I just caught up and watched most of the ladies SPs from today. And I have to say, I was BLOWN AWAY by Yukari. She was fantastic, a breath of fresh air.
First of all, with Caroline Zhang not here, she is by far the best spinner in the competition. All of her positions are complete and well stretched, plus she maintains centering and speed better than anyone! It amazes me how fast she can spin - IMO she and Zhang are the most comparable to Lucinda Ruh out of the current pack of women skaters. So frankly, all of her spins deserve +3 GOE. I'm surprised she doesn't get more cred as a world class spinner.
Second of all, she deserves the best marks for PCS with Carolina Kostner. What I love about Yukari's choreography is that it's not contrived, she doesn't do it just for points, it's not all about playing the CoP game. The movements actually match the music beautifully. Compare her straight-line footwork in her SP to Mao Asada and you see the immense difference. Yukari's starts and stops, speeding ups and slowing downs actually go hand in hand with the music. Whereas Mao's straight-line is too busy, it drags on, it's kind of frustrating and silly because it's clearly all about CoP. It's like, "Come on Mao, get on with it already and stop zig-zagging!"
Additionally, she has terrific speed around the ice, great basic skating skills, and actually emotes through her face more than Asada or Kostner.
Even with lack of 3-3, I think Nakano shined as the best and deserved the highest PCS of the bunch.
First of all, with Caroline Zhang not here, she is by far the best spinner in the competition. All of her positions are complete and well stretched, plus she maintains centering and speed better than anyone! It amazes me how fast she can spin - IMO she and Zhang are the most comparable to Lucinda Ruh out of the current pack of women skaters. So frankly, all of her spins deserve +3 GOE. I'm surprised she doesn't get more cred as a world class spinner.
Second of all, she deserves the best marks for PCS with Carolina Kostner. What I love about Yukari's choreography is that it's not contrived, she doesn't do it just for points, it's not all about playing the CoP game. The movements actually match the music beautifully. Compare her straight-line footwork in her SP to Mao Asada and you see the immense difference. Yukari's starts and stops, speeding ups and slowing downs actually go hand in hand with the music. Whereas Mao's straight-line is too busy, it drags on, it's kind of frustrating and silly because it's clearly all about CoP. It's like, "Come on Mao, get on with it already and stop zig-zagging!"
Additionally, she has terrific speed around the ice, great basic skating skills, and actually emotes through her face more than Asada or Kostner.
Even with lack of 3-3, I think Nakano shined as the best and deserved the highest PCS of the bunch.
GANBATTE YUKARI-SENSHI 
I remember watching Caroline's SP at the GPF (the Japanese broadcast on YouTube), and after she was done, they cut to a shot of Yukari (who was up next) eyeing Caroline with the most venomous, vitriolic stare I've ever seen a skater give another. I was kind of surprised by it, and double-checked to be sure, and she was indeed looking at Caroline. I'm guessing CZ must be real toxic on practice ice to warrant that kind of look from Yukari. 
