2014 Japan Open
- Thread starter NMURA
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- Mar 27, 2010
Might it be a little too close to Skate America for Nagasu? I think it'll be Rochette, especially considering she's performed very well there historically.
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- Feb 16, 2014
Tomas already has an ice show scheduled for that date in the Czech Republic. http://www.jenpockejzajici.cz/
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2012
I think there is no question the Hanyu can draw in a crowd. All the iceshows he was in sold out, including the one where he was the main performer. His hometown parade drew 92000 people, and when I went to the World Championships, it was a full house. If there were any empty seats, I couldn't see any.
There needn't be a war. Many Dai fans are also Hanyu fans. It is only a small number who like one or the other exclusively.
There needn't be a war. Many Dai fans are also Hanyu fans. It is only a small number who like one or the other exclusively.
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2014
Tomas Verner is indeed going to Japan Open according to this
http://isuprod.blob.core.windows.net/media/165641/japan-open-announcemement-2014.pdf
But apparently Kanako Murakami and Takahito Mura are not attending anymore. Does anyone know anything about this?
http://isuprod.blob.core.windows.net/media/165641/japan-open-announcemement-2014.pdf
But apparently Kanako Murakami and Takahito Mura are not attending anymore. Does anyone know anything about this?
If both of them will not go, then may be Machida will go instead? But the other lady?
Could I hope for either Shizuka Arakawa, Haruka Imai, or Akiko Suzuki?
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
Shizuka is having a baby. Haruka Imai or Akiko Suzuki might be possible.
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- Feb 25, 2014
Mirai Nagasu was added to Team North America, Meryl Davis & Charlie White guests
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/japanopen2014/skater.html
http://www.tv-tokyo.co.jp/japanopen2014/skater.html
The last page of the pdf file has a list of participating skaters. Team Japan has 2 TBD's. This could be simply old information. On the TV Tokyo site, they have the names of all the participants.
The pdf file appeared later than TV Tokyo information where Team Japan was in full from the beginnig,
Wow so exciting for Mirai (and for me lol) that she's added to Japan Open. It's nice to see she'll have such a rigorous pre season. I think you're right YesWay, Europe seems to have the edge in this one but I would venture to say that whichever team has the most clean skating will be the winner.
Oh man this is always the hardest part of the skating year for me lol! The season feels so close yet so far for international senior competition!
Oh man this is always the hardest part of the skating year for me lol! The season feels so close yet so far for international senior competition!
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2014
Agree.
Accordingly to Oricon (just like the Billboard in US) Hanyu's DVD+Blue ray have sold more than 40,000 copies in the first week, and cumulatively around 70,000 copies since they went on sale in July. Previous DVD sales records were from Dai and Mao, 7000+ copies each in the first week and 10,000+ cumulatively. Of course, those who have bought the DVD may not necessarily go to ice shows or competitions, but I don't think anyone can deny these 70,000 copies do mean something.
This year I've been to the Worlds, and then literally EVERY ice show in Kansai area which Mao attended, and more than half of the ice shows which Hanyu performed at. Did I see empty seats in the Worlds? Very few, which were located in the "mountain top" area and I can totally understand why people don't bother to pay for such seats. Did I see empty seats in THE ICE? Unfortunately yes, there were empty seats in "ARENA SS" area and I saw a board saying "tickets available for today (当日券)" in the front door of the stadium. So even a mega star like Mao may not be able to sell every single ticket in a weekend in a populous city like Osaka. Did I see empty seats in the shows where Hanyu was the main one (although Plushenko was the reason why I went there, but he didn't announce his participation until the very last minute, so I assume Hanyu was still the main reason why the audience paid for the tickets)? At least I didn't find any in my sight. I have no precise data to prove which shows were full house and which were not, but just want to say that some of the arguments we used to see in Japanese forum like "As long as Mao or Dai was there it must be a full house" or "Hanyu cannot sell the tickets, nor can he be the cash cow for JSF through sponsorship" don't stand true any more. I can feel that things are changing in Japan.
Just my observation, Hanyu is gaining bigger and bigger popularity not exactly after the Olympics, but after the Worlds. Since Dai was recovering from injury and Mao was relatively in a low key after the Worlds, general people in Japan don't hear about them so frequently as before. But since Hanyu kept performing at ice shows like crazy, and he had to attend royal family events, sports awards related events being the only OC this year, he got lots of media attention. He became much more recognized among general people some of who also became more interested in watching him. When I went to Beppu, I can sense that a big portion of the audience are not really figure skating fans who follow the sports like us, but general people who just paid to watch THE OC (Don't ask me why I got such feeling, I can just feel the way they watch the show were different from FS fans). This is what you need to sell the tickets, especially tickets for a large stadium. Does Dai or Mao have 18,000 hardcore fans to fill the whole Saitama Super Arena? I doubt because if so their DVD sales should be doubled (I assume hardcore fans in Japan would love to have the collection of their best performances?). So the tickets were sold out not only because of the hardcore FS fans, but also the general people who might not follow the sports but are interested to watch a Japanese world-class star perform. In this sense, I think Hanyu is getting on the right track. After the all, he is the only OC in winter sports ever since Shizuka, and will be active for at least another 4 years.
And let's not forget, like it or not, Japan has a tradition of "idol" industry. Like it or not, ladies, young or middle age, are willing to spend money on boys/men idols. Although it has nothing to do with the sports and with Hanyu's competitive career, he attracts more young ladies into the FS industry in Japan, and that's how JSF can make money.
Although part of the reason he's getting so much attention from media and general people is the absence/low key of Dai and Mao, fact is fact. He's selling tickets across the country, he's the most searched celebrity in Japan in the first half of the year, he's signing more contracts. I just don't find those arguments of he will surely fail in selling tickets persuasive to me from the changes I see in recent months. Of course I have no data to prove since he won't compete in JO anyway, but isn't it vice versa?
And finally, he is an aggressive athlete who cares about winning titles, breaking records and making history, why isn't it logical that he prefers FT where he can test both aggressive programs way more than JO which is not even an ISU competition? And it is well known that he is much more connected to CIC than IMG. I don't know if he has certain deal with CIC, but it is a fact that he never participated in JO, seldom CaOI. Why is it logical to think he will start to participate from this year, based on past track? Because he is the OC? Then why didn't Shizuka?
You should have taken the picture of this hystorical event. I think during the intermission it's fine. There are penty of THE ICE videos on youtube that says otherwise than your story does.
The top tickets for JO and COI is 47,000 yen as their official sites say. How much is the DVD? You got my point. Some Hanyu fan called it "risk aversion." Hanyu doesn't want to embarrass himself with empty seats, that's why he chose not to compete in JO. Whatever. But as I said before if hypothetically speaking Mao didn't compete in JO but Dai did, there wouldn't be any risk aversion. He would skate. Mao would do the same.
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
My friends in Japan also have the same story as pandaatlarge.
It's not easy to describe it unless you live in Japan.
My friends in Japan have a different story. So does youtube. Do you have the videos that can verify the opposite? If you and pandaatlarge wants to promote Hanyu by libelling Mao's show, it doesn't work.
- Joined
- Dec 25, 2012
I don't think there is any libel going on...that's rather a strong word.
Pandatlarge simply stated his/her first-hand observation ...which I see you don't believe. When I said Hanyu's shows were sold out, I based it on the fact that when I watched the news coverage of the shows, it said 'SOLD OUT' in big letters. --Was it ALL of them? Maybe not but Together on Ice was certainly sold out, and so was DOI, and FaOI in Toyama where Hanyu was performing.
Anyway, I hope that Japan Open sells enough tickets despite Takahashi, Mao and Hanyu not being there.
I think they will.
Did Hanyu 'choose' not to go to JO simply because he thought 'boy, I don't think I can sell enough tickets'? It sounds pretty absurd to me. -That sounds like more of a problem for the organizers and sponsors to worry about NOT a possible competitor.
Did he even get a choice to skate at JO?
what if he likes Finlandia better because it is familiar to him and he has won 2 gold medals there?
These are all questions that don't have 100% solid answers so discussion will just be wheels turning in the sand.
Pandatlarge simply stated his/her first-hand observation ...which I see you don't believe. When I said Hanyu's shows were sold out, I based it on the fact that when I watched the news coverage of the shows, it said 'SOLD OUT' in big letters. --Was it ALL of them? Maybe not but Together on Ice was certainly sold out, and so was DOI, and FaOI in Toyama where Hanyu was performing.
Anyway, I hope that Japan Open sells enough tickets despite Takahashi, Mao and Hanyu not being there.
I think they will.
Did Hanyu 'choose' not to go to JO simply because he thought 'boy, I don't think I can sell enough tickets'? It sounds pretty absurd to me. -That sounds like more of a problem for the organizers and sponsors to worry about NOT a possible competitor.
Did he even get a choice to skate at JO?
what if he likes Finlandia better because it is familiar to him and he has won 2 gold medals there?
These are all questions that don't have 100% solid answers so discussion will just be wheels turning in the sand.
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2014
What's happened to you? No one ever tries to libel Mao's show. You don't have to be that rude. I don't live in Japan, I don't even know pandaatlarge. I simply said my friends who are living in Japan also told me relatively the same. If you want their statements, I can send you their facebook acc so they can even tell you more than that. But I guess you will say you don't believe that they are truly living in Japan.
The number of DVD sold out is not a lie, if you don't want to believe us, then look at the number.
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