Yuzuru Hanyu: 2016-17 Season

[narcissa]

I think the most distracting part of LGC is the camel spin. While he's spinning you get a great view of the back...then a great view of the front...then a great view of the back...then another of the front...

amazing

 

[xibsuarz]

Everyone who is going to Helsinki or is already there have lots of fun and cheer a lot for Yuzuru! :hap93:
And congrats to everyone who kept the thread rising at a steady pace even when we lacked anything new, you guys are amazing

 

[shiroKJ]

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Okay, since both Dasani and NordEsque asked me about it, I've translated this amazing comment of Yuzu's LP at 2012 worlds on France TV

It had already been translated by Yuzusan but it was incomplete and I think there were quite a few mistakes... and I also wanted to translate that amazing comment by myself because it's fun, I confess . I used Yuzusan's translation as a basis, so thanks a lot for the amazing work !

So, here you are....
Be careful, it's pretty long because Nelson Montfort, Annick Dumont and Philippe Candeloro just speak ALL THE TIME. It's part of their charm....


***
The commentators are :
Nelson Montfort (NM) : has been commenting on figure skating for ages on french TV (more than 30 years I think) but still know nothing about technique . He's nice, though, and loves figure skating.
Philippe Candeloro (PC) : former french skater (pretty famous here)
Annick Dumont (AD) : french skating coach
***


NM: What a great afternoon, because what we are watching now and are going to watch in the 20 minutes to come is going to be crazy, and I mean it. Because today there is a real chance of medal, bronze or even silver, for one or two french skaters. We won't speculate more about this, it won’t be easy but it's still possible.
Now, Yuzuru Hanyu, young Japanese contender, who eliminated Oda at Japan Championship, which is quite an achievement in itself (ahem, I think Oda didn't compete in 2011 nationals, but, well). He was slightly disappointing yesterday (in the short program), but he is capable of doing great this afternoon.

PC: So, is he going to stay as gentle as a lamb? (It is a pun about the idiom « être doux comme un agneau » (to be as gentle as a lamb). PC is joking because lamb=agneau in French and the pronunciation of “agneau” is almost the same as the one for “Hanyu”. In french, that is, because we don't prononounce the "h"). We are going to discover that now … this young skater has lots of qualities, look at this quad… it's clean.

AD: Wow … OHLALALALA, WOW!!!

PC: It's already the fifth quad of the afternoon …
(1:19) here the triple axel, with an outstanding preparation, a great eagle just beforehand. It is a very strong start …
(1:33) triple flip, no problem, now let's go on (the tone he uses shows that he is in fact ironising about how easy it looks, while it is not easy at all).

NM : Let’s notice that this contender is seventh in ranking, just behind our French skater Florent Amodio after the short program. Amodio has managed to invite himself miraculously in the last group. It changes everything, but here we have to wait and see because, this skate here, especially regarding what happened yesterday evening, may put him close to a potential podium or a fourth place. Let's be careful !...

PC: Yes because he (Hanyu) may be dangerous -(NM : VERY dangerous) – for Florent.

(2:15) PC: Wow triple flip, look, what a flexion work !
AD: Oh …What a … what a sheer will … what a wheer will to hold this jump !!!
PC: Normally, this jump should have resulted in a fall on the ground.
AD: Of course, he didn’t put his weight where he should have at all !
NM: How did he succeed to stay up ???… I hope we will see better in slow motion.
AD: It is sheer will. Just sheer will.
NM: It defies gravity … I really hope we’ll see the slow motion …. [then a bit of uninteresting babble, NM is very chatty ]…

(2:55) The three of them : NoOOOo!!!
AD : This is unbelievable ! …
NM: What happened Philippe !...
AD: He has gone on the tip…
PC: Yes, yes, he toppled on the tip.
AD: … it is an edge mistake. A novice mistake …
PC: It is not serious, but it still costs 1 point…
NM : It wasn't even on a jump !

(3:09) AD+PC: … OooOOOOh triple axel, TRIPLE AXEL !!! ….
PC : he goes on without a pause !
AD : OHLALALALA TRIPLE TOE LOOP !!!! THIS SKATER IS FANTASTIC !!!!!!! (they're applauding I think )

PC: As I said yesterday, I've done a few galas with him in Japan last July, he was already really very impressive.
(3:24) here triple lutz, double toe loop, followed by another double toe loop…
(3:48) perfect triple loop, see, this is an almost perfect program.

NM: Despite his novice fault, oh … what a pity, I hope we will see that in a few seconds of course…
AD: I think even him could not believe it.
PC: I think his hand is injured, because of the way he looked at his hand when he went up after the fall. But the triple axel triple toe just after the fall was just fabulous… So now, (laughing) there's even more, look at this step sequence, he is a very very fast skater….
(4:25) and supported by the audience, especially by the Japanese. There are so many of them this afternoon at Nice's « Palais des Expositions ».

PC : (4:47) He is quite light so he can hold the program perhaps a little bit longer, but we can feel he's becoming tired.

AD : (4:57) Ohlala, he's given everything, he's absolutely exhausted. Absolutely exhausted.

(5:10, Bielman spin) PC: and with spins out of the ordinary, in the men’s category.

(the program is finished)

AD: This is magnificent, this is a sporting feat !!! Really magnificent, oh he can be happy. I think he has no energy anymore, he pushed himself to the limit. I have the impression that he is injured … I don't know where but this fall that no one expected, even himself … he is exhausted. I told you, you can see it.
PC: I think his hand is injured.
AD: I don’t know if it is his hand, or his ankle … I don’t know.
PC: Look at how much he is sweating, it's impressive ! We haven't seen that for any other skater this afternoon.
AD: I think he gave the best of himself, even beyond that. He may collapse before leaving the ice rink….
So many Japanese people in this rink.

PC : Now he's doing the ritual japanese salute (little laugh)

AD : in any case it's a program with two triple axels, including one in combination. Plus one quadruple jump, that I find absolutely extraordinary and deserving at least 2 GOE points, dear judges. This opening quadruple which arrives with more speed at the end than at the beginning really deserves at least 2 GOE points. As well as the axel by the way, the first one. And then, a fall on a novice mistake! In skating school, we explain that « be careful, there are big tips on the front of the blade and you always should be careful not to attach it into the ice !»

NM : The slow motion has begun, and we're very interested about it.
AD : Yes. One turn, two turns, three turns, four turns. It's beautiful. Just beautiful.
NM : I wish we could watch in slow motion this jump where he stood miraculously, you remember, Annick ?
AD : Yes, it's not this one. This one is the triple axel – and he does it with a great eagle just before, let's just say that he adds even more difficulties.
(the fall in slow mo) Oh ! He topples on the tip in the middle of a three-turn, in the middle of a counter rocker, to be more precise. And then just after, despite the fall, he goes on with a triple axel and that's particularly impressive.
PC : Yes because a little fall like that looks like nothing but can distract a skater in less than two second.
AD : Yes it would have distracted more than one skater, don't you think, Philippe ? Really...
PC : Oh were it be me, I would have stopped the program right away and then gone to the infirmary laugh2. I would have been to ER !

NM : I'm under the impression we won't see his spectacular save on the jump in slow mo.

AD : (seeing a teary-eyed Nanami Abe) Ooooh this is so moving.
(seeing Yuzuru in close-up) Oh my god his face ! (she sounds moved )

NM : So, normally Hanyu should take the lead or we don't understand anything anymore !
AD : Yes, I think so, of course, he should take the lead because... (the score appears) OHLALALALALA what a lead he has !!! 251 points in total.
PD : Wow it's very high ! Thankfully he's not in the last group, as you said before Nelson. But he's dangerous, very dangerous for our french skaters.

NM : what is happening is dangerous for Florent, and dangerous for Joubert too, but we recognize this is an amazing achievement.
And here we see Daisuke Takahashi, his fellow japanese countryman, how lucky we are to see these backstage images.

(the end)
***

(Epilogue : Florent Amodio finished 5th, and Brian Joubert 4th... . We all know who ended on the podium)

After painstakingly creating folders and loosely classifying the pics into them, i present to you...
My private Yuzuru Collection
Bear in mind, they are very loosely classified, and i might have misplaced some of them (once you open each folder you will know why. There are soo many pics!)
Obligatory: None of these are mine, except the ones that actually say screenshot and that is because they're literal screenshots from videos haha. Of course i am not trying to take credit for any of the pics (in fact there are three wallpapers there and i think someone here made them... I downloaded them to use them myself so it isn't bc i tried to take your credit!), i only save the ones i like the most and now i'm sharing them with you guys keep checking the folder since that's where i save my pics, it will probably be updated daily

Music helps a lot to build your vocabulary, and watching japanese tv too. The best advice i can give you is try to read in hiragana as much as you can! I follow a lot of japanese accounts and i use Anki to study kanji i've been studying on my own for 16 years and while i was placed in second level at the japanese school in my city, tomorrow i will take another test and i might be transferred to level three or four I am able to hold a conversation with the teachers, so it is entirely possible to get there on your own.

Btw this tweet really reminds me of the conversation about Yuzu's earphones here. Poor Shoma, being judged by his quality sound elitist senpai lol ( https://twitter.com/quadbucle/status/839221448287924225 )

Sorry if these has been already shared:
Beautiful photos from Worlds2012, COR2011 by zhem_chug

Btw, is there anyone has links to all Yuzuru's programs without commentaries?
Just one per each program is enough. I'm making a playlist of his programs music and I need the videos without commentaries so Soundhound can detect it and I can find the exact track. Like, Zigeunerweisen. Apparently it's played by a Japanese violinist.

You can listen the playlist here (https://open.spotify.com/user/ms.fhandayani/playlist/1gsjwSXvHkHN5Svq6284oN). Still WIP though.

OK, folks, while there's a temporary lull in the activities (well, compared to yesterday), I'll slip in my NHK 2015 translation.

Hope I don't smother discussion with it - just feel free to carry on. Those who are interested may enjoy reading this.
Yeah, and I remember about GPF 2015 replay. Might get down to it this night!

NHK 2015 SP Russian Eurosport

- … Kovtun comes 4th so far, but let’s wait – we saw how Yuzuru Hanyu skated at his first event, which was Skate Canada. Hanyu had a horrible SP there – he only got 28 points of technical score. He lost nearly all the elements, and he hadn’t received so little for his technical score ever since he was a little kid – only 28 points. But now it’s Japan and weeks have gone by – AND he’s Olympic Champion and World Champion. Frederic Chopin.

- He isn’t doing much, but you can’t take your eyes off him! Oh, the way he kept his balance! He fought hard for it – there was a lean on his Salchow, but he was able to pull out of it.
- Clean! Two Toeloops – 4-3!
- Very clean! He gets a lot of GOE for this combo… 28! He’s hardly behind Boyang Jin’s technical score accumulation pattern, but he’s going to get higher PCS.
- 3A from such a difficult entry.
- He was the first one to execute 3A with such an entry, when he doesn’t follow the classical pattern of going into it on his right foot and then jumping off the left foot. But there’s a little trick there he’s using, he helps himself a bit with his toepick.
- As a rule at the end of the program they have a step sequence.
- Well, he finished his musical piece…
- … like a samurai! Not like it was Chopin!
- … Yes, like Chopin! As if he were famous pianist or composer Frederic Chopin.
- I said, not like it was Chopin!
- Sorry I misheard you!
- With a glare killing his rivals! Look, 59.07!
- Well, he might go over 100.
- Over 100? Of course he will! His personal record is 101.45, but that was in Sochi, during the Olympic Games, and it’s a well known fact that judges give more GOE at World Championships and Olympic Games. But in this case Boyang Jin’s score might affect Yuzuru’s score – Boyang Jin was generously marked in technical score and he was scored very well in components too – his components are on average just under 8: 7.82, 7.93, 7.89, 7.93 – nearly 8! If he adds a little more, Boyang Jin will start receiving components over 8 on average, and then skaters like Yuzuru Hanyu, Patrick Chan and Javier Fernandez will be threatened. That’s a subtle aspect which the judges feel very well, so Hanyu’s marks will be… well, his skating also deserves it, but his score will be high, very generous. Let’s look, that’s his Salchow – with a lean, a bit underrotated. - Oh, will it be downgraded? No, they won’t…
- There’s a slight underrotation…
- There’s one, but it’s less than a quarter of a rotation!
- It’s less than a quarter, that’s right. Let it be half a quarter.
- Now they’re showing us his quad Toeloop, let’s look carefully. I want to see his 3A – he does it so gracefully and so cunningly. This one’s also clean, and this (about 3T)? It’s also clean. He’s such a fantastic skater – he’s got flexibility, extension, lightness, musicality, delicate, yet powerful skating… Look here, (at his 3A) I think he helps himself with his toepick?
- He must have helped himself! He needed to slow down into his jump…
- No, he does accelerate himself with it! (Or assists himself into his 3A). But he’s the only one to jump 3A in this way…
- … the right way is to jump off the toepick.
- An excellent skate from the Olympic Champion.
- Yes, this is excellent in every respect, he exceeds every skater who’s performed in his skating skills, very light gliding, and jumps too, he skated last…
… and in his glare!
- Yeah, he just pierces with his glare! And there he is, smiling as ever, always thanking the ice, his coach, the audience… Well, how much? 100? I don’t there will be a record, he won’t reach 101… 106?! Oh, I’ve miscalculated that much!!! I thought they wouldn’t risk giving him that much! 106!!! In this case they’re telling Boyang Jin: “Get back in line! You’re too young!”
- “Get back in line for now!”, and you see why – this shows the progress in figure skating.
- Well, if he gets 106 now, what score should they give him at the World Championship?
- He has to skate that well there and the judges will be different. There will be a different skate there, and it’s not soon.
- Well, I think if Chan sees this, I think he’s incapable of speaking now!

This is also a thing that happens and no one can convince me he doesn't sleep like that

https://twitter.com/runrun8383/status/802854523739832320
not even this?

I love this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZPnQgnn_Bw
Sorry if it has already been posted.

This thread moves so fast I don't know if this was shared already.

Eng subbed video of Kiritoru TV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lGDWEqatXQ .

I hope we'll get more subbed videos. It's really fun to watch these shows with the subtitles embedded. Big thanks to Ngoc Anh Dang.

So cute, someone made a Yuzu board game

And I don't think this was posted? Translated article about Yuzuru's "beauty" that crosses national borders.

David Carmichael uploaded some of his photos from 4CC gala :luv17:

Here it is with translation by Angelica
http://yuzusorbet.tumblr.com/post/136752497577/a-programme-that-starts-with-his-own-breath

So, apparently Yuzu is listed in this voting by Japanese men
He is placed fifth in catagory "Man I Want to Embrace," but wait, actually the category isn't that

From the comment section:


So, I guess, even men can't escape from his beauty

A new fanfid of Yuzuru - I think it hasn't been posted yet
I couldn't watch it yet, but apparently it's good : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5qyVJMl5Ec

Edit : thank you liha for the warning - the video contains footage of CoC2014, some of you might want to skip it

As per Jessie Kok on FB: Miyagi prefecture did an article collection done by Secondary School students. This tweet says that Yuzu's article seems to be printed too~ It was printed as Nanakita Hanyu Yuzuru (七北田 羽生結弦). Nanakita is a place in Miyagi Sendai Izumiku.

Translated by Iron Klaus

https://twitter.com/Iron_Klaus/status/839750131251544064

A wonderful translation with great details on language subtleties, of Yuzu's interview about Tatsuki Machida's retirement: https://tadakixd.tumblr.com/post/158187517320/ぴの-on-twitter

, Yuzuru is mentionated in a japanese drama called "Totsuzen Desu ga, Ashita Kekkon Shimasu"

https://68.media.tumblr.com/6990b0906cc45f4380f9830e30506344/tumblr_inline_omkg2iX7rO1qepbal_500.gif

NHK 2015 FS
Russian Eurosport

- Now we’ll wait for Yuzuru Hanyu. If you saw his glare, can you imagine what we’re going to see? Well, finally, dear viewers, here we are – it could be a grand close to the evening. What will Hanyu show us – will it be a great close or a so-so close? In 2010, five years ago, this 20-year old – then 15 year-old – Japanese skater won the Junior World Championship, he didn’t get to the World Team first year he was senior, this is his fifth season. He was the third in his first season (in the WT), then he came fourth, then he won the Olympic Games and the World Championship, last year he lost the World Championship to his friend and training buddy, Javier Fernandez. Lets see what shape Hanyu is in today. After all, it’s Japan, it’s Nagano. He lost the Free Skate at Skate Canada to Chan, who had a stunning skate.

- A quad, absolutely clean!
- Wow! Quad Salchow…
- Quad Salchow, a school variant, clean! Quad Toeloop, clean. And he has a very good speed of skating, excellent edge work. Triple Flip.
- One more quad toeloop and a triple toeloop? Does that make three quads?
- And mind you, they’re all brilliantly rotated!
- 3A… oh, what a stunning combination – 3A and a 2T just after that with his arms aloft.
- Another 3A… and 3Sal, how great! What a combination!
- I’m waiting in awe for him to finish… I'm terrifed what we are going to see now!
- You know I had to restrain myself and stop commenting on his jumps, turns, spins and steps to let you admire and enjoy Yuzuru Hanyu’s skate…
- 113,99!!!
- … just to enjoy it. I think you did enjoy it!
- 118,59!!!
- How he… it’s difficult to find a correct word – performed? Fought? Put his soul in it? It looked so easy as if he could skate 10 minutes more!
- Well, he couldn't – he gave it all! Look at his face, look at the way he’s breathing! To be capable of performing to the best of your abilities for 4 and a half minutes just when you need it – up to the point of complete exhaustion!
- He pulled himself together like that in his own homeland! I think they’ll put up a monument for him in Japan!
- I think he’s already “raised himself a monument not built with hands and common folk shall keep the path well trodden”! The music comes from a Japanese film ‘Seimei’ – in fact, Abe no Seimei was a legendary person, a Japanese visionary who practised onmyoji – an ancient Japanese cosmology, divination, exorcism and defence against evil curses – sorcery, in short! Japanese folk sorcery, let’s call it that! And Abe no Seimei was one of those sorcerers and mystics…
- Folk medicine!
- Yes, he lived a thousand years ago, he was very famous… that’s why this music is full of energy, subtexts – Seimei’s personality had to be very strong and powerful, and Yuzuru Hanyu is as strong a personality as that! On January (sic!) 7th he’ll be 21.
- Look how he’s getting into the right mindset at the beginning! You can’t say there’s an awful lot of choreography…
- Is there little of it?
- It’s not that obvious, but it’s everywhere!
- He did everything! Look at the way he jumped! You know, 118,59 we saw at the end of the skate are scary, because yesterday he received 106.33 (and 101.45 was a WR before), now he already has a record in the technical score, and now the judges will shower him in the component score, and I’m scared to think about the score. The previous record was Patrick Chan’s and it was 196,33 if I’m not mistaken. What score he’s going to get now is just frightening. But he did everything immaculately – look, 4T – in the second half of the program, you see?
- Clean! And a triple – also clean!
- He’s got unique legs – they’re both rigid and soft when needed…
- Springy legs!
- Yes, they’re springy!
- You know, they’re like shock absorbers…
- Yes, rigid springiness! He’s a stunning talent, Yuzuru Hanyu, a university student, a modest guy, but his modesty conceals loads of ambition and drive and desire to win! But he knows how to rejoice – he was happy for his friend Javier Fernandez when the latter beat him at the last World Championship! He was happy because he knew it was just, Fernandez deserved to be Champion. I think he’s a greater idol in Japan than Daisuke Takahashi who was worshipped in the previous years. Now he’s applauding and bowing to Brian Orser!
- This Japanese tactfulness amazes and surprises everyone…
- And the good manners and the good upbringing!
- The upbringing too! That attitude to himself and his partners…
- 196,75 is Patrick Chan’s record in the free skate. No one has ever gone beyond 200.
- Will it go beyond 200?
- 216!!! I’ve also got my head between my hands now like he has – 216!!! 322!!!
- And what is next? 400? 500?
- No one has ever hit 300 – Chan’s record was 295! 322! 216! I think Orser is going to start speaking Japanese now – and it won’t surprise as much as this score does! Guys, this isn't World Championship, it’s just… 322,4!
- It's world ranking…
- Forget ranking, this is a world record which was unimaginable. It’s just as if Bob Beamon leaped his crazy long jump… Do they understand what they’re doing – and that Hanyu may not bother skating from now on? On the one hand, it’s a great triumph, on the other hand, it’s a great test for the psychologies of the people we can see on our screens. 322! I could understand it if it were World Championship, but this is just an ordinary Grand Prix event! Though it was a brilliant skate, of course, I can see that he received 12 top 10 marks in the component score.

 

[gladiolusc]

https://www.daily.co.jp/general/2017/03/26/0010036785.shtml

Uh. News said he left from NARITA AIRPORT

 

[jinabee]

Yuzuru has landed in Helsinki!

Time for the nervousness to really kick in! It's really here o.o

 

[shiroKJ]

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Little snippets from 4cc subbed by Aoyuzu:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw5KPVnBMi0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFozJXtmkRw

For those who can read japanese, this seems quite interesting: https://twitter.com/sorairohituji/status/839783021838417921

https://twitter.com/sleep_sweep_/status/840173917234855937

Hana ni nare paper cutouts so beautiful.
I love the many different ways fan art comes out

Check out @sleep_sweep_'s Tweet: https://twitter.com/sleep_sweep_/status/833688479661858819?s=09

This one where she did the LGC ice coverage + elements in paper cut form is even more beyond

Right, sorry to budge into such an animated conversation - but I'm keeping a promise now. But this translation is quite short - the video is short and they keep silent most of it.

GPF 2015 FS Replay
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3kpy4y_2015-gpf-yuzuru-hanyu-fs-esp-rus-replay_sport

- As for Yuzuru Hanyu, you can’t find enough adjectives to describe him.
- It’s like Swan Lake.
- Hanyu? Well, not like back in 1991, during the Russian coup d’etat. (Something only the Russians would remember perhaps – when there was an attempt of coup d’etat in August 1991 – and all you could watch on TV those days was Swan Lake. It created an ominous and ambiguous aura around Tchaikovsky’s ballet – and changed the attitude towards it).
- (then they speak about the Russian skaters missing the GPF)
- Now we watch this masterpiece of Hanyu’s – the masterpiece called Seimei, a well-known Japanese character, magician, visionary, who lived at the turn of the 1st and 2nd millennia. Seimei, a film soundtrack about the well-known Japanesse wise man. And this is the free program for which Yuzuru Hanyu received 216.07 two weeks ago at NHK Trophy. No one had gone beyond 200 before that, Patrick Chan’s record was 196, Hanyu surpassed that record by 20 points by getting 216, and now he’ll surpass his own result.
- The first quad.
- Such jumps get +3 GOE from all the judges. Every judge shows that this is the excellence in executing 4T.
- A 4T3T combination in the middle of the program.
- This is a kind of magic, it’s just a miracle, something mystical – a magic of Seimei the great and enigmatic wise man on the ice!
- I’ve just paid attention to one thing – never saw it during the completion skates – how much gloves matter, the shape of the gloves, they’re wedge-shaped, and they also emphasise the choreography – he unbends his fingers, one, two, and look how they add up to the whole effect.
- I’ve also seen that he stressed the musical accents with his fingers, furling his hand into a fist and clenching his fist according to the musical phrases, just when he needs to do it. And this adds up so much to the character of Seimei
- Without the components, just his hands bringing the character forth, it’s just as important – I mean, they don’t get tired…
- And that glare! The glare he skated with! The one he did his choreographic sequence at the end of the program – that’s just incredible. Yuzuru Hanyu, a 21 year old genius! He got 120 for technical side of the skate and 219,48 overall. Will he get 220 – he will, as he can improve some things, and I think he can! This is the result of the men’s completion.

 

[nekun]

asdffghjkkll

 

[gladiolusc]

Yuzuru has landed in Helsinki!

Time for the nervousness to really kick in! It's really here o.o

Not yet according to that article, which came out 30 minutes ago. It says he left for Helsinki, from Japan :shocked:

Wearing a mask as usual, media caught him at check-in. Greeted reporters with yoroshiku onegaishimasu~ but went ahead without saying anything else.

So, Friday from Toronto --> Tokyo --> Helsinki

 

[narcissa]

Not yet according to the news. It says he left for Helsinki, from Japan :shocked:

So, Friday from Toronto --> Tokyo --> Helsinki

Why did he go that way around?
I guess he wanted to go to Japan first...

 

[jinabee]

Not yet according to the news. It says he left for Helsinki, from Japan :shocked:

So, Friday from Toronto --> Tokyo --> Helsinki

Ahhhh I saw someone share it saying he landed XD

>> Why go to Japan first...

 

[gladiolusc]

Why did he go that way around?
I guess he wanted to go to Japan first...

He wouldn't have had much time to do anything in Japan... Maybe ANA weirdness?

(Maybe he actually graduated even though I don't believe it? Ceremony is today, like, right now ish. )

 

[nekun]

Why did he go that way around?
I guess he wanted to go to Japan first...

coz the eart is flat?

 

[gladiolusc]

Better photo of his face here.

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/winte...rom=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Says he looked relaxed, was smiling at the reporters (with mask on?? maybe his eyes.)

 

[narcissa]

coz the eart is flat?

loool

nooooo

i don't get this guyy

 

[narcissa]

Better photo of his face here.

http://www.hochi.co.jp/sports/winte...rom=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Says he looked relaxed

so where is Fighting!Yuzu ?

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

IT BEGINS!!!
Guys i'm so excited!!!!!!

 

[shiroKJ]

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This is going to be way long, and a major labor of love Props to fishheadanon for proofreading and telling me when something isn't really English. :luv17:

About the interview: I love that he's a huge nerd about jumps, specifically axels. He also talked at length about how he added hand movements to LGC during the spins. Also people who were hoping for a more pronounced H&L, I don't think it's what he is going for. But who exactly knows what a program that envelops the arena looks like? He may yet show us in Helsinki

Enjoy!
http://imgur.com/a/uWbp2

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Ice Jewels Vol.5 (Feb 2017) Special Interview: The Formula of Evolution.

This season, Yuzuru Hanyu successfully landed the first 4L in ISU history and showed us a great performance at his first competition, the Autumn Classic. However, bringing 6 quads together and building spins, steps and transitions upon them increases the difficulty considerably, and it’s not that easy honing both programs to perfection. Let’s review the first half of the season for a look into Hanyu’s evolution. (Ice Jewels)

GPS Series: Skate Canada
Total 2nd 263.06 | SP 4th 79.65 | FS 1st 183.41

Good training brought confidence
— To Hanyu-senshu, the first GPS competition this season was Skate Canada. Same as last season, it was a battle with Patrick Chan.

YH Lost this time as well. I placed all three silver medals from Skate Canada at my bedside.

— Seeing the medals must have been very motivating. About the new SP, how did you feel skating to it?

YH I felt that I could be clean this time. Unlike in the FS, there weren’t any uncertainty and it’s also a program I have great confidence in. But I still messed up. I know why I messed up too, but in order to be clean, I can only practice more.

— What do you think about the 4L at the beginning of both your programs?

YH I think I can do better. The landings in Autumn Classic weren’t clean enough, be it SP or FS. This time too, the execution of the landings were far from satisfactory. So, about the 4L, I believe it was more of a technical issue. I haven’t settled on what aspects during the jump to pay attention to yet, and that was the biggest problem. Once I improve my technique and can complete run throughs upon that basis, the 4L will become my own.

— At the same time, you also do the 4S. There are two types of edge jumps.

YH When I had Jeff choreograph for me, what I was most concerned about was the fact that I was doing all edge jumps in the SP. If we build the entire program upon the tracks of edge jumps, it’ll all come across as the same, identical curves no matter what. To counter that, I added the salchow entered horizontally and the axel from a counter. I think these accents add flavor to the program. In addition, I also want to jump salchows more consistently. Currently, I’m landing salchows 90% of the time, regardless of the situation, be it when I’m wearing my jacket or something else. So the task here, is to see how much I can deliver while skating and jumping to music in the nervous state of a competitive environment.

— For the short program, after the initial 4L, do you feel you are able to execute all the rest of the elements smoothly?

YH This program is condensed and packed with a lot of elements. If I can’t do the 4S3T with good timing, I am out of sync with the notes. If I can’t do the 4L, I won’t be able to fit with the music. I messed up the rhythm of the program this time due to the jumps, neither the loop nor the salchow worked. And it’s not just the jump, if even a single element is disrupted, all the parts become scattered and the program loses structure.

In this sense, I find it a very difficult program and it’s worth a watch. But really, there’s no way to bring this program to completion without beautifully landed jumps. Skating skills and performance are really important but unless the jumps stick, the program doesn’t stand. That is my honest opinion.

Brian pointed out that “the performance wasn’t there” this time. I think this is only because I am stretched on the jumps. If I had spare capacity, the performance will improve accordingly. It was this way with Seimei and with Ballade. I had no extra capacity, and I was forced to my maximum extent. So, I must first improve upon my ability to complete the jumps before I polish my performance.

— In terms of drawing the audience in and taking them along with the rhythm, this is a really good program.

YH Of all my competitive programs to date, this one is the easiest to go along with. Because it’s well-known, it’s easy to engage the audience and draw them into the mood of the performance. I also get really immersed, but this makes the program harder because it is not an ice show and all the jumps need to be perfectly landed. Conversely, as long as I land all the jumps, it’ll definitely become a great program.

— About the quads. Four in the FS, two in the SP, for a total of six which is more than last season’s. You have yet to land all the jumps in the FS so far this season. What are your training plans going into NHK?

YH In my mind, I don’t believe I have ever landed the 4L perfectly yet, so I’d like to probe deeper and broaden the range of situations when I can land the jump. As long as I’m not caught up with the loop, I should be able to skate comfortably into the second half of the program. As for the second half, in my mind I believe my current approach is correct.

— What sort of approach?

YH Run throughs from beginning to the end. I’ve started to do a bunch since the Autumn Classic. Though of course there are times when I’m unable to keep up until the very end, the second half this time around feels quite different than in AC. Upon this foundation, I was wondering if I could do two quads. Technically, there is pretty much no problem with the 4S and the 4T. I’m almost always able to land them in a normal situation, or even under less-than-ideal conditions. I want to improve upon the consistency, precision and quality of the 4L. I have yet to land 4T in the second half really crisply with a “su-pan!”, although the landing was fine. It is especially the case with the first 4S, but nothing makes me go “finally, I am able to own the jumps in this program” more so than when I’m able to maintain running, flowing edges after the landing in all my jumps. The landing of that 3A in the SP, too, was no longer boring (only you, Yuzu...)and I was able to execute it smoothly, flowingly with a “su-ton!"

— As if you’ve gone one step further?

YH I was able to feel this way because of my exhibition number. Skating to Notte Stellata made me rethink the importance of skating and the extent of jumps’ effect on performance. Although it’s basically a program with only skating, I received a lot of praise from Tracy which gave me confidence in my skating. Thanks to that, bit by bit, I was able to think about what constitutes my own style of skating.

— Specifically, what has changed?

YH I think I really came to grasp the music—the intervals between each beat. Instead of simply pushing at the ice each time, there’s also how the free leg retreats after each push, the flow and progression of the skating leg… I became very conscious of these different aspects.

There is a strong emphasis on skating in the exhibition program, so I received a lot of training in that regard. If this had been during the off season, I might have been able to perfect it sooner and more quickly. Regardless, I practiced well each time, from which I gained confidence.

----------------------------

GPS Series: NHK Trophy
Total 1st 301.47 | SP 1st 103.89 | FS 1st 197.58

Depending on the hand movement, the speed of the spin changes
— What’s the main focus of your training heading into the NHK Trophy?

YH First was the task of correcting my jumps. With Shae-lynn helping me on the brush-up, I paid attention to the connection between jumping and skating, treating skating as part of jumping. To put it the other way around, I was able to make the jumps a part of skating in my training.

— You’ve polished the transitions going into and coming out of the jumps.

YH Actually, for the two weeks between Skate Canada and NHK, I hadn't really planned on adding transitions. The way we talked about it at the time, there must be something before the second-half 4S, so I added a little bit of transition leading into the jump. There are almost no crossovers at that spot. After the pose facing the front, I put in two crossovers, then a stop, then three turn back three mohawk, three turn to the back, then just one crossover!

I paid a lot of attention to each bit of skating, and because the crossover wasn’t long, I was able to focus my attention, which was good for the salchow. After the rearrangement, I was able to execute the jumps without a hiccup at practice the next day

— Your SP was the season’s best. The first 100-point performance this season.

YH I should have been able to execute it with more ease. The reason why I wasn’t able to was probably that I thought I could do it with momentum alone. This time, I had enough stamina, mentally I felt fine as well, so I tried to give it my all and just go with the flow. But there are also times when that doesn’t work, so I have to remember how to maintain control as well. I believe that’s something I can accomplish before GPF.

— You added some new poses with your hands during the spin?

YH It would be great if I could extend my hand movements a little more.

— The reason for that choreography?

YH Not getting positive GOE on the sit spin is a humiliation to me. As is written in the rule book, movements that clearly match the music is a plus. The higher the quality, the better the evaluation. Because the spin is really fast, I had to work bit by bit to fit all the moves to the music. In my mind, that's when Prince is yelling, so I didn’t accent the beat. It felt weird initially, but once the moves all came together, it fit surprisingly well.

— It was quite refreshing.

YH It’s just that the hands always end up blending in with the legs, (to the judges and to the audience) so the moves may be hard to differentiate.

— The movements were really different so I think people can discern.

YH When I did Chopin, it was easier to grasp that space and timing between the notes, and I used a lot of hand movements. That’s not the case with this program. In fact, the last steps take up a fair amount of time, so I’m fairly crunched for time with the transitions. If I don’t hit the axel at exactly the right point, I wouldn’t even be able to do the spin.

That was what happened at both Skate Canada and Autumn Classic. Once I miss a jump, I become pressed for time to reach Level 4 on the flying camel spin. Because this is a program that cannot be perfectly interpreted without everything perfectly embedded within the music, those hand movements were all I could afford to do in the spins. Well, there are many ways to direct movement, such as what Ms. Natalia Bestemianova taught me before… but after much thought, that was what I decided to do. I’m good at working my arms during spins, and more importantly, I enjoy it, so I figured I should just keep hacking at it. (Natalia Bestemianova and husband, Igor Bobrin, helped polish RJ1 in 2011-2012)

— After all sorts of work, there’s going to be further improvements.

YH Exactly. Depending on how the arms are used, the speed of the spin changes. I think it’ll become something even better once I work more contrast of speed into the spin over the rapid beat of the music. And then, if I can hit both spins and jumps even more on the note, the program will evoke the best feeling ever. When I’m completely immersed in the program, the music plays in my head even when I can’t hear it, so I think it’s mostly ingrained into my body at this point.

The most important thing is to enjoy skating
— About the free skate, what parts have been completed by now at NHK, and what’s still missing?

YH I think it’s most important for me to feel happy when I’m skating to the free program. Above all, I’m starting to build a connection with the audience, which is a big step forward in my performance.

— This season, you weren’t able to participate in ice shows because of the foot injury. I guess when you participate in shows, you get a feel for the pulse of the audience and you also respond to the audience’s reaction. Do you think not being at shows was a reason why you weren’t able to make that step forward?

YH I think I was able to do it during the exhibition. But up until this point, I had to focus my attention on landing the jumps during the FS, so I wasn’t able to connect with the audience. So being able to make a connection, even if just a little, is a huge deal to me.

— Your music selection in the FS is a new direction in terms of genre?

YH I guess you can say it’s classical, with the piano as its focus. There’s some Japanese flavor to it, as well as the unique musical touch of the composer, Mr Joe Hisaishi. Skating to all these different aspects combined is quite a different sensation for me.

— How does it feel to hear this music in big spaces, such as arenas?

YH In “Asian Dream Song” by Mr Joe Hisaishi, the music doesn’t carry the melody, rather, the singing does. If you go and listen, you’ll realize the music is an accompaniment and not an assertive piece on its own. I told Brian and Shae-lynn about my thoughts, but I’m not the main character in this program. For example, I was clearly the main character in “SEIMEI” and therefore I stood out a lot. The program was made with a clear image of the music. But my intent with this program—because Mr Hisaishi’s music envelops the entire arena rather than overly emphasizes itself—in my mind, I only exist as a part of that space and I want to perform the program as such. The wind over the rink, the coolness in the air, the moisture, the splashing crystals of ice… to bring all these things into one with myself and the music. If I can put together such a performance in the end, I think that would be the best.

— But ultimately as a sport, there is going to be various spins, steps, jumps, etc.

YH I’ve discussed this with Brian as well, but only after successfully landing a jump, can you fit into the music. And if the jumps weren’t successful, then the flow is disrupted. Then the points from interpretation and skating skills are lost as well. A close to perfect performance is one of my goals with this program. It’s tough with a quad loop and two quads in the second half of the program, but at the very least I want to maintain the level of performance I achieved this time at the NHK Trophy. Otherwise, I don’t think I can go on from this point.

About the quad era
— Younger skaters are jumping quad after quad these days. Now that the quad loop has been secured, have you ever considered adding another quad?

YH Of course it’s important to jump quads, but isn’t the quality of quads just as important? That’s what I most strongly feel.

— So instead of increasing the types of quads, you mean to improve on quality in order to raise GOE/PCS?

YH Although everyone is going on about quads… Jumping the 4T right at the start, and once successfully landed, the arena goes “Waa!” as if the competition has been won… Up until this point, many competitions had such an atmosphere. But, if you really think about it, the jump you absolutely have to put in is the axel.

— That has always been the case.

YH Even under the old system, your score won’t go up if you don’t do the axel. As for why, it’s because the axel is forwardly launched and its posture doesn’t announce “I’m about to jump!”, unlike all the other types.

— It's a well-known fact that you can’t avoid jumping the axel.

YH That’s why I spent 80% of my training time on the axel when I was in elementary school. In a single hour, I would spent at least 45 minutes training the axel.

— In the badge test too, there’s always an axel.

YH You must be able to do the 2A in order to pass grade 6. (as in yuzu might not pass grade 6 now )

— It’s been said that “if you can do the axel very well, it’s possible to fudge your way through with mistakes here and there on the other elements.” Also that “the axel is a must."

YH That’s how I’ve been taught.

— That’s the reason why you do two axels in the second half of the program?

YH You end up leaving a deep impression! That’s the case in “Notte Stellata” as well. I’ve always said things to the effect of “jumps are transitions," and I think the axel demonstrates this very well. Precisely because it’s forwardly launched, the axel conveys a special “sense of turn.” Toe jumps tend to put a stopper on the flow each and every single time, although I’ve always made it not look that way. Since the axel is forwardly launched, the sense of speed is similar to that of steps and turns.

— The charm of the axel persists through the ages.

YH The axel just gives off a special vibe. Returning to the previous topic, no matter the number of quads, no matter the number of types of quads, in the end, my biggest weapon remains in how consistently and beautifully I can manage to do my axels. I believe that is something I’d like to hold onto firmly, even towards my biggest goals. For example, even if I were to do the 4A, two 3A’s would still be an absolute must.

— Notte Stellata, song chosen by Tarasova, choreographed by David Wilson. While it shows off your skating skills, in terms of jumps, there are only two axels. The characteristics of Hanyu-senshu as a skater is well displayed in this program.

YH My SP is all edge jumps, and my exhibition also ended up only consisting of the axel. I think it best shows my style of skating. Because I was able to execute jumps of my own style and of quality to such an extent, I’m feeling really confident right now. Although toe jumps can really convey a "sense of jump," I still think that executing edge jumps beautifully is where it’s at for me.

— It’s been said that how to control and use your edge is the most important task in figure skating. You’ve been paying great attention to this aspect.

YH No, no. Tsuzuki-sensei taught me all of it. He really shaped my jumps.

— Tsuzuki-sensei's ideals (referring to jumps) have been met?

YH Because he had me bring my own thoughts and methods into shaping them, I was able to grow until now. Coincidentally, various other aspects such as muscular quality and physique all came to fit together, and I became good at edge jumps.

— Skating is the foundation.

YH You can’t jump the loop without being good at skating.

— If skating improves, jump consistency goes up?

YH Yes, it’ll stabilize. Before Skate Canada, I had to improve the consistency of my Loop, just as Brian had said, so I gave a lot of thought to many technical aspects. After Skate Canada, before NHK, I finally felt that I’ve reached the stage where my skating and jumps become one. This is only the beginning! From now on, skating meets jumping, and I hope that in the end, all the elements can pull together to complete the program. It’s not only “great, all jumps landed!” Instead, jumps are successful, skating too, then more jumps, and spins… it’s best to keep an undisrupted flow!

— There’s little more than a week left before GPF, how do you plan to adjust?

YH It’s not really about specifically training certain aspects, or practicing certain things. Rather, it’s about figuring how to build in days without jumps so that I may relax physically and mentally. There are also days with only skating practice, or spin-centric days. I think it’s fine as long as you learn how to sort out different areas for training and adjustment. Just as in Sochi Olympics, after Team event there was Individual competition. Situations when your body conditions go down / slide is inevitable. So adjusting (to fit with the schedule of this competition), is the greatest goal this time.

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GPS Series: Grand Prix Final
Total 1st 293.90 | SP 1st 106.53 | FS 3rd 187.37

Must become stronger
— What was your impression of GPF held in Marseilles, France?

YH About the quality of the ice, um, how do you put it… (probably wasn’t too good). Depending on the quality of the water, the quality of the ice is completely different. So I was a bit concerned about that aspect before arriving in Marseilles.

— So how was the ice actually?

YH It’s hard to say that it’s good. The ice resurfacing itself was not great, the schedules for official practice and the actual competition were also somewhat of a mess.

— Yes, scheduling wasn’t great.

YH The schedule was not well-planned, the Zamboni broke down so the ice was melting, a variety of situations came up. But it wasn’t that we couldn’t skate due to this reasons. I thought I’d struggle with these aspects more, but it wasn’t as bad as I expected.

— NHK Trophy, GPF, and the Japanese Nationals happens pretty much one after the other. How did you adjust your stamina and condition for GPF which was right smack in the middle?

YH I wasn’t pressed for stamina. Quite the opposite. Coming out of NHK into GPF, I felt pretty fulfilled emotionally and that I had enough physical strength, so I had good peace of mind. It felt something like “Should be fine, I think.” Although the condition of my jumps fluctuates depending on the training situation, it has somewhat stabilized. So, stamina and energy are both at sufficient levels.

— You’ve come to the point where you are reliably completing the short program.

YH The success rate of the SP has gone up. FS wasn’t bad either, but I have yet to work it well in competition. I probably haven’t competed enough. Although I’ve been doing clean run throughs quite consistently in practice, in competition the performance isn’t quite perfect yet. I had a higher clean run through rate during Seimei though.

— Because putting quads in the second half is harder?

YH I’m not completely used to two quads (4S, 4T) in the second half just yet. Although the 4S was in by World Championships last season, it wasn’t well incorporated. Since then, I’ve kept quads in the second half, but I have yet to execute them well. It didn’t feel like I had a good grasp on the second half salchow yet. When I was training in Toronto, the second half salchow was actually better than the 4T. Rather, I often made mistakes on the second toe loop, to the extent that I wasn’t even tightening my body sufficiently. There were more pops too. On the contrary, during competitions I would miss the salchow but land the toe loop. It would be great if both would come out at the same time.

— Another point I was interested about, your axel...

YH Not executing the axel well is a big issue to me. Both axel and salchow get pretty high scores. Making mistakes on them for two competitions in a row really affected my spirits. I thought I couldn’t possibly let that go on, and I practiced a lot to address that.

— It seemed to me that your mistakes were all concentrated on one side of the rink.

YH I have more edge jumps, which is probably the reason why the mistakes were concentrated on one side. Toe jumps include the lutz, flip and toe. In my program, there is only one of each. In exchange, I had the loop, axel, axel, salchow, salchow for edge jumps.

— You also did all jump types in previous competitions?

YH Yes

— The lutz at the very end was a shame...

YH That’s because I lacked speed going into the Lutz, and ended up missing a step out of the crossover. If it wasn’t for that, there wouldn’t have been any problems with the Lutz. And I skipped that step because I wanted to catch up to the music. Going into the GPF, I wanted to match the music no matter what, so I practiced that way. In that sense, perhaps I do lack stamina. I must build up on more training.

— You would have been first had you executed the 3L.

YH I don’t think I would have lost had I done it.

— In order to win, there’s also the option of cutting yourself some slack in terms of the music in order to properly execute the jumps...

YH Yeah. Well normally, I could have done it. So if possible, I’d rather bring that normal condition to competition.

— Maybe it’s not hard for Hanyu-senshu, but (normally speaking) the quad loop is pretty hard. Plenty of people find the loop jump particularly difficult.

YH Because the Loop jump isn’t something you can push through with force. You can’t do it without controlling yourself well, and if you fail you can pop.

— And these are what make the loop so difficult?
YH In terms of the FS, I’ve landed it in all competitions apart from Skate Canada. My first goals were to land the loop well and to improve on the success rate of the second half. Many spots in the program still lack quality. The toe loop for example. Falls and pops are beyond discussion, but I think I can further raise the quality of the axel and the toe loop. When I return to Toronto after the new year, I would probably have Shae-lynn take a look and make changes on jump entries, etc.

— Last but not least, congratulations on winning the GPF title four consecutive times! If you win next year, you’ll be tied with the 5-peat record in Ice Dance!

YH Although I won four consecutive times, this victory left a terrible aftertaste with me. I try to tell myself in my mind that a 4-peat is a 4-peat, but...

So many different things happened each and every year, GPF was really hard for me. Last season I was almost crushed by the heavy pressure coming from the NHK Trophy. Another season ago, I took a hit from the injury at CoC. Yet another season back, it was my first GPF before the Olympics. Since it was held in Japan, I received power to challenge the Olympics. I was able to gain confidence from the experience every single time, but none of it was easy. If I think that way, four consecutive wins does carry a lot of weight and meaning. But at the same time, I still wish I could have won with first places in both the short and the free. (I'll say it for you, kuyashiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii)

I guess this isn’t the first time that I’ve won without 1st + 1st. But I won with 1st + 1st both last season and the season prior. In that sense, this 4-peat victory really did leave somewhat of a bad aftertaste, but at the same time it was one that really made me feel I must become stronger.

---

Here are some clips from the "Spirit of an athlete" doc.

Lmaooooo. The Love/Koi dance in a clear angle :gclap:

https://mobile.twitter.com/W_YZR/status/840219352120999936
https://mobile.twitter.com/W_YZR/status/840221196599795712

A few more clips from SoA

https://mobile.twitter.com/Chiyochiyoyo/status/840225674354876416
https://mobile.twitter.com/Chiyochiyoyo/status/840230898582749184
https://mobile.twitter.com/meifsy/status/840231963113938944
https://mobile.twitter.com/yuzuru1207hanyu/status/840229862065369088
https://mobile.twitter.com/etsuko18/status/840228456117948422

https://twitter.com/misayuzulove/status/840233872398860289

KOI DANCE footage was played 40,000 times a mere a half hour since the broadcast ended XD

Spirit of athlete 2 has been uploaded by YZRiko

 

[gladiolusc]

so where is Fighting!Yuzu ?

To be activated upon landing? XD

I don't get him either. Maybe it all somehow works in a convoluted way to avoid uh. jetlag? I don't really know what I am saying.

 

[ralucutzagy]

Finally news!!! But now my anxiety is starting to kick in hard!!!

 

[gladiolusc]

Finally news!!! But now my anxiety is starting to kick in hard!!!

I just popped open a cider to celebrate
(and get me thru tumblr format editing)