General Yuzuru Chat

[rockstaryuzu]

11 hours ago, Henni147 said:

 

Yes, the biggest question mark is probably, whether Beijing will take place, according to plan or postponed or not at all.

 

The thing is: Yuzu is the only Olympic champion in the current men's field. While for others it's essential that Beijing takes place, for Yuzu it's more like a special bonus round - great if it happens , fantastic if held under safe conditions, but no reason to jump from the Tokyo Tower if cancelled. Even if he can't win, from antis and media he can't get insulted and humiliated (much) more than he already is, while most of his fans will still be his fans and love him, whatever the outcome will be. However, he can win a lot, if he gets the third gold or not to mention, if he manages to land the Quaxel, too.

 

Nathan has yet to prove, if he can withstand the Olympic pressure and deliver on the biggest stage, when the whole world is watching - not only the skating community, but also loads of unbiased people, who have never heard of him before.

He made one mistake at Nationals now and his score was already 20 points lower than two or three years ago, when he scored that ridiculous 342 in the combined total. Two mistakes and he might not even go above 300. Nathan's biggest weapon is skating clean with many quads. If that doesn't work, not even the most corrupt judges cannot save him and he knows that. Also, in Torino he has pretty much reached his technical limit, I think. I'm not sure, if he can add a 4Lo and still go clean, especially under Olympic pressure with the 2018 SP disaster in mind.

 

In Saitama and Torino Yuzu has knocked out himself with a serious error in the short. If he skates clean in their next encounter and scores above 110, the pressure will be on again. Whatever narratives are made up by the media, it's a forlorn hope to stand up against a clean Yuzuru Hanyu in direct comparison. If you win, you can prepare yourself to become a second Sotnikova.

 

1 hour ago, ZuCritter said:

This. Yuzu isn't being metaphorical when he says he skates against himself -- or against his ideal self . It is a fact that only Yuzu can beat Yuzu. In Saitama and Torino he wasn't able -- for various reasons -- to skate up to his usual standard. He made it easy for the judges to pile the candies on Nathan. Which they did and continue to do. I'm not denying that Nathan's scores are ridiculously inflated. But in their last couple of head-to-head competitions, Yuzu's errors took the pressure off not just the other skaters but the judges. 

 

Yuzu in top condition and top form is a whole different matter. The iSU can steal it from him, but it will be obvious, and it will become an international story. Plus, the Chinese crowd will be behind him 1,000 percent. Pus, it's the Olympics. 

 

On a slightly different topic, one of the main reasons I'm hoping Beijing happens is that the field is shaping up so nicely. Forget the supposed Nathan-Yuzu rivalry, Kolyada and Roman are looking so strong. Add in Jason, plus Yuma and a few other newly-minted seniors, and we're in for some gorgeous skating. I couldn't be happier. 

 

I'm with Yuzu on the subject of competition. I want all his competitors to show up in top form, skate clean, and Yuzu to beat the pants eff 'em fair and square with an amazing skate of his own. 

 

That would be worth watching, and worth any money to get to watch. 

 

AS for Nathan being overscored - at this point, I don't see the value in continuing to discuss it. The guy does his best, he's not asking the judges to overscore him,  they just do it anyway, and he's being meanly slagged for something not in his control. I do wish he'd put the same whole-hearted effort into his programs that Yuzu does, but if that's not Nathan's style, then I fail to see how internet criticism is going to make him change.

 

However, directing all this criticism at the biased judges doing the overscoring is amply justified and should continue. This sport is (on paper, at least) supposed to be fair. 

 

 

[Flutterby]

2 hours ago, barbara said:

Shoma, too...  It will be a great competition.  We will all continue to say our prayers that Yuzu stays healthy and injury-free.

And please give Boyang an Olympic skate he can be proud, regardless of where anyone places. 

[EisElle]

off topic

Spoiler

re: Nathan

I wouldn't trust the fact that he wasn't overscored through the roof at one USNats with mistakes as a sign he's any less "dangerous" than usual. True, in both Saitama and Turin he had the advantage of skating knowing that Zu had done a costly mistake, but he only needs to land his stuff, no matter how, and judges will try to hand him the whole world.

He might say winning a OGM isn't his "must do or die" but for USFSA it is, so they'll do whatever they can to make their dream come true. Even if Nathan weren't interested (which I doubt, one doesn't skate those layouts just because, thoguh I can certainly believe he is not going to "bet his entire life" on Olys), there's NBC out there and all the big sponsors and they are very much interested in the OWG outcome (because a OGM is so much more marketable to american (but also jpn) audience than multiple WC golds.

It's cynical but this is how FS and Olypics roll. Ari Zakarian is just more honest than most when talking about money money money, but one can just look at how NBC dictates the Oly schedule: of course they all wanna see their own investment bring results.

 

 

about Beijing, tbh postponment/cancellation would surpise me a lot. Olys are matter of reputation and power and finding a way to host safe and grand OWG even with a still ongoing pandemic would be a huge flex. Of course a lot will depend on the vaccine rollout and efficacy, and one hopes by then we'll all be in a much better situation... but with will and money, even a giant OWG in a  bubble wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities.

 

In the meanwhile, I hope Zu stays safe and that he finds a way to get all the physio he needs. Knowing he wasn't getting help from professionals, while good on the covid side, is far from ideal for everything else. I'm sure he can do some stuff on his own but having actual experts is always better (especially if he wants to train a Nessie).

 

kinda resuming some old layout discussions, some old considerations I don't think I shared (or did I? I can't remember sorryyy!)

re: the absence of Lz and F, at least we know he ddi 3Lz in training (thoguh no footage argh), so that's good.

indeed I do think that a 3Lz in place of 3Lo in the FS wouldn't feel as good, and thinking about what Yuzuru said about the program and the differences between toe and edge jumps, idk if he would really think about such an option, despite higher BV.

Thinking about the program and its flow, I guess that Yuzu could easily do a 3F in place of the 3Lo instead, he could even keep the entry and he already had 4S 3A 3F in Seimei 3.0. Or he could have 1Eu3F in place of 1Eu3S, tho the toe pick would still slightly alter the flow.

The fact that he did a 3Lo and 3S at Jnats and no 3F in sight at all can have mutiple reasons, starting from Yuzuru really wanting to have as many edge jumps as possible (and indeed bot the 4S 3A2T 3Lo and 4Teu3S feel very, very "sweeping" as it is). And it could also be that it was JNats, and his very first comp after so many hard months, so he didn't feel that the bv increase of a was worth having a slightly more unstable element (tho it's not like his 4T1Eu3F had really proved to be less stable than 4T1Eu3S, at least not in comps). But it could also be that the physical issues he mentioned (and not having a professional helping out) also meant that he didn't want to unnecessarily burden his right foot with the F (and Lz) in particular (iirc even during OWG18 practices he trained Lz as little as he could, while he went all out with the 4Ts crazy combos. True, he also landed 3Lz on his half a ankle, so the fact that he landed a couple 3Lz in JNats practice isn't as reassuring as it could be, but the quality of his jumps throughout the comp and in warm up and practice seem to suggest his ankle was probably in reasonably good shape).

Or who knows, maybe he looked at the ! he got at 4CC and thought and he didn't liked it. Maybe he thought that the small BV increase compared to 3Lo wasn't worth the risk, and could hope for better GOE to fill the gap instead (indeed his 3Lo at JNats got more overall than his 3F! at 4CC).

So, ofr the future, I would actually expect 3F replacing 3S more than the 3Lo, and maybe no Lz at all. I'm trying to think where he could have a 3Lz1Eu3S instead, and it wouldn't be worth it replacing one  of the 4T in second half, since apparently he was landing the tow 4T combos in second half pretty consistently, so... idk? Why was he even doing that combo? (training for 4LzEu3S? LOL jk...maybe... but realistically, 4Lz is still a very highl risk element for him, and I'd expect a -toe combo before a 1eu3S combo all of a sudden)

About 4Lz: assuming he's training it despite all the issues he hinted at, and assuming that (by whatever next comp could be) it's again stable enough to have it in his programs, I'm not sure if Zu would want to have 4Lz in H&E, since it would give a very differentvibe compared to 4Lo. And having 4Lz as second jump in place of 4S (like in Origin) would be quite hard, with 4S being immediately followed by 3A2T and all the rest (and again 4Lz has a rather powerful "feel", even when he lands it butter smooth)

You know where, instead, a 4Lz would really, really fit?

In LMEY

But idk if Zu would add such a risky element in the SP (though it's not as if his trusted 4S and 4T aren't perfectly capable of snaking him when they really really shouldn't, but a 4lz in the SP would probably add a lot more pressure.... but I can still dream, because seriously, how great it would be?)

Anyway, before JNats I was half-expecting he could only show up with 4T and 4S (thogh with 3Lz and 3F), so that he not only showed up with 4Lo but with some very gorgeous ones + everything was huge!

 

2 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

I'm with Yuzu on the subject of competition. I want all his competitors to show up in top form, skate clean, and Yuzu to beat the pants eff 'em fair and square with an amazing skate of his own. 

I was htinking that JNats top 3 was very close to this ideal of his. True, Shoma fell in the SP and had a pop in the FS (but managed not to lose his cool and got back as many points he could) and Yuma was almost clean, and well, Yuzu had his invalid spin (and the V in the FS too), but overall all top 3 skated reasonably well (missing calls or too strict calls aside), so it might have pleased him (amidst the worries for covid and kuyashii for missed levels) that when he finally got back that title, it was with those kind of skates form his fellow medallists

 

 

anyway, to change mood, idk if you know, but there is a silent trench war ongoing re: still that darn silly poll when you can vote how many times you want (in incognito tab).

https://www.tokyojournal.com/rankings/food-3/item/796-sports.html

Some Shoma fans are hellbent on kicking Zu below 80% (or alternatively, bringing Shoma above 20%, I reckon that from a Shoma fan POV it might look like fanyus are a lil bit greedy...but NOPE, Zu deserves to stay above 80%!). And while I'm in awe of such relentless dedication that has been going on for months now (with said Shoma fans slowly but surely chipping away from Zu's %) I'm also annoyed that they just won't give up and just let Zu stay above 80%

So if you have some time to kill, I invite you again to drop a couple votes in that poll that really should have been closed already... we're in 2021, stop the count!

If you wanna vote till you see a change the %, bear in mind that it might took 20-30 votes to see a 0.01 increase, and that's if, in the meanwhile, there isn't one of those very dedicated Shoma fans rowing the opposite side and making the % drop instead... I assure you it's extremely frustrating to see that happen while you vote (which is highkey why I'm here writing this, feeling like a loser over a poll that probably no one knows or cares about....other than some dedicated Shoma fans and annoyed fanyus)

ETA: and may Pooh-san frown upon whoever reads this and goes to vote against Zuzu

[holina]

Yes I was wondering where Yuzu can modify his FS layout to increase BV too, since Nathan has 5 quads in the free (and Yuzu knows that he cannot have 4 quads and rely on judges giving him higher GOEs).  Yuzu also did say in his JNat interviews that he wants to train “more difficult jumps”.

So I am thinking that he WILL add 4Lz into his free (he was kind of successful at GPF Torino already even with Origin which is much more exhausting to perform, at least all 5 quads were landed).  Also I wonder if he will have 4T-eu-3F instead of -3S....and if he will go for 3A-3A again (I know, it’s kinda crazy 😜).   But his 4T-eu-3S looked really strong at JNats too.  One concern, as others have said, is that he does not have physio etc.  Actually can he show his innocent smiley face and ask Kikuchi-san to take care of him

again while in Sendai?

[Umebachi]

We are all speculating here, but I would guess that he will not add 4Lz in Tenchi for reasons we have discussed about the aesthetic appropriateness of this jump.  When he is able to do so, I expect he would add 4A here.  This would be an appropriate, humongous edge jump at the start of the program, when Lord Kenshin is charging into battle and he swirls around like crashing waves in a storm.   

 

He could add 4Lz for LMEY, which fits well with the sharp staccatto and energetic feel of the music.  With these elements, his BV will be sufficient to bring him on par or above his competitors.  Not to mention the shock-and-awe value of the Nessie showing up in the midst of a heavenly storm. 

[ZuCritter]

6 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

AS for Nathan being overscored - at this point, I don't see the value in continuing to discuss it. The guy does his best, he's not asking the judges to overscore him,  they just do it anyway, and he's being meanly slagged for something not in his control. I do wish he'd put the same whole-hearted effort into his programs that Yuzu does, but if that's not Nathan's style, then I fail to see how internet criticism is going to make him change.

 

However, directing all this criticism at the biased judges doing the overscoring is amply justified and should continue. This sport is (on paper, at least) supposed to be fair. 

 

 

Totally agree. I hope I didn't come across as critical of Nathan. I like and admire him and wish I was more captivated by his skating. All the fault, in my eyes, falls on ISU and the judges. If he's as decent and perceptive as he appears to be, I imagine he's uncomfortable with the situation. And it certainly is beyond his control.

[rockstaryuzu]

4 hours ago, LadyLou said:

about Beijing, tbh postponment/cancellation would surpise me a lot. Olys are matter of reputation and power and finding a way to host safe and grand OWG even with a still ongoing pandemic would be a huge flex.

While I agree with you on this, my feeling is that whether or not Beijing Olympics happen is going to depend on only one thing, and that's the situation on the ground in China at two months out from the games. Which I think means that we'll know for sure at Christmas 2021 whether there'll be an Olympics in 2022. 

 

 

[Melodie]

His pretty 4Lo 

 

 

[memae]

3 hours ago, ZuCritter said:

Totally agree. I hope I didn't come across as critical of Nathan. I like and admire him and wish I was more captivated by his skating. 

 

I think he's not using the right choreographer(s) to bring out the best of him with his style, particularly in the free. His contemporary style has room for a lot of elegance and for creating mesmerising moments in simplicity. I find him quite musical but I don't see him play to that strength. I wish he would just hold his edges, do some moves other than a spread eagle, and take his time to hold positions and fill the music with his movements. I think Marie-France was a good fit for him. That Land of All program didn't have a whole lot to it but I think it had some very beautiful moments (and I just loved how quiet the music was while he was in the air on the first jump) that I think showed a glimpse of what he could do. Whether he could sustain such skating across an entire program the way Yuzu and Jason do and still land all those jumps is uncertain, but he certainly isn't skating to his particular PCS strengths at the moment and it's a pity not to see him reach his potential. Shae is good for his short programs (Nemesis and Caravan were pretty good). The Elton John last season was fun but the novelty has worn off now. He needs to stop trying to be so cool (makes me think of Evan Lysacek ugh) and aim for sophisticated contemporary minimalist kind of stuff. It seems like such a waste to see him skate the way he has been lately. His giant wins aren't exciting (overscoring aside) because his programs aren't captivating. I think it's especially frustrating because it just makes it so obvious that he's not showing the level of skill other top skaters are except in one area and he's outscoring them by miles because the judges and the system value the jumping so far beyond the ability to skate in a way that shows true mastery of technique and control of one's body. 

[Veveco]

Translation of interviews with Jeff Buttle and Keiichi Yano (Yuzu's music editor) in the newest edition of Number magazine. It's a long thread, interesting to see how active Yuzu is when it comes to creating his programs. 

 

 

[Paskud]

10 minutes ago, Veveco said:

Translation of interviews with Jeff Buttle and Keiichi Yano (Yuzu's music editor) in the newest edition of Number magazine. It's a long thread, interesting to see how active Yuzu is when it comes to creating his programs. 

 

 

Can we have... a proper translation/summary?

[Melodie]

13 hours ago, Paskud said:

Can we have... a proper translation/summary?

I can try. It's indeed a long thread with a lot of interesting tidbits and technicalities. Basically:

 

- As @Veveco mentioned, Yuzu was extremely active in creating the two programs.

 

- For LMEY

+ Choreo started in July. At first, Jeff and Yuzu sent videos to each other back and forth then communicated via email and not in real time. The choreo was completed in two weeks.

+ Yano-san helped to finetune the music at the very end (in Oct). Yuzu sent practice video over so it'd be easier for Yano-san.

+ Jeff said as Yuzu's ENG got better and he became more mature as a person, he also became more involved in the creative process. While with PW, Yuzu passively received the choreo, with LMEY, he proactively provided a lot of his inputs. 

+ Yuzu wants the audience to have the experience like they are at an ice show.

(My note: Yuzu really goes “if there is no ice show this year then I will turn comps into ice shows instead.” His galaxy brain/extraness )

+ The SHADE:

1) Jeff said he didn't notice the invalid spin, so when told, he rewatched and had to count one by one;

2) there's still a lot of room for improvement for LMEY, so stay tune 

 

- For Ten to Chi to

+ Commission from Yuzu came to Yano-san in May

+ 18 versions were created in 2.5 weeks, and the final ver came May 29th (but there could be further finetuning later).

+ Upon listening to the OST, he immediately felt that the music is definitely Yuzu's style. 

+ It took a lot of efforts to integrate various kinds of instruments seamlessly, and Yano-san and Yuzu paid close attention even to the smallest details.

+ Yano-san also saw the full program for the first time at the official practice like everyone else.

+ Edit (from another translation): Yuzu and Shae began to work on the FP around late June. Most of the time they sent videos back and forth, but they did manage to have some live sessions with Yuzu in the rink and Shae on the dance floor. 

 

- Directly  from the tweets:

+ Yano-san has been engaged in figure skating audio related work for 35yrs+. He said that though he has seen many figure skaters, Yuzu is the ONLY ONE, no one is like him.

+ Yano-san hopes kids who follow Yuzu will not just (mechanically) skate assigned pieces & perform arranged movements but WORK harder to think about what they want to perform. Then in order to achieve what they want to express, he hopes that the kids can also understand the theoretical methods of music composition like Yuzu does.

 

 

 

[SuzyQ]

On 2021/1/20 at 午前6時9分, Yuzurellaさんが言いました:

 

Yuzu is a masterful artist and his performances are masterpieces of art.

This post has been tagged by yuzuangel as [NEWS].

 

Ballerina attests:  "Hanyu's upper body is beautiful"　
Eight artists talk about Yuzuru Hanyu (26) and his ability as an "Expressive Person"

 

https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/846738

 

My quick translation using DeepL before late tonight. I hope someone will do better translation soon. 

 

    "He must have listened to the music and the sound so many times.  I even suspect he might be listening to it all day."

    "He can sense not only the main melody, but also small sounds such as grace notes, and can express details such as the movements of his hands. He really listens to the music and lets it soak into his body."

    Yuzuru Hanyu's two new programs, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Heaven and Earth", were performed at the Japanese Nationals at the end of last year. They explained the performance in detail in the special feature on figure skating, "The Oath on the Silver Rink," in the current issue of Number1019, and they made the same remark in the interview, as if they had been talking to each other.

Desire to skate as his own programs:

    The first comment was made by Takeshi Honda, who explained the technical aspects of the program, and the second was made by Keiichi Yano, the sound designer and arranger of the new programs, who explained the musical aspects.

    The second comment was made by Keiichi Yano, a sound designer and arranger of the new program, who explained the music aspect of the program: "I'm sure the other skaters are listening to the music as well, but I don't think they are fully aware of the detailed timing of the sound getting stronger. I thought that Hanyu must have listened to the music many times. He listens carefully to the music, paying attention to details such as raising his hands when the sound gets stronger, so I could feel that he was skating sensing carefully the sound."

　Honda continued, describing the performance of the new program as "amazingly perfect," which he had attempted in the midst of the Corona disaster, far away from his coaches and choreographers.

　Yano also talked about the making of music with Hanyu.

"He never wavers in what he wants to express, and he goes all the way to the end. And when he asks for something, such as 'I want a sound here,' it's not something that would destroy the music, it's very accurate. I could feel his desire to skate as his own programs."

　These new "works" were presented with an amazing degree of perfection. Hanyu's complete victory at the Nationals was the result of not only his technique attained through continued trainings, but also his ability to express himself by listening to every single note of the music and letting it soak into his body.

    His approach of "cherishing the music, creating a story, and making it come true", and "accumulating practices with a lot of attention to detail, and communicating it as an expression", Yano says, "is the ideal form of figure skating I've been dreaming of."

　Hanyu's works, or programs, have inspired not only his fans but also artists in other fields. This latest issue of the magazine includes a 16-page book-in-book, "The beauty of Yuzuru Hanyu's programs talked by artists."

What do the artists say about the appeal of Hanyu's programs?
　Eight artists, including composer, vocalist, violinist, pianist, actress, ballerina, and others, have spoken about the appeal of Hanyu's past programs from their own unique perspectives. Let's take a look at some of their comments.

"I can feel the strong message of the dance as if it were singing as a voice" (Toshi Ryugen, on "The Phantom of the Opera")

"It combines the extremes of soft and hard, hot and cool" (Ikuko Kawai, on "White Legend")

"Behind the beauty, you can see the hard work and passion, practices every day without a break for reaching there" (Rurika Miya, on "Romeo and Juliet")

What I find particularly outstanding is the beauty of the movements of the upper body. The way he stands, the way he moves his body up and down, etc., are all wonderful, (snip), his body is well controlled" (Akane Takada, on "Ballade No. 1").

　These words, which beautifully depict the appeal of Hanyu's performance as seen from the same "expressive person," once again conveyed the essence of Yuzuru Hanyu as a figure skater, who pushes his strength as an athlete as well as his beauty as an expressive person to the limit.

　Will these two programs, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Heaven and Earth," be more perfect, or will they lead to new works? Although the future of this season and the next season, when the Beijing Olympics are scheduled, is unclear amidst the Corona disaster, Hanyu's challenge is sure to continue.

 

[barbara]

2 hours ago, SuzyQ said:

 

Ballerina attests:  "Hanyu's upper body is beautiful"　
Eight artists talk about Yuzuru Hanyu (26) and his ability as an "Expressive Person"

 

https://number.bunshun.jp/articles/-/846738

 

My quick translation using DeepL before late tonight. I hope someone will do better translation soon. 

 

    "He must have listened to the music and the sound so many times.  I even suspect he might be listening to it all day."

    "He can sense not only the main melody, but also small sounds such as grace notes, and can express details such as the movements of his hands. He really listens to the music and lets it soak into his body."

    Yuzuru Hanyu's two new programs, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Heaven and Earth", were performed at the Japanese Nationals at the end of last year. They explained the performance in detail in the special feature on figure skating, "The Oath on the Silver Rink," in the current issue of Number1019, and they made the same remark in the interview, as if they had been talking to each other.

    The first comment was made by Takeshi Honda, who explained the technical aspects of the program, and the second was made by Keiichi Yano, the sound designer and arranger of the new programs, who explained the musical aspects.

    The second comment was made by Keiichi Yano, a sound designer and arranger of the new program, who explained the music aspect of the program: "I'm sure the other skaters are listening to the music as well, but I don't think they are fully aware of the detailed timing of the sound getting stronger. I thought that Hanyu must have listened to the music many times. He listens carefully to the music, paying attention to details such as raising his hands when the sound gets stronger, so I could feel that he was skating sensing carefully the sound."

　Honda continued, describing the performance of the new program as "amazingly perfect," which he had attempted in the midst of the Corona disaster, far away from his coaches and choreographers.

　Yano also talked about the making of music with Hanyu.

"He never wavers in what he wants to express, and he goes all the way to the end. And when he asks for something, such as 'I want a sound here,' it's not something that would destroy the music, it's very accurate. I could feel his desire to skate as his own programs."

　These new "works" were presented with an amazing degree of perfection. Hanyu's complete victory at the Nationals was the result of not only his technique attained through continued trainings, but also his ability to express himself by listening to every single note of the music and letting it soak into his body.

    His approach of "cherishing the music, creating a story, and making it come true", and "accumulating practices with a lot of attention to detail, and communicating it as an expression", Yano says, "is the ideal form of figure skating I've been dreaming of."

　Hanyu's works, or programs, have inspired not only his fans but also artists in other fields. This latest issue of the magazine includes a 16-page book-in-book, "The beauty of Yuzuru Hanyu's programs talked by artists."

What do the artists say about the appeal of Hanyu's programs?
　Eight artists, including composer, vocalist, violinist, pianist, actress, ballerina, and others, have spoken about the appeal of Hanyu's past programs from their own unique perspectives. Let's take a look at some of their comments.

"I can feel the strong message of the dance as if it were singing as a voice" (Toshi Ryugen, on "The Phantom of the Opera")

"It combines the extremes of soft and hard, hot and cool" (Ikuko Kawai, on "White Legend")

"Behind the beauty, you can see the hard work and passion, practices every day without a break for reaching there" (Rurika Miya, on "Romeo and Juliet")

What I find particularly outstanding is the beauty of the movements of the upper body. The way he stands, the way he moves his body up and down, etc., are all wonderful, (snip), his body is well controlled" (Akane Takada, on "Ballade No. 1").

　These words, which beautifully depict the appeal of Hanyu's performance as seen from the same "expressive person," once again conveyed the essence of Yuzuru Hanyu as a figure skater, who pushes his strength as an athlete as well as his beauty as an expressive person to the limit.

　Will these two programs, "Let Me Entertain You" and "Heaven and Earth," be more perfect, or will they lead to new works? Although the future of this season and the next season, when the Beijing Olympics are scheduled, is unclear amidst the Corona disaster, Hanyu's challenge is sure to continue.

 

I don't know how much time other skaters spend listening to their program music, but I feel certain that Yuzu listens for hours, daily.  He knows every beat, every breath, every nuance.

[EisElle]

thank you @SuzyQ for your translation

I especially love this sentence form Yano-san

7 hours ago, SuzyQ said:

His approach of "cherishing the music, creating a story, and making it come true", and "accumulating practices with a lot of attention to detail, and communicating it as an expression", Yano says, "is the ideal form of figure skating I've been dreaming of."

and I'm moved that a professional whose work is with sounds has such words for Yuzuru

I imagine how much more fullfilling it is to know your work is appreciated and understood in all its complexity and nuances. Small things that maybe someone else would overlook, Yuzuru can pick them up and he even contributes to the creative process in a way that shows how much the small details matter to him as well.

I'm glad that Yano-san could find such a special understanding with Yuzuru, and that Yuzu could met people like Yano-san who put so much passion into their work... and are not daunted by Yuzu's requests   I don't know how other professional work on music pieces for FS, but just like some choreographers have their very own strong ideas and don't welcome skaters' input, it's entirely possible someone else woudl have grumbled and eyerolled at Yuzuru's requests. He managed to find people who get him, and who could help him realize his vision, and he also managed to earn their sincere respect. And not only Yan, I think also about his choreographers, former coaches, the many musicists he worked with, who were always so deeply touched by their encounter with Yuzuru. That's something that personally makes me really, really happy.

 

18 versions of H&E and the final result is a piece that you could never guess got merged and tweaked, a piece that both kept from the originals and yet has its own character too,*  so careful and good is the editing!

(makes you weep thinking about how many FS music cuts out there butchered the original pieces) 

*when listening to the original Ten to chi to, the difference in the ending was particularly striking, it ended in quietness, while uzu's piece has a different closure. Great to hear Yano-san's remark about this very point.

 

while we wait for full translations, more Jeff and Shae-Lynn snippets from the Number interviews in this thread

I hope he's enjoying himself too, skating to LMEY <3<3<3

Us fans have been entertained for sure (and I'm sure we'll be entertained some more!)

I kind of at Jeff and Yuzu agreeing on LMEY (what were the other options? wanna know!). Of course Yuzu wouldn't accept a piece he didn't like, but I'm picturing Yuzu finding the vid, reading the lyrics and going "YASSS, this will be FUN" thank you, you generous overlord

(a pity there was no audience screaming, imagine if it had happened at ACI in a normal world costume reveal too... because even if they were trashbag pants with mismatched but cool shirt I can imagine audeince would have been LOUD...)