General Yuzuru Chat

[robin]

9 minutes ago, Yatagarasu said:

 

Aug 4th for the day itself, Aug 8th but there was that mess of should be public, oh oops, no, delete the tweets. So I am not sure. 

 

Oh, so officially it was announced immediately preceding the event? That doesn’t make it easier for us now sigh

 

(also, I can’t believe I can’t remember anything about that, at all. Must be part of my brain‘s efforts to repress all memory of last season.)

 

eta: oh I could have just made use of my own post....

 

 

 

[Yatagarasu]

5 minutes ago, robin said:

 

Oh, so officially it was announced immediately preceding the event? That doesn’t make it easier for us now sigh

 

(also, I can’t believe I can’t remember anything about that, at all. Must be part of my brain‘s efforts to repress all memory of last season.)

 

Believe me, I had to go look it up too. The media day is quite fresh in my memory as troll Zu is my fave but I was drawing a blank on how we got to that point too. Only remembered after I saw the date. There was that taping of an NHK show and folks attended when the presenter said the date, and so they tweeted, only to realize it might not be for public consumption so they deleted the tweets (of course, by then, we had all seen it anyway). So yes, definitely doesn't make it easier as we're just basically waiting for it to happen. Which could be any time in the next month really though I guess if everything is in order, knock on wood, traditionally it's probably that week that starts on the 6th. 

[Guest turquoiseblue]

Yet another fancam of Yuzu's SP at the Olympics has been uploaded today

 

[Katt]

If I remember right, we found out the exact date of media day when some channel put in their program list that there's a report about Yuzuru's training in Toronto. Last year, it was about 3-4 days before. In 2016, its about 1-2 days before (although I think 1-2 week before some people knew it might be on mid Sept because of an Europe FS mag's article). In 2015, its 1 week before. So yeah, basically it woud be any time in August. I the past year, its on Tue or Thurs, so 7, 9, 14, 16 (?) 

[liv]

And it is usually after our August long weekend (monday holiday) so the coaches are present...

[kaeryth]

In the past, he used to announce/show his programs via ice shows first instead of media day. I think media day tradition started 17-18' season mainly because he wasn't able to do any ice shows due to recovering form the lisfranc injury and starting training later than most athletes... so he was the last to announce his programs from TJ. Then he kinda just rolled with it for the next season. I think he probably found media day more convenient with every jmedia being all in one place rather than doing lots of different interviews.

 

News about media day last year was confirmed in this article: https://www.bbm-japan.com/_ct/17107796

... and this was the schedule:

 

[KatjaThera]

30 minutes ago, kaeryth said:

In the past, he used to announce/show his programs via ice shows first instead of media day. I think media day tradition started 17-18' season mainly because he wasn't able to do any ice shows due to recovering form the lisfranc injury and starting training later than most athletes... so he was the last to announce his programs from TJ. Then he kinda just rolled with it for the next season. I think he probably found media day more convenient with every jmedia being all in one place rather than doing lots of different interviews.

 

News about media day last year was confirmed in this article: https://www.bbm-japan.com/_ct/17107796

... and this was the schedule:

 

I think you mean '16-'17

 

But I'm not sure that's entirely true. Some of the Sochi-related videos include footage of Yuzu introducing his programs for the Sochi season to the media, at Ice Rink Sendai (I think it was; probably because he wasn't yet popular enough for media to travel to Toronto for it). And although I know 2015-2016 Seimei and Chopin were introduced in ice shows, I also have a magazine with articles and interviews from that Summer that greatly resemble the ones resulting from media days last year (interviews about the programs and with each coach and choreographer). So I think it actually might have been happening for a while, just that it wasn't as big a deal until 2016-2017?

[kaeryth]

40 minutes ago, KatjaThera said:

I think you mean '16-'17

 

But I'm not sure that's entirely true. Some of the Sochi-related videos include footage of Yuzu introducing his programs for the Sochi season to the media, at Ice Rink Sendai (I think it was; probably because he wasn't yet popular enough for media to travel to Toronto for it). And although I know 2015-2016 Seimei and Chopin were introduced in ice shows, I also have a magazine with articles and interviews from that Summer that greatly resemble the ones resulting from media days last year (interviews about the programs and with each coach and choreographer). So I think it actually might have been happening for a while, just that it wasn't as big a deal until 2016-2017?

 

Ah yes... sorry.. it was 16-17'. RE: Media day... he usually shows/performs his programs at ice shows (Pari-san at Mariposa, R&J 2.0 at Sendai Ice Rink, Chopin/Seimei at DOI) THEN talks to several media. But for 16-17' with LGC and Hope & Legacy he performed parts of the program AND did all his media obligations at the same time. So he must've preferred it that way since then.

[Katt]

Actually I think people start to call it media day from 16-17 season instead of open practice ( I have seen some people misunderstand and call it as TCC media day which never exit in the first place). He revealed POTO at 2014 open practice. Apart from 16/17, he usually only skate 1 competitive program in ice show and announce the other one in August. This year, there's rule changes and his rehab so it make sense that he couldn't debut any program in ice show. I think his open practice/media day is already a big deal after Sochi, just getting more and more interest and attention over the years. 

[Murieleirum]

5 minutes ago, Katt said:

This year, there's rule changes and his rehab so it make sense that he couldn't debut any program in ice show. I think his open practice/media day is already a big deal after Sochi, just getting more and more interest and attention over the years. 

 

I think it was also a choice of his not to debut any of his programs in ice shows, not even in those in late July, where he could be in better conditions, rehab-wise. After all, he did say that he had already chosen the music, but would not disclose. I think he likes it this way, it's his style: waiting until everything is close to perfection, when he can give an image of the programs that he can be 'satisfied' of (although he's never fully satisfied). It's a wise style. It's ingenuous. Because first impressions are really important. He wants to disclose when he already has an interior image of the program, whereas many skaters make it a 'norm' to debut a program when they still are not so sure about the theme, the feeling, the colour of the program. 

 

I guess it became a big deal because it just makes the difference between 'normal skaters' and 'Yuzuru Hanyu' clearer. We all joke about it, but it's the little things like this that matter. 

 

Shoma Uno doesn't have to wait extra time to present his programs, because it doesn't take him much to get an image of the program. Wheather this image is as elaborate as it could be, as thought of and as interesting as it could be... well. Shoma will forgive me for always using him as an example. But I could say the same thing about Nathan, or Jin, or some ladies. 

[sweetwater]

According to "Team Brian," first media day was held in August of 2013 to deal with the press in one go to make it possible for them to focus on training after that. (An article based on the interviews given on the day) But as some of you said, in that year Yuzu held an open practice in Sendai too, maybe to start his Olympic season from there?
There was an open practice in 2012 and TV Asahi aired it, but it probably wasn't like other open practices held later to gather the press at once if Brian didn't mention it as the first media day.

[Erin]

 

Kikuchi-san's voice is different from how I imagined it to be.  

I love hearing from people close to Yuzu. I only hope Kikuchi-san has Yuzu's "permission".  

[micaelis]

With all this talk about new programs I think many of us are missing something very important here, and that is how much of one of Yuzu's programs nowadays is already put together before he starts working with a choreographer.  The key here is that he edits his own music and has said that while he is editing it he is building his program.  The question is how much of that program is already there before he starts dealing with his choreographer?  I imagine that in those days when he was first learning how to edit the music what he brought to his choreographers was much more a rough sketch.  In this day and age I have a suspicion that what he's presenting to them is much more filled in and they are basically helping him to tweak it to the kind of perfection he wants when competing, although I feel also that if a choreographer makes some suggestions that would significantly alter what he's put together he will genuinely think over the suggestions.  Yuzu's goal is a perfect program and anything that someone else offers in suggestion will not be ignored simply to satisfy his ego.  He wants perfection and will take it wherever he finds it.

 

The crucial thing here is that from when he first identifies the music he wants to use he takes charge of what he plans to skate.  I'm not sure how many skaters have that much initial control and, more importantly, that much ability to envision what they want in the end.  In many ways as I've learnt more about Yuzu's control of his programs I'm beginning to think that coaching might not be as attractive to him post-retirement as choreographing might be, maybe even choreographing entire ice shows.  In addition to the competition business I think that Yuzu has show-business in his blood also.  We saw that in his own ice show this spring.  Moreover, coming of age in the era of the internet there are ways to succeed in ice shows in terms of profitability that go well beyond the event that takes place in an arena.  Yuzu is media-savvy, indeed, savvy enough to avoid the pitfalls of involvement with social media by not getting involved at all.  He's a young man who very much knows his own mind and is quite capable of thinking outside the box.

 

Just look at his skating in the ice shows.  Because of his endorsement income Yuzu doesn't need the ice show income.  He must by now be one of the wealthiest of currently competing figure-skaters.  He's skating in the shows to give himself more experience in seeing how they are put together and also to keep his visibility-level high and sustain his fan interest.  I really expect to see more shows like Continues with Wings in future years.  He might already be planning the next one.

 

To get back to my main point, however, I think Yuzu has a major advantage in the fact that he is basically in charge of his programs from the first initial idea to the finished product.  His programs are truly a part of him, not something handed to him by others.  This gives them a unity that those skaters skating programs that are essentially sequences of moves handed over to them by others.  This is not to say that other skaters do not have some input into their programs but I really do think that, given all we've learned over time, Yuzu's programs have attained their excellence because they are basically products of his own imagination and creativity.  I would add also that it seems to me that Yuzu has a sensitivity to music and an innate ability to envision how certain moves may be linked to music he's considering.  One other thing, Yuzu understands the way scores are made and accumulated.  He is in many respects a master at gaming the system.  He is a strategist and like I've said before, when it comes to putting together all the elements needed to achieve success on the ice, he's playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

 

Remember, though!  All this is speculation on my part, coming together by making connections of little snippets of information drawn from many different sources.  In short, I could be wrong on all this, but I figured it's worth giving a shot to get these ideas out for others to think over.

[kaeryth]

1 hour ago, Erin said:

 

Kikuchi-san's voice is different from how I imagined it to be.  

I love hearing from people close to Yuzu. I only hope Kikuchi-san has Yuzu's "permission".  

 

Another translation!

 

[Anzi]

1 hour ago, micaelis said:

With all this talk about new programs I think many of us are missing something very important here, and that is how much of one of Yuzu's programs nowadays is already put together before he starts working with a choreographer.  The key here is that he edits his own music and has said that while he is editing it he is building his program.  The question is how much of that program is already there before he starts dealing with his choreographer?  I imagine that in those days when he was first learning how to edit the music what he brought to his choreographers was much more a rough sketch.  In this day and age I have a suspicion that what he's presenting to them is much more filled in and they are basically helping him to tweak it to the kind of perfection he wants when competing, although I feel also that if a choreographer makes some suggestions that would significantly alter what he's put together he will genuinely think over the suggestions.  Yuzu's goal is a perfect program and anything that someone else offers in suggestion will not be ignored simply to satisfy his ego.  He wants perfection and will take it wherever he finds it.

 

The crucial thing here is that from when he first identifies the music he wants to use he takes charge of what he plans to skate.  I'm not sure how many skaters have that much initial control and, more importantly, that much ability to envision what they want in the end.  In many ways as I've learnt more about Yuzu's control of his programs I'm beginning to think that coaching might not be as attractive to him post-retirement as choreographing might be, maybe even choreographing entire ice shows.  In addition to the competition business I think that Yuzu has show-business in his blood also.  We saw that in his own ice show this spring.  Moreover, coming of age in the era of the internet there are ways to succeed in ice shows in terms of profitability that go well beyond the event that takes place in an arena.  Yuzu is media-savvy, indeed, savvy enough to avoid the pitfalls of involvement with social media by not getting involved at all.  He's a young man who very much knows his own mind and is quite capable of thinking outside the box.

 

Just look at his skating in the ice shows.  Because of his endorsement income Yuzu doesn't need the ice show income.  He must by now be one of the wealthiest of currently competing figure-skaters.  He's skating in the shows to give himself more experience in seeing how they are put together and also to keep his visibility-level high and sustain his fan interest.  I really expect to see more shows like Continues with Wings in future years.  He might already be planning the next one.

 

To get back to my main point, however, I think Yuzu has a major advantage in the fact that he is basically in charge of his programs from the first initial idea to the finished product.  His programs are truly a part of him, not something handed to him by others.  This gives them a unity that those skaters skating programs that are essentially sequences of moves handed over to them by others.  This is not to say that other skaters do not have some input into their programs but I really do think that, given all we've learned over time, Yuzu's programs have attained their excellence because they are basically products of his own imagination and creativity.  I would add also that it seems to me that Yuzu has a sensitivity to music and an innate ability to envision how certain moves may be linked to music he's considering.  One other thing, Yuzu understands the way scores are made and accumulated.  He is in many respects a master at gaming the system.  He is a strategist and like I've said before, when it comes to putting together all the elements needed to achieve success on the ice, he's playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.

 

Remember, though!  All this is speculation on my part, coming together by making connections of little snippets of information drawn from many different sources.  In short, I could be wrong on all this, but I figured it's worth giving a shot to get these ideas out for others to think over.

Some of skaters, if not most, follow the order of their coaches, doing what choreographs have taught them to do and merely performing other people's interpretation of the music instead of interpreting and feeling the music in their own ways.