Yuzuru Hanyu: 2016-17 Season

[YuzusHydroblade]

Well, basically, my friend (who doesn't watch FS at all btw) said she constantly went like "oh, so this guy is great!... uhm, or... not?" while reading it. So she said at the end, she didn't know what she was supposed to think and felt kind of irritated. But she also said she felt it was done like this on purpose, and that's not really a complimentary way to write an article.



It's nonsense. Yuzu just included a new quad. Last time he did that (2012-13), he only did it in one program, now he even did it in both. He raised the number of quads in the LP. Last time he went from 2 to 3, he didn't do that with an additionally completely new jump. if that's not enough, look at him after his LP in 2014 and now at WC. Difference of day and night.
Men don't tend to peak in their teens anyway I think. So I'm really puzzled were this "Yuzu is not progressing as much technically" is coming from


PS: @Alia, yes, seeing who thumbs up what in this thread is super fun

I have to admit i felt a bit confused too, but i don't think it's Akiko's fault. I think the editor was the one who did a questionable job.
I think they are under that impression because, like someone said... i think back at Skate Canada '16 days? Yuzuru was years ahead of everyone else but now it seems some are catching up with him. Probably because the gap isn't as big as before, they have the feeling that he is stagnating (sure...)

 

[matmuh]

took some time to catch up, wow so many Mai mentions today, Mai won plenty of hearts this season, didnt she? i thought i was at her fan fest for a while :luv17: and thats about it right? or did something else happen?
and welcome to the crazy thread yuzupon!

 

[turquoiseblue]

*show head uncertainly to this thread*
I... guess I pick the wrongest day to join.
...

Anyway, hi!
Just want you all to know I've been lurking for awhile now, and finally conjure enough courage (and time) to post anything.
Thank you for all the pictures!! May I save them? Promise, I'm not making profit or even sharing them without permission.

You have the best username!! Welcome to GS, yuzupon :luv17:

 

[Maria Victoria]

The whole skating world is already preparing for Yuzuru to retire because they want someone new.

Actually, I think many in the skating world want Yuzuru to keep on skating competitively as they realize that Yuzuru is a very special skater, the kind of skater that doesn't come along very often and who continually astounds his fans (and confounds his critics ). Besides who else can better bring the fans to the stands, even travel long distances just to see him compete?

And I reiterate the previously expressed hope that we can disagree without being disagreeable in this fanfest and be a credit to Yuzuru whom we all adore and want only the best for.

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

Akiko isn't just someone, and that's what is the most disappointing :sad21: Former skaters of all people should understand how everything works.

Hm, i wasn't referring to Akiko there, just to the level of intensity caused by articles who have not so nice things to say about him. I know that the fact that it was Akiko made it worse, but like i said, i might be too innocent but i don't think the misunderstanding/people getting angry was her fault. It could have been the editor, because i now see many people share my opinion that the way the article was written felt a bit odd.
No r words please. My heart can't take that right now

 

[Li'Kitsu]

I have to admit i felt a bit confused too, but i don't think it's Akiko's fault. I think the editor was the one who did a questionable job.
I think they are under that impression because, like someone said... i think back at Skate Canada '16 days? Yuzuru was years ahead of everyone else but now it seems some are catching up with him. Probably because the gap isn't as big as before, they have the feeling that he is stagnating (sure...)

I'm not sure where people have that impression from though. He wasn't years ahead of everyone in 2013-14, actually Patrick went into the Olys as the fave. Yuzu lost both GPs to him. Then people thought he would dominate everything, but CoC 2014 happened. He ended up losing WC that year. Coming into the next season, he was still the fave, but losing to Chiddy at SC actually made a lot of people go "ooohhhh, great Chiddy comeback ahead, no Yuzu dominance!". Then NHK + GPF happened and he was god. Then WC happened and he was an inconsistent mess again. I just don't see where some of these narratives are coming from, he was always 'the favorite' because of the 'clean, nobody can beat him' thing, but that is still the case. He was actually, results-wise, no less dominant this season at all :think:

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

I'm not sure where people have that impression from though. He wasn't years ahead of everyone in 2013-14, actually Patrick went into the Olys as the fave. Yuzu lost both GPs to him. Then people thought he would dominate everything, but CoC 2014 happened. He ended up losing WC that year. Coming into the next season, he was still the fave, but losing to Chiddy at SC actually made a lot of people go "ooohhhh, great Chiddy comeback ahead, no Yuzu dominance!". Then NHK + GPF happened and he was god. Then WC happened and he was an inconsistent mess again. I just don't see where some of these narratives are coming from, he was always 'the favorite' because of the 'clean, nobody can beat him' thing, but that is still the case. He was actually, results-wise, no less dominant this season at all :think:

Might have something to do with the gold fish memory that seems so prevalent in this sport then

 

[Altie]

I don't think it sounds concerned? And Nathan is still pretty far off on PCS. If I or you or Akiko thinks far enough or not is another matter, but he's still in another 'tier' PCS wise. Additionally, Yuzu might have said no 4Lz, but I don't think that is what she is referring too, as she never mentions that (he said it not too long ago too, would she have heard that before this interview was done?). We don't have any confirmation if Nathan or Shoma will upgrade at all (though I also assume they will, we just don't know), and IMO she's more focused on talking about potential than any exact plans that where mentioned. Her interpretation of how much potential anyone has, that is IMO, well, off.
And for the overall tone, I can only tell you that 2 different friends who read it and translated parts of it for me had a pretty different impression overall than what the English translation gives me. Basically, what different Japanese speakers here said now too, the original is very... open to interpretation in quite a few instances, the English translation seems to make it a lot more positive.

Re the edited pics of Shomas jumps: it's related to the overall topic of "politics". Honest question - do you not think that's weird? The article mentions Yuzus first ever 4Lo - and needs to follow it up immediately with Shoma doing a harder jump. Added with a pic to make Shomas jumps look more impressive then they are. To me, that looks like trying to prop up Shoma in expense of Yuzu. And it is coming from the same "region" as Akikos article (though maybe that exact one isn't, but there are edits like that definitely too).

About shoma's pic : yes I totally agree with you on this one. If it was only the photo you could have the benefit of the doubt (it could have been edited to show the phases of the jump better) but with the title and yuzu's awful pic it is very clearly biased.

(By the way I apologize if I sounded vindicative in some of my posts, in fact I wasn't upset at all - but it's not easy to convey tone in writtem language, especially in another lamguage)

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

Thank you!



Thank you! Yuzupon is how my friends and I affectionately (and quite shamelessly, lbr) call Yuzu.

Did i welcome you? D: sorry
WELCOME

 

[xeyra]

I'm not sure where people have that impression from though. He wasn't years ahead of everyone in 2013-14, actually Patrick went into the Olys as the fave. Yuzu lost both GPs to him. Then people thought he would dominate everything, but CoC 2014 happened. He ended up losing WC that year. Coming into the next season, he was still the fave, but losing to Chiddy at SC actually made a lot of people go "ooohhhh, great Chiddy comeback ahead, no Yuzu dominance!". Then NHK + GPF happened and he was god. Then WC happened and he was an inconsistent mess again. I just don't see where some of these narratives are coming from, he was always 'the favorite' because of the 'clean, nobody can beat him' thing, but that is still the case. He was actually, results-wise, no less dominant this season at all :think:

Dominance in the men's field seems to be more of a perception thing than an actual dominance, because Yuzu hasn't had the kind of dominance Zhenya has in women. It's a perception of his potential dominance. But just as quickly that perception shifts when he doesn't have a stellar performance. It's kind of fascinating and makes for exciting competitions, no doubt.

 

[akaokitty]

Yay I eventually signed up for an account today after lurking here since december 2015! I was about to post something but then the whole article debate happened... and decided to just stay quiet for the time being (^.^)" Seems like things are finally calming down though so that's good
It's never occurred to me before but I guess I learned something today, translations will never amount to the original thing. Language is truly fascinating. I got curious and asked a japanese friend of mine to roughly translate it word by word (he's not really an FS fan) and the impression I got was that it's not as positive (more questionable?) as the english translation posted here. I mean I can kind of get how some things might sound a bit off to some people. But then again, what I'm hearing is also yet another translation lol. And plus the article was edited.
Anyway I've enjoyed reading all of your discussions and interactions for almost 1.5 years now and have learned so much (even about tech stuff) from here. I truly think this thread is one of the best around on gs (and the fastest moving one as well) and I'm looking forward to sharing Yuzuru's journey with all of you. Even though I was just lurking, you have no idea how much it helped having this thread around at this same time last year. Needless to say, I'm so so happy at how this season ended for Yuzuru! Let's all get along ;D

 

[Meoima]

Actually, I think many in the skating world want Yuzuru to keep on skating competitively as they realize that Yuzuru is a very special skater, the kind of skater that doesn't come along very often and who continually astounds his fans (and confounds his critics ). Besides who else can better bring the fans to the stands, even travel long distances just to see him compete?

And I reiterate the previously expressed hope that we can disagree without being disagreeable in this fanfest and be a credit to Yuzuru whom we all adore and want only the best for.

Nah, not his fans but ISU and JSF themselves. Enough said from the way they're judging.

About the stars, well there will be always some new stars. Marin Honda for example will drive new young fans like Mao did.

Don't worry, even if the skating world doesn't have Yuzuru, they will survive on by other new stars. Even though to me, they will never be as special as Yuzuru.

 

[beki]

Yay I eventually signed up for an account today after lurking here since december 2015! I was about to post something but then the whole article debate happened... and decided to just stay quiet for the time being (^.^)" Seems like things are finally calming down though so that's good
It's never occurred to me before but I guess I learned something today, translations will never amount to the original thing. Language is truly fascinating. I got curious and asked a japanese friend of mine to roughly translate it word by word (he's not really an FS fan) and the impression I got was that it's not as positive (more questionable?) as the english translation posted here. I mean I can kind of get how some things might sound a bit off to some people. But then again, what I'm hearing is also yet another translation lol. And plus the article was edited.
Anyway I've enjoyed reading all of your discussions and interactions for almost 1.5 years now and have learned so much (even about tech stuff) from here. I truly think this thread is one of the best around on gs (and the fastest moving one as well) and I'm looking forward to sharing Yuzuru's journey with all of you. Even though I was just lurking, you have no idea how much it helped having this thread around at this same time last year. Needless to say, I'm so so happy at how this season ended for Yuzuru! Let's all get along ;D

I'm so glad you delurked. I want to wave hi to all the lurkers, and say we're glad you're here with us.

 

[Li'Kitsu]

About shoma's pic : yes I totally agree with you on this one. If it was only the photo you could have the benefit of the doubt (it could have been edited to show the phases of the jump better) but with the title and yuzu's awful pic it is very clearly biased.

(By the way I apologize if I sounded vindicative in some of my posts, in fact I wasn't upset at all - but it's not easy to convey tone in writtem language, especially in another lamguage)

(You have no reason to apologize! And I'm sorry I didn't answer you about one of your quotes of mine before - I hope that cleared up, because I didn't mean you at all with what I said)

 

[Yatagarasu]

Yay I eventually signed up for an account today after lurking here since december 2015!

Welcome, welcome, on this special day
Yuzuru says hello! <-- to help with the initial trauma

 

[Rissa]

He may retire next year :sad21:

ISU and JSF need constant popularity of the sport and not of the one particular skater. 3 popular skaters of different age are better than 1 super-adored skater. That's why they pushing Shoma trying to boost his popularity using Yuzu as a background for that while they can. The only problem is - Yuzu doesn't want to be a background

That kinda makes sense... Twisted strategy, and I' m not sure whether an efficient one. Overall, Yuzuru's popularity doesn't seem to be decreasing, if social media are anything to go by. :think: I mean, half of the Yuri on Ice fandom seems convinced it's about Yuzu and the half who doesn't end up as Yuzu fans anyway, so no staying in the background indeed!

 

[turquoiseblue]

Yay I eventually signed up for an account today after lurking here since december 2015! I was about to post something but then the whole article debate happened... and decided to just stay quiet for the time being (^.^)" Seems like things are finally calming down though so that's good
It's never occurred to me before but I guess I learned something today, translations will never amount to the original thing. Language is truly fascinating. I got curious and asked a japanese friend of mine to roughly translate it word by word (he's not really an FS fan) and the impression I got was that it's not as positive (more questionable?) as the english translation posted here. I mean I can kind of get how some things might sound a bit off to some people. But then again, what I'm hearing is also yet another translation lol. And plus the article was edited.
Anyway I've enjoyed reading all of your discussions and interactions for almost 1.5 years now and have learned so much (even about tech stuff) from here. I truly think this thread is one of the best around on gs (and the fastest moving one as well) and I'm looking forward to sharing Yuzuru's journey with all of you. Even though I was just lurking, you have no idea how much it helped having this thread around at this same time last year. Needless to say, I'm so so happy at how this season ended for Yuzuru! Let's all get along ;D

Wow, we have yet another new member Welcome and have fun here, akaokitty

 

[b138oo]

I know most of u guys here are fans of figure skating and have figure skating experience as part of your life. But, there are people like me who do a totally different sport, can't even stand on the ice and basically become interested in figure skating just because of Yuzu. This group of people will leave the sport once Yuzu leaves, and trust me, this group consists of a lot of people. So yeah, i think with the current situation of men's figure skating, ISU, JSF, and basically every organization involves in the sport need Yuzuru. They still need him until they find someone who has an amazing skill and fighting spirit who breaks WR every year with a handsome cute boyish face and thin slender anime-like figure come out. Yuzu has the power to captivate thousands of people by his 2 minute program at Sochi and literally flipped tumblr and kpop fandoms over. So let's see if some other athletes could do that next year at Pyeongchang.

 

[beki]

That kinda makes sense... Twisted strategy, and I' m not sure whether an efficient one. Overall, Yuzuru's popularity doesn't seem to be decreasing, if social media are anything to go by. :think: I mean, half of the Yuri on Ice fandom seems convinced it's about Yuzu and the half who doesn't end up as Yuzu fans anyway, so no staying in the background indeed!

Nobody puts baby in a corner

 

[YuzusHydroblade]

Wishful thinking maybe but i don't think Yuzu would retire because of the drama. I'd like to think he will only retire when he feels like he's done with his personal goals. And my selfish desire is that it doesn't happen right after PC