Daisuke Takahashi

[Meoima]

I've always forgot that skaters are tiny people in real life. Dai looks so small beside all these people, who aren't that huge at all.

 

[silverfoxes]

Come to think of it... Anyone here has the collection of Dai's hairstyle over the years/months? today someone mentioned that Dai had had like 300 different hairstyles and I was like

Oh...that was me I think it was only a slight exaggeration...unfortunately I haven't collected them, but that would be a fun project.

Yay, he shaved! :dance: He looks a lot younger and fresher now. I like seeing him in jeans...though he looks good in pretty much anything.

 

[GermaricanMix]

Oh no, it means no ice shows this January and during the summer. I hope he earned enough to keep him comfortable for a year.

fanboys

can he do a spiral?

That fanboys video is ADORABLE! And I'm happy to see that he shaved in the recent pictures. Although I had JUST started to really like the goatee XD

 

[yhmafan]

Dai at a Puma event in Osaka earlier today
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd...._=1427149317_bd9937c4796beda7dcfc7f945098242b
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3iS6QSCMAA05Yz.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B3iJXMUCUAAhFak.jpg

He shaved his beard and looks considerably younger Also from what I've read on twitter, Daisuke Murakami's SP was intended to be a tribute to Dai and this is why he chose Tango de Roxanne. What a tribute it was!

Great post wherever can I watch the show? Is there any links of it?

btw,I know Marty’s height is, just depends on his boots!!! hehee. I know it as I was a casual fan of him.

 

[ioanna]

Dai attended a Send to 2050 Project in Tokyo today.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd...._=1427699106_1f50b475e1ce002667ce73ab0867bbdd
https://38.media.tumblr.com/f7ea2bed741a85ac2a368ae40a03289a/tumblr_nfts8z4JUY1taaxqao2_r1_1280.jpg

Also, Japanese fans have spotted Dai and Mao practicing a collaboration program with Kenji Miyamoto at Chukyo University. The rumor has been floating around for a week but a lot of people are reporting it now.

 

[ayarose]

Also, Japanese fans have spotted Dai and Mao practicing a collaboration program with Kenji Miyamoto at Chukyo University. The rumor has been floating around for a week but a lot of people are reporting it now.

EXCITED and very much looking forward to see it.

Just finished watching his new DVD and re-watching JN2013 Dai just made me cry again. I swear JSF should put a disclaimer on their page, supporting Team Japan is emotionally draining.

 

[Maria Victoria]

...Also from what I've read on twitter, Daisuke Murakami's SP was intended to be a tribute to Dai and this is why he chose Tango de Roxanne. What a tribute it was!

Some also commented that the hair was also part of the tribute.

Also, Japanese fans have spotted Dai and Mao practicing a collaboration program with Kenji Miyamoto at Chukyo University. The rumor has been floating around for a week but a lot of people are reporting it now.

 

[GermaricanMix]

Also, Japanese fans have spotted Dai and Mao practicing a collaboration program with Kenji Miyamoto at Chukyo University. The rumor has been floating around for a week but a lot of people are reporting it now.

arty: I literally had to clamp my hands over my mouth cause I wanted let out a giant shriek of joy but it's 2 AM and I don't think my roommate would appreciate that.

 

[ayarose]

Have you guys cried lately? Here's one good reason why.

 

[jimeonji]

Have you guys cried lately? Here's one good reason why.

Ooooooh god. But now that I've clicked it I can't close the window.

Edit: I was not expecting that kind of montage thing. Thank you for sharing, as always.

 

[ioanna]

Shoma Uno wrote a long and heartfelt message about Dai in a recent Japanese magazine. Check Shoma's thread to read a translation.

 

[cdngirl]

Have you guys cried lately? Here's one good reason why.

Thank you so much for the link, Ayarose. It's one of my all time favourite performances. He skated so brilliantly and it was beautiful to watch.

Thank you, Ioanap, for the quote from Shoma. I really enjoyed reading his comments and I look forward to watching his skating as he matures.

 

[jimeonji]

Dai attended the reopening of the rink in Kurashiki today. He was presented with an award from the city mayor.

Here are some screencaps/small clips of him skating in the rink and working with some kids.
https://twitter.com/mayu322146/status/541048562935545856
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4IuZFKCEAAk7TK.jpg:large
https://twitter.com/moco0611chi/status/541055840929992706 (with a little girl!!)
news video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SihHEKtcycY

https://twitter.com/mayu322146/status/541065317611356160 after awards ceremony

also he made an appearance on this TV show, not sure what they're doing but he regrew his mustache and beard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl4H8KvDYew

 

[ioanna]

Dai skating on La Strada at the Kurashiki rink
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wm4zJ-hyenk

I believe that's Takahito Mura helping Dai with the scarf at the beginning of the video.

 

[foruiz]

Have you guys cried lately? Here's one good reason why.

Awww, I was late to see your post... Too bad the video has been removed ...

 

[ayarose]

Awww, I was late to see your post... Too bad the video has been removed ...

I deleted it, Beatles and Olympics are not a good mix. I'm uploading the file after the weekend, I'll just PM you once it's up.

Here's the raw ver of Luv Letter

 

[deedee1]

As usual thanks a lot for all updates on Dai, everyone! But from where you guys are getting all these information???, I sometimes wonder since some of you do not even locate/live in Japan, do you?
Am not sure if this info has been posted, sorry if already posted somewhere. KNT, a Japanese travel agency organizes an 'Art on Ice' Tour to Zurich from Japan: http://sports.knt.co.jp/skating/2015/daisuke/ A 4night/6days tour in early February. 2 AOI shows on Day 3 & 4, PLUS!!! a Meet/greet & Lunch w/ Dai on Day 2. Yen338,000.00 (approx US$2,820.00/Euro 2,280.00) Not too bad considering everything is expessive in Swiss. Anyone interested?

The video clip of Free skate at Sochi made me cry once again... then Shoma's comments made me smile (I do remember a couple of years ago when he freshly moved up to the junior circuit, how enthusiastically Shoma talked about his love for Daisuke (Shoma as a little flower-pickup boy simply fell in love with Dai's POTO at 2006 Nagoya Nats https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVXrKhJf7-U), seriously promised he would train very very hard to earn desirable results at Junior Nats so that he would get sent to the Senior Nats later of the season, and how badly he wanted Dai not to retire (=to stay forever competitive as long as possible) until Shoma's skills would be good enough to skate in the final group at Senior Nats along with Dai). Then La Strada and his sunflower-like smiles at Kurashiki rink this past weekend made my day! (yes, ioanap, it's Takahito. He, like Tatsuki, went to the same high school as Dai's.)

I pretty much enjoyed the entire NHK Trophy live on TV, especially Dice Murakami's 'Skate-of-his-life' moments, but I felt so strange not to see any of Dai, Mao, Akiko or Nobu there; something never happened since 2005 IIRC.

One thing, as a long term skating fan, that I'm happy, feel lucky myself and am very much pleased with is when skaters have long competitive careers, they show us their new programs every season, thus we can see them grow and mature, regardless of whom I like or not. It's just a magic that those who used be non favorite to me; 'not-hate-but-not-love-either' type of skaters so to speak, but they eventually, or all of sudden sometimes, make me come to like them and appreciate their skating at some point in their long careers. Carolina Kostner and Nobunari Oda for instance are such skaters for me. :yes:

One thing, as one of his long term fans, that I'm very proud of Daisuke, is that he had such a long competitive career, though he wasn't a strong competitior during his earlier career, did compete 12 seasons(!) on the senior circuit and was able to compete at three Olympic Games (2006 Torino, 2010 Vancouver and 2014 Sochi). Every time he competed at the Games, he got quite a number of 'new fans' of himself, brought in casual fans of the sport (ordinary TV viewers) to the deep skating world, or made a couple of skating fans, who follow the sport for a long time but used to not like him so much before, come to admire his skating at his next Games. Regardless whether he had perfect skates or mistake-filled ones, as his norms, because he did skate with all his heart and soul never giving up on performances till the last note of the music.

cdngirl is one of such latest/newest fans of Dai who happened to watch Mens comeptition at Sochi on TV and was simply carried away by his Sonatina SP, I think. In an instant, probably. One of those Dai literally dragged into such deep world of the sport is me! of course. By a landslide. I used to be a casual skating fan and teen age girl who was dreamingly watching Russian boys in white shirts with puff sleeves on ice. I had never imagined I would get up 3am in the morning to catch live streaming of Skate America, or would regularly visit online skating forums and start posting! To me his skating was that addictive. And (noskates is one of those who came to admire his skating just last season. Quite off-guard:

I have to admit I was never a Dai fan.....until this year. His LP thoroughly captivated me. I thought he put more heart into it than any other time I've seen him.

My guess is the previous, um 'Russian-flavored' Dai was too greasy to noskates' taste. So, I was so happy to read his/her comment recently. I am thrilled actually about the fact that Dai has got so many another new fans by collaborating with other great choreographers during his later career and won quite a number of North American fans' hearts especially with his Blues for Kllok and Beatles Medley.

Also, let me allow to copy one more comment:

Misha Ge on instagram: “One and Only – Daisuke Takahashi. Still remember the first time I met and saw Daisuke in competition live – it was in 2004, in Harbin (China), at Asian Championships. Still remember how my Dad told me to go watch and learn on his early practice at 7am in that little cold ice rink in Harbin. Remember how I went there with a video camera to record and learn from him that day (as my Dad told me to do), when most of kids skaters were sleeping at that time. Ever since I watched him that day he became one of my Most Favorite Skater and one of the Biggest Inspiration in Skating World. Every program he did is a piece of art that touched millions of people’s hearts and also put smiles on people’s faces. Looking back, is really hard to imagine the skating world in these years without Daisuke Takahashi. How much he did, how much he taught us, and how much will people remember of his Beautiful and Unique Skating from the Heart. Is really hard to say goodbye, Daisuke, we all, skaters and audience, will miss you in skating world, but things and art you did in skating will last forever, and we will remember them. We all wish you best and happiest things in the life you can reach in the future days. I and we will keep follow your way and keep do what you’ve done in skating, Skate from The Heart. Artist. Champion. Inspiration. With Best Regards: Inspired Skater by You, Fan and Your Friend: Misha Ge”.

Reading a comments like this makes my day, because Dai did not produce any desirable/remarkable results yet since his move to the senior circuit, but it seemed his talent was already obvious to the eyes of little boy Misha and his father. We can see a sign or two of future Dai here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6wMP2R03tg and there http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leFAgGvCRxs , though.

Now I am curious. Curious about which program(s)/performance(s) Dai made other fans of him. And as ayarose says he needs some shove/push,

That would be a great spectacle to watch. I'm not sure about Jeff's pull for sponsors but surely Stephane & Dai could easily find one. Just that Dai needs a little bit of a shove since he doesn't really know his importance too skating worldwide.

, we'd better let him realize how special he is as a sketer, how much he's inspired fellow skaters, expanded the boundaries of the sport and fascinated the whole skating world with his skates over the years. Also, this thread seems a bit slow lately and we still have 10+ days till Christmas on Ice, I have an idea. May I suggest having some sort of "pajama party" fan-girling for Daisuke here? (Idk how you call it in English, "a slumber party" maybe? In Japan we call it 'pajama party', that's for girls to bringing own pajamas and spend a weekend night at a friend's house chatting all night about boyfriends, school, sweets, etc. Girls talk, you know.) Fan Fest threads will stay active across seasons, unlike The Edge/CompetitionEvents threads which should be renewed every season and put into Archives naturally, so leaving such comments here by his fans will be a heartfelt tribute to Daisuke The Skater, or The Dancer on Ice, should I say? and all his accomplishments to the sport, thus his old fans, new fans and future fans (why not!) can always come back to this thread, read all such insightful, cheerful and endearing comments, rewatch his cool performances thru all the links, recall good memories, and/or if ISU may adjust rules to the worse once again in future, we can remind ourselves, for 15,628th times(?!), why we love this sport by visiting here. Or, hey, Dai himself may visit here some day, since he's said his current interests are to study foreign language and dance lessons!

Here are questions that I have in mind.

---------------------------------

a) When and how did you get drowned with Daisuke/his skating? Or, if you had known him already and never liked him before, but came to admire him, then, at which point/program(s) have you changed your mind?

b) Pick up three performances of Daisuke for you: e.g. that are the best to you, most memorable to you, you got most mesmerized with, or from competition(s) you've attended/watched live, etc. You may also pick up three worst programs, even three night-marish costumes if you like. Just anything will do, as long as you have reasons, good memories or stories to share with us all!

c) What's your image that instantly comes to your mind when watching Dai/his skating?

---------------------------------

How would you like the idea? How should we name it? Simple "Dai-chan Fest" or "Dai (instead of 'die')-hard fans party" would be nice, too. Much appreciated of course and most welcome if you guys can help me to fill in better ideas and more questions, please!

 

[ioanna]

deedee1, thank you for your long post. Yes, this thread has been lonely since the summer ice shows ended and even lonelier since Dai retired. I know Takahito Mura attended the same high school as Dai but unlike Tatsuki Machida I think I read somewhere he moved and didn't actually finish there? I am still not sure.

I basically grew up during the years of the legendary Plushenko - Yagudin rivalry but only followed the important competitions since I was still very young. I was 15 years old during the Turin Olympics and I remember it was all about Plushenko becoming Olympic Champion - especially in this side of the world. But as I watched the competition I remember there was a 19 year old skater from Japan with very long hair, charming good looks and spectacular footwork. I was already familiar with Takeshi Honda who also left a big impression on me in 2002-2003 and as I noticed this young skater I thought - wow, he is the only male representative of Japan, he must be the new Honda And he is still a teenager, just like me! Although he stayed on my mind for a while after that I can't say I became a fan. But that's probably because I got caught up with all the attention Plushenko was getting around here, especially as an European skater.

But then I watched the 2007 World Championship and recognized the same young and charismatic Japanese skater and his strong performance in the FS got me hooked. To me it was like I had just discovered this sport all over again because he was unlike anyone I had ever seen up until that moment. As a big fan of music (I've studied piano for quite a few years) I could not help noticing the way he was able to become one with every single note of the music. His body was the music, to quote Utako Nagamitsu sensei. It was coming from his soul and he was an exquisite blend of art and technique. He had the graciousness of a dancer and the strength of an athlete. So while teenagers around me focused on entirely different interests, I was getting completely swallowed into this young man's skating, who always made me happy with his programs and his kind, childlike nature. He made me go from a casual fan to a faithful follower, and even got me interested in Japan, its culture and its people so much that I've even started studying the language.

Needless to say by the time the 2007-2008 season rolled in I was obsessed. Yes, it was his Cyberswan that did the trick. How can a 16 year old not fall for that? In all seriousness I thought that program highlighted his talents very well. The step sequences are already legendary, he was and still is unique in that department. But the fact that delighted me most was him being able to interpret a wide variety of music and it was a nice breath of fresh air among the classic programs. On the other hand, his Romeo & Juliet FS remains my least favorite Dai program but I was still excited to watch it because he incorporated 2 quads and pushed his technical boundaries. By the middle of the season he was getting dangerous and untouchable. He broke Plushenko's previous Olympic records, he smashed the rest of the field by 30 points at the 4CC. He had everything it took to become the first Japanese World Champion. After the disappointing outcome of the 2007 GPF (ended up getting silver behind Lambiel's gold by a 0,16 point margin), it was heartbreaking to watch him miss the Worlds podium entirely, and I am sure he was very upset about it.

That season he also happened to perform my all time favorite exhibition program, Bachelorette. What a contrast to the cheerful, upbeat Cyberswan! When I heard he was going to use a Bjork song, I was immediately intrigued. I asked myself, can he pull that off? All of Bjork's songs are difficult, thought provoking pieces. But as Dai teamed up with Kenji for the first time in his career, they created what I consider to be a masterpiece. I believe Dai talked about it in the latest episode of Kenji's Room and I think he listed it as his favorite program they did together but my Japanese is still nowhere near as good to be 100% certain of it. It was dark, it was eerie and hypnotizing, it was reaching the deepest corners of the human emotion. It was the darkest when he performed it at the 2008 Worlds gala, when his gold medal dreams shattered in just a few minutes. I thought he skated in a reckless, careless way, abandoning himself to his own personal sadness.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2ILfPNRJYM

And it seems sad events never come alone because after a disappointing finish, he pulled out of the entire 2008-2009 season due to a career threatening injury that left many doubts at the time. One moment he was at the peak of his technical abilities and the next doctors were advising him to end his career and he was running away from the hospital not being able to deal with the harsh reality. It was like his wings got cut off just when he found a way to fly to the highest peaks, to places he had never even dreamed of when he was just a child playing at the Kurashiki rink. I think this is what makes the 2010 Olympics and Worlds so special. He competed and won an Olympic medal against all odds. He finally won the World Championship against all odds. He was well within the reach of the Olympic gold after the SP, and he knew he was still unable to land a quad. Yet he went and tried it anyway, because he would have rather lost the gold instead of not trying any quads. That is why to me his bronze and his happy tears weighed heavier and shined brighter than any gold.

If I had to pick 3 memorable performances I would pick

1. Garden Of Souls, NHK Trophy 2011 - because it's my all time favorite SP of his and this performance was spectacular, simply out of this world.
2. La Strada, Worlds 2010 - because it's my all time favorite FS of his and this performance was magic - from the quad flip attempt, to the clean, relaxed interpretation of the music, it was almost like watching a movie scene. Combined with his superb SP, his performance was well worthy of a World Champion. Even as I'm watching it now all I can think of is "genius".
3. Blues For Klook, Worlds 2012 - Daisuke Takahashi was back, and he was back in full force, landing effortless quads, getting his technical consistence back at the age of 26, after he was told he would never be able to jump quads again, after he suffered a torn ACL. I have the utmost gratitude and admiration for both Daisuke and Takeshi Honda, for working together and rebuilding all of his jumps from scratch, for turning the impossible into possible. Garden Of Souls and Blues For Klook were the best programs by a male skater of the last quadrennium.

What's the image that comes to my mind when I watch Dai skate? I think especially now the first image that comes to my mind is the nervous 19 year old teenager whose body was able to play its own music, who made me turn my full attention to him. That image will forever be precious to me. I have since become an adult while watching him become an adult and evolve from year to year. I won't deny I cried as I watched him perform the Beatles Medley in Sochi with a genuine smile, gliding across the ice with ease. Having read numerous worrying practice reports, having watched him breaking down and bleeding at the Nationals, I felt relief watching him in Sochi, liberated of pressure and expectations. I wish I could thank him for everything he has done, for being an inspiration, but I have never seen his skating live and I'm not sure I ever will. But even so, thank you Daisuke Takahashi, for being you, for bringing joy to your fans, for always thinking of them first. I esteem you and applaud you for everything you have done for this sport. Today I am a fan of Tatsuki Machida and Shoma Uno. A fan of your fans, to put it shortly. These skaters have looked up to you and have modeled their skating after your example, and have slowly distanced themselves from your style and developed their personal artistry. Just like myself, a 15 year old Tatsuki Machida watched your skating in awe, 9 years ago at the Turin Olympics, and has set you as an inspiration. Four years later, a tiny 12 year old Shoma Uno watched you in Vancouver and lived every second of your programs as if he were on the ice next to you. I wish you could be aware of the impact you had on the sport, on your fans, on younger skaters. A pioneer and a trailblazer who along with his "sidekicks" Nobunari Oda and Takahiko Kozuka has turned Japanese men's figure skating into the grand pool of talent of today.

Well it's been a while since I last wrote such a long post, but Dai will always be able to squeeze such lengthy essays from me. I'm looking forward to read more stories from other posters.

 

[jimeonji]

I'm a post Sochi fan so I must say that reading your post, deedee1, is interesting and gives me an idea of just how long Dai has been competing and how many people he must have touched a long the way!! And reading ioanap's post - now I see that along his journey he has brought with him spectators, and oh how rewarding that journey must have been! I will forever regret not being a fan while he was still competing, but I'm so glad that I am a fan now. And no matter whose skating I fall in love with in the future, Dai will always be the one that touched my heart first, the one that made me fall in love with this terrible, spectacular sport.

So, to answer you questions! I don't have the most insight or the craziest story but:
How I discovered Dai and became a fan. I actually went back and found out the exact day I first watched Dai a while ago - March 14, this year. Exactly a month after the Sochi Men's FS. I was a kind of embarassing newbie but on that day I was on youtube and I clicked his Sonatina SP at NHK. I'd gone a month only watching one or two skaters (namely, a certain Olympic champion) and all of sudden I was completely blown away. My eyes were opened. To have only watched a fraction of the artistry and expression possible on the ice and then see Dai skate with his beautiful lines and soft-but-powerful movement? It was an awakening. I saw figure skating as a sport that could be emotionally profound yet technically outstanding. And of course, I saw Dai, the skater that brought me to that realization. And as I kept clicking on video after video - I believe it was La Strada right after - I plunged deeper into his career and body of work and I couldn't seem to get away. And thus began my life as a Dai stan.

Here are my favorite performances:
Sonatina at NHK 2013, of course - Hanyu at Sochi got me to notice the sport but it was this program that I fell in love. His very last NHK and GP win.
La Strada, at Vancouver 2010 - La Strada is probably the program I'd pick if I had to choose my absolute favorite Dai program. It's pure joy and it's lively and it just makes me smile so hard. Dai takes the music and carries it into another dimension, telling a story with every movement, every note. Obviously there's a fall in this; I'm not sure why but this is the performance I always go back to. Perhaps it had some of that Olympic magic. (Or maybe because those Worlds camera angles frustrate me, haha.)
The Crisis, at Skate America 2013 - my favorite Dai exhibition. This performance isn't clean either - perhaps the results of the competition affected how he skated that night, or maybe it's just me thinking about the past season and reflecting upon its up and downs, but there's something specific in this performance about the way he flows across the ice in his black costume that takes my breath away. The music is so simple but it's punctuated by a chord of dissonance in every measure. It's not - right, you know? It's not supposed to be right. But everything about this gorgeous program (Kenji, the genius!) and the way Dai glides and glides without being excessive - it's so right. it's a reflective program. It quiets you. It calms you. And I hold my breath in the last bit of footwork with the single axel woven in. But when it ends and he turns his head on the last note and the smile lights up his face again - I breathe out, and I feel like I've seen the purity of figure skating in those few minutes.

The image that comes into my mind when I see Dai skate... it's hard to describe. Isn't it so difficult to put into words exaclty what it is about Dai's skating that is so captivating? When I made a graphic for Dai to post on tumblr the day he officially announced his retirement, I think I spent close to an hour wondering what on earth I should put in the caption of the post. I didn't know. I had no idea how to properly give tribute to his long, prolific career. But in the end I decided that that was exactly it - he really is indescribable in all ways, but that's okay. His skating is all we need, no words, no medals, no points. Just that and we understand the extent of his reach in the figure skating world. The number of skaters that spoke about his retirement! The kind of influence he had throughout his career marks him as one of the few to be remembered even decades later and keep inspiring skaters of all generations. From 24 year old Tatsuki Machida to little 16 year old Shoma Uno, as ioanap mentioned. Not many have reached that level of universal respect.

Perhaps it is the nature of my time as a Dai stan that has made me more reflective with less of an emphasis on specific moments.

But when talking about The Crisis, and mentioning that smile he has at the end - well, I think I just realized how much I love seeing him smile at the end of his performances. Seeing him smile amidst the roars of the audience, showing us that humble upward twitch of his lips - it was never arrogant, never overconfident, but just a soft knowing and acknowledgement. And to see him smile after Japanese Nationals almost a year ago now, and after his free skate at Sochi - yeah. Those are the times when his smile hit the hardest. Despite the technical mistakes and his own dissatisfaction with the respective performances, he put that smile on his face almost reassuringly, reminding us that he is always skating for us. The audience. The audience, forever captured by his skating.

So I suppose that's what I think of - a humble, kind, loving man who gave us the opportunity to see figure skating at its peak potential in artistic expression as well as technical merit. Who reached out to us and took us on a journey with every program, every performance. And what an experience it is. Every single time.

 

[ioanna]

Well since no one else has been up for sharing their Daisuke stories, here are the translated thank you messages Quadruple2015 magazine has published from Yamato Tamura, Takahiko Kozuka, Tatsuki Machida, Keiji Tanaka, Daisuke Murakami and Sota Yamamoto.
http://ohlovesosweet.tumblr.com/post/104982401466/quad-2015-thank-you-messages-for-daisuke