Tatsuki Machida

[cruzceleste]

I don´t know I kind of like the idea of Yuzuru being a Little Troll to the very serious Machida.

It seem like team Japan likes to pick a Little fun to Tatsuki.

 

[Maria Victoria]

^First time I heard the Golden Boy described as a "Little Troll,": laugh: but I get what you mean.

Yes, it's also good for Tatsuki to learn from his teammates not to take himself too seriously.

 

[Jombi]

Back to the past!

SP (Dark Eyes) 4CC 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOGshKryKhg

I really like this routine.

 

[Maria Victoria]

Thanks for sharing Jombi! The jumps, the artistry, the musicality, the energy ... just wow! The bonus is hearing Tatsuki say in the K & C "I did my best." He surely did!

 

[ioanna]

Seeing him compete makes me sorry he was never able to get a spot at Worlds until 2014 but at the same time I'm very happy he finally made it now.
I'd like to add my favorite EX program of his, at the 2012 Japan Super Challenge.
http://youtu.be/o1IsEgNwaYM

 

[Jombi]

Thanks for sharing Jombi! The jumps, the artistry, the musicality, the energy ... just wow! The bonus is hearing Tatsuki say in the K & C "I did my best." He surely did!

A little treat: same program (from NHK 2011) but with a commentary that is just LOL. He's definitely one of us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9Km_kTnW8

 

[Maria Victoria]

After seeing this exhibition ^ with Tatsuki brandishing a (samurai?) sword while skating and spinning, our worries earlier in this thread about him using a cigarette as a prop seem ironic! Wow again from Tatsuki! He really seems to be enjoying this exhibition as he was smiling! I did too immensely, including that (half) baring of the chest bit (female turnabout ). Thanks for sharing ionap .

 

[ioanna]

Hahah a cigarette is nothing really compared to that sword, he is perfectly capable of holding various objects while performing My pleasure!

A little treat: same program (from NHK 2011) but with a commentary that is just LOL. He's definitely one of us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9Km_kTnW8

I love the "just when he came out of the lutz he went ta-daa!" part

 

[Maria Victoria]

A little treat: same program (from NHK 2011) but with a commentary that is just LOL. He's definitely one of us! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9Km_kTnW8

My goodness! He (Chris Howarth, one of us) compared Tatsuki to John Curry! High praise indeed! I am thinking could there be any man skating at present whose arm posture and movement are as expressive as Tatsuki's? Thanks again Jombi!

 

[ioanna]

About Tatsuki being philosophical while describing his programs, I couldn't help noticing this video where he was talking about the concept of his SP but look at Dai, Nobu and Mao giggling behind him.
http://youtu.be/EHT1QwQne4Q

 

[Maria Victoria]

^Oooh! The (in)famous timshel! Can we have a translation pretty please?

PS I am thinking who else in TJ matches Tatsuki for "seriousness" because at times (like this) he seems to march to a different beat.

 

[ioanna]

It seems Tatsuki only relaxes around Daisuke as I've read they danced to club music in their shared room at Sochi They were also dancing at the closing ceremony either way. It's a wonder how Tatsuki loves Daisuke so much since his personality seems a complete opposite. Even at 28, Daisuke is still the biggest goof of the team.

 

[cruzceleste]

It seems Tatsuki only relaxes around Daisuke as I've read they danced to club music in their shared room at Sochi :laugh.

I thought Tatsuki was Yuzuru´s roommate at Sochi...

 

[ioanna]

Yes he was initially during the team event I think, when Daisuke was not there yet. But as soon as Daisuke arrived in Sochi, Tatsuki left Yuzuru and moved in with Daisuke. He even commented on how nervous he was about asking him to share a room.
Then he said they danced to club music and ate McDonald's food in their beds after the individual men's event was over and complained about how horrible they both were in competition.

 

[Maria Victoria]

^Thanks ionap for the info. Nice to know Tatsuki's bonding moments with Daisuke as Tatsuki seems to be a loner (dislikes even having to share a table at the cafeteria!).

On a lighter note, now I'm wondering whether Tatsuki asked for a room change because Yuzuru was "a nuisance, soooo annoying" and "not serious at all."


A video of Tatsuki speaking English, interview after winning 2013 Skate America, the event where I first noticed him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCSGZ9xuEvI

 

[ioanna]

Tatsuki is such a huge Daisuke fan though. He attended the same high school (Kurashiki Suisho) and university (Kansai) as Daisuke because he said he wanted to follow his footsteps. He said he was delighted to be competing with him at the Olympics because he had always dreamed of being on the team with him. Even the cafeteria part is inspired by Daisuke, as he also said he would have loved a table for himself.

Here is a video of 18 year old Tatsuki skating at the Kurashiki rink, the place where Daisuke's journey started. Notice the huge poster on the wall.
http://video.yandex.ru/users/jejel/view/410/

And here you can see a lovely picture of Tatsuki and Daisuke from 2008 at the beginning of the video. Notice how Tatsuki calls him Dai-senpai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBuaAKIPQsM

A video of Tatsuki speaking English, interview after winning 2013 Skate America, the event where I first noticed him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCSGZ9xuEvI

I was very impressed with his English!

 

[Maria Victoria]

Tatsuki is such a huge Daisuke fan though. He attended the same high school (Kurashiki Suisho) and university (Kansai) as Daisuke because he said he wanted to follow his footsteps. He said he was delighted to be competing with him at the Olympics because he had always dreamed of being on the team with him. Even the cafeteria part is inspired by Daisuke, as he also said he would have loved a table for himself.

Here is a video of 18 year old Tatsuki skating at the Kurashiki rink, the place where Daisuke's journey started. Notice the huge poster on the wall.
http://video.yandex.ru/users/jejel/view/410/

And here you can see a lovely picture of Tatsuki and Daisuke from 2008 at the beginning of the video. Notice how Tatsuki calls him Dai-senpai

Thank you for the video links and the information about Tatsuki's looking up to Daisuke. I am glad Tatsuki's dream of being in the national team with Daisuke has come true. Ah I suppose Tatsuki grabbed the opportunity to be at close quarters (both literally and figuratively) with his idol in asking Daisuke if he could room with him in Sochi.

And anyway, Yuzuru has his Winnie-the-Pooh as company .

Seriously, and I've posted this before, the current success of the Japanese male figure skaters owes a lot to Daisuke. He has set a such a high standard for them and also helped create the necessary public support for figure skating in Japan to attract sponsors. I'm sure Tatsuki, Yuzuru, et al. all acknowledge that.

 

[ioanna]

They most certainly do. Daisuke himself owes a lot to Takeshi Honda, who became his jump coach after retirement and helped him get back his quad after Daisuke suffered that terrible knee injury. Takeshi was known for having a strong, consistent quad back in the early 2000s.
I guess Daisuke was to Takeshi what Yuzuru is to Daisuke right now. Coincidentally at the 2005 Nationals, Takeshi was hoping to qualify for the 2006 Olympics because he felt like he had left unfinished business (almost grabbed a medal at the 2002 Olympics with that strong SP) but was unable to keep up with the younger ones and got pushed to 5th place, exactly what happened to Daisuke at the 2013 Nationals.

Since then, Takeshi and Daisuke have become great friends and worked together with coach Nagamitsu to give us some of the most successful programs. Imagine if Daisuke choreographed some of Tatsuki's (or Yuzuru's) programs after retirement. He could improve everything there is left to improve in them and turn them into complete skaters. Technically they are already performing at the highest levels, but imagine Yuzuru for example adding good posture, complex footwork and interpretation to his already strong programs Unfortunately people have already asked him before if he'd consider choreographing but he said he doesn't feel he's good enough. He used to choreograph his EX programs as a teenager (Desert Rose, Nocturne) but hasn't done anything as of recently.

Dare I say, Daisuke himself is Tatsuki's version of Winnie the Pooh

 

[Maria Victoria]

They most certainly do. Daisuke himself owes a lot to Takeshi Honda, who became his jump coach after retirement and helped him get back his quad after Daisuke suffered that terrible knee injury. Takeshi was known for having a strong, consistent quad back in the early 2000s.
I guess Daisuke was to Takeshi what Yuzuru is to Daisuke right now. Coincidentally at the 2005 Nationals, Takeshi was hoping to qualify for the 2006 Olympics because he felt like he had left unfinished business (almost grabbed a medal at the 2002 Olympics with that strong SP) but was unable to keep up with the younger ones and got pushed to 5th place, exactly what happened to Daisuke at the 2013 Nationals.

Since then, Takeshi and Daisuke have become great friends and worked together with coach Nagamitsu to give us some of the most successful programs. Imagine if Daisuke choreographed some of Tatsuki's (or Yuzuru's) programs after retirement. He could improve everything there is left to improve in them and turn them into complete skaters. Technically they are already performing at the highest levels, but imagine Yuzuru for example adding good posture, complex footwork and interpretation to his already strong programs Unfortunately people have already asked him before if he'd consider choreographing but he said he doesn't feel he's good enough. He used to choreograph his EX programs as a teenager (Desert Rose, Nocturne) but hasn't done anything as of recently.

Dare I say, Daisuke himself is Tatsuki's version of Winnie the Pooh

Sometimes I think Daisuke gives himself less credit than he deserves! Anyway, his sabbatical may be the opportunity for him to try his hand at choreography again. I think if not for injury, he would have medalled both at Japan Nationals and the Olympics.

Hah, I don't want Tatsuki to treat Daisuke the way Yuzuru does his Winnie the Pooh, i.e., rub and pat the head, pinch and poke cheeks. Kidding aside, I see what you mean. It's lovely to see how Daisuke is appreciated by Tatsuki.

 

[Lsayogi]

Hi all, first time visiting! After Tatsuki's inspiring Worlds debut, for sure he will less likely to be underscored in the new season. Who knows, if he maintains consistency alongside developing his own choreography, he may even swap if not share the top seed with Yuzuru (who needs time to develop the refinement commensurate with the difficulty he harnessed, just barely.) For the moment, Tatsuki is much closer to a complete package than his kohai. For that reason, I hope any shift of attention to Tatsuki (as we saw so-briefly after his Saitama SP) will not complicate his strong rapport with Dai. As you say, they really can become an even greater force when unified as a team.