2015 Japan Open

[betat]

Just read protocol, who is Judge7, honestly, Shoma's mother (or the one who love cutie pie)?
Average GOE for his jump given by Judge 7 is 2.3 and average PCS is 9.45

I have noticed that. She or he must be in love
That's the fun thing about reading protocols.
Good thing it doesn't affect the overall results, and also this is just a competition to have fun.

 

[Mathman]

Of course the big deal for the organizers and sponsors of this event is the debut of Mao's comeback. Mishin is not wrong or disrespectful in mentioning the obvious. Money talks, and every time Mao delivers a brilliant skate, somebody makes a pile of money. :yes:

 

[HanDomi]

Just read protocol, who is Judge7, honestly, Shoma's mother (or the one who love cutie pie)?
Average GOE for his jump given by Judge 7 is 2.3 and average PCS is 9.45

I guess mother can be more critical than this judge

Seriously, this judge hopefully is not allowed to judge anything in international competitions

 

[Jaana]

This was really enjoyable competition, a fun event and the judging should not be taken too seriously, LOL. Skate America will be the first event of the season where we will see serious and worthy judging, at least I hope so .

 

[deedee1]

Have watched one or two performances of JO only, unfortunately... I want to say it, must say it loud:

Welcome back to the eligible skating, Mao & Patrick, our great Champions!!!

 

[zamboni step]

Ashley keeping Moulin Rouge would be good if she actually improved it.

One example is the opening - people used to be surprised by the first jump right on the clash music, but now everyone knows its coming and it isn't exciting to see her telegraph a small double axel (it wasn't exciting for me to begin with). At the very start of last season she opened the program with a walley into a 3Flip. That was great. It flowed better and it was bigger and more exciting, which is the whole point of timing a jump there.

She needs to stop it with the 3Loop+half loop+3Sal. It. Will. Not. Work. Also, doing a 2Axel+2Toe? Is that supposed to excite us? There are better jump combinations for her to do.

The spins are all wrong for the program too. I've talked about it so many times over the past several years and the story remains the same. She could be doing the max base level spins (CCoSp4, FCCoSp4, CCSp4) and have them look better and get better GOE all at the same time, without having to introduce any new positions that she isn't already able to do! For some reason she chooses the inferior, less-valuable choreography.

There's also room for new music edits, so much great music in Moulin Rouge. The current program ends up being more about how she is an underdog, "inside my heart is breaking and my makeup is flaking", and how the show must go on. Okay, that was great last season, but you could display more pure power and overflowing emotion this season.

I know this program made people cry last year, or whatever, but I've always just found it embarrassing. The "Inside my heart is breaking, my makeup may be flaking" moment, is just a large source of secondhand embarrassment. Once your choreography includes the Morozov face stroke as a focal point of your choreography, you're in trouble. The placement of the 2A+2T is completely perfunctory, and reeks of choreographic lethargy. She needs a program that carries the power she has, and this isn't going to do it, it's too weak.

 

[voolfee]

Welcome back to the eligible skating, Mao & Patrick, our great Champions!!!

And welcome back our great Champion Adelina!!! :agree:

 

[Rissa]

People will not have some heart attack over poor jumps.

They will only dislike that skater more and more. Unoflation will take over all other flations, sooner or latter this kind of overscoring will backfire to JSF and they are harming Mr. Uno. They are putting more pressure and expectation on Mr. Uno.

Sorry, I know this is like beating a dead horse at this point but Yeah, people will dislike Shoma if he skates like yesterday and gets great scores, those great skates and great scores will harm him greatly.

I totally can't get on which planet Javier got better PCS than Chan, Parick was off I agree and he needs to work a lot on his jumps but still, he was judged too harshy.

Javi getting higher PCS than Patrick was the biggest surprise of the competition but when I looked at the detailed score, I think most of it was reasonable. Compared to Javi, Patrick was underscored on SS, and perhaps transitions/linking footwork/movement but Javi did really well in that category. In the remaining categories I thought Javier did better than Patrick, he had more interesting choreography (I know, I know, another of those funny Fernandez programs, but if you look at it on its own merit, I think it was better than Patrick's), projected better, expressed music better.

 

[Globetrotter]

Ashley's skating skills are good, but not great and you can clearly see it when compared to let's say Gracie.

Hmm I think you are rather kind. Ashley's SS in my opinion is probably the weakest among the top senior ladies. You can see the weak edges and that her speed was maintained only by muscling them out with crossovers and leg pumps, not with edges and flow. It's also the reason why her approaches to her jumps tend to slow down as she isn't able to keep the speed due to her rather poor bladework basics. That said, her performance though is great. I do think she is overscored on SS but under marked on PE and IN. Someone like Sayoko Miyahara should deservedly get higher SS and to me equally high IN and CH but lower PE as she is less able to connect like Ashley. Gracie certainly has the best SS but I find her performance rather flat, so I would think she deserves even higher SS than her JO scores but lower PE and CH.

 

[Globetrotter]

Write down your GOE scores for all of his jumps and we can talk about it.



I would have scored her at 69 TES, which includes a < call for the second 3Lutz. 71 is surprisingly close, as these things ago. I would hope the jumps are scrutinized, yes, but I do see some improvements, so let's not crucify her.

I got to agree. While I still think her TES is a bit high and I do think both the single 3F and 3Lz look suspect < from pre rotation off the pick, her overall jumps had improved. I do think the opening 3-3 would fairly be ratified and the jumps do look higher now. That said, I think the jump GOEs should not be that great. I would have her at 68-69.

Unfortunately I do think she was low balled on PCS. Her edge work is in no way inferior to say Liza Tuks or Ade Sot. PE, IN and CH is subjective and yes she is not the sort of positively dramatic and exuberant performer like the Russians but certainly I would have her IN in the low 8s and the SS in that range too.

 

[chairmanmao]

Ladies:
Nice comeback from Mao. What I'm most excited about is seeing her land a perfect 3Lz. I know a certain fanbase will replay that edge over and over LOL.

Great to see Adelina again

Men:
I don't know how anyone could justify Chan scoring higher PCS than Javi. No quad landed and botching his 3A again. If Chan can score this high in PCS with a TES score smaller than Asada then Brown should have scored 95+ for his WTT LP.

 

[Globetrotter]

Ladies:
Nice comeback from Mao. What I'm most excited about is seeing her land a perfect 3Lz. I know a certain fanbase will replay that edge over and over LOL.

Great to see Adelina again

Men:
I don't know how anyone could justify Chan scoring higher PCS than Javi. No quad landed and botching his 3A again. If Chan can score this high in PCS with a TES score smaller than Asada then Brown should have scored 95+ for his WTT LP.

Fact is PCS and TES are scoring different things. True, Chan botched his jumps but the impact on the overall performance was not that disruptive as say a major fall or hands down. And if you look at the overall edge work quality of his skating and ice coverage, he was certainly a superior skater and in my opinion deserves even higher SS. That said, I do not think that he should get higher PCS as overall, Javi was the stronger performer and the degree he engaged the audience was much better, thus I will say he deserves higher PCS from the PE, IN and CH component but I do think that he needs to brush up on the SS. His ice coverage and edge smoothness is still clearly behind Chan or Hanyu.

 

[RemyRose]

Carnival On Ice

Mao http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38jyv0_caoi2015-mao-asada_sport
Shoma http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38jzn7_caoi2015-shoma-uno_sport
Satoko http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k0ax_caoi2015-satoko-miyahara_sport
Murakami http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k0iz_caoi2015-daisuke-murakami_sport
Machida http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k0lv_caoi2015-tatsuki-machida_sport
Elizaveta http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k1hd_caoi2015-elizaveta-tuktamysheva_sport
Adelina http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k1fo_caoi2015-adelina-sotnikova_sport
Patrick http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x38k1iy_caoi2015-patrick-chan_sport

 

[Krunchii]

Ashley keeping Moulin Rouge would be good if she actually improved it.

One example is the opening - people used to be surprised by the first jump right on the clash music, but now everyone knows its coming and it isn't exciting to see her telegraph a small double axel (it wasn't exciting for me to begin with). At the very start of last season she opened the program with a walley into a 3Flip. That was great. It flowed better and it was bigger and more exciting, which is the whole point of timing a jump there.

She needs to stop it with the 3Loop+half loop+3Sal. It. Will. Not. Work. Also, doing a 2Axel+2Toe? Is that supposed to excite us? There are better jump combinations for her to do.

The spins are all wrong for the program too. I've talked about it so many times over the past several years and the story remains the same. She could be doing the max base level spins (CCoSp4, FCCoSp4, CCSp4) and have them look better and get better GOE all at the same time, without having to introduce any new positions that she isn't already able to do! For some reason she chooses the inferior, less-valuable choreography.

There's also room for new music edits, so much great music in Moulin Rouge. The current program ends up being more about how she is an underdog, "inside my heart is breaking and my makeup is flaking", and how the show must go on. Okay, that was great last season, but you could display more pure power and overflowing emotion this season.

Yeah you've pretty much listed most of my problems with Ashley keeping her LP, she could have gotten new music edits to reflect how she's not so much an underdog anymore and used a couple of different pieces to make it more fresh but she didn't. Apparently she'll be adding in the new transitions and stuff when the actual competition starts but new transitions won't make the program seem fresh. Like redoing the music and choreo could have helped her because she consistently got her spin levels in the SP last season but not in the LP because she got more time to spin in the SP. She could have redone some parts to make sure she can get those levels because it's very stupid to lose points in that category, especially since she's considered a top tier skater right now.

I understand she wants to keep the 2As in the beginning and stack her more difficult jumps in the second half but her 3S is not good enough and maybe she should tag the 2T onto a different jump in the second half and move the solo 3F as the beginning jump.

 

[theskatingbutterfly]

Ok, I never thought I would say this...
I'm agreeing with a lot of what everyone is saying about Ashley.
When it was originally announced that she would be skating to it again, I was SO excited. I could hardly contain my excitement, especially when I heard she would be re doing the program.
Now, I'm hearing that she will be changing it more for GP, so I can't really decide exactly what I think until I see it at SC, however, for the first time since like, 2011, I felt kind of empty with this performance. She didn't perform it the way she usually does, and I know this program SO WELL (I could literally go out on my practice session on Monday and perform it for my friends lol), and because of that, there was no excitement in it for me. I'm not saying I'm going to dislike this decision till I see it a few more times, after all, this was the first of the season for her so she's not in tip top shape yet. I'm just left kind of confused.

I am 200% on the Ashley band wagon and still am. I hope this season goes well for her.

As for Gracie... yikes. I have to admit, this probably is my favorite Firebird program I've seen, but that girl has got to learn how to emote while skating. I can't stand the deadpan face that she skates with.. at least look like you're enjoying being able to skate?? And maybe get some help with the nerves?? Again, beginning of the season, but GRACIE!
I would really like the US ladies to show some consistency and medal at worlds.. at least one of them would be nice...

 

[apgold]

Having watched most of the videos, I have to say that the field was stacked a bit in Japan's favor, LOL since all of their team is competing this year and are getting into or already in top shape.

Mao was wonderful as everyone said - her skating is on another level and I loved her costume (even with the sparkling butterflies on it!). So glad to see her back and I look forward to seeing her skate this live at Worlds.

Satoko and Shoma were amazing, and I do like Daisuke's skating, but I'd love to see him skate clean. (Seems like Turandot/Nessun Dorma is the new POTO this year with Shoma, Max and Karen all skating to it)

For team Europe, I liked Javi's new "Guys and Dolls" program. Yes, it's in his comfort zone, but I enjoyed it more than his Barber of Seville from last year. I didn't watch Brian's skate - I guess he didn't do so well with 105 points? Adelina looked pretty good even with only four triples, her jumps when she lands them are huge and her performance is miles better since she did DWTS - I don't personally like Je Suis Malade as it's becoming a warhorse, but Adelina seems to be suited to the music. I also liked Liza's FS more than last years, I guess skating after Mao hit her 3A must've unnerved her. Falling during her footwork seemed to be a fluke - she seemed really into it.

North America was a disappointment so I'm surprised they wound up in 2nd. I love Ashley's ML, but I didn't like the clashing of her red hair with the dress and it needs some freshening. Hope it looks better by time she goes to Skate Canada after adding more transitions and maybe shaking up the jump layout. Gracie, what can I say? She needs a sports psychologist. As for the men, Jeremy looked pretty good for someone not competing (although he needs to stop popping jumps) and Patrick is still not ready for prime time even though his SS and speed are great as ever.

There was so much skating this weekend, between the JO, JGP Logrono (congrats Nathan!) and Ondrej Nepala (Congrats Jason!), my head was spinning!

 

[Leonardo]

Regarding Japan Open inflated scores, I remember that in 2013 (olympic season), Mao competed well in Japan Open and scored 135 with 67 in pcs. Some weeks later, in Skate America, she got 69.5 pcs with a fall. I won't be surprised if she scores 71/2+ in pcs later in the season, she deserves it.

 

[Amei]

I have come to the conclusion that Gracie just can't compete and that she will never fulfill her talent. She can skate 2 back to back clean LP's in practice but bombs when it counts.

Well I would hardly say that Japan Open 'counts' - but I get the sentiment, she's looks good in practice but when the lights are on and its time to compete, not so much. The bonus of her program, of what I saw - without the arm portion I wouldn't necessarily look at it and say 'firebird' automatically. However, if she's not going to emote with her face, I think she needs to lay off the stage make-up, Lipnitskaia (and she's my favorite) - emoting is not her strong suite, but she doesn't wear make-up that makes her mouth and eyes pop on her face.

 

[Ilvskating]

I'm so happy to see Mao and Patric back! Patrick obviously still need to work a lot on his jumps, but man! The way he skated and moved is pure beauty! Love them to pieces. Mao is so much more mature and her The Ice show was a joy to watch. I hope Maocanfinally skate with freedom like she has been in exhibitions. Her show programs are always exciting and full of joy. Go Maoand Patrick!

 

[satine]

Blade Boys give their input on the Ladies.