Tatsuki Machida

[Maria Victoria]

Tatsuki's 2014 Nagoya festival exhibition with his Worlds East of Eden SP as encore. Wearing plain long-sleeved white shirt and black pants.

He really feels the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBAFcjn0A4&feature=player_embedded

 

[Maria Victoria]

Oh that would take away a lot of the entertainment value of figure skating! No more best-worst costume critiques!

 

[cruzceleste]

Simplicity vs. ornamentation (feathers for Tatsuki and rhinestones for Yuzuru).

I think Mao is even taller than Tatsuki!

And the internet says:
Mao 1.63
Tatsuki 1.62 (so close)
Kanaki 1.62 (her arms must be long)
Yuzuru 1.71 (I think he is at least 1 inche taller but internet does´t tell me)

 

[Maria Victoria]

^Thanks for the info! Yes, Yuzuru does stand out in height (among other things) among the Japanese single skaters. Satoko and Shoma are also uhm..diminutive.
.

 

[nimi]

Most of my favorite singles skaters have a compact/diminutive frame.
Then again, most of my favorite singles skaters are Japanese, especially when it comes to men.



Wonder which is cause and which is effect - or is it just correlation?

Anyway, gangly skaters with windmill arms are an unfortunate apparition, whereas pint-sized skaters with graceful movements keep me glued to the screen. (Yeah, I was comparing the two Olympic firebirds there.)

 

[Jombi]

Tatsuki's 2014 Nagoya festival exhibition with his Worlds East of Eden SP as encore. Wearing plain long-sleeved white shirt and black pants.

He really feels the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBAFcjn0A4&feature=player_embedded

I usually don't like exhibition programs but this one

 

[cruzceleste]

Most of my favorite singles skaters have a compact/diminutive frame.
Then again, most of my favorite singles skaters are Japanese, especially when it comes to men.



Wonder which is cause and which is effect - or is it just correlation?

Let´s see the size of Worlds/ Olympic Champions just to get and idea
Alexei Yagudin 1.75
Plushenko 1.78
Evan Lyzacek 1.88
Ilia Kulik 1.80
Alexei Urmanov 1.80
Viktor Petrenko 1.78
Brian Boitano 1.80
Scott Hamilton 1.60
And we already know Yuzuru is 1.71

Average 1.76mts, and lets said that Scott and Yuzuru "help" put down the average a lot


Instead Japanese figure skationg champions
Daisuki Takahashi 1.65
Takahiko Kozuka 1.70
Nobunari Oda 1.64
Takeshi Honda 1.68
Yamato Tamura 1.74
Yosuke Takeuchi 1.65
Yuzuru Hanyu 1.71

Average 1.68mts. And just for information averge size in Japan is 1.707 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Average_height_around_the_world

So let´s say a skater like Tatsuki is in the low side of the height for a skater in Japan.

A couple of days a go in another thread I read that long arms, long legs and little torso (gangly skater with windmill arms) have the ideal body for ballet, but in general I guess it will depend on the taste and as in ballet the aesthetics the judges and the audience like.

 

[nimi]

^ Thanks for the statistics!

I'd say most dancers are more or less average height (so e.g. Dutch dancers' av. height probably > Japanese dancers).

Of course male ballet dancers, like ice dancers, should be taller than their female counterparts who they have to lift, so being very short is a disadvantage for a male dancer. In other words: Scott and Tatsuki would have a problem. Likewise, if you are a very tall ballerina, you'd better be a phenomenal solo dancer, because in classical productions you would stand out amidst the corps du ballet like a sore thumb.

The Balanchine tradition does prefer its women skinny and ethereal looking: long, slender limbs and relatively short torso as well as small head and long neck. But not every ballet company subscribes to that ideal - especially not the ones who do contemporary dance as well as classical ballet.

 

[Maria Victoria]

@cruzceleste, thanks for that informative listing. So Tatsuki is even smaller than Nobunari!
@nimi, thanks for that ballet information. Very enlightening. I think the Dutch must be one of the tallest peoples on earth.

I think Evan really fits that "gangly with windmill arms" mold. His height notwithstanding, for me Evan just doesn't have that presence on the ice as say Plushenko or Daisuke who both lost to him in the 2010 Olympics.The latter two have this charisma when they skate so you don't really notice how tall or short he is. Tatsuki does not really have that same wattage but on ice he is compelling viewing.

 

[cruzceleste]

@cruzceleste, thanks for that informative listing. So Tatsuki is even smaller than Nobunari!
@nimi, thanks for that ballet information. Very enlightening. I think the Dutch must be one of the tallest peoples on earth.

I think Evan really fits that "gangly with windmill arms" mold. His height notwithstanding, for me Evan just doesn't have that presence on the ice as say Plushenko or Daisuke who both lost to him in the 2010 Olympics.The latter two have this charisma when they skate so you don't really notice how tall or short he is. Tatsuki does not really have that same wattage but on ice he is compelling viewing.

I´m not big fan of Evan, actually I kind of dislike his personality and the way he acted towards the sport after Olympic 2010, but he is oh so pretty and tall, he really does stand out with out having the greater presence on ice.

Just look at the guy https://www.google.com/search?q=eva...CQBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAg&biw=1517&bih=741&dpr=0.9

 

[Maria Victoria]

^Tall dark and handsome. Looks good in (with) Vera Wang.

 

[nimi]

Speaking of Evan and windmills: http://morozombie.blogspot.fi/2010/12/happy-koninkrijksdag.html

@MariaVictoria: Although I appreciate Plushy's competitive nerve and cool confidence, my profound dislike for Mishinesque aesthetics, cheesy poseography and Marton's music prevent me from liking his actual skating. The PCS Plushy got for his Sochi team LP compared to Tatsuki's... AAAARGH!
But when it comes to Daisuke... He's wonderful even when his jumps are not.

What I don't like is that people on these boards have described Tatsuki as "poor man's Dai" etc, when the two have quite a different way of expressing themselves. Both are dancers on ice, but Dai has theatrical flair (not to mention theatrical hair!) whereas Tatsuki has a more classical approach and quiet elegance. Both have fire, but it comes out in a different way. Dai on ice is more extroverted and immediate - like you said, he has wattage - but when Tatsuki's on, he certainly skates with fire in his heart and you can see he really feels the music with his whole body.

 

[Maria Victoria]

Speaking of Evan and windmills: http://morozombie.blogspot.fi/2010/12/happy-koninkrijksdag.html

@MariaVictoria: Although I appreciate Plushy's competitive nerve and cool confidence, my profound dislike for Mishinesque aesthetics, cheesy poseography and Marton's music prevent me from liking his actual skating. The PCS Plushy got for his Sochi team LP compared to Tatsuki's... AAAARGH!
But when it comes to Daisuke... He's wonderful even when his jumps are not.

What I don't like is that people on these boards have described Tatsuki as "poor man's Dai" etc, when the two have quite a different way of expressing themselves. Both are dancers on ice, but Dai has theatrical flair (not to mention theatrical hair!) whereas Tatsuki has a more classical approach and quiet elegance. Both have fire, but it comes out in a different way. Dai on ice is more extroverted and immediate - like you said, he has wattage - but when Tatsuki's on, he certainly skates with fire in his heart and you can see he really feels the music with his whole body.

:thumbsup: Couldn't say it myself better Nimi!

Love that Morozombie blog! I wish he posts more often. I also love the hanyuzuru ("Where's Pooh") Tumblr blog. Both of them are so witty in their own way.

Re Tatsuki's Team Event LP score, Yuzuru agrees with us: http://mey-mey.tumblr.com/image/76125882561

As for the great man, it has been said he was scored not so much for what he actually performed out there on Olympic ice but as THE legendary Evgeni Plushenko, but all competitors should have been judged by the same standard.

That "poor man's Dai" tag is really unfair to Tatsuki because of the inferior connotation and also because as you rightfully pointed out he has his own style from Daisuke. Daisuke's appeal is readily apparent and as you say "immediate," while Tatsuki's need time to grow on you. I'm just glad he's coming into his own at 24, and hopefully the best is yet to come from him.

 

[nimi]

If I am right, that is the blog of Nikolai Morozov, Dai's coach.

Huh? The blogger is quite critical of Morozov. See: http://morozombie.blogspot.fi/2012/06/look-at-your-life-look-at-your-choices.html#more

@MariaVictoria: Thanks for the link! I totally agree with Yuzu's facial expressions!

 

[treeloving]

Tatsuki's 2014 Nagoya festival exhibition with his Worlds East of Eden SP as encore. Wearing plain long-sleeved white shirt and black pants.

He really feels the music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGBAFcjn0A4&feature=player_embedded

Wow he was so refine here, nice!

 

[nimi]

So... Yesterday cruzceleste posted in Yuzuru thread (p. 289) a video and pic from 2008 featuring Yuzu and Tatsuki "The Mullet" Machida - oh please don't EVER go back to that hairstyle! - and today I came across a couple of gifs featuring tiny Tatsuki.

http://magicaleggplant.tumblr.com/post/82561237835/tatsuki-machida

Kawaii!

 

[cruzceleste]

^Tall dark and handsome. Looks good in (with) Vera Wang.

LOL

What I don't like is that people on these boards have described Tatsuki as "poor man's Dai" etc, when the two have quite a different way of expressing themselves. Both are dancers on ice, but Dai has theatrical flair (not to mention theatrical hair!) whereas Tatsuki has a more classical approach and quiet elegance. Both have fire, but it comes out in a different way. Dai on ice is more extroverted and immediate - like you said, he has wattage - but when Tatsuki's on, he certainly skates with fire in his heart and you can see he really feels the music with his whole body.

I get where are you comming from:
Dai--- Drama as in theater, acting. not a big fan of the hair
Machida--- Contemporary dance

 

[nimi]

not a big fan of the hair

*gasps*

Oh well. I hope we can - at the very least - agree that The Machida Mullet circa 2008 was not a successful aesthetic choice.

ETA: Does anybody know any nicknames given to Tatsuki by Team Japan members, other than Philosopher?

 

[nimi]

^ Thanks for the info!

Given that on these boards we often talk about Yuzu and Dai and Taka and Nobu, it is actually a bit surprising nobody has been calling him Tatsu yet. He deserves a forum nickname, too!

...also, I am kinda lazy when I'm typing, so shortened names are nice...

 

[cruzceleste]

*gasps*

Oh well. I hope we can - at the very least - agree that The Machida Mullet circa 2008 was not a successful aesthetic choice.

ETA: Does anybody know any nicknames given to Tatsuki by Team Japan members, other than Philosopher?

Everytime I see Dai´s hair I think in this image http://www.theanimegallery.com/data/thumbs/790px/0039/tAG_39344.jpg

I´m sure all the men of Team Japan are gonna look at the hair they have when young and regret it one day (I mean Yuzuru´s Mushroom/Plushenko´s hair, Tatsuki´s mullet...) I think the only one that has keep decent hair all his life (at least as far as I can remember) is Nobunari.