Yuzuru Hanyu: 2013-14 Season | Page 214 | Golden Skate

Yuzuru Hanyu: 2013-14 Season

I think you may know that Yuzu did get criticism before for not being carefully enough when joking around (not with Oda).

I agree that Daisuke much less M-type than Oda. :)

But I don't know about Yuzu getting criticism on joking. Could you tell me more about that? :o:
 
Well, those criticism never directly came from any senior skaters themselves. So you might just ignore what I said.
Thank you for the examples, but was this coming from the media or other skaters fans.

Somehow, I find the example not offensive by my culture standard, but maybe are very wrong in Japan.
 
Thank you for the examples, but was this coming from the media or other skaters fans.

Somehow, I find the example not offensive by my culture standard, but maybe are very wrong in Japan.

Yeah, those had their context. I think we may just want to stop here. First, it is never really something between the skaters themselves, as you said. And the current Team Japan has been so warm. Second, it is not about figure skating the sports itself. I apologize for bring up this topic.
 
I feel like Japanese culture is a lot different than Western or European culture. Here in North America, we don't really classify people's personality by blood type and maybe not paying too much attention to horoscopes either. To be honest, I don't even know my own blood type. :think: The S and M stuff is also pretty confusing, not sure if this is referring to personality or what they tend to do as an individual ...

Anyway, it's interesting to learn more about what is beneath the surface of a country and the details that go with it.

A few questions, since the 2014-2015 season competition schedule is out: How many competitions can one skater attend each season? Or is there no limit? When will be Yuzuru's first competition of the season (which will he choose to attend first)?
 
To change tack, read in the Team Japan thread that Mao won't be competing this season. With both her and Daisuke on sabbatical, this probably means Yuzuru will be put more under the media microscope in Japan than ever. For those familiar with the Japanese male junior skaters, do you see anyone of them with the potential to step up in this quad the same way Yuzuru did in the last Olympic cycle?
 
A few questions, since the 2014-2015 season competition schedule is out: How many competitions can one skater attend each season? Or is there no limit? When will be Yuzuru's first competition of the season (which will he choose to attend first)?

I guess the better you are the more you compete.

So far I have seem a trend like this:
A competition to test programs (Finland for Yuzuru in the past two years-- October 9–12)
Two Grand Prix assigment (I think he will definitly choose NHK-28th to 30-- and other one)-- End of Octuber to November
If he qualify he will have Grand Prix Final--- 11th to 14th of december
Japan National in december
Maybe FCC -- February 9–15
World Championship -- March 2–8

Calendar for this season http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014–15_figure_skating_season

For those familiar with the Japanese male junior skaters, do you see anyone of them with the potential to step up in this quad the same way Yuzuru did in the last Olympic cycle?

Shoma Uno (16yo) was 7th in last year Japan Championship but he is so tiny (1.54mts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHR5wxyYcVE
Keiji Tanaka (19yo) was 8th JC but finished in 17 in FCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LzSoIm01ZI
Ryuju Hino competed against Yuzuru in Juniors and is the same age. 12th last JN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldE3bQmKyo
 
I guess the better you are the more you compete.

Shoma Uno (16yo) was 7th in last year Japan Championship but he is so tiny (1.54mts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHR5wxyYcVE
Keiji Tanaka (19yo) was 8th JC but finished in 17 in FCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LzSoIm01ZI
Ryuju Hino competed against Yuzuru in Juniors and is the same age. 12th last JN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldE3bQmKyo

Shoma Uno doesn't have 3A yet. He is too tiny to do the powerful 3A. We can see if he will grow a little bit taller this year.
Keiji and Ryuju have 3A. Keiji is trying quad but I don't remember if he has yet got a successful quad in competition. I might be wrong. Ryuju doesn't have quad in his program yet. They still have some time since they are not 20 yet.

Comparing with those Junior skater, Machida and Yuzu's competition, together with Koz and Mura, might be the topic.
 
Shoma Uno (16yo) was 7th in last year Japan Championship but he is so tiny (1.54mts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHR5wxyYcVE
Keiji Tanaka (19yo) was 8th JC but finished in 17 in FCC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LzSoIm01ZI
Ryuju Hino competed against Yuzuru in Juniors and is the same age. 12th last JN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldE3bQmKyo

Thanks Celeste! They all seem to have a good level of artistry. specially Shoma whose arm movement is just exquisite (reminiscent of Daisuke and Tatsuki)! I don't know whether it is the camera angle but from the videos, it seems to me Shoma also has more flow and speed across the ice. And in the Japanese commentary on Shoma's performance, I did hear a mention of the Pyeongchang Olympics, so it seems he's also seen as the future of Japanese male figure skating.

Raising the technical ante though would be something Shoma, Keiji, and Ryuju would really have to do to be competitive in senior men's competition. In comparison, at 15, Yuzuru already has a consistent triple axel and could land his quad toe in competition. Really a wunderkind. :)
 
For those familiar with the Japanese male junior skaters, do you see anyone of them with the potential to step up in this quad the same way Yuzuru did in the last Olympic cycle?
To put it simply, no. And by that I don't mean there aren't any talented juniors, I mean I don't see them as having the potential to medal on the international stage (or even challenge for a medal) in the next quad.

Shoma Uno
Keiji Tanaka
Ryuju Hino competed against Yuzuru in Juniors and is the same age.

Shoma has extremely good artistic expression, like a mini daisuke. But he does not have the technical arsenal needed to be a real contender this quad. He needs to have that 3A at least semi-consistent and its still really unstable for him right now. Keiji's more probable since he sorta has a quad and 3A but I don't see him making a big splash on the international senior stage. His competitive record will probably be similar to Takahito Mura? Ryuju is my secret bias in juniors :laugh: Him and Yuzuru were so cute together. But he also doesn't have the technical (or master SS eg.Chan) needed to be a contender this quad and I think he needs to work on his mental strength and confidence because he always looks unsure of himself when he's on the ice.

But we need to take into account that the mens' don't usually peak until 19-24 so they might be like Machida; peak after 2018 and then go on to challenge for the podium. Yuzuru's a rare talent and not the norm in men's so we're not likely to see that happen again anytime soon, not just in Japan.

And I'm not worried about the men's side because Machida's still there and hopefully Kozuka (I prefer his SS to Patricks and its just so beautiful to watch so I really hope he stays) as well as Mura. But I AM extremely worried about the ladies...:slink:
 
But I AM extremely worried about the ladies...:slink:

Yeah. There is no strong competitive skater left in the ladies now (sorry Kanako). And ladies were actually the center of attention of figure skating in Japan through recent years. To talk about the attention of media, the hole that Mao left behind can only fill by herself or another young talented girl. There are a few in junior but no one can assure they can survive to senior group, not mentioning a large group of Russian girls are already waiting for them. We will have to see how much Yuzu and Japanese men's single, without Daisuke, can take over and keep the heat going on in Japan.
 
Winterbell and Makaihime, how was skating popularity in Japan before Mao?

It certanly seem like the sport is getting a hit, but I guess is all a circle. I´m sure new charismatic skaters like Yuzuru will come. I also have a Little hope for Kanako, she deserve a break and is just sometime that judges are to hard on her.

And even when more spotlight on Yuzuru made me happy as a fan (more pictures, more videos, and more money for him and his family) I´m also worried it could burn him out. So far he has remaining strong even when he has been strong with the atention he has got (since he was 12yo).
 
Winterbell and Makaihime, how was skating popularity in Japan before Mao?

It certanly seem like the sport is getting a hit, but I guess is all a circle. I´m sure new charismatic skaters like Yuzuru will come. I also have a Little hope for Kanako, she deserve a break and is just sometime that judges are to hard on her.

And even when more spotlight on Yuzuru made me happy as a fan (more pictures, more videos, and more money for him and his family) I´m also worried it could burn him out. So far he has remaining strong even when he has been strong with the atention he has got (since he was 12yo).

Before Mao was....before 2004(?) and I wasn't really into the FS then, I got into it a lot later but I gathered (from past videos) that it was popular even before Mao. It wasn't as huge as it is now of course but venues were full and there was alot of fan support for skaters everywhere. :) Japanese audiences was really supportive of FS even before any Japanese skaters made a huge break through (Midori aside) And 2006 was when Shizuka won her OGM :agree: Maybe someone who was around that time can give a better insight?

Yeah, I hope he can learn from Mao about handling such enormous pressure at a young age. She did it with such grace and pose and she was just a kid at the time :clap:
 
And even when more spotlight on Yuzuru made me happy as a fan (more pictures, more videos, and more money for him and his family) I´m also worried it could burn him out. So far he has remaining strong even when he has been strong with the atention he has got (since he was 12yo).

Or maybe he's just someone who likes the spotlight, born to eventually take over the Japanese media. :laugh: (jk)

I'm sure Yuzu knew the amount of attention he would get if he continued figure skating; now that he won the OGM, I guess his only getaway is in Canada.

Since the population in Canada is vastly lower than that of Japan, population density-wise, he'll feel like there's a lot more room to live and move around in. So overall I'm glad that he moved to Toronto for training because he wouldn't find the peace and quiet anywhere else.
 
Winterbell and Makaihime, how was skating popularity in Japan before Mao?

It certanly seem like the sport is getting a hit, but I guess is all a circle. I´m sure new charismatic skaters like Yuzuru will come. I also have a Little hope for Kanako, she deserve a break and is just sometime that judges are to hard on her.

And even when more spotlight on Yuzuru made me happy as a fan (more pictures, more videos, and more money for him and his family) I´m also worried it could burn him out. So far he has remaining strong even when he has been strong with the atention he has got (since he was 12yo).

I don't have direct knowledge about the market (e.g., box office of the ice shows) of figure skating before Mao either, same as Mikahime. But for figure skating itself, I think in Japan it did grow up gradually. Starting from Minoru Sano (who opened the Sendai Ice Rink), and Modori Ito, Takeshi Honda, because of their success, more and more boys and girls started figure skating. I think Modori Ito was a big boom since she is the first lady skater to land a 3A and famous around the world. There is (are) even manga (comics) about figure skating using her as the prototype. After her, the Japanese ladies had Ando Miki, Fumie Suguri, Shizuka Arakawa, a series of top class skaters, and you have the talented girl Mao Asada, as well as Akko and Kanako. So it is not a single skater, but a lot of them in Japanese ladies figure skating. Another point I think is that, ladies figure skating can attract both men and women, young and senior. While men's single, the fans dominantly are females. That's why I said I think men's single cannot replace or fill the emptiness of Mao's absence. And Daisuke's one-year leave just makes it even difficult by losing his royal fans.
 
I don't see them either. But I would like to read to make sure the criticism is extragerated :)

Me too. I guess that came from fandom or rather anti-fans. I did hear some bad rumors about his personality or reputation. But I am pretty sure that these rumors are spread by those anti-fans of Yuzu and they have no base. Yet, none of the bad rumors that I heard is about his attitude towards seniors. So I am curious to know what might that be.
 
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