Now that this season is over for Yuzu...

[Henni147]

I want to be honest: I cannot rank Yuzu's programs in any order. Each of them has something very unique, touching and memorable and a special role in Yuzu's skating journey. To put Otonal below LGC would minor the greatness of Otonal's step sequence and sublime build up, but other way round LGC wouldn't receive the credit it deserved for its epic choreo, musicality and playfulness. Same with Chopin and Parisienne Walkways and older SPs, FSs and EXs. They all have very strong aspects, but room for improvement as well. Nevertheless I can watch all of them again and again and never get tired. They're all Yuzu for me.

 

It would be great to see new programs, colors and styles in the future, but if Yuzu needs a choreo that he's familiar with, I'm fine with that, too. Whatever his decision is, he has my support. 

[Dreamer]

I love pretty much all of Yuzuru's programs. 

I am not a big fan of DW choreography but even those skates are growing on me

[fyere0]

*deep breath*

 

I think Otoñal has one of Yuzu's best step sequences of all time, if not the best, but overall it doesn't quite crack his top 3 short programs for me. His best SPs imo are still Parisienne Walkways, Let's Go Crazy, and his final version of Ballade, because they were each in their own way an artistic and technical breakthrough of sorts for him and were all extremely tightly constructed, polished to perfection, and had flawless music cuts. Yuzu's current Otoñal cut isn't as good as the original version, though I see why he changed it. There are also some spots here and there where the choreography could be improved upon. With another season to iron these things out I know it would get better and better, but I kind of want a new short, so I'd be fine if he didn't go back to it. The versions we have are still beautiful and very watchable.

 

Program: 7.5/10 WINNIES with a bonus point for the StSq so 8.5/10 WINNIES

Costume: 8.5/10 WINNIES classic tried and true flattering blue, stunning detailing, don't love the buildup of ruffles at the back of the neck which makes him look hunched, lose the mesh and just let the bewbs be free

 

Origin... Origin, Origin. A dense, heavy, symbolic, exhausting, remote would-be masterpiece that quite never came together. It's really cool and it's also way too much -- too much for the technical demands of the time, too much to communicate in 4 minutes, too much for the judges and the audience to latch onto and appreciate, too much for him to do to the maximum all at once coming off an injury over and over again. I know Yuzu said this season was for having fun and skating what he liked, but with this program, he inadvertently went and heaped a tonne of extra pressure on himself, and it shows. It's imbued with so much meaning and backstory and homage that in every performance of this program you could see the wheels turning and grinding, and I don't think they ever would have stopped and allowed him to be free and be himself while skating it, as he managed to with Seimei and H&L. I think Origin was better meant to be an exhibition program, and also I think it showed up too early. This is not something for a post-Olympic season. Yuzu, when you're healthy, go to FaoI, get that costume on under the show lights, borrow some of Pirate Javi's eyeliner that he is apparently wearing now (???!!!!!), take the quads out of the program, and give it the undiluted media day sharpness and love it needs.

 

Program: 6.5/10 WINNIES for the competitive versions taken as a whole, 9/10 WINNIES for the truncated media day version

Costume: 9.5/10 WINNIES, 15/10 WINNIES if he ever does it in eyeliner *throws PCS and GOE*

 

I did not adore Haru Yo Koi right away, and I still think it's not up to the level of Requiem (HYK's music is way better but Requiem is a better program) or Notte Stellata (by far Yuzu and DW's best collaboration, one of the greatest exhibition programs of all time in terms of musical interpretation and pure skating and also one of the purest ballet-influenced skating programs of all time, so there is A LOT TO LIVE UP TO THERE). The choreo is self-indulgent in places but I can't fault Yuzu for that at all. TREAT YO SELF, BOY! I do think HYK grew and developed nicely and what he wants to convey comes through clearly. I consider the snow-throwing addition a Growing the Beard moment, which is the opposite of a Jump the Shark moment. When Commander Riker in Star Trek grew a beard, the show instantly went from OK to great. Likewise when DW left the tour and Yuzu got cheeky and started adding things and throwing snow, HYK went from pretty good to great. This was also my preferred Russian Skating Icon Homage of the season from him.

 

Program: 7/10 WINNIES pre-snow, 8.5/10 WINNIES post-snow

Costume: 7.5/10 WINNIES, never wear pale pink near your face, my son

[Lambari]

wrong topic!

 

[Lambari]

11 hours ago, Paskud said:

(...) Origin

Costume: 3/10 - For me it's too much when you have delicate lace on whole body AND sparkles everywhere AND feathers. It's funny, because sometimes I see photos, where you can see only lace and feathers and it looks quite nice. Then there are gifs and photos with dark colours and you see only blings from sparkles and again it looks good. Then I see videos and photos when you can see everything and at the same time you see nothing. Lace and sparkles are too small to do clear pattern. Without them there is only... shirt with v-neck. Seimei v1 had similar problem, but there was at least clear design of Onmyouji raiment.

 

(...)

 

That's such a blasphemy! I can't believe people are capable of such travesty!   Jk.    Origin may be my favourite Yuzuru costume of all time, certainly my favourite LP costume.  It's just absolutely regal,  so fitting for a season post his second Olympic gold. He looks like a phoenix, or an Emperor, or both.  And i've always wanted him to wear a dark costume but thought that my wish was never going to be granted so I was over the moon when the costume was revealed.  

 

_____

 

Thanks for the Etude appreciation here!   I am absolutely in love with Etude and will be forever bitter that it never receives the attention it deserves.  It feels like the counterpart of Hope & Legacy.   Etude is the sea before and during a storm   Hope & Legacy is the calmness after the storm and the hope for a new beginning. They also represent two diffferent points in Yuzuru's career, one as the up and coming and the other as the goal point.  I'm terrible at waxing lyrically but you get the point.  I remember Yuzuru once referred to etude as symbolizing waves so I guess I'm not that far off.   And I think that he really did a connection between the two, hence the similar costumes but with different color variations.   There's an old video out there of him describing Etude but I can't find it now.  

 

I can't rank accurately my favourite programs, especially since they're so different.  

 

What i can say is that the only Yuzuru programs that I really dislike are Notre Dame and POTO.   Notre Dame really had no clear picture, it just exists. David Wilson completely missed the point in that one and Yuzuru just couldn't connect and bring this program into life, especially since he was adding for the first time the 4S and  it was his first season after his coaching change.  It also didn't help that he had fabulous programs the previous season. 

POTO tried to have a clearer picture but I never bought it.  It just didn't feel like a full program for me, especially after he watered down due to the injuries. But even if it was the original version I don't think it would go down as one of my favourite Yuzuru programs.  

 

i appreciate R&J 2.0 but wasn't a fan of the boobskirt so maybe my judgement is going to be clouded by it.  But I think that R&J 2.0 IMO was much better than NDP and POTO and I can rewatch it with no problem. GPF 2013 is my favourite rendition of it because i love his fingers. 

 

H&L is an absolute masterpiece for me.  

 

 

[utsukushii3A]

I can't rank them either. There are some that have special meaning to me either because of what he overcame to perform them or because of personal reasons, and some that I watch more than others, but they all pretty much coagulate into an amorphous blob of amazing-ness that I can't really extract anything specific from. My favorite of all used to be Seimei, but I think Otonal and Origin have both tied with it. Only time will tell if it stays that way. And of course, Olympic PW will always be very, very special to me, because that was the first time I ever laid eyes on Yuzu, and it was skating love at first sight.

 

That being said, the ones I keep going back to are Olympic Seimei, Notte Stellata and PW, WTT and GPF POTO, and Hana ni Nare, but that's only due to time constraints. Once this stretch of endless (insert potentially identifying work stuff here) is over, there will definitely be additions to that. 

[MagicFS]

My favorite figure skating program of all time is Notte Stellata. Closely followed by Hope and Legacy. H&L is obviously my favorite competitive program of all time. I loved it even before Worlds 2017--it's lyrical and beautiful and just my type of program. But of course, the perfection of H&L at Worlds was extra special. My favorite Notte Stellata is the Olympic version. These two are my go-to's when I want to believe in the beauty of this world and cry over how beautiful it really can be.

 

I think I would rank Otonal third. It's such a wonderful program. I got totally addicted to watching it after Rostelecom Cup. I think I've seen every single fancam of it youtube found for me. It's perfect, as well. And I love the music. Johnny Weir's Otonal was once my favorite competitive program in figure skating. Yuzu surpassed that!

 

Then comes Olympic Seimei. It's such an emotional rendition of such a meaningful program. I appreciate the technical perfection of GPF (and NHK) Seimei, but the program was just not lyrical enough for me to truly appreciated it back then. Add the Olympic emotions to it, however, and it becomes a moving masterpiece. Also, the Japanese culture aspect on the biggest stage... Yuzu is the best ambassador!

 

Fifth is Origin. I'm so happy we have the Worlds version to watch over and over again. It's not perfect, but it's sooo good. I love the music. I agree the Media Day version probably had some unexplored potential (and addictive power), but I am satisfied with this version we got in Saitama.

 

I would rank Haru Yo Koi sixth, especially the Worlds version (although I have a soft spot for that Japanese-TV version of the GP Helsinki skate, too).

 

And I'll stop there because I cannot pick and choose among LGC, PW, Requiem, Ballade, R&J 1.0, POTO... How lucky are we to have all of these programs to watch and love and be inspired and touched by forever and ever! 

[Yuzu_GOAT]

I can't really rank them per se, as each of his programs is special in their own way, but here are some of my thoughts.

 

FS

 

H&L - I love the music and costume for this program. The jumps are some of the cleanest I have ever seen of Yuzu's. Not quite my favourite though, as this skate doesn't "Tell a story" to me as much as some of his other ones.

 

Origin - While obviously, he couldn't perform this as well as he wanted due to injury, I really enjoyed this program. Admittedly it is a little rushed, something many people are quick to point out. I love the music, and as for the costume, well, it is so quintessentially Yuzu! As for the emotion, I don't get why many people say there is little 'storytelling' in the skate. To me, it almost reminds me of his character from Seimei; delicate and ethereal, yet also mysterious and complex. It reminds me of the more mysterious side of Yuzu that we don't know overmuch about.

 

Seimei - I loved the NHK 2015/2015 GPF performances for the frenetic energy and reckless abandon he puts into the skates (The ending step sequence - perfection!). However, I love the Olympic performance because I see him truly playing the role of the warrior. That's all I can really say. (I hate typing lots lol)

 

SP

 

Etude - One of Yuzu's most under-appreciated skates. An all-time classic, with beautiful costume and choreography.

 

PW - Love the Olympic performance, he gets so into the feeling of the program. Same goes for LGC actually

 

Chopin - I love Chopin 3.0 most of all, it's just so...... pretty. So delicate, yet strong, weaving the technical aspects and artistry together to produce an incredible performance.

 

Otonal - While it is a slow beginning that I don't really enjoy THE STEP SEQUENCE. That's all. 

 

Ex

 

Notta Stellata - Okay, unpopular opinion incoming... I..... don't really like this skate. I enjoy the costume, and I understand the backstory behind, but it just seems...... bland. Not because of Yuzu's interpretation, in fact, I can appreciate his beautiful delayed axel and 3A, and it is emotional but I just don't enjoy it.

 

Requiem - Costume: No. Music: It's okay. Emotion: Good, but altogether I think this program is overrated tbh.

 

HyK - Right, THIS is an ex. Lot's of people don't like this as much as the previous two, but this one, without fail, brings me to tears. The costume is so delicate and pretty, and wearing it, my idea of gender is completely forgotten, it's so amazing. The music is incredible, and the choreography so well timed, with little flourishes that define as a Yuzu skate. As a major earthquake survivor myself (NZ satellites, you may know what I am talking about) this program just TALKS to me. From the instant the music starts, he's saying Look at me, this is what I'm trying to say.  To me, he looks... sad, overwhelmed at the start. (Btw I know this isn't really the meaning of Hyk, but this is my interpretation.) He looks so delicate, as if he is being crushed under peoples' expectations with him and the weight of his own traumatic past. There is one part where he put his hands over his ears as if to say I can't hear, GET OUT OF MY HEAD, LEAVE ME ALONE,  as if his own thoughts are tormenting him. Then, the music turns gentle, and he turns to face the audience with such a vulnerable look on his face (At Helsinki gala you can hear people audibly gasping). And then, the beautiful spin, as if he is lost, unsure of his own direction. THEN.... the step sequence that tears me apart every time I watch it.... a desperate glance over his shoulder, hands coming instinctively over his head as an imaginary ice rink shatters around him. Skating desperately away (In worlds gala, he also raises his hands to his throat. I thought it was a reference to the difficulties of his condition, but rewatching it he looked extremely panicked and breathless, potential asthma issues maybe? Thoughts? Look for about 4.25 onwards on the video below to see it.), he goes into his legendary ice-kissing hydroblade (Again, he actually does this at worlds!), as if to say despite the fact I have been injured multiple times on this surface, despite the fact that on that day you cracked beneath my feet, I still love and respect you. Then, the scooping of the ice, more hands over his head, as if he was being crushed by nightmares, and then, (Perfectly time with the low chord) the hands down, the I will not let this define me, I will continue (with wings - sorry, I had to lol), the rebirth, the hope, the spring. The beautiful Ina Bauer, a statement: Watch me rise above this and bare myself to the world. The final, drawn-out pose, then it's over, taking my poor heart with it. 

(Also I know that drags on and uses specific words way too much and is probably incorrect grammar but FIGHT ME). THAT is why I love HyK. (840 words later)

 

I recommend both performances for different reasons... if you watch both you'll see why...

Skip to 50 seconds in. 

 

 

[rockstaryuzu]

On 3/31/2019 at 1:33 PM, fyere0 said:

*deep breath*

 

I think Otoñal has one of Yuzu's best step sequences of all time, if not the best, but overall it doesn't quite crack his top 3 short programs for me. His best SPs imo are still Parisienne Walkways, Let's Go Crazy, and his final version of Ballade, because they were each in their own way an artistic and technical breakthrough of sorts for him and were all extremely tightly constructed, polished to perfection, and had flawless music cuts. Yuzu's current Otoñal cut isn't as good as the original version, though I see why he changed it. There are also some spots here and there where the choreography could be improved upon. With another season to iron these things out I know it would get better and better, but I kind of want a new short, so I'd be fine if he didn't go back to it. The versions we have are still beautiful and very watchable.

 

Program: 7.5/10 WINNIES with a bonus point for the StSq so 8.5/10 WINNIES

Costume: 8.5/10 WINNIES classic tried and true flattering blue, stunning detailing, don't love the buildup of ruffles at the back of the neck which makes him look hunched, lose the mesh and just let the bewbs be free

 

Origin... Origin, Origin. A dense, heavy, symbolic, exhausting, remote would-be masterpiece that quite never came together. It's really cool and it's also way too much -- too much for the technical demands of the time, too much to communicate in 4 minutes, too much for the judges and the audience to latch onto and appreciate, too much for him to do to the maximum all at once coming off an injury over and over again. I know Yuzu said this season was for having fun and skating what he liked, but with this program, he inadvertently went and heaped a tonne of extra pressure on himself, and it shows. It's imbued with so much meaning and backstory and homage that in every performance of this program you could see the wheels turning and grinding, and I don't think they ever would have stopped and allowed him to be free and be himself while skating it, as he managed to with Seimei and H&L. I think Origin was better meant to be an exhibition program, and also I think it showed up too early. This is not something for a post-Olympic season. Yuzu, when you're healthy, go to FaoI, get that costume on under the show lights, borrow some of Pirate Javi's eyeliner that he is apparently wearing now (???!!!!!), take the quads out of the program, and give it the undiluted media day sharpness and love it needs.

 

Program: 6.5/10 WINNIES for the competitive versions taken as a whole, 9/10 WINNIES for the truncated media day version

Costume: 9.5/10 WINNIES, 15/10 WINNIES if he ever does it in eyeliner *throws PCS and GOE*

 

I did not adore Haru Yo Koi right away, and I still think it's not up to the level of Requiem (HYK's music is way better but Requiem is a better program) or Notte Stellata (by far Yuzu and DW's best collaboration, one of the greatest exhibition programs of all time in terms of musical interpretation and pure skating and also one of the purest ballet-influenced skating programs of all time, so there is A LOT TO LIVE UP TO THERE). The choreo is self-indulgent in places but I can't fault Yuzu for that at all. TREAT YO SELF, BOY! I do think HYK grew and developed nicely and what he wants to convey comes through clearly. I consider the snow-throwing addition a Growing the Beard moment, which is the opposite of a Jump the Shark moment. When Commander Riker in Star Trek grew a beard, the show instantly went from OK to great. Likewise when DW left the tour and Yuzu got cheeky and started adding things and throwing snow, HYK went from pretty good to great. This was also my preferred Russian Skating Icon Homage of the season from him.

 

Program: 7/10 WINNIES pre-snow, 8.5/10 WINNIES post-snow

Costume: 7.5/10 WINNIES, never wear pale pink near your face, my son

Well, I don't agree with any of these opinions but I absolutely love your reviewing style. Well done! 

[fyere0]

17 hours ago, rockstaryuzu said:

Well, I don't agree with any of these opinions but I absolutely love your reviewing style. Well done! 

 

And that's healthy discourse on the internet! *high five*

I know my opinions on Origin in particular are probably wtf to some, but it's good to get it out, lol.