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Just now, souyouki said:

Between Rippons and 'Tanos, I feel like both of them could fit into the choreography of Seimei 2.0 provided that they aren't overused... what does everyone think?

 

I love that he just does it on one combo - it makes it more special and gives each jump/combo a different feeling or character as opposed to doing every jump like that. It's a beautiful little accent. A tano as well might be nice (if Yuzu does it) but I'm still not sure how I feel about tanos.   

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3 minutes ago, SparkleSalad said:

 

I love that he just does it on one combo - it makes it more special and gives each jump/combo a different feeling or character as opposed to doing every jump like that. It's a beautiful little accent. A tano as well might be nice (if Yuzu does it) but I'm still not sure how I feel about tanos.   

I always think rippon is better than tano. And i love it when yuzu does it. But does he ever do tano before? 

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Just now, Yuazz said:

I always think rippon is better than tano. And i love it when yuzu does it. But does he ever do tano before? 

 

I'm not sure. He did a little jump with one arm up in POTO (stop haunting me!) which was very nice but I'm just not sold on multi-rotational tanoing. I'm sure he'd change my mind, though. One of the things I don't like about them is how ugly they turn with only a slight elbow bend or if the hand is too far over the centre. Then it starts looking like a weird twisty wind chime.

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39 minutes ago, Yuazz said:

I always think rippon is better than tano. And i love it when yuzu does it. But does he ever do tano before? 

If I remember correctly, Brian hates tano and has said something like "ley me never catch one of my skaters do tano"... so it might be Brian's fault :knc_brian1:

 

And I finally have time to give my 2 cents about this season’s programs, from the point of view of someone who was only a very casual viewer of Figure Skating until December 2016 and even now is more of a Yuzu - and Javi - fan than a fan of Figure Skating. It's really long and rambly, so spoilers.

 

Spoiler


Chopin

 

I was and still am a bit disappointed by Chopin. It’s not really my type of program and that’s mostly because of my preconceived notions as a casual viewer.

 

Of course, no idea if everyone is like that and by now I know that’s not really the case, but, as a casual viewer, figure skating almost always implied classical music. If I watched fs, I expected to hear classical. If I heard something other than classical, it would stand out and catch my attention and generally get a few extra points in my book.

 

Chopin is classical. Yes, it’s beautiful and Yuzu can skate it amazingly and I do like the intensity he’s shown in the FaOI performances, but it’s not special enough. Different enough.

 

Parisian Walkways was awesome to me, when I first got into Yuzu, because it was different, on top of being passionate, technically impressive and him looking like he was having the time of his life.

 

Let’s go crazy was even more awesome, from that point of view and I will forever mourn that he didn’t have time to find a way to get over that mental block, because without that, I think it might have been his choice for Olympic season. (I also think if he’d had the chance to take it out in competition more, he might have had more time to identify exactly where the problem was and find a solution. From that point of view, FS season having only a handful of competitions is a downside.)

 

So that’s my real issue with Chopin. It fits too well with what people expect to see when they watch fs, so, even though it’s beautiful and impressive, it falls closer to the cliche side. (Far closer than, for example, Phantom of the Opera, for a truly casual viewer; of course, if watching a skating competition and seeing 5 different POTO’s in one sitting, that impression could easily change lol.)

 

Seimei

 

I liked the idea of Seimei 2.0. I admit I would have much prefered new music cut and all new choreography. And 4Lz. I understand why he - apparently! remember they’ve said that’s not the full program, so who knows how it might change… - didn’t do any of that.

 

Leaving aside technicalities, from what we’ve seen so far, based on impression alone, I don’t think anyone watching his program, especially if he doesn’t fall, will ever think any other program deserves to beat it. Seimei is a winner by default, IMO. It just screams conqueror. It’s just so powerful and impressive. I can’t really put it in words well, but I think as far as audiences go, if he’s clean - because some might be put off by mistakes, though IMO, Boston, for example, wasn’t that bad - he’ll be the rightful winner in their eyes.

 

Of course, fs is more than impression left on the viewers. And that’s where some nervousness comes in. I like to think downplaying 4Lz is strategy. Saying, “oh I don’t really need it,” giving the impression of overconfidence, only to show up at the first GP (if not AC) and casually throw it in and say “oh, I just wanted to test it in competition and it felt right to do it”.

 

However. My nervousness about adding 4Lz later, if needed comes from the fact that jumps take time to fully master. And jumps fully mastered in practice does not equal jumps fully mastered in competition.

 

Yuzu has five competitions until Olympics (assuming he won’t do 4CC this season). That’s not a lot of time.

 

So I guess it depends on what he means by “for now”. It could simply mean he’s still fine-tuning the program, so the “for now” will end by September. And he’ll spend September fine-tuning 4Lz and the final permanent version will have 5 quads, 4Lz and 2x3A. With other options in case the 4Lz - or something else… - goes bad. Or he might actually do that depending on how his rivals get scored. I don’t think he’d accept the possibility of being beaten because of lower BV, when he does have the possibility to increase his BV.

 

Which is the right choice, only time will tell. But since Yuzu is Yuzu, I’m pretty sure he’s analyzed things carefully and has not only a plan A, but possibly plans B through Z as well.

 

And lastly, I’m intrigued by his saying he wants to do performances that don’t make people think “again”. It could be a reference to all the warhorses. It could simply mean that he did change some stuff in Seimei - though again, I’m not sure how much a casual viewer would notice.

 

But it also made me wonder if he might actually leave himself an open door for small YOLOs at every competition... Small changes. I guess that’d be very risky in many ways, but it’d get him a lot of positive attention, I think. Plus it’d be beyond extra :P And he does seem to enjoy YOLOing lol.

 

(And maybe he’ll top it off with the YOLO to out-YOLO all YOLO’s at the Olympics: 4A. I know, I know, Olympic Season so not training it and too dangerous. But his 3A looks so easy and natural, it’s easy to think he could pull it off. And debuting 4A at the Olympics would be beyond epic. Maybe he could do it in an Ex, though ^^; )

 

 

And thank you everyone for sharing all the videos and pictures and articles! It's been two crazy days at work so catching up with Yuzu news was my way of unwinding! :snpeace:

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On 8/10/2017 at 午前2時30分, Lunnaさんが言いました:

A little rambling after a working day.

I'm not feeling disappointed just not feeling excited (maybe it'll be till first ACI practice)....

 

On 8/10/2017 at 午前4時15分, MaxSWAGGさんが言いました:

Well, half of me is pissed.  Though both of these are by far my favorite programs of his, repeating them both (especially if there is no 4Lz)??  I understand it...but at the same time don't.  Mostly disappointed because I'm just thinking of what a new program could have been.

 

+prolly a bunch of posts with similar sentiments (only came in after the 922 mark):

 

I suppose pissed/disappointed is a natural reaction for a lot of people but I feel it's more something they can't help doing to themselves rather than any real influence from outside forces.

 

Hopefully those of you who are harboring some disappointment or resentment will fully come around before he actually goes out there and proves your anger/disappointment unjustified. Because I think if Hanyu had gone with new programs, even if the programs are new and the tech gets an upgrade, essentially, we'll be seeing the same process all over again. The guy will struggle in the early season and by the second half, it's a gamble on whether he nails it or not. As an audience, my reaction would be:

 

Early season: ....man I wish I knew how to fall like that.

Mid season: ...okay, he's getting there...hopefully...maybe... <--the only time this didn't happen was the season he did both Chopin and SEIMEI, strangely enough

Late season: Let him pull through please let him deliver oh please oh please oh please *shushes heart whining about over-stimulation*

 

Which is completely fine, during the mid-cycles. I daresay it's what I prefer, even.

 

But come the Olympics, while the whole world's watching, building consistency leading up to it to show the world perfection (which gives them the illusion that the skater was born able to skate like that) is the game. Especially for Hanyu, who's remembered as the guy who won with a WIP skate, he has all the more reason to show them his finished product, and while this finished product is something FS fans think they've seen before (seriously, I think we ain't seen nothing yet), it'll be something completely new to the rest of the world. Imagine the amount of new fans the sport would gain if he and everyone else manage to do what they're aiming to do in PyeongChang. The future possibilities for the sport are just...

 

If the Grand Prix series and World Championships are more about the fans, the Olympics is about the world, bigger than just us established fans. We always forget that. This is the one chance skaters get to actually make their sport appeal to a wider range of audience, and although they usually squander it by making it seem boring, with all the quadmeisters and Hanyu trying to deliver his absolute best (only possible at this point with these two programs, but the rest of the world don't know that, and they don't need to) this time around, it'll be different.

 

I think ISU has been waiting all their lives for something like this, and it's actually happening. And it's dependent upon the strategies of all the leading contenders. I guess that kind of explains the judging last season. Cos if the quadmeisters provide exhilaration and excitement that get people pumped up, Hanyu's performance, if perfect, would seal the deal, showing them what a perfect FS performance that's both sport and art at the same time, is really like in its ultimate form.

 

Hanyu has done so many new things and pushed the sport forward so much and this one is just another form of something new, really. This is a major, major step forward, people, and not even a slight shuffle back. Maybe it's harder to see since it's hidden underneath the giant vehicles we call "programs" (and that's really all they are, vehicles--more on this later, maybe) but rest assured what he's attempting this season is something he's never done before, and I don't just mean the layout (since him upping his tech is really nothing new) and if he's successful, the result  will be something *nobody*, FS-fan or no, would have ever seen before.

 

Hanyu is the sort of skater you'd never dare to keep your expectations too high for even while knowing that at some point, he'll probably wow you, so you only dare to remain very hopeful, in normal seasons, because the former is just folly when it comes to Hanyu. Right now, though,  I'm actually having high expectations, not just hopes, because I feel there's a good chance they will actually get answered. You know, kinda like making an informed decision when making a huge investment. I think I'm finally more or less on the same page as @meoimawhen it comes to Hanyu and the Olympics. He'll do fine. I think. xxD

 

At this point, I'm actually wondering why more people aren't already doing what Hanyu 's doing. Experiment and improve like hell during the mid-cycles, and then pick the best stuff from these mid-cycles to polish for delivery to the entire world in the O-season.  They don't even have to do it exactly like him (increase tech content), but only maintain their best efforts (meaning no downgrade, which most skaters until now seem to resort to doing). I really do think this would open more people's eyes to the appeal of figure skating rather than those who somehow managed to stumble upon it themselves. It would kick the doors wide open for people to flow in, rather than the trickle all this time.

 

This may be the only time in a long while we'll get to see all this happening, the effects of which would dramatically change the very future of the sport, and the major role Hanyu will play in it. Wouldn't you all rather see this then what is more or less, while very exciting, essentially just another mid-cycle attempt?

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36 minutes ago, kamotejojo said:

Sorry for the separate posts! :tumblr_inline_mqt4grU8ua1qz4rgp: If anyone wants Pino's latest uploads, I've placed them under the cut.

Her 4T-3T(rippon) clip:

  Reveal hidden contents

Yesterday and today's reports:

 

 

I absolutely adore Yuzu's 3A-2T rippon.:embSwan: And now rippon on 4T-3T? Too much beauty. I'm dead:dpooh:

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18 minutes ago, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:

 

 

+prolly a bunch of posts with similar sentiments (only came in after the 922 mark):

 

I suppose pissed/disappointed is a natural reaction for a lot of people but I feel it's more something they can't help doing to themselves rather than any real outside influence of outside forces.

 

Hopefully those of you who are harboring some disappointment or resentment will fully come around before he actually goes out there and proves your anger/disappointment unjustified. Because I think if Hanyu had gone with new programs, even if the programs are new and the tech gets an upgrade, essentially, we'll be seeing the same process all over again. The guy will struggle in the early season and by the second half, it's a gamble on whether he nails it or not. As an audience, my reaction would be:

 

Early season: ....man I wish I knew how to fall like that.

Mid season: ...okay, he's getting there...hopefully...maybe...

Late season: Let him pull through please let him deliver oh please oh please oh please *shushed heart whining about over-stimulation*

 

Which is completely fine, during the mid-cycles. I daresay it's what I prefer, even.

 

But come the Olympics, while the whole world's watching, building consistency leading up to it to show the world perfection (which gives them the illusion that the skater was born able to skate like that) is the game. Especially for Hanyu, who's remembered as the guy who won with a WIP skate, he has all the more reason to show them his finished product, and while this finished product is something FS fans think they've seen before (seriously, I think we ain't seen nothing yet), it'll be something completely new to the rest of the world. Imagine the amount of new fans the sport would gain if he and everyone else manage to do what they're aiming to do in PyeongChang. The future possibilities for the sport are just...

 

If the Grand Prix series and World Championships are more about the fans, the Olympics is about the world, bigger than just us established fans. We always forget that. This is the one chance skaters get to actually make their sport appeal to a wider range of audience, and although they usually squander it by making it seem boring, with all the quadmeisters and Hanyu trying to deliver his absolute best (only possible at this point with these two programs, but the rest of the world doesn't know that, and they don't need to) this time around, it'll be different.

 

I think ISU has been waiting all their lives for something like this, and it's actually happening. And it's dependent upon the strategies of all the leading contenders. I guess that kind of explains the judging last season. Cos if the quadmeisters provide exhilaration and excitement that get people pumped up, Hanyu's performance, if perfect, would seal the deal, showing them what a perfect FS performance that's both sport and art at the same time, is really like in its ultimate form.

 

Back to Hanyu, he has done so many new things and this one is just another form of something new, really. Maybe it's harder to see since it's hidden underneath the giant forms of "programs" but rest assured what he's attempting this season is something he's never done before, and I don't just mean the layout (since him upping his tech is really nothing new) and if he's successful, the result  will be something *nobody* , FS-fan or no, would have ever seen before.

 

Hanyu is the sort of skater you'd never dare to keep your expectations too high for even while knowing that at some point, he'll probably wow you, so you only dare to remain very hopeful, in normal seasons, because that's just folly when it comes to Hanyu. Right now, though,  I'm actually having high expectations, not just hopes, because I feel there's a good chance they will actually get answered. You know, kinda like making an informed decision when making a huge investment.

 

At this stage, I'm already thinking why more people aren't already doing what Hanyu 's doing. Experiment and improve like hell during the mid-cycles, and then pick the best stuff from these mid-cycles to polish for delivery to the entire world in the O-season.  They don't even have to do it exactly like him (increase tech content), but only maintain their best efforts (meaning no downgrade, which most skater seem to resort to doing). I really do think this would open more people's eyes to the appeal of figure skating rather than those who somehow managed to stumble upon them themselves. It would kick the doors wide open for people to flow in, rather than the trickle all this time.

 

All of this. I'm so excited, I feel like I'm in the middle of the greatest skating story of all time that's going to climax at the Olympics. The story of last season and how it lead to that perfect skate at worlds was worthy of a movie, this season will be epic.

 

It's quite shocking for me to hear that people find Chopin safe and cliche. For me, I've never seen anything like this new version of it skated before, not even the first two incarnations. So much freedom and abandon and raw emotion. I almost feel winded watching it.

 

ETA. I was a casual, once every 4 years skating-watcher until I accidentally saw an incredible Japanese boy skate his heart out with such intensity in his FS at the world championships in Boston. My first thoughts were "Figure skating can be like this? This is incredible. This is the most fantastic thing i've ever seen." Even though he fell, even though Javi was just wonderful, Yuzu changed everything for me. I never thought in my wildest dreams that I'd ever watch this sport seriously. There will be many more like me after the Olympics and it will be the same incredible program that changes them.

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