Mao Asada

[sarama]

Wow I met Mao in Switzerland after Ice Legends. It wasn't at all like I expected. There was no large group of people crowding around her. Some of the people who came all the way from Japan didn't even know she was there at the after skate greeting. Mao seemed shyer than I expected but she was very considerate, warm, and so beautiful and natural looking with such a beautiful voice. She was very considerate because I gave her a present of writings and a drawing inspired by her performances and she held it up when I took her picture without me asking her to. I was a little star struck, so I didn't talk to her for long, though I wish I had. But, I didn't want to bother her. I kind of had the feeling of being dazed when I saw her. She is so dreamy.

Daisuke was standing next to Mao and he was nice as well. Mao performed Ballade number 1 but it was a collaborative routine so she didn't skate the whole program. I really liked the way they integrated the styles of numerous performances. Then, Mao skated to Madame Butterfly. What I remember most was how much emotion Mao showed on her face when she skated and how smooth, fast and gracefully she moved whether it was between or during her jumps. Mao is faster than she appears on camera. Her seemingly effortless and fluid speed reminds me of how Mao said she was trying to decide between being a sprinter and a figure skater when she was a child. But, she doesn't work hard to build speed, so her skating is full of deceptively fast fluidity carved soulfully with the edges of her blades. It makes me realize how bogus the PCS scores are even more. To be honest, she was moving so fast I even had trouble following her with the video camera. Mao also looks and sounds so young in person. If I didn't know, I would say she was 19 years old. She had very little make up on which I think shows off her genuine beauty even more. Her dress was gorgeous with a very artistic design. I was also impressed because Mao performed the hardest jump layout of all the performances. I also met Carolina Kostner, Stephane Lambiel and Maxim Trankov and they were very kind.

Special thanks to rosewood for translating some of my writings that I gave to Mao, which I indicated on the writings I gave her.

Photo of Mao turned sideways for some reason when I uploaded it to postimage.

http://postimg.org/image/tsppxuf47/full/

Good for you!!!!
Now you make me regret not going there..... That was an AWESOME cast and I don't know if Mao will ever compete closer to me in the next two years.... (I'm starting to foresee GPF Marseille in my future )

 

[Barb]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibeQNlSplMY Mao and Dai, i am not sure what are they saying, but I guess they are remembering old programs. They are soo cute

 

[yhmafan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibeQNlSplMY Mao and Dai, i am not sure what are they saying, but I guess they are remembering old programs. They are soo cute

Mao said that she is somehow willing to do Romeo and Juliet (maybe someday in a ice show?. or competition. I don’t know).

Then Dai said : “You are a bit too old to play Juliet, aren’t you? oh I get, you can play the role of a Uba (a wet nurse or so.) in the program.” :rofl2:

Mao : “No, let me do what I would like."

 

[Barb]

Mao said that she is somehow willing to do Romeo and Juliet (maybe someday in a ice show?. or competition. I don’t know).

Then Dai said : “You are a bit too old to play Juliet, aren’t you? oh I get, you can play the role of a Uba (a wet nurse or so.) in the program.” :rofl2:

Mao : “No, let me do what I would like."

. Oh, and please, no R&J for Mao. I am a little sick of that music.

 

[yhmafan]

. Oh, and please, no R&J for Mao. I am a little sick of that music.

Yea, I know, not only you but many figure skating fans got sick of the music.

 

[yhmafan]

Here are some photos that I liked recently.


With Stephan and Daisuke

With Yuzuru

With Yuzuru and Satoko (Seems like they had so much fun that I was really relived )

Simply beautiful

According to Kanako’s tweet,
It seems that Mao and Kanako went to eat shaved ice topped with flavored syrup (one of very famous Japanese sweets in Japan.)

 

[solar]

Kanako's current twitter picture is of Mao, Akiko, and her with the caption "3 Sisters". That definitely made me feel nostalgic. I got into FS when those three were the three top Japanese ladies, and they had an amazing bond like no other!

 

[cohkaix]

Mao said that she is somehow willing to do Romeo and Juliet (maybe someday in a ice show?. or competition. I don’t know).

Then Dai said : “You are a bit too old to play Juliet, aren’t you? oh I get, you can play the role of a Uba (a wet nurse or so.) in the program.” :rofl2:

Mao : “No, let me do what I would like."

Uba for Mao~

More on this part (rough translation): Dai thinks both are too old for the main roles. But he proposed the idea that perhaps the younger skaters can play the main roles, and they can be supporting characters in the background. In the end, Dai kind of challenged Mao to do such a show, and Mao answered: of course! (following by Dai pointing to the camera showing it has been recorded as proof)

Also, more on the part talking about the favorite programs from each other: Mao mentioned that Dai skated to Rach2, and she wanted to skate to Rach 2 as not many female skaters performed to the music. Dai-chan actually confessed that, ever since he cried for Mao's Rach2 performance at Sochi Olympic, he has become such a crybaby to lots of little things...

 

[Ares]

. Oh, and please, no R&J for Mao. I am a little sick of that music.

If it's going to be Romeo & Juliet of Prokofiev than it could be gorgeous.

I still find Anissina / Peizerat take on it from 1998 one of the most beautiful Free Dances ever. It's heavenly & moving. Can you imagine Mao doing some glorious spiral in the same exact musical moment where those two :luv17:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Wqpc4xL5Q

 

[Sam L]

I think it is definitely Waltz Masquerade from the World Team Trophy because Mao does jump up and down a few times at the end. There was a high quality version of it on youtube but it was taken down. Here is only version I could find on the internet.

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/CgJJj0YI4Yw/

Yes that's it. Thanks a lot. She was so good. That music suits her skating so well.

Here is a shortened but good quality version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wur-3Ct04Fk

Unfortunately I cannot view this in Australia but thanks anyway.

 

[nguyhm]

Am I the only one secretly wishing that Mao and Dai are a couple . Imagine their off springs - heavenly.

 

[enzet]

As for the music for the next season, Mao said there is one piece she is currently considering but she also mentioned she might be keeping Madama Butterfly.
Dai's reaction was, that since she might only have two more years of competitive staking left, she should definitely go for something new.
And I totally agree with Dai, Madama Butterfly was great but I want her to get new programs every year!

 

[solar]

I agree, I'd love for Mao to try out new programs this season. It's the perfect time to branch out and do something new

 

[Sam L]

I love her 15-16 programs but I agree with the others it's time to try something new.

 

[yhmafan]

If it's going to be Romeo & Juliet of Prokofiev than it could be gorgeous.

I still find Anissina / Peizerat take on it from 1998 one of the most beautiful Free Dances ever. It's heavenly & moving. Can you imagine Mao doing some glorious spiral in the same exact musical moment where those two :luv17:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Wqpc4xL5Q

Still a superb performance

In all honestly, I suddenly got curious how does Mao play Juliet if she actually does...

 

[largeman]

As for the music for the next season, Mao said there is one piece she is currently considering but she also mentioned she might be keeping Madama Butterfly.
Dai's reaction was, that since she might only have two more years of competitive staking left, she should definitely go for something new.
And I totally agree with Dai, Madama Butterfly was great but I want her to get new programs every year!

I totally agree too!

I keep imagining an LP that can showcase both her soft, lyrical qualities and her powerful, dramatic side. Something to the effect of Yuna's Les Miz (I don't really like that program and its music cuts, but I think it's a fine example of a program that is dynamic and shows off a skater's range).

 

[thoakun]

I never like R&J that much but Mao definitely has a lot of qualities to play Juliet. A lot of ballet dancers still play Juliet in their 30s. But I hope Madame Butterfly can rest now

 

[gotoschool]

Here are some photos of Mao from Ice Legends:

https://36.media.tumblr.com/6e8b29c590f61a935ac858e904add35f/tumblr_o62riacKU21sre07co1_1280.jpg

https://40.media.tumblr.com/bd8ac3aea625b2073d90e66c99fac0ac/tumblr_o62riacKU21sre07co2_1280.jpg

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/QhEJwqvlFbs/maxresdefault.jpg

At Ice Legends, I still can't believe how I froze up when I "tried" to talk to Mao. It was like there was some potent but very pleasant vapor in the air that held me spellbound. I did manage to say, "Mao, I love your skating so much." when I first approached her. Then, I remember a surreal moment of what seemed like silence, though I can't remember exactly, during which I looked at her off and on, while she seemed to look through me with her beautifully captivating eyes. Then, I reverted to automatic fan mode. I remember offering her my gift with a few words like "I have something", but then Mao had to help me finish by asking "For me?." After the gift, she brightened up a bit. Then, I asked if I could take a photo and have an autograph, and I forgot everything else that happened other than greeting Daisuke and saying he gave a nice performance, which was much easier. Maybe I said something else, maybe I didn't. I know she said something else, but I can't remember what. I imagined talking and asking her about her programs but it was SO much different when I was mesmerized with her standing right in front of me. My reasoning capacities were dumbfounded. She has an incredibly powerful presence and aura in person. Her great beauty, charisma and nobility is stupefying and her posture is impeccable. I was totally star struck, which I guess is the flip side of stage fright for skaters, though Mao handles this a lot better. I think if I ever got a chance to meet her again, I would have to practice like I was studying for an exam. Or maybe it is more polite just to give a compliment, a special gift and then leave her alone.

I photoshopped the photo I took of Mao to get rid of a lot of the glare.

http://postimg.org/image/oi7wfts35/

The most amazing sensation I had during Mao's performances was when she did two triple jumps about 5 feet in front of where I was sitting, the second jump in Ballade, and her second triple in Madame Butterfly. That close, the sound of skates going into the air has a very crisp and quick carving and scraping sound combined with a whooshing sound on lift off. I had never experienced that before. Unfortunately, my video camera did not stay in clear focus during the performances. Mao's twizzles, pirouettes and leg kick after this second triple in Ballade were also more impressive at ice level and it really displayed her smooth, fluid fast movement with sharp edges and this along with her long drawn out, graceful extensions with her arms really showed off her dexterity as a prima ballerina. I don't believe anyone comes close to having all these qualities summed up into one. Mao also did a great spread eagle followed by a beautiful Biellmann very close to where I was sitting during Ballade. I wish she had skated the whole thing through. Mao's step sequences are more impressive at ice level as are her performances in general because of the huge and seemingly easy sweep of such large swaths of the rink with what seems like such little effort. She often disappears into the extreme corners and suddenly comes zooming back out with smooth fluidity. The Madame Butterfly mini-step sequence after the lutz and the one at the climax again display Mao's quality as a prima ballerina the graceful movements of her arms and legs in unison really do resemble a butterfly or swan gliding through a vast sky, especially when combined with her huge rink coverage. To me, Mao's expansive and easy rink coverage with sharp, smooth edges at ice level combined with subtle, intricate, and balletic grace is a combination that is unmatched and it is more impressive live. No empirical score given in COP no matter how astronomical will ever impress me as much.

Here is a snapshot I took from the video I had of Mao's Madame Butterfly:

http://postimg.org/image/ckmf8j8vl/

 

[Krunchii]

I'm so happy you got to meet her gotoschool, sounds like a wonderful experience, I hope she comes to Skate Canada in the fall, then maybe I could get to meet her.

If Mao wants to skate to R&J I don't think it'll be bad, she can make anything good but it's just that with her artistry and feel for the music I'd love to see her skate to something new and make it a classic.

Anyway for a future Mao program I'd love to see her skate to another Chopin Ballade, my favourite is Ballade No.3 which is rumoured to be based on a Polish poem about a water nymph punishing her unfaithful lover. Of course Mao is fairy like so she could totally pull off this piece of music and telling this kind of story would be a new challenge for her, it's more dramatic and "poppy" compared to No.1 so I think it would be really interesting. Really she's the only skater who I think is capable of skating to this piece of music. Her deep edges and effortless glide would compliment it so well.

 

[Barb]

I think if I ever got a chance to meet her again, I would have to practice like I was studying for an exam.

I understand you, I went at two competitions with her and even I did not dare to ask her an autograph, let alone a picture.
My social anxiety did not help