I understand why Mao is favoured, as she never ever makes excuses and and her character very much suits the Japanese mentality.
So according to you, Mao is favoured over Miki Ando because Miki makes excuses? :think: (Don't answer this question, I don't want it to be answered. And this is not the thread to discuss it in anyway.)
Speaking of media and the public, how is Yuna perceived/ treated in her homeland? I hope her fans are a figure skating fan first and adore her for being a fantastic skater, and not treat her as some figure who fulfills the country's patriotism.
YuNa is perceived and treated quite well, although there is a small portion of anti-YuNa fans within her own country too, I've heard. I believe her fans adore her for being
both a fantastic skater and someone who represents her country well. I think it would be dishonest to state it is only one or the other, and I believe it is the same for many Japanese fans of Mao and Miki.
-------------------------------
A few thoughts about the ladies at this World Championships, mostly rehashed from my posts on the YNKF.
YuNa truly put in her best effort in her LP, and I was a little puzzled to hear some posters' opinions that she was lackluster. As a YuNa fan, I'd like to suggest that I am able to detect some of the nuances to YuNa's skating that non-fan observers sometimes miss. For instance, some posters said that YuNa's
Gershwin in Vancouver showed not a hint of fear and it was just fun...but that was not how I perceived it. She was nervous, and there was more tension there than earlier in the season at TEB. Some of my fellow YuNa fans corroborated this observation, but it did give me a little insight to what some other skating fans may or may not see.
However, I was also happy to see that posters like
bigsisjiejie who are not "YuNa-fan" agreed with my sentiment that the
Arirang LP was skated without reserve. I truly believe this is YuNa's finest LP to date. It was not perfectly executed technically, but I love it, and I love YuNa even more than ever for coming out so bravely and skating it for us. (Is "brave" an odd word to use? I mean it in the sense that it seems deeply personally meaningful, and it was done for the year after her Olympics, where her competitive motivation was in question.) It is not flirty like
Gershwin, it isn't as mystically seductive like
Scheherazade...it's not as dark and dramatic like
Danse Macabre and it isn't playful and sexy like
Bond. I love this LP most because it is YuNa purely skating for us with her soul and heart, no acting or character-playing. Even
Lark Ascending in all its beauty, was not one of YuNa's favourites or especially meaningful to her like this LP was. There is a part of me that is sad that YuNa did not win Gold, and I am also a little worried for her because she seems distraught about some things, but she left points on the table and it was close. However, she was magnificent. Her steps are utterly gorgeous in how they highlight the nuances of the music, and her ending flourish, with the triple Salchow followed shortly by the double Axel... I could feel goosebumps and chills throughout the program and then tears towards the end. It fills me with humility and appreciation, and I am grateful for what she has given us.
As for Miki Ando, what can I say. She worked hard for many years, and she still does. This was a great year for her. I have believed for some time that she is a naturally expressive skater but that her competitive programs did not showcase her expressiveness properly...but this year's SP was lovely and what her LP somewhat lacked in this regard was made up for in technical achievement. From all reports I have ever read, she is a very sweet girl and (heehee) some fans who attended this Championships and got to see her off the ice doing everyday things with her coach (e.g. eating lunch etc.) say that she and Nikolai are cute together. So, congratulations to her and her coach.
With regards to Mao Asada. She is also my second-favourite lady skater after YuNa. Her LP this year was also one of the highlights of the season, and it is a shame she did not have her best competitive outings--although not entirely unexpected, because she is working hard at pushing her technique and athletic boundaries. I duly noted that her costume is one of the loveliest I've ever seen of hers and in general, and it does not surprise me that it comes from the French Canadian designers who did YuNa's costumes in the past. They are one of the best. And...let this issue go. Costume designers can design beautiful pieces for more than one skater and everyone benefits. The designers also did Joannie Rochette's lovely costumes too. Considering that they are Canadian, if they felt like they had to choose their loyalties, they could have chosen to exclusively design for Joannie and tell YuNa that they were too busy to do hers too, while those two were competing against each other, but they didn't.
I wish Mao Asada well and continued progress into the future.
Lastly, thanks to the Russian organizers of the event, it's amazing that they were able to do it in less than a month's notice.
I never heard a skater having exclusive rights to a designer. I mean not even choreographers and coaches work exclusively, least of all a designer.
