2016-17 State of Japanese Ladies Skating

[christinaskater]

Wakaba's team is not doing her any big favor. The Flip in the SP should go. The SP placement is improtant for PCS in LP and play it safer in the SP. And her LP is...
Mai's programs do not stand out. But she is fast and fresh. I agree she needs a more mature package. But this is only her first year in senior, let her be a bit juniorish.

A pony tail and a bit of make up and a better costume is all she needs hehehe for now. More ballet training and modern dance training on the side.

Wakaba needs to swap the flip with the loop- if she gets an edge call because of the flip she automatically loses the chance to be on the final tier at Worlds.
If she places 4-6th in the SP because of the loop. She can possibly place on the podium if she skates perfectly her Lp

 

[Sai Bon]

> Wakaba has worked so hard to be the mature total package this year, so I'm very impressed.

I agree, and she has done very well, but I deplore the culture that demands that 15-year-old girls look and act "mature", which is often Sanskrit for sexy. The girl is only 15, for God's sake! She's competing in seniors because she is just old enough and has the technical goods. I think there's a very fine line between age-appropriate and juniorish for younger skaters. I remember all the criticism heaped on Polina Edmunds for her "immature" packaging.

> Mai just needs a slight makeover for 4CC and worlds- hair and makeup. Her look makes her look juniorish.
> she is fast and fresh. I agree she needs a more mature package. But this is only her first year in senior, let her be a bit juniorish.

I totally agree. Mai is being herself and is charming. And has made an amazing recovery from a serious illness. I'm sure she will grow up fast and develop more sophistication after she's been to worlds.

 

[Ares]

Even though her placement was disappointing, there were some flashes of her brilliance. She seemed like she felt good but simply hadn't competed enough on a high level this year. I hope she can start next season healthy and remain strong through the Olympics. If she has any hope of surprising the favorites, she needs strong performances in the GP to be part of the conversation.

Yup. It didn't seem like injury was bothering her here, she was fast and her jumps were high. In her own league when it comes to step sequence (!) and presentation Shame about two falls & underrotations that cut her score.

 

[turbulent]

Few weeks ago, Marin became face of Japan Airlines, so obviously she did THIS yesterday.

She's the most sophisticated, elegant Japanese skater and advertising monster: shy, teary, fragile girl with pleasant modest voice off the ice and flirty, long-legged bombshell on the ice. I've no idea why the skating gods put all the goods in one 15yo girl from Japan, but I know 2018 Olympics will be interesting.

 

[Sunny Little]

Watching the recent Japanese Nationals, I have to say.. Riko Takino is kinda awesome. Her FS didn't go as well as her SP but man, that potential. Some movements in her Firebird SP are so sharp, and she performs so well already.

I don't have the technical knowledge to comment on her jumps but they look alright to me.

SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvhSqxAf0_k

FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1XvTXkLqVc

 

[frida80]

Few weeks ago, Marin became face of Japan Airlines, so obviously she did THIS yesterday.

She's the most sophisticated, elegant Japanese skater and advertising monster: shy, teary, fragile girl with pleasant modest voice off the ice and flirty, long-legged bombshell on the ice. I've no idea why the skating gods put all the goods in one 15yo girl from Japan, but I know 2018 Olympics will be interesting.

Love a good flash dance routine! I love the butt spin to sub for the break dance spin.

 

[Ares]

Few weeks ago, Marin became face of Japan Airlines, so obviously she did THIS yesterday.

She's the most sophisticated, elegant Japanese skater and advertising monster: shy, teary, fragile girl with pleasant modest voice off the ice and flirty, long-legged bombshell on the ice. I've no idea why the skating gods put all the goods in one 15yo girl from Japan, but I know 2018 Olympics will be interesting.

Oh cmon, stop hyping Marin so much. I am so over with overpraising this skater. Ok, I get that her face is very pretty and cute, her saccharine is such too and that she's current JWC but it gives me nausea. Insistent repetition of her virtues won't make her the best or the most sophisticated Japanese skater when you have Mao and Satoko.

 

[Biellmann]

Oh cmon, stop hyping Marin so much. I am so over with overpraising this skater. Ok, I get that her face is very pretty and cute, her saccharine is such too and that she's current JWC but it gives me nausea. Insistent repetition of her virtues won't make her the best or the most sophisticated Japanese skater when you have Mao and Satoko.

Hm, but it's okay to overpraise Mao and some other names, okay okay :think:

 

[malo42]

Watching the recent Japanese Nationals, I have to say.. Riko Takino is kinda awesome. Her FS didn't go as well as her SP but man, that potential. Some movements in her Firebird SP are so sharp, and she performs so well already.

I don't have the technical knowledge to comment on her jumps but they look alright to me.

SP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvhSqxAf0_k

FS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1XvTXkLqVc

She is good! I've been very impressed by all the girls who qualified through junior nats Even though Kasakake didn't finish well at nats... It just shows that there is soooo much talent and potential even from the girls we don't often get a chance to see!

 

[turbulent]

Oh cmon, stop hyping Marin so much. I am so over with overpraising this skater. Ok, I get that her face is very pretty and cute, her saccharine is such too and that she's current JWC but it gives me nausea. Insistent repetition of her virtues won't make her the best or the most sophisticated Japanese skater when you have Mao and Satoko.

Satoko skating is robotical for me, it has no femininity and excitement factor that Marin showcases.
Marin makes people smile or cry (when she pops and falls), she leaves nobody indifferent, like Satoko does.

 

[Ares]

Satoko skating is robotical for me, it has no femininity and excitement factor that Marin showcases.
Marin makes people smile or cry (when she pops and falls), she leaves nobody indifferent, like Satoko does.

Oppinions differ. Marin way too cute skating & presentation leaves me cold even if I can't deny her surprisingly good for her age skating skills. Saying that she's more sophisticated than Mao or Satoko is ridiculous. Miss Honda is overhyped (if she had ugly or average looks it would be otherwise I believe), hopefully she's not reading those threads because if she already starts thinking that she's some goddess that you're making out from her than I expect disappointments.

 

[ioanna]

If Satoko's Planets FS doesn't make you feel just a little bit of excitement then it's not her fault you find her robotical. I think good looks and media appeal are often confused with what happens on the actual ice.

 

[Sunny Little]

She is good! I've been very impressed by all the girls who qualified through junior nats Even though Kasakake didn't finish well at nats... It just shows that there is soooo much talent and potential even from the girls we don't often get a chance to see!

Yes, I agree. The junior talent pool in Japan is like in Russia, there's just so many good skaters. I thought Saya Suzuki was pretty solid in competition too. She just needs to work on her performance more. IIRC that her choreographer is Akiko Suzuki, that should be no problem.

Also, such as shame Rika Kihira and Yuhana Yokoi didn't qualify.

 

[Ares]

If Satoko's Planets FS doesn't make you feel just a little bit of excitement then it's not her fault you find her robotical. I think good looks and media appeal are often confused with what happens on the actual ice.

I concur with you.

 

[Biellmann]

Oppinions differ. Marin way too cute skating & presentation leaves me cold even if I can't her surprisingly good for her age skating skills. Saying that she's more sophisticated than Mao or Satoko is ridiculous. Miss Honda is overhyped (if she had ugly or average looks it would be otherwise I believe), hopefully she's not reading those threads because if she already starts thinking that she's some goddess that you're making out from her than I expect disappointments.

Yes, i really hope she's not reading those threads, all the hate on her is really sad

 

[turbulent]

Miss Honda is overhyped (if she had ugly or average looks it would be otherwise I believe), hopefully she's not reading those threads because if she already starts thinking that she's some goddess that you're making out from her than I expect disappointments.

Well, she is a skating goddess, so internet comments can't possibly influence her. :agree:
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UQpMtz1T6tE/maxresdefault.jpg

 

[ioanna]

Daisuke Takahashi has written an interesting article about the ladies event at the Japanese Nationals. Thanks to ohlovesosweet for translating. It's great to read an analysis from a skater like Daisuke.

Recently, there has been an increase in ladies with a lot of speed in their skating. After all, skating fast helps aesthetically. Among that group is Mihara, fourth place finisher Honda Marin (Kansai University Junior & Senior High Skating Club), and seventh place finisher Sakamoto Kaori (Kobe Port Island Club) draw you in with their speed. Mihara’s stable jumps and fast skating are a perfect combination. Her expression is still green, but it’s something she can continue working.

First place finisher Miyahara Satoko (Kansai University) and second place finisher Higuchi Wakaba (Tokyo Nihonbashi Jogakkan High School) made it out of the pack. They don’t just skate their elements and in-between transitions, it’s full of difficult movements. Satoko has the most challenging ones here this year as their difficulty is also performed without any loss of speed. The way she can gain points in these minute areas is what makes her so strong. Higuchi also has difficult transitions that lead to her high-quality jumps. Though, I felt like her speed faltered a bit in the freeskate.

More here
http://ohlovesosweet.tumblr.com/post/155239075886/takahashi-daisukes-step-step-step-column-ladies

 

[turbulent]

Interesting piece about Japanese Nats from Jackie Wong on rockerskating with deeper insight into Marin Honda's PCS scoring.

So what was that about PCS?

If not for a popped flip, World junior champion Marin Honda would have been the spoiler on the podium. Honda is not yet age-eligible for Worlds, but her skating is years beyond her her status as a junior about to transition to the senior ranks next year. One of the general (unconscious) biases in skating judging is age and eligibility, where juniors are just inherently scored lower than seniors in components.

For a large majority of the cases, the scoring is right on - many of the junior skaters don't skate with the same power, edge quality, interpretation, and performance as the senior skaters. Honda's case, though, is vastly different - she's got the all-around package to be challenging with the best of the senior skaters now, but at Japan Nationals, her components were barely distinguishable from others of her tenure. To say that Honda's components were a couple points lower than those of Rika Hongo's, for example, is pretty egregious.

Compare Honda's skating with those of the very top women at Japan Nationals, and it becomes clear that she's not your average best junior skater. She's one of the best senior skaters in the field, but we'll have to wait at least another year before we see her properly awarded for it.

More here
http://www.rockerskating.com/news/2...an-nationals-transition-season-highs-and-lows

 

[venx]

Stars On Ice 2017 funny event with Nobunari Oda, Wakaba Higuchi, Marin Honda, Satoko Miyahara and Shoma Uno.

https://tinyurl.com/jllbs3g

 

[hippomoomin]

Marin vs. Satoko debate: at the same age, Marin has achieved more. She has been qualified to JGPF twice in her two years of international junior career; she is the junior world champion. Satoko never finished on the podium either at junior worlds or JGPF, and the junior field is more competitive today.
Marin is a natural performer and Satoko is hard worker.
Marin is inconsistent and Satoko is super consistent.
Both are not the best jumpers but Marin is still better.
SO I would say, as long as Marin does not lose her jumps, by the age of 19, she will be a huge force.