The time has passed, the emotions have evaporated... or, they have not
Anyway, I am catching up.
Here are my honest SUBJECTIVE AND PERSONAL play-to-play reactions:
Warmup Group 1
1. Haruna Iwasaki
Not impressed by the program. Impressed by her Ina Bauer split though. I love it when a skater has a perfectly straightened support leg
I wouldn't mind it if she'd come back stronger and fight for a better place in the mix next year because there certainly are more interesting things that she can do with that great body line of hers.
2. Arisa Kamoi
I wonder what her age is. It looks like she's right in the hands of Puberty The Evil Witch (and we know that this Witch becomes particularly nasty when she's been fought against and delayed). If so, then Arisa has a few erratic seasons ahead of her. It looks like she's an agile skater nevertheless. Maybe she can sneak through and fool that witch somehow?
3. Ikura Kushida
She looked tired tbh. I don't think I really - like,
really - like her sad program either. I'm glad that she did it though. This experience is expanding her range and adding to her artistic growth. Maybe it does not pay off at the moment but later it will.
4. Rion Sumiyoshi
Aww that hurts
It's not just one unlucky competition. Apparently, her entire training and preparation strategy has been wrong. If she's staying for another quad cycle, she needs to re-think everything and change what's necessary. I can imagine that she may consider retirement instead, especially in the heat of the moment. I kind of hope that she'll stay though. It feels unfair to leave it all at this point when she has so much more to give.
5. Haruna Murakami
I like this Titanic program and how it blends with Haruna's personality. Would have liked it even more if Haruna wasn't late on music. Well, it's the end of her season and she has already reached her goals. Thanks for coming and showing off your gorgeous hairdo, Haruna!
Btw it's not sarcasm! Such hair takes a lot of work. I appreciate it indeed
6. Sumika Kanazawa
She leaves me unimpressed. Yes, seriously! It's just normal that a Japanese novice champion goes to JGP final and participates in senior Nats in her debut junior year. Wouldn't it be so, we would fret and talk about crisis in Japanese female skating. So, she's performing well according to her age and rank. What to be impressed about?
Of course, she's good. But is she special? This is something that she has to prove in the upcoming seasons. And I can't wait to see it!
Warmup group 2
7. Mei Okada
Talking about juniors that left me unimpressed, I wasn't impressed the least when I first saw Mei last year. Literary, I was impressed by every other Japanese junior but her. This year though... Wow!
She has grown both physically and as a performer. Not that she is interpreting every nuance of music - she is interpreting, like, every third nuance of music - but her interpretation is spot-on and this is a truly enjoyable watch. Now she looks like the next big thing for a season or so until a certain Witch will remember about her
Anyway, I hope that Mei will get the most out of her teenage peak form and enjoy it to the fullest!
8. Kaoruko Wada
This program was certainly different from Haruna's: no personalization, no character, just a random mermaid telling the tale about the fate of Titanic. I liked this mermaid though. Puberty The B... Witch has been laughing on this young skater the entire season but as a result Kaoruko's body has grown into the adult proportion and looks really,
really good. The impression created by her skating is completely different from a year ago and I like it so much better now. Looking forward to her further development indeed.
9. Rino Matsuike
Ready for a hands-free death spiral, huh?
Rino looked a bit jump-cautious so her skating skills couldn't shine either - you need flow, you need
real flow to make them shine - but she got through and looked relieved in the end. I felt relieved with her. It's the end of her season and it wasn't a bad season at all
10. Yo Takagi
And here went another recent victim of Puberty The Witch... And again, I was pleasantly surprised at how good her body line looked after growing out of teenage chunkiness. I love her Chaupin program and it has never looked better on her
Apparently, Yo will need some more time to stabilize her jumps after the last growth spurt. But I have a sneaky feeling that it will be worth waiting!
11. Kei Yamada
I like this young lady's taste in music but the one who told her that she could interpret it is a liar
Anyway, she looked like an ultimate unicorn, different from everything and everyone. Not always in the best sense of word but still. I'm so glad that she managed to get on that Supported Athletes List. It will be exciting to watch what she will finally develop into.
12. Mai Mihara
Oh, my...
Just a shadow of what Mai used to be in her days of glory and her dress somehow amplified that shadowy impression... But it was so good to see her stepping on the ice one last time for her home audience!
Allright, break. Face resurface needed before warmup group 3.
I want to see her individuality first. Right now, I see a girl who emulates Kaori Sakamoto. Not a bad role model but I want to see the real Saki before I build an opinion.
