. I'm so happy for you. 

 

And here's why: 

Spoiler

No one should ever have to feel ashamed for loving their homeland. It's a natural human emotion. Most countries in the world have horrid injustices and failures of humanity in their past. As long as one is willing to work towards addressing/ redressing those, and acknowledge that they happened, one need not be uneasy about having a little national pride. 

I agree that Yuzu would be just as respectful to another country's flag as to his own. 

[Sombreuil]

The Union Jack was and is used by the far right in the UK - that and the tourist industry.  It can make one uncomfortable, especially if one is half Irish/Scots/Welsh with all the problems of the union.  I feel it, to the extent that when I was car hunting I didn’t consider for long the best value car in the first batch I saw which was a very nice mini at an excellent price but unfortunately plastered with the flag.  I don’t have a problem with it in it’s correct place and I think as long as the Olympics etc use nationality as a way of badging competitors athletics is one of those correct places.  I think Yuzuru gets it about right.  I felt extremely sorry for Gabby Douglas when US social media gave her hell for not (in their view ) adequately saluting the flag on the women’s gymnastics team podium - I don’t imagine Japanese media would be any nicer to Yuzuru if they decided to draw the same conclusion about him.

[SitTwizzle]

1 hour ago, Umebachi said:

What an interesting discussion!   I realize now that Yuzu's performance during Sochi made me proud with pure joy - unsullied by any of the mixed feelings toward the flag - and be able to sing kimigayo without feeling ashamed.  His care toward the flag has none of the prideful and egotistical gesture, and his genuine respect toward all the others has helped to make me see our flag as a member of the global community.  He has certainly helped me getting over the stigma of the war and the shame of it all, even though I was not personally involved.  I have only become aware now, after much reflection, how much this feeling had colored the earlier years of my life and it took Yuzu to wipe it clean.  Truly he is the modern-day Onmyoji! 

I am so happy for you, because Japanese flag has such a long history, it is not related only to a difficult period in your country's history. Every country have its difficult periods in history, some more exposed than others.