I remember reading some people on the forums saying that they found Kanako's style to be kinda cheesy and fake. That's because her programs tend to be kinda cute for now.
Now that makes more sense! Not that I agree with it, but I can see someone thinking that. She's such an exploding ball of giggles on the ice in the SP I don't see how anyone can reasonably accuse her of being inexpressive.
Totally OT but it's Valentine's and I wanted to profess my mind-crush on
Serious Business!
: I love reading your posts.
::blushes:: Oh you flatter me. Well, ok, I guess my posts are pretty great. Most of them deserve a +GOE and not just at nationals.
But back to the topic. For the most part I find Mao Asada and Shizuka to be quite normal in how they play up their sexiness. Which is to say, they don't play it up much. They're not demure, but they don't exactly wink and flirt with the audience that much (Asada comes close in her Caprice program, but even that's pretty chaste). Nor are their outfits particularly provocative compared.
On the other hand, Miki Ando has some some really sexy exhibition numbers, like her
2008 Handcuffs number. As far as I know that's definitely not like anything Midori and Yuka have done. In fact, I think out of all the ladies competing at Miki's level now, she's probably the most overtly sexual in her performance. Except, she keeps it to her exhibitions. It's actually a style that Miki does a lot better than the classical programs she tries to pull off in her competitive numbers. I think Ando should maybe consider doing something more sexed up and contemporary for her competitive routines. Being flirty and sexy didn't hurt Katarina Witt's competition numbers. And flirting with the judges is a pretty common tactic in male skaters from Daisuke to Amodio. Why let the boys have all the fun?
Akiko Suzuki's belly dancing exhibition number this season also has some very sexy moments in it, with the hip shaking and shimmying and of course that outfit.
Kanako Murakami's Be Italian exhibition number has some intentionally sexy moments in it, quite a bit of it. She gives it all her exuberance and energy. I don't know if she's entirely convincing in the sexy bits, though. She doesn't have the experience to pull it off yet, which is just as well for a 16 year old. And the outfit she uses for it so far is pretty modest.
So while I don't think all of Japan's top ladies recently are play up the sexiness angle, 3 of the current top Japanese ladies do. And it does reflect a significant change in culture.
). And Ando has always had those sexy routines of late. 
