General Yuzuru Chat

[Kikooo]

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

[micaelis]

I've seen the video of the surprise visit Yuzu made.  For those who haven't one important thing should be kept in mind, and that is that the visit almost didn't take place.  In the car on its way to the school Yuzu was hesitant about visiting it.  He didn't want to awaken bad memories of the students there.  The city was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami.  Out of a population of slightly over a hundred thousand over 3500 lost their lives, meaning there was a good chance that every student there knew someone who had perished.  He decided to go ahead with it and perform the visit.  His identity had been kept secret from the students although the faculty knew.  When he entered the gym/auditorium and the students saw him there was an immediate screaming reaction of joy.  I have a feeling that that instant was when Yuzu realized the positive impact just his presence (as one of the most prominent of those who survived the quake/tsunami) could have.  I really think that that was when he realized that he could become an ambassador of hope for all those who were still seemingly without hope (many still are).  It is his consciously taking up of that role and his subsequent performances that elevated Yuzu above the role of being a mere athlete and I am certain that his performance repeatedly in that role was a critical subtext that made him a recipient of the Peoples Honor Award. 

 

We have to realize that there is an almost mythic quality to the story of Yuzu during those years.  Starting with his beginning to skate at the age of four, his decision to start competing by the time he was school age and his gradual though inexorable progress through the ranks, ending with his final year of junior competition where, in the words of one commentator "he won everything in sight" and then his progressing into senior ranks at the minimum allowed age of sixteen - that was the beginning of the myth.  Then there came his first significant senior medal where he took bronze at the 2012 World Championships, his first time as a contestant at worlds.  Then there were those very few years where he was seen as 'up and coming', those years where Takahashi was Japan's skating king.  Yet the signs were there of the future king.  Yuzu wasn't winning a great deal but he was already beginning to set records.  With PW he set a short program record and then later broke his own record.  Patrick Chan broke it (the only person in the historical records period to do so) but Yuzu reclaimed it two weeks later in the 2013 GPF and then at Sochi broke it yet again, at the same time topping the magic 100 points mark for the Short Program.  That season was Yuzu's breakout year where he took the GPF, the Olympics and the World Championship.  His image was even then taking on that mythic aura.  We have to remember that his gold at Sochi was the only gold any Japanese in any sport received that year.  He was totally in the spotlight but that aura of boyish innocence he projected made him someone the average Japanese could relate to.  Yuzu's life and achievements became a major storyline for the Japanese media.  Add to that his supreme good looks and the Japanese had what has become apparent over the years, their own very real superhero. 

 

The crowning achievements were threefold.  First was those two incredible weeks in 2015 where Yuzu, at the NHK and GPF, took complete control of the record books doing something without precedent in the history of men's figure skating.  There were the two significant defeats at Worlds 2015 and 2016, but there was the mythic element there that he was bested by his training mate.  Then the transcendent victory in Worlds 2017, where coming from behind he took the crown by turning in a record-setting free skate.  Then came the Olympic year, derailed by that fall seen around the world in that practice at NHK, forcing Yuzu's retirement (hopefully just temporarily) from competition.  There followed the incredible silence where nobody really knew whether he would ever skate again, much less make the Olympics.  There came bits and snippets of news telling a breathlessly awaiting fandom that he had finally returned to the ice, mere weeks before the Olympic competition.  The skating world awaited with bated breath.  The waiting was ended when he came to Pyeongyang, entering public view surrounded by uniformed security as if he was an arriving head of state.  An impromptu news conference followed, showing Yuzu's ability to instantly attract journalists from around the world (they weren't all Japanese there).  Following that were then his performances, where his legions of fans awaited to see their hero (not just the competitions but the practices also).  His short program didn't break the world record (which he held, by the way) but did set an Olympic record.  The world was able to see that Yuzu was in full form.  His free skate was enough to clinch the gold, though he faltered twice but never touched the ice along the way.  When it was finally apparent to him he had taken the gold we have those unforgettable images of him shedding tears (of joy, of relief, certainly not of sorrow).  His true stature as a hero was revealed there, for authentic heroes are capable of tears.  They would not be heroes otherwise.  Then followed the scenes of tearful joy with Javi and also Yuzu's efforts to keep Shoma involved, also.  He did not want Shoma left out.  He never has.  It seems to me Shoma is almost like a little brother to Yuzu (remember Yuzu crawling on hands and knees behind Shoma and out of sight of the journalists at a press conference).  There came also the revelation that Yuzu had skated while on painkillers, a fact which underlined the sheer determination he had to capture that second gold.

 

What has followed since then has all the making of the continuation of that legend.  A foe has arisen, one whose abilities are remarkable though not of the same scale and authenticity as Yuzu's are.  Everything seemed to be heading toward a showdown at World's 2020.  Fate, however, had other plans, and we are still wondering just how those plans are going to fulfill themselves.  Everything right now is veiled with uncertainty as an epoch-making natural event, this pandemic, has taken the spotlight everywhere from all the everyday concerns of human life.  Two champions await offstage preparing themselves for a showdown and the skating world awaits wondering if that showdown will actually ever occur.  If it does, we can see who will prevail.  Superheros may have kryptonite to contend with but in the end they always triumph.

[rockstaryuzu]

7 hours ago, Lunna said:

I wouldn't say that much easier, for drivers yes, but usually teams have a lot of personnel: team bosses, mangers, mechanics etc., marshals and safety personnel to work during the race, even if they cut the amount of people now (can't say for sure I don't follow closely noways only occasionally). Easier part is they mostly don't need to come back to "training" base.

I was thinking in terms of the amount of contact with people from outside of the team 'bubble' that's needed. A whole F1 team could more-or-less isolate together and then as long as they limit contact outside their 'bubble', they can still race. But for figure skating, it's a whole of individuals who have to come together from all over. For example, every judge comes from a different country, every athlete and coach comes from a different country, etc. So you can't 'bubble' in the same way. 

 

I think they key will be the judges and technical panel. If ISU can figure out a fair, transparent, and COVID-safe way for judging to happen, then international competitions could go ahead, even if the number of skaters is limited.

 

Another thought occurred to me, one which no one is going to like...but I thought that if worse comes to worst, they could take close-up video of skater's individual elements and judge each one as a standalone, then aggregate the scores to arrive at the standings. Then video the whole program to get an artistic score and add that in afterwards. 

 

Of course, if they did that Yuzu would win all, because for once they'd be forced to view his elements objectively and in isolation. It would probably shake up the women's standings rather a lot, though....

 

 

[Yuzu_legend]

hace 25 minutos , Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

Hi and welcome to Planet Hanyu!!! 

[FlyingCamel]

19 minutes ago, micaelis said:

I've seen the video of the surprise visit Yuzu made.  For those who haven't one important thing should be kept in mind, and that is that the visit almost didn't take place.  In the car on its way to the school Yuzu was hesitant about visiting it.  He didn't want to awaken bad memories of the students there.  The city was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami.  Out of a population of slightly over a hundred thousand over 3500 lost their lives, meaning there was a good chance that every student there knew someone who had perished.  He decided to go ahead with it and perform the visit.  His identity had been kept secret from the students although the faculty knew.  When he entered the gym/auditorium and the students saw him there was an immediate screaming reaction of joy.  I have a feeling that that instant was when Yuzu realized the positive impact just his presence (as one of the most prominent of those who survived the quake/tsunami) could have.  I really think that that was when he realized that he could become an ambassador of hope for all those who were still seemingly without hope (many still are).  It is his consciously taking up of that role and his subsequent performances that elevated Yuzu above the role of being a mere athlete and I am certain that his performance repeatedly in that role was a critical subtext that made him a recipient of the Peoples Honor Award. 

 

We have to realize that there is an almost mythic quality to the story of Yuzu during those years.  Starting with his beginning to skate at the age of four, his decision to start competing by the time he was school age and his gradual though inexorable progress through the ranks, ending with his final year of junior competition where, in the words of one commentator "he won everything in sight" and then his progressing into senior ranks at the minimum allowed age of sixteen - that was the beginning of the myth.  Then there came his first significant senior medal where he took bronze at the 2012 World Championships, his first time as a contestant at worlds.  Then there were those very few years where he was seen as 'up and coming', those years where Takahashi was Japan's skating king.  Yet the signs were there of the future king.  Yuzu wasn't winning a great deal but he was already beginning to set records.  With PW he set a short program record and then later broke his own record.  Patrick Chan broke it (the only person in the historical records period to do so) but Yuzu reclaimed it two weeks later in the 2013 GPF and then at Sochi broke it yet again, at the same time topping the magic 100 points mark for the Short Program.  That season was Yuzu's breakout year where he took the GPF, the Olympics and the World Championship.  His image was even then taking on that mythic aura.  We have to remember that his gold at Sochi was the only gold any Japanese in any sport received that year.  He was totally in the spotlight but that aura of boyish innocence he projected made him someone the average Japanese could relate to.  Yuzu's life and achievements became a major storyline for the Japanese media.  Add to that his supreme good looks and the Japanese had what has become apparent over the years, their own very real superhero. 

 

The crowning achievements were threefold.  First was those two incredible weeks in 2015 where Yuzu, at the NHK and GPF, took complete control of the record books doing something without precedent in the history of men's figure skating.  There were the two significant defeats at Worlds 2015 and 2016, but there was the mythic element there that he was bested by his training mate.  Then the transcendent victory in Worlds 2017, where coming from behind he took the crown by turning in a record-setting free skate.  Then came the Olympic year, derailed by that fall seen around the world in that practice at NHK, forcing Yuzu's retirement (hopefully just temporarily) from competition.  There followed the incredible silence where nobody really knew whether he would ever skate again, much less make the Olympics.  There came bits and snippets of news telling a breathlessly awaiting fandom that he had finally returned to the ice, mere weeks before the Olympic competition.  The skating world awaited with bated breath.  The waiting was ended when he came to Pyeongyang, entering public view surrounded by uniformed security as if he was an arriving head of state.  An impromptu news conference followed, showing Yuzu's ability to instantly attract journalists from around the world (they weren't all Japanese there).  Following that were then his performances, where his legions of fans awaited to see their hero (not just the competitions but the practices also).  His short program didn't break the world record (which he held, by the way) but did set an Olympic record.  The world was able to see that Yuzu was in full form.  His free skate was enough to clinch the gold, though he faltered twice but never touched the ice along the way.  When it was finally apparent to him he had taken the gold we have those unforgettable images of him shedding tears (of joy, of relief, certainly not of sorrow).  His true stature as a hero was revealed there, for authentic heroes are capable of tears.  They would not be heroes otherwise.  Then followed the scenes of tearful joy with Javi and also Yuzu's efforts to keep Shoma involved, also.  He did not want Shoma left out.  He never has.  It seems to me Shoma is almost like a little brother to Yuzu (remember Yuzu crawling on hands and knees behind Shoma and out of sight of the journalists at a press conference).  There came also the revelation that Yuzu had skated while on painkillers, a fact which underlined the sheer determination he had to capture that second gold.

 

What has followed since then has all the making of the continuation of that legend.  A foe has arisen, one whose abilities are remarkable though not of the same scale and authenticity as Yuzu's are.  Everything seemed to be heading toward a showdown at World's 2020.  Fate, however, had other plans, and we are still wondering just how those plans are going to fulfill themselves.  Everything right now is veiled with uncertainty as an epoch-making natural event, this pandemic, has taken the spotlight everywhere from all the everyday concerns of human life.  Two champions await offstage preparing themselves for a showdown and the skating world awaits wondering if that showdown will actually ever occur.  If it does, we can see who will prevail.  Superheros may have kryptonite to contend with but in the end they always triumph.

 

Yuzuru's life story is really incredible and exciting, almost like a story. So much so that we all agreed before his story may even be considered too dramatic for an anime/manga. But can I just add... you are an incredible writer!! 

I wish someday someone can make a movie about him (although, which actor can play him??). And what would the movie be called? Blue Flames? The Absolute Champion? 

[Geo1]

42 minutes ago, Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

 

Welcome to Planet Hanyu! How did you find out about Yuzu and how did you become his fan?

[Hope_and_Legacy]

1 hour ago, Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

Hi there! Welcome, and you don't need to feel worried.  I've not been a member for very long, and I was nervous and unsure when I first joined, but in very little time this place became very comfortable and homely to me! How long have you known Yuzu? 

 

P.S. Here is a page that will help you get more used to the Planet. I hope this helps! 

[rockstaryuzu]

1 hour ago, Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

Welcome! 

[FlyingCamel]

1 hour ago, Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

Welcome!! Hope you like it here 

[EternalSpin]

2 hours ago, Kikooo said:

Hello I'm new here. I don't know how to interact at first so this is my very first comment hehehe

Hello and welcome! 

[Kikooo]

3 hours ago, Yuzu_legend said:

Hi and welcome to Planet Hanyu!!! 

Hii thank you so muchhhh

[Kikooo]

3 hours ago, Geo1 said:

 

Welcome to Planet Hanyu! How did you find out about Yuzu and how did you become his fan?

Hii thank youuu. I was on youtube and suddenly Yuzu's video when he crash with anither skater back in COC 2014 appeared on. I just fell in love right away from how elegance his fall and his hardworking side

Anyway thank you so much for asking. Nice to know youu

[rockstaryuzu]

1 minute ago, Kikooo said:

I was on youtube and suddenly Yuzu's video when he crash with anither skater back in COC 2014 appeared on

Oh my gosh, that one? That video always makes me cry, it's the most traumatic video of him...so glad he recovered from that. 

[Kikooo]

2 hours ago, Hope_and_Legacy said:

Hi there! Welcome, and you don't need to feel worried.  I've not been a member for very long, and I was nervous and unsure when I first joined, but in very little time this place became very comfortable and homely to me! How long have you known Yuzu? 

 

P.S. Here is a page that will help you get more used to the Planet. I hope this helps! 

Hellooo. It's been more than a year but I've just really fallin hard for him this quarantine period😭

Yea I was really nervous and confused at the first time so I just like people posts here hehehe

Anyway thank you so much for the suggest, really help a lot💖

[Kikooo]

2 hours ago, FlyingCamel said:

Welcome!! Hope you like it here 

Yeaa thank you so muchhh. I get the suggestion from tumblr that planethanyu is the best source to get info and learn about Yuzu💖💖

1 hour ago, EternalSpin said:

Hello and welcome! 

Helloooo and thank youuu💖