Kanako Murakami

volk said:

Japan Open

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D12yAezhs44

Not her best. Same UR problems for Kanako. On a side note she has become so hot!

Click to expand...

I don't know if this is because I like Kanako, I like her new program even if some are saying her music and choreography are not good. I love that she is brave enough to put all her chips on POTO in both SP and LP for her last season simply because she LOVES this musical. What a fiery and feisty girl!

Maria Victoria said:

^Yes, Yuzuru and Kanako do go a long way back. I read an article about Kanako where news just got in about the 3/11/11 earthquake, and the reporter described her as visibly worried because there was no word yet as to whether Yuzuru survived.

Click to expand...

I really want to read that article. Do you happen to remember where that article was found? Many thanks in advance.

figureskateobasan said:

I didn't mean to be hating on Kanako, I really like her actually.
It's sad watching her crying in K&C during worlds I think she deserve higher score and everyone in Twitter went mad over how low her score was!

Click to expand...

I just came across an old post saying that at sochi after her LP, she went back to the stand and sat beside Yuzuru and cried. Oh, that is too sad. But regarding worlds, I didn't see her crying. Do you have a video of that?

Hi skatefan22! (Coincidentally, you also have "22" in your moniker like the uploader of the Yuzuru-Kanako video, the link of which I posted earlier.) I tried looking for the article but haven't found it yet. I'll PM you once I do. I wish I have bookmarked it.

Re Kanako's programs this season, I really, really want to like it, and I don't exactly dislike it, but I don't think they are the kind of programs that will officially establish her as Japan's No. 1 female skater this season as I so wish for her. In a FSUniverse post (# 221, http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...-figure-skating-news-after-sochi.91545/page-8, credit to rosewood for the translation), Kanako said for the first time she did off ice training with a ballet instructor, and I wished she had picked music other than POTO to highlight this. Still skating to POTO is Kanako's choice, and the chances are she'll perform better with music she loves. I'm crossing my fingers for her.

Maria Victoria said:

Hi skatefan22! (Coincidentally, you also have "22" in your moniker like the uploader of the Yuzuru-Kanako video, the link of which I posted earlier.) I tried looking for the article but haven't found it yet. I'll PM you once I do. I wish I have bookmarked it.

Re Kanako's programs this season, I really, really want to like it, and I don't exactly dislike it, but I don't think they are the kind of programs that will officially establish her as Japan's No. 1 female skater this season as I so wish for her. In a FSUniverse post (# 221, http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...-figure-skating-news-after-sochi.91545/page-8, credit to rosewood for the translation), Kanako said for the first time she did off ice training with a ballet instructor, and I wished she had picked music other than POTO to highlight this. Still skating to POTO is Kanako's choice, and the chances are she'll perform better with music she loves. I'm crossing my fingers for her.

Click to expand...

Thank you, Maria Victoria! Look forward to reading that article.
Regarding POTO, I am amazed by her determination to go her way. Hope for the best! I remember how she exceled in Japanese nationals 2013 and I hope that she can do that again this year.
By the way, love the video you posted perviously! I always have a soft spot for childhood friendship. That look of Kanako's face when she was leaving is just ... I am glad that Yuzu managed to spot her and call her back and give her a little hug. That might have just saved something precious.

I guess this was talked about in the other threads but since it wasn't in here, this is Kana's POTO EX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVHD-LKGBjs. This is also her planned SP for this year.

This EX is simply divine and I can't wait for her to skate it in CoC!!

【video】"I want to become stronger!" - Kana's commitment this season

Asahi TV broadcast a new program introducing Kana's status in challenging upcoming season. She talked about the reasons to continue the competitive skating this season rather than to retire as she previously planned. (She wants to be a skating teacher.)

One part of reasons is the unsatisfied performances in Sochi and the Worlds. Another part is the result of consulting to her two senior team sisters, Akko and Mao. She witnessed and felt the powerful determination from two ladies, thus she continued to skate this season to aim a higher goal – go to GPF.

She took action in dining control and stamina management. An one-hour new ballet course also included in training schedule before daily practice on ice. Her commitment of becoming stronger was even presenting in the music choice. The coach team didn't quite prefer the POTO. But she insisted and they let her go.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x28o45p_141027-%E5%BC%B7%E3%81%8F%E3%81%AA%E3%82%8B_sport?from_related=related.page.int.behavior-only.9f3a75d1939166a4ac63661f1722c9a8141450431

Thanks echotpe for the video and translation. I hope Kanako's hard work pays off. Good luck Kanako in your GP debut this season! Please do your best.

Did Kanako incorporate ballet into her training before?

^Not in her off-ice training which she has only done now. Here's the translation by rosewood in FSUniverse of an interview with Kanako:

Kanako Murakami:
-About your first competition in this season?
My skating here was rather better than what I did last year. I'll work on my jumps and foot works since I made mistakes on jumps and I have things to do with my skating skills.
-Themes of your programs?
It's to interpret the story of POTO in both of my programs. Wish to show well the contrast between
Christine in SP and the phantom in LP.
-What is the difference between JO and shows?
I've skated in lots of shows after Worlds. This is my first competition in this season. I thought I would be very nervous, especially considering I was the skater to skate in the last. But I was not such nervous as I expected. I think I can fix the mistakes I did here, so my skating was not bad overall as the first competition in the new season.
-What did you focus during your training in this past summer?
I introduced off ice training under a ballet instructor into my daily work. I haven't done off ice training before. Thanks to the training my body was built up better. I reworked on my axels from 1A as well.

(Post 221, http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...-figure-skating-news-after-sochi.91545/page-8)

I've heard Tracy Wilson comment that Kanako's skating style is athletic, so her off-ice ballet training I think will help her. She has underperformed in her last competitions (Worlds, JO) so I'm really wishing for an upswing skate from her in the Cup of China. I see many GS posters think she'll finish fourth, but I am hoping she can have a podium finish.

She's never done off ice training before? I know almost nothing about skater's training regime and different countries have different training systems but I always assume she at least had dance class or strength training. She's a pretty good versatile dancer.

So according to my friends in Shanghai, Kanako already arrived, and fans in China sang her a "Happy Birthday" in the lobby

Here is the new report video of Kana arriving.I guess she has lost some weight?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x29elrx_1106-グモニ_sport?start=22

I'm still rooting for you Kanako-chan! :agree:

I hope Kanako can really make a statement this season!

skatefan22 said:

Here is the new report video of Kana arriving.I guess she has lost some weight?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x29elrx_1106-グモニ_sport?start=22

Click to expand...

Maybe too much training. I hope her LP will be much better than in JO.

Kana looks beautiful She's starting to remind me of Shizuka a bit. I hope she gives it her all this season!

Advance Happy Birthday to Kanako who'll be above the Japanese age of consent on the 7th. I want her to leave all the past mistakes, disappointments, etc. behind as it is a new season. Kanako has made the difficult decision to continue skating competitively, and I think she did because she loves skating and she believes she can still make a contribution to Japanese figure skating. Ganbatte Kanako!

skatefan22 said:

Here is the new report video of Kana arriving.I guess she has lost some weight?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x29elrx_1106-グモニ_sport?start=22

Click to expand...

Thanks for the video link skatefan22. I could not really see whether Kanako has lost weight because of her jacket and long skirt, but she looks a little stressed to me. Her smile though is as beautiful as ever.

Lovely to see her choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo sing Happy Birthday to her and buss her. The latter was a trifle awkward as Kanako was wearing a mask, not the POTO one though.

Maria Victoria said:

Advance Happy Birthday to Kanako who'll be above the Japanese age of consent on the 7th. I want her to leave all the past mistakes, disappointments, etc. behind as it is a new season. Kanako has made the difficult decision to continue skating competitively, and I think she did because she loves skating and she believes she can still make a contribution to Japanese figure skating. Ganbatte Kanako!



Thanks for the video link skatefan22. I could not really see whether Kanako has lost weight because of her jacket and long skirt, but she looks a little stressed to me. Her smile though is as beautiful as ever.

Lovely to see her choreographer Pasquale Camerlengo sing Happy Birthday to her and buss her. The latter was a trifle awkward as Kanako was wearing a mask, not the POTO one though.

Click to expand...

I feel that she might have lost some weight because her face appears to be smaller. She looks pretty! Your first paragraph sort of made me into tears a bit. I am getting emotional...

Cheering for Kanako in CoC. I really hope she does well!

skatefan22 said:

I feel that she might have lost some weight because her face appears to be smaller. She looks pretty! Your first paragraph sort of made me into tears a bit. I am getting emotional...

Click to expand...

@skatefan22, to make you smile, I finally found the article you were requesting (sort of). I think I read a different translation of that article, but this one also captured Kanako's concern for Yuzuru shortly after the Great Eastern Japan earthquake despite having her own competition to go through:

This is an article in Nikkan Sports in Japan.
Translated from Japanese.
As for Kanako, her look stiffened for the anxiety.
March 14th, 2011 JST

By Koichi Masuko
Expectation new star Kanako Murakami (16, Chukyo University Chukyo High School 1st grader) won the championship at the personal best point. Wearing the stylish costume of red and black, she appeared in FS.
With the calmed acting, she succeeded in all jumps such as the two consecutive triple jumps of the opening.
Following the short program of the previous day, she recorded 130.56 points with the perfect acting without mistakes, also in FS.
It is a reference record because of the local competition, but she didn't allow the other player to come near, by her personal best points of 194.31 points in total.

Until the morning of March 13th, she had spent the uneasy time, because she had not been able to make contact with Hanyu Yuzuru for a long time after the earthquake, who won the championship in 2010 Junior Worlds together with her and came from Sendai City where was hit by the Japan North East Region Pacific Offshore Earthquake.
She was anxious for the safety of the mate of same grade, but I hear that, in this morning, she listened from the person of JSF, saying that it has been able to contact with him.
Before the acting, there was a scene where she embraces each other with her elder sister while being in tears, too, because her elder sister Yukiko Murakami who retires from the eligible skater in this season showed the last skating in this competition.

She was ready perfectly for delivery, but whereabouts of the holding of the Worlds in March is opaque.
The 16 year-old girl spoke while keeping the composure and choosing a word for the disaster area, saying, 'I think that the earthquake victims are having a very hard time and I think that I would like to do my best, so as to be said by them, saying "I got the vitality by watching your acting"'.

The article:
As for Kanako, her look stiffened for the anxiety.
http://www.nikkansports.com/sports/news/p-sp-tp0-20110314-748132.html

(From Post #3, dated March 25, 2011 by Akira Andrea, http://www.fsuniverse.net/forum/ind...-did-the-acting-without-mistake-almost.77973/)

I think it also shows Kanako's tender heart.

skatefan22 said:

Here is the new report video of Kana arriving.I guess she has lost some weight?
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x29elrx_1106-グモニ_sport?start=22

Click to expand...

Thanks for the video link. I always notice how down to earth, unpretentious and joyous Kanako is when she is interviewed and when she interacts with the public. She has a wonderful and charming character and a beautiful smile. I loved her LP at 2014 4CC's and I hope she can bring that kind of passion and high quality to her skating in Cup of China. I'll be cheering for her. Ganbatte Kanako!