Mao Asada | Page 30 | Golden Skate

Mao Asada

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
Just saw this wonderful video, and ALL I can see is the two elegant and beautiful skaters.
It makes me miss her even more (ノД`)・゚・。


Thanks to the uploader :thumbsup:

Thanks for the video link. Sorry I didn't respond earlier to your post yhmafan, but I just thought that after winning the Olympics and Worlds last year, the struggles than Hanyu has gone through because of his collision are similar to the struggles Mao went through in reworking her jumps after winning a silver in the Olympics and the World Championships in 2010. They both were willing to go in public and put their enormous reputation on the line when they knew they weren't in peak form. That says a lot about their character and explains why they are so beloved as dedicated athletes and performers.
 

iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
What do you think of Marin Honda? She is from the same hometown as Mao. But, she seems to be a little more outwardly showy than Mao especially in her exhibitions. I find her to be a really aesthetically pleasing skater and quite charming and elegant considering her age. Sometimes I wish she would tone down the beauty pageant image a bit and just concentrate on beautiful skating, but her Biellmann is wonderful like Mao's and her LP at Japan Nationals was really impressive for a novice. But, I think it's better not to hype a skater or try to fit them in the mould of my favorite hero, just enjoy the unique gift in each skater or performance I enjoy. Do you feel the same way? I think Meoima may agree with this. Also, I think I have heard that she doesn't want to be known as a mini Mao.

The skater whose lines, extensions, spins, steps and presentation remind me most of Mao is the one I mentioned several days ago: Maria Sotskova, whose LP this season I think is wonderful. I first noticed this similarity last season with Maria's Vivaldi performance, which I really loved. I wanted to thank you for your response to my post. Yes, I agree it's amazing that Mao can be such an icon while being so down to earth and it's great to see others inspired by her wonderful qualities. I find I am looking for someone to fill that empty space and seeing Maria on the ice is kind of like seeing a little part of Mao out there like Maria is one of her her skating offspring.

I totally agree on Maria Sotskova the influence of Mao is very evident on her programs.. If she becomes more refined, then we will feel Mao in her somehow. She has natural elegance.

PS: gotoschool you dont necessarily have to reply and thank me on my every post i feel like im giving you a burden or somethin. :biggrin:
 

iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
I have often wondered why Lori Nichol has never sat with Mao in the kiss and cry. It is truly puzzling. Does anyone know why?



What are your favorite shows or programs featuring Mao?

Well one thing I noticed is that in Mao's arsenals in the past years it was only in 2006-2007 that Lori had choreographed all of her programs SP, LP and EX.

As supposed to PChan, Kostner and DTen who's programs are all choreographed by her. But I too really wanna know why. :(

My most favorite Exhibition of Mao is the "How deep is the Night" in 2008. It was breathtaking. It was like Mao took me to heaven. I feel so lucky to have been born in her time. :)
 

Franklin99

Medalist
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
Well one thing I noticed is that in Mao's arsenals in the past years it was only in 2006-2007 that Lori had choreographed all of her programs SP, LP and EX.

As supposed to PChan, Kostner and DTen who's programs are all choreographed by her. But I too really wanna know why. :(

My most favorite Exhibition of Mao is the "How deep is the Night" in 2008. It was breathtaking. It was like Mao took me to heaven. I feel so lucky to have been born in her time. :)

The first performance I've ever seen from Mao was her 2009-10 programs at the 2010 Olympic, and those performances didn't really showcase her soft lyrical side (music/performance was too heavy), imagine my surprise when I start watching past programs from Mao and came across this Exhibition, if my new fan status for Mao was in question after the Olympics, this performance made me Mao's #1 fan. That performance was breathtaking. And after following that with her Por Una Cabeza and her 2006 Nocturne performances, there was no doubt my love for Mao was more than a momentary feeling. I knew I was a fan for life. :love:

P.s. @iceberg, I agree with you about Mao's lack of page views/post. While I can't post often during this holiday season, I will continue to post when I can to help increase her views/posts.
 

iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
The first performance I've ever seen from Mao was her 2009-10 programs at the 2010 Olympic, and those performances didn't really showcase her soft lyrical side (music/performance was too heavy), imagine my surprise when I start watching past programs from Mao and came across this Exhibition, if my new fan status for Mao was in question after the Olympics, this performance made me Mao's #1 fan. That performance was breathtaking. And after following that with her Por Una Cabeza and her 2006 Nocturne performances, there was no doubt my love for Mao was more than a momentary feeling. I knew I was a fan for life. :love:

P.s. @iceberg, I agree with you about Mao's lack of page views/post. While I can't post often during this holiday season, I will continue to post when I can to help increase her views/posts.

oh my gosh franklin99 that;s so nice to know. 2008 of Mao for me is also my most favorite in her prime. That was the time that she really bloomed from a girl into a lady and her programs were all fit for a lyrical skater like her. In 2009 she had a change of coach and was coached by russian Tarasova and her programs then were a bit serious, heavy and dramatic. She also changed her arsenal by exluding 2 jumps, the salchow and the lutz. But in 2011 she parted ways with the russian coach and again her new coach Mr. Sato. And although she had to go back from the scratch and rework her techniques, she reunited with Lori again choreographing one if not her best long program the Liebestraum which is probably the most lyrical she ever skated.

So you see her career was literally like a roller coaster. She could choose to take a break after the Olympics like Yuna but she never skipped a season. Her vulnerability was shown. But her resilience shines brighter. :)

Also I couldn;t agree more about her "So deep is the night" exhibition she brought heaven on the ice. :)
 

gravy

¿No ven quién soy yo?
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
Her "So Deep is the Night" program is incredible. I've never seen anyone happier than her when that instrumental interlude occurs and she's just dancing in one spot. :love:
 

Meoima

Match Penalty
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
I really appreciate your persistent support for Mao and her Sochi LP, Meoima. You were actually one of the first posters who really gave me some kind of objective verification that Mao's performance was as great as I felt it was, since you were not a fan.
When I said you may agree in my last post I meant that you may agree that it's better not to hype skaters too early because I remember you saying it in an earlier post. I agree with you overall that's it's better to wait for them to grow up, but sometimes I have a beautiful vision of what a skater could become.
I often watch FS with 3 friends over the live stream and we have a group comments. 1 is Russian fan since she studied in Russia for 8 years then came back to my country. 1 is Yuna uber and he's a figure skater who is currently in Korea. 1 is a Mao fan. You got my headache.

I often have no words in ladies FS since to me all try to be lovely princess. And I advoid all comments because I don't want to get in bad terms with any of them. When Adelina won, you couldn't image how terrible it was within the group lol. 2 of them hated Adelina. I was neutral. And the friend who love Russian team acted like the other 2 were idiots.

At Sochi when my friends were so shock at Mao's SP, I didn't think much since I was not a fan. Then when she came out to the ice for her LP, I was shock because I expected her to skate badly. I didn't expect she had the skate of the night.

I was more impressed at Saitama. I don't like Chopin much, he is my least favorite composer (especially his Nocture). When Mao got the WR for her SP at Saitama, I thought it was well deserved. Then my friend who loves Yuna started getting annoyed. He acted like the judges made a crime. He said something like Mao's SP was no where near the level of Yuna's 007. I quite enjoy Yuna's 007. But to me they belong to different types. Mao's SP at Saitama is about lightness. That ethereal quality is unmatched.

I still invest more in men dicipline. But after digging up old videos for a while. I can say that Mao has the versatility and she is, to me, more lovely to watch than most of her rivals. When she's on, she's the most musical and ethereal lady IMO.
 
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iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
Her "So Deep is the Night" program is incredible. I've never seen anyone happier than her when that instrumental interlude occurs and she's just dancing in one spot. :love:

Totally. And she carried a lot of speed in this program. Loved it!
 

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I'm so happy of the outpouring of love for Mao in this thread! :party2:

I am also really glad to see how active this thread is at last. It's a big spring gushing with love for all the beautiful performances Mao has given us.

Her "So Deep is the Night" program is incredible. I've never seen anyone happier than her when that instrumental interlude occurs and she's just dancing in one spot. :love:

I just found a brand new and really great HD copy of Mao's "How Deep is the Night" from 4CC's 2008. I think the instrumental interlude is wonderful as well, gravy. I love how she does a couple of swift steps back and forth, as she stares in wonder at the audience, then crosses her legs and transitions smoothly into rapid pirouettes as she gracefully raises and drop one of her arms. Then, she does a sprightly dance before the audience, followed by three circular jumps in rapid succession. I think her deep blue dress is really beautiful like a peaceful ocean of tranquility and she looks stunning with her hair let down and a wonderful Biellmann at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQPBQtiLuzI
 
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gravy

¿No ven quién soy yo?
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 28, 2014
I just found a brand new and really great HD copy of Mao's "How Deep is the Night" from 4CC's 2008. I think the instrumental interlude is wonderful as well, gravy. I love how she does a couple of swift steps back and forth, as she stares in wonder at the audience, then crosses her legs and transitions smoothly into rapid pirouettes as she gracefully raises and drop one of her arms. Then, she does a sprightly dance before the audience, followed by three circular jumps in rapid succession. I think her deep blue dress is really beautiful like a peaceful ocean of tranquility and she looks stunning with her hair let down and a wonderful Biellmann at the end.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQPBQtiLuzI

My favorite!

And thank you for the HD video! I'll surely be replaying this many times in the future!
 

yhmafan

Medalist
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
Thanks for the video link. Sorry I didn't respond earlier to your post yhmafan, but I just thought that after winning the Olympics and Worlds last year, the struggles than Hanyu has gone through because of his collision are similar to the struggles Mao went through in reworking her jumps after winning a silver in the Olympics and the World Championships in 2010. They both were willing to go in public and put their enormous reputation on the line when they knew they weren't in peak form. That says a lot about their character and explains why they are so beloved as dedicated athletes and performers.

Never mind and thanks for your reply gotoschool. I’m always learning from your thoughtful posts and am impressed by your devotions for Mao.
I also thought nearly the same thing that they do resemble each other in many ways.
Even in the character, both of them are endearingly stubborn haha and They both are wise and sensible.
I remember Kenji Miyamoto the Choreographer mentioned before that "Mao has best memory in Team Japan all".
no matter their age, my admiration does go for them.
 

iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014

yhmafan

Medalist
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
^Thank you for the link iceberg. I would say "PERFECT" is not enough for her Fantasia.
 

Ayeshoo

On the Ice
Joined
May 25, 2014
Just requoting my post in the Ladies COP Step Sequence thread. :)

So much maturity and elegance at such a young age. Just watched her DVD Smile earlier. Couldn't ubderstand some parts but still so touched by it. Love Mao <3
 

iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
^Thank you for the link iceberg. I would say "PERFECT" is not enough for her Fantasia.

So much maturity and elegance at such a young age. Just watched her DVD Smile earlier. Couldn't ubderstand some parts but still so touched by it. Love Mao <3

You're welcome! No wonder this program rained not just adjectives but really SUPERLATIVES from all commentators. :)
 

gotoschool

Medalist
Joined
Mar 5, 2014
I often watch FS with 3 friends over the live stream and we have a group comments. 1 is Russian fan since she studied in Russia for 8 years then came back to my country. 1 is Yuna uber and he's a figure skater who is currently in Korea. 1 is a Mao fan. You got my headache.

I often have no words in ladies FS since to me all try to be lovely princess. And I advoid all comments because I don't want to get in bad terms with any of them. When Adelina won, you couldn't image how terrible it was within the group lol. 2 of them hated Adelina. I was neutral. And the friend who love Russian team acted like the other 2 were idiots.

At Sochi when my friends were so shock at Mao's SP, I didn't think much since I was not a fan. Then when she came out to the ice for her LP, I was shock because I expected her to skate badly. I didn't expect she had the skate of the night.

I was more impressed at Saitama. I don't like Chopin much, he is my least favorite composer (especially his Nocture). When Mao got the WR for her SP at Saitama, I thought it was well deserved. Then my friend who loves Yuna started getting annoyed. He acted like the judges made a crime. He said something like Mao's SP was no where near the level of Yuna's 007. I quite enjoy Yuna's 007. But to me they belong to different types. Mao's SP at Saitama is about lightness. That ethereal quality is unmatched.

I still invest more in men dicipline. But after digging up old videos for a while. I can say that Mao has the versatility and she is, to me, more lovely to watch than most of her rivals. When she's on, she's the most musical and ethereal lady IMO.

That's a really interesting, thoughtful and varied post. Your description of your viewing experience during the Olympics is priceless. It's intense enough emotionally watching Mao skate live when I'm alone. There would be no way I could handle such a group dynamic of heated opinions. Even as a fan after her SP, I wasn't expecting Mao to perform as well as she did in her LP. When she exceeded my expectations so dramatically, I became a big fan.

What first attracted me to Mao was the ballerina qualities you mentioned: her ethereal skating style and musicality. But, her last 3 performances made me realize how much power she also has relatively for a ballerina skater, and in retrospect I see that in a lot of older performances as well, even when she last won Worlds in 2010, her speed might have been slower, but she had really good height in her jumps. It diminished a bit when she was reworking her jumps, and then she regained her power again and went beyond it in terms of speed and deep edges in her last year.

Mao is the only skater I have ever seen to do triple axels, such stunning cross grab Biellmann, fan and arabesque spirals and one handed Biellmann spins, while also carrying such erect posture, refined lines, elegant extensions and doing such aesthetically pleasing jumps and step sequences. The fact that she has sublime artistry and profound emotional resonance is an added bonus. That's why I like her so much. She may not hit it every time, but anyone trying such difficult tech content and reworking their technique is bound to have some ups and downs, just as Midori did.
 
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Franklin99

Medalist
Joined
Nov 11, 2013
You're welcome! No wonder this program rained not just adjectives but really SUPERLATIVES from all commentators. :)


It's criminal that with this performance, she only scored 64+. That was a 70+ performance, even with the flutz. Even her speed was super fast. And i didn't know that Tat choreographed this masterpiece.

Mao +Tat + stpseq = :love: :bow: :points:
 
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iceberg

On the Ice
Joined
Oct 30, 2014
^Thank you for the link iceberg. I would say "PERFECT" is not enough for her Fantasia.

It's criminal that with this performance, she only scored 64+. That was a 70+ performance, even with the flutz. Even her speed was super fast. And i didn't know that Tat choreographed this masterpiece.

Mao +Tat + stpseq = :love: :bow: :points:

I agree,

Mao + Lori = Soft Lyrical Beauty
Mao + Tat = Power and Elegance
 
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