This wasn't as good as expected. But it is early season and the top Ladies seemed all a bit nervous. I saw Mako do several nice Triple-Triple combinations in the warm up. I think it was nerves with her, but I also believe this program is horrible, sorry Fluffy. I read somewhere it's the same singer as Gabrielle Daleman's Carmen and you could certainly draw horrible parallels there. It's just not my taste, and idk what they were trying to do there. She's a lovely skater and tries to sell it as good as she can, happy and smiley and expressive but the horrible music takes away all the enjoyment.
Liza Tuktamysheva.....I think I see a pattern there, she always seems to be getting back into the groove in the Test skates and people already see her in the World Team again, but I doubt it'll come to that. She has the technique but always seems to make errors. No 3A and you get something less than special. And while it's great she's not doing the princessy dresses or batdresses of season's past, that look is too casual, imho.
Kaori. Well. What happened here? It's early in the season and she's probably not comfortable yet and she was nervous. Very nervous. I guess I can understand that - Last season, when she started out there was no expectation for her to get on any team or get any medals. But then she kind of became a shooting star and now everyone expects great things right away. You could see the tension a mile away. And then...idk, if she stopped thinking, but not adding the combo after a fall is a beginner's mistake - or something you do because you're physically not able. Did she not think about it? Did she forget she hadn't added the second jump earlier? Or was she afraid she would fall if she added it later? She could've added a double! Impossible to know, but it was a stupid mistake and I think she cannot win this anymore, unless a bunch of other skaters bomb tomorrow. The program is okay. I don't think this will be changed, as someone here suggested. It's an expensive program choreographed by David Wilson. This will be it. I look forward for redemption with her nicer The Piano FS, also because she looked so shellshocked and heartbroken. She's always so cheery, it was hard to see her that down.