General Yuzuru Chat

[EisElle]

@sweetwater thanks for the clarification for Nishikawa campain

 

as for fan art being sold, opinion

Spoiler

Like many things in fandom spaces, there's a grey zone, where something might not be entirely(or at all)legal but is kind of tolerated.

Some companies are stricter than others, and I'd guess it would also depend on the sensibility and legislation of the single nations.

 

It would also depend on how transformative the work is, and who's selling it and what kind of profit they are making.

e.g. obscure fanartists selling a few keychains with their signature chibi drawings of Yuzuru are different matter compared to a big brand or a magazine or even just a very reknown blog (say, TrashLesson) slapping his pic on their items.

Not so long ago, there was that one skating mag that apparently had used Shoma's pic withut authorization, but I don't know how it ended. Last I heard, they were claiming they owned the right to the pics they used.

(Which makes me wonder how things work between professional photographers, event organizers, fed and skaters: If a magazine buys a photographers' pic taken in competition, they only have the right to print the image or can they also use it for merch? Can photographers themselves use it for merch? Or do the skater, or their feds, still have rights over the pic? and what kind of rights?)

 

Even without thinking about Peyton, there's Liam Cross with his (gorgeous)prints. His work is pretty reknown in the FS word, and afaik he's still selling without much issues. True, one might think skaters would be unwilling to tell him to stop, especially since he's Aljona's husband, but if anyone, in the whole skating world, had issues with his activity, they could have said something (Liam has Shoma's prints too, so I'm guessing that his agent has no issue with that).

 

Back to Yuzu,  and trying to set aside the emotion argument (most fanwork is labour of love first): are the fanartists who sell their work (dolls, pins, embroidery, stickers, washi tape...) damaging Yuzuru, his income, his image? Not from what I can see. And I am no Yuzu, but based on his non-action, he probably is willing to let things be.

If Yuzu had his own official shop (I think ZhenyaMedvedeva has something like that, she has launched her own merch), then a case could be made that fanartists selling similar products were "taking away" part of his sales.

But he doesn't have his own shop, his own official merch. There's only the merch linked to ice shows and exhibitions and the few products linked to his sponsors' campains (not on sale on their own, available only for a limited time, often not even accessible from abroad). If fans keep buying all of these other products, then personally I don't see selling Yuzu-inspired fanworsk as something inherenthly disrespectful or exploitative

Though I would consider it very exploitative if someone who showed no respect for Yuzuru sold Yuzu-inspired merch

 

 

 

7 hours ago, TallyT said:

 

WE HAVE A DATE!

I guess that will count as our September update too. Crossing fingers for audio message, pics or a White Wall vid (maybe even all of them, if we truly hit the jackpot). Pretty sure media are dying as much as us for a glimpse of the ceremony

 

5 hours ago, sweetwater said:

I think not every Japanese looks good in kimono or hakama. Because most of us don't wear them daily, so we don't know much about how to move in them or to handle them. It is said that people with sloped shoulders and a long neck look good in kimonos, so Yuzu may be gifted for wearing kimonos. But I think his awareness about his posture, the ability to control his body, and his attention to details are helping him looking so good here.

The impression Yuzuru gives me is of calm and dignity, steadiness. He just looks very reliable and assured and but not in an obnoxious or aggressive way

(then I remember the fan slipping from his hand Yuzu doing the most adorable uwu face LOL)

[FlyingCamel]

Regarding Yuzu looking amazing in traditional clothing, Shinzo Abe agrees too!! According to this post, Shinzo Abe said he looks good in anything he wears ☺️
 

 

 

[barbara]

40 minutes ago, Henni147 said:

 

Thank you so much! This is exactly the source I needed.

 

I created a draft on wikiquote following their (very strict) layout and quotation guidelines. For me the most important thing is that both the original wording and the translations are correct and accurate.

I haven't published the draft yet (with only 3 quotes it's a bit poor at this point), but I think, with everyone's help it could turn into something promising.

 

  Hide contents

 

One my my very favorite compilation videos is chock full of quotes, though only one in English at the very end. I had forgotten that he is mostly speaking Japanese and that it has subtitles-maybe because I've watched it so many times, and also typed out, for myself, the translations.  I don't know if it's all from an interview attached with Continue with Wings, but others might know where the audio comes from and, possibly, offer up their own translations. Wonderful stuff.

 

[Anni]

On 8/31/2020 at 6:54 AM, barbara said:

I don't know if this has been posted before - but I think it really shows something so special. Jeff is a really great skater and a wonderful choreographer, but seeing the two of them skating together, it's so easy to see how Yuzu elevates everything. His aesthetic take on all of Jeff's moves is magical.

 

 

 

I found this 💕

 

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Henni147 said:

 

Do you think, it's a good idea?

 

 

  

 

[rockstaryuzu]

5 hours ago, LadyLou said:

WE HAVE A DATE!

I guess that will count as our September update too. Crossing fingers for audio message, pics or a White Wall vid (maybe even all of them, if we truly hit the jackpot). Pretty sure media are dying as much as us for a glimpse of the ceremony

 

I don't know if Waseda is doing virtual or an in-person ceremony, but one of the unintended good consequences of the pandemic is that Yuzu will be in Japan for his graduation and able to celebrate with his family close by, which is a wonderful thing, and good for him.

 

 

[icequeen]

Made a quick video of some of Yuzus 4lz attempts in both practice and competition. It's a shame he's only done it three times in competition, I think his 4lz is one of, is not the, best.

 

[yuzuangel]

1 hour ago, icequeen said:

Made a quick video of some of Yuzus 4lz attempts in both practice and competition. It's a shame he's only done it three times in competition, I think his 4lz is one of, is not the, best.

 

Thanks for the video! And I totally agree! When he does land this jump I think it's one of the most aesthetically pleasing, technically flawless, gravity-and-logic-defying jumps out there. His lutz just has this obvious "counter-rotation" feel that most other lutzes don't have to me...and that makes the jump seem impossible lol. Kolyada's, when he lands it, is also very very good and achieves superhuman height so it rivals but I like Yuzu's takeoff and air position better. I can't think of any other 4Lz that is as good. (Boyang's is relatively consistent as far as 4Lzes go so deserves to be mentioned as well.) A well-landed 4Lz like the one Yuzu did in the GPF FS is arguably my favorite jump of his.

[Songster01]

23 hours ago, Old Cat Lady said:

[snip]

 

btw, do you think it is unethical to buy fanart? There's someone on Facebook that makes these adorable Yuzu dolls and I want to offer to buy some but I think it's illegal since it uses his image and obviously I would offer enough to compensate for the time she put into making it, which means she'd be making a profit. However, this isn't taking any income away from Yuzu himself. But I guess there's a danger of encouraging selling his image...  okay, I suppose I kind of know that this might be shady but I really, really want one    ... on the other hand, is it any different than Elizabeth Peyton making money off of her Yuzu paintings?

 

In these cases I find the lawyers who volunteer for the Organization of Transformative Works, who have been asked to testify before Congressional committees and are consulted for articles on the legality of fanworks, very helpful: https://io9.gizmodo.com/are-fan-fiction-and-fan-art-legal-5933976

 

In short, I'd ask questions like: is the work actively and substantially harming the market?  For example, is there some official company selling dolls of Yuzuru in North America (or is accessible to NA consumers) for profit that fan-made Yuzuru dolls would seriously harm?  If you go to a skating event do you typically find official images or art of skaters for sale?  How about dolls or banners?  At most, I've seen trade cards or sheets handed out for free by Edea, etc.  I've only seen fed/event merch which features the artistic design of the event, but not the skaters in the fed. At least that is the case at events in Canada I've been to.  In addition, is the artist is just recouping their costs, or trying to make a substantial profit?  Most fanartists I personally know charge for labour/materials (if applicable) and shipping (if applicable), but don't make a profit.  And many artists tend to undercharge if anything when it comes to rates.  I do know of shady people who steal commercial and fanart and then pretend it's theirs and charge for it, which is reprehensible.  In that case one would alert the creator, who could initiate a takedown order (if possible, not all companies will pay attention to foreign requests).

 

Personally, I have had banners made for various skaters, for which I was charged for labour and shipping.  I also commissioned a fanartist friend make a pic of Masquerade!Yuzuru and got her permission to make it into a badge to gift to other Yuzuru fans, which I gave out at ACI as gifts.  This friend just charges flat rates for art based on b/w vs. color and labour (a quick black and white sketch does not require the same effort as an elaborate full-colour portrait).  I would be frankly surprised if a) those banners or badges (or those dolls) were harming the market or making their creators even comfortably well off, so unless the doll maker is making substantial profits/is clearly stealing official merchandise/other's work, I don't see that Yuzuru or the people running ice shows/fs competitions are being harmed. 

 

Commissioning banners and that piece of fanart didn't stop me from getting tickets to events near me that included Yuzuru, nor did it stop me from buying official fs magazines from Japan on Amazon/CD Japan.  If I was ever lucky enough to go to a show with Yuzuru, I would definitely shell out for official merch if it was sold.  If competitions here started selling official Yuzu merch I'd go for that (and other skaters' merch too). 

 

[Ladysci]

Thank you @sweetwater for giving us the correct details about the Nishikawa campaign and it is like the clear file campaign they had a while ago.  Although the merchandise is still expensive, you have the choice of buying it or not with full knowledge of whether your Yuzu campaign good is available and you can choose to order or not, which is fair enough.

 

For those of you who are curious about the other campaign, the Sekkesei Miyabi Yuzu mirror "give away", I accessed their site to see what the conditions are to get this gift. Basically you need a Yahoo Japan account and you make a reservation at your local department store, which has a Miyabi counter. That means you need a Japanese phone number and be in Japan. You pick a specific time and date to show up at the store to order your qualifying goods with id and reservation number (on your mobile) in tow or the store will call you on the date and time of your reservation so you can order and have it sent out to you.  Sounds like when you buy tickets . You can access the price list before you try to make a reservation and they will stop taking them if the gift runs out. Must say the prices are not for the faint of heart : they are about twice (like SKII in case your familiar with that line) that of the their other line MYV, which you can also order instead of Miyabi to get the mirror. After the campaign ends, if there are any mirrors left, they will have another campaign with the remaining.

 

I'm sitting here waiting for the typhoon (no. 9) to skirt my area today, but a much bigger one will head straight through this coming weekend.  We definitely don't need anymore rain, but what's a few 100 mm or more . At least it gives me lots of time for desk work and lots of times to watch Masquerade several more times and other Yuzu vids too . Anyone else out there in the typhoon zone?

[sweetwater]

10 hours ago, Henni147 said:

 

Thank you so much! This is exactly the source I needed.

 

I created a draft on wikiquote following their (very strict) layout and quotation guidelines. For me the most important thing is that both the original wording and the translations are correct and accurate.

I haven't published the draft yet (with only 3 quotes it's a bit poor at this point), but I think, with everyone's help it could turn into something promising.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I am glad if I could help you 

Regarding the Wikiquote, I misread your post and thought you were talking about creating a wiki dedicated to his famous quotes on this planet. If you are going to make a page on English Wikiquote, I am not sure about using fan translations like mine. I checked Yui Aragaki and Chiaki Kuriyama's pages, for example, but their quotes were excerpts from English articles. I guess the quotes on Wikiquote should be something official, and if it is a translation, you need to be able to provide info as to who can take responsibility for the translation as well? I don't look up Wikiquote so often, so sorry if I am mistaken.

But it would be convenient if there is a page you can look up his interesting quotes and their sources. It's fun to search and discuss each time as well, but sometimes it is tough since there are so many quotes, sources, and translations...

[sweetwater]

3 hours ago, Ladysci said:

Thank you @sweetwater for giving us the correct details about the Nishikawa campaign and it is like the clear file campaign they had a while ago.  Although the merchandise is still expensive, you have the choice of buying it or not with full knowledge of whether your Yuzu campaign good is available and you can choose to order or not, which is fair enough.

 

For those of you who are curious about the other campaign, the Sekkesei Miyabi Yuzu mirror "give away", I accessed their site to see what the conditions are to get this gift. Basically you need a Yahoo Japan account and you make a reservation at your local department store, which has a Miyabi counter. That means you need a Japanese phone number and be in Japan. You pick a specific time and date to show up at the store to order your qualifying goods with id and reservation number (on your mobile) in tow or the store will call you on the date and time of your reservation so you can order and have it sent out to you.  Sounds like when you buy tickets . You can access the price list before you try to make a reservation and they will stop taking them if the gift runs out. Must say the prices are not for the faint of heart : they are about twice (like SKII in case your familiar with that line) that of the their other line MYV, which you can also order instead of Miyabi to get the mirror. After the campaign ends, if there are any mirrors left, they will have another campaign with the remaining.

 

I'm sitting here waiting for the typhoon (no. 9) to skirt my area today, but a much bigger one will head straight through this coming weekend.  We definitely don't need anymore rain, but what's a few 100 mm or more . At least it gives me lots of time for desk work and lots of times to watch Masquerade several more times and other Yuzu vids too . Anyone else out there in the typhoon zone?

So No.9 is already very close to Kyushu... Please be careful and stay safe. Hope it won't hit hard the areas in its path. Kanto, where I live, is a bit away from it, but I can feel its presence from humidity and the strange color of the sky.

 

I decided to skip this one and the latest Nishikawa campaign considering the price of the products and my needs for them. I try not to buy things that I would not use even when the gift attached to them are extra-tempting. In that sense, I loved Lotte and Ajinomoto campaigns and Nishikawa's last campaign although I could not get a Yuzu clear file folder.

[CiONTUw4A]

 

 

[CiONTUw4A]

New fanart. (From Google translate):
 

I like red things.

Papri...

 

 

[Ladysci]

3 hours ago, sweetwater said:

So No.9 is already very close to Kyushu... Please be careful and stay safe. Hope it won't hit hard the areas in its path. Kanto, where I live, is a bit away from it, but I can feel its presence from humidity and the strange color of the sky.

 

I decided to skip this one and the latest Nishikawa campaign considering the price of the products and my needs for them. I try not to buy things that I would not use even when the gift attached to them are extra-tempting. In that sense, I loved Lotte and Ajinomoto campaigns and Nishikawa's last campaign although I could not get a Yuzu clear file folder.

Thank you @sweetwater!  I'm in the far north-western part of Saga-ken, so may be spared from the worse of typhoon no. 9; it's a bit windy now, but probably will get a bit worse overnight. The news reports are busily discussing the next typhoon, no. 10, which will directly go through Kyushu and expected to be worse ; quite worried about that one. Nonetheless, I've taken precautions for this one, like moving all my plants to my porch and making sure there are no loose things in my miniscule garden that could fly around. Think he high pressure system is preventing typhoons from going towards the Kanto area at the moment.

 

Agree that some of the "gifts" from campaigns are very tempting, but it is definitely the wisest to buy only things that you use. Aside from spending lots of money, soon our homes will be filled with Yuzu memorabilia and I've also tried to curb my habit of buying lots of magazines too!  

[SitTwizzle]

35 minutes ago, CiONTUw4A said:

New fanart. (From Google translate):
 

I like red things.

Papri...

 

 

One could have guessed that Runrun8383's humour would be as tender as her watercolours.

 

@Ladysci and @sweetwater I hope none of you will be hit by any typhoon, and there will be no victim.