Welcome to the fifth events of the Grand Prix Series in Grenoble, France. If you watched the Grand Prix last year, you know that Trophee de France (as this event was called before this year's name change) was a bit of a mess. Somehow the French organizers managed to make it even more of a mess this year.
After witnessing the Internationaux de France de Patinage I truly wonder, along with basically everyone else on twitter, why the ISU is still giving this event to France even though they have shown, time and time again, that they really shouldn't be hosting a Grand Prix event. In one of my tweets (here) I've summed up a few of the differences between this year and last year, how this event continues to be a mess time and time again.
My list went a little something like this:
Last year - No flags at all (yes, the national anthem of the winner was played simply played just like that, no flag to look at, nothing. Everyone was rightfully confused)
This year - shitty animated flags on a screen (It seemed like the organizers decided that it was easier to full flag gifs off of the internet instead of spending a very small amount of euro to buy a handful of different flags. What even.)
Last year - Paper medals (yes, as far as I've heard, the organizers hadn't managed to get the medals ready in time, so as substitutes the medalists received what seemed to be laminated paper with what the medals would look like printed on them. It was ridiculous.)
This year - Plastic stars in four different colors and three different sizes (I have a billion questions starting at have they just reused the 'medals' from some novice or junior competition and hoped no one would notice, or did they hire some French hipster designer who wanted to be edgy and different and thought that handing out pink/magenta stars to the ladies, blue to men, yellow to ice dance and green to pairs seemed like a good idea. I think not.)
Personally, as well as many other people, I really think, and in a way hope, that the ISU will look at all of this and reconsider if France really is the right choice for this Grand Prix event. Maybe giving it to a different EU country would be a better idea, like maybe Spain or Germany or something, just not France.
But, enough about what went wrong when it comes to the organization, let's instead talk about the medalists.
During his final season, Misha Ge of Uzbekistan finally managed to win his first Grand Prix title with an outstandingly beautiful bronze performance during both the short program and free skate. Misha is one of those skaters who might not have the quads but instead have the artistry that reminds you of what figure skating is really about. When you watch Misha perform you feel everything he wants you to feel, you see that thoughts went into the programs and choreographies, that every move and gesture is perfectly timed with the music, and it is just such a delight to watch. I am very happy that he got onto the podium and received bronze for this, though I truly would've wished that he would've gotten an actual medal instead of a plastic star.
Javier Frenandez on the other hand continues to be something like a problematic favorite of mine. I know he is a really damn good skater, he has the technical skill, he can perform beautifully if he wants, but both of his programs are still simply not it for me. I thought that maybe, as the season would continue, I'd warm up to them, but that just isn't the case. His short continues to be goofy and comical, appropriate for the fact that it is Charlie Chaplin themed, and his free skate tries to be comical too, but instead of giggling and smiling, enjoying watching it, I just sit there and cringe. The costume is awful too just saying. He has the technical abilities but I think he tries too much to be like Nathan Chen (all quads and chasing the points) instead of like Misha Ge (more artistry and fines instead of quad gambling) which is a shame.
This, unfortunately, is also slowly the case for Shoma Uno. I love him to pieces. He is a fantastic skater and I love both of his programs, but as the season continues I begin to find it exhausting to watch him because you worry, every single time, if he will make all the jumps, if he will hurt himself somehow and hinder his own success in this very important Olympic season, or will he make it. I think, if he would switch out some of his quads for triples and put more of a focus on presentation, he could still win and it would be less of a nervous train wreck for the viewers, and possibly also for him.
With all the quad chasing and point grinding in the men field, it does make me wonder how healthy all these jumps are for their bodies and what the long term effects might end up being cause I can't imagine anything good coming from it.
The ladies were a mess during the short program, then again everyone was because of the (as far as I heard) bad ice quality and even practice time issues because great French organizers, but the free program brought things back closer to the level you'd expect during the Grand Prix of an Olympic season.
Personally I am happy for Alina Zagitova that she won this event. I like both her Black Swan short and Don Quichot free, her balleteque tutu costumes and the music choices. I've already once complained about how backloaded her free program is with all the jumps in the second half, but somehow this time around I didn't mind it quite as much. I definitely think she is very talented and has a lot of potential and could, in the future, really challenge the current reigning Queen Evgenia Medvedeva.
Maria Sotskova, there is something about her programs and her skating that I struggle with. For this event she had new costumes, which I dubbed pink candy princess and blue boredom, but they didn't help much either. Maybe it's the fact that Maria seems to have much longer limbs than many of her competitors, maybe it's how awkward it looks when she has her arm raised during some of the jumps, I don't know, but I can't really warm up to her, though I think she has good chances to make the Russian Olympic team.
Finally, taking bronze, we had Kaetlyn Osmond from Canada. As the season progresses I am actually starting to like her. She is definitely a good skater and I can't wait to see her in competition when all the ladies will be present, see how her scores will compare to the other top competitors etc.
I am still very, and I mean very salty about the fact that Vanessa James and Morgan Cipres of France were basically robbed of their gold medal, or rather big green star. Their performances were amazing, even with Vanessa two footing (I think) the landing of their quad throw. They definitely deserved that top podium spot and I won't get over that any time soon.
I can't stand Tarasova's and Morozov's free skate. Their costumes are hideous with their yellow and black polka dot aesthetic, and the music cut and selection of it, don't even get me started on how questionable and in poor taste that is. I don't know if maybe the person who chose it just didn't pay attention to the lyrics, or if maybe they didn't completely understand it, but honestly those are not lyrics I thought would be appropriate for something that will be skated during the Olympics, if these two will make the team. Not a fan, at all.
And that is, all my saltiness and a few nice words about the Grand Prix event in Grenoble, France. I am very excited to see how the final event, Skate America, will be and who will make it into the Grand Prix Final!
Welcome to the second Grand Prix Series event of this season, Skate Canada in Regina, Canada. A much smaller number of my favorites has been assigned to this one, but I was still really excited to watch the short programs regardless. Unlike in my Rostelecom Cup post, in this one I will be talking about my faves in the men, ladies and pairs categories, and not just the men. Timezone wise (as well as live stream wise) this competition was a nightmare for me with. For example, Shoma Uno skating at way past 2am so I had to catch up on the men's short program in the morning.
Anyway, without further ado, let's just jump right in.
Men
Jason Brown - USA - I am Hamilton trash and I'm pretty sure everyone knows that, so when I heard that one of my absolute favorite skaters would have a program set to my favorite song from the musical, The Room Where It Happens, I was overjoyed. I knew that Jason and his team would do an amazing job with this one and I certainly wasn't disappointed in any sort of way. When Jason takes the ice and they call is name you can just see the happiness radiate off of Jason's face and smile. He is like a beautiful ball of sunshine and watching him perform this program with so much fun is just amazing. I honestly just sit there and smile the entire time because honestly how could I not? This program fits him perfectly allowing him to show off his great artistic skills and expression making him a true artist on the ice. Honestly I just love this program and I love what Jason did with it and the way he performs it. I need him to make Team USA for the Olympics and just rock the Olympic ice because he deserves it so much. Can't wait to see his free skate and just see him bloom and grow even more as the season continues.
For his short program Jason received a total of 90.71 points. He is currently in 3rd place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Shoma Uno - Japan - Another one of my favorite skaters with a program set to a piece of music I adore, Vivaldi's Winter. This program is breathtakingly beautiful, marvelously choreographed and timed, and Shoma's artistic expression is just top notch amazing. His costume, that reminds me of last years free skate one but this time in shades of gray instead of red, fits perfectly into the picture. Overall I am a big fan of Shoma and his skating, his programs are always very difficult, this one definitely again on a high level, though he's mastering it with easy it seems. Love this program!
For his short program Shoma received a total of 103.62 points. He is currently in 1st place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Patrick Chan - Canada - Patrick is a good skater, but unfortunately he is accompanied by a sort of inconsistency when it comes to jumps. He didn't fall this time, but he touched down at least once, which was a shame. This is a really nice program, smooth and emotional, fitting with the music. Patrick's costume is quite simple in shades of gray but that underlines the choreography nicely. There is certainly room for improvement but it's easy to see that this is a very promising program. I'm actually quite surprised I must admit. I'm usually not that big of a fan of Patrick's, but this is a good one.
For his short program Patrick received a total of 94.43 points. He is currently in 2nd place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Marin Honda - Japan - Marin looked absolutely lovely in her dress accompanied by a beautiful choreography and music. It was a delight to watch her, even if she unfortunately fell once. Despite that she did an amazing job and I can't wait to see her perform this program at its fullest potential at some point in this season. Seeing her sit in the kiss & cry afterward slowly but surely breaking into tears was really sad, even more so because she did really good and thus there was no need to cry. Looking forward to her free skate!
For her short program Marin received a total of 52.60 points. She is currently in 10th place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Ashley Wagner - USA - I like Ashley a lot, not only because she's rink mates and besties with Adam Rippon (whom I adore) and shares a coach with Nathan Chen, but also because she's a good skater. Watching her perform her short program was fun because you could see that she was having a lot of fun, too. Her dress was black and simple but still very pretty. I'm not quite convinced by the ponytail she had going on, but it was still a solid performance that I enjoyed watching. Curious to see her free skate and grow as the season continues.
For her short program Ashley received a total of 61.57 points. She is currently in 7th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Anna Pogorilaya - Russia - I was really excited to see Anna again on the ice after her disastrous free skate at Worlds last season where she fell more times than not, a truly sad sight that honestly made me cry right along with her. This time though she performed beautifully and without any falls. Her red and gold dress was very pretty and fit her marvelously, as well as her music and choreography. She did struggle just a little in a few places but besides that she did great and I enjoyed watching her a lot. She's definitely up there on my list of favorites among the ladies so I hope she'll continue to work on her SP and get better and better as the season continues. Would love to see her represent Russia along with Medvedeva at the Olympics next year.
For her short program Anna received a total of 69.05 points. She is currently in 2nd place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Rika Hongo - Japan - Rika wasn't on my radar before Skate Canada but I am now really interested in. Her program was really awesome, her costume red, black, sparkly, and intricate, and her performance really good and artistic. Everything fit beautifully together and I am definitely putting her on my list of ladies to follow this season.
For her short program Rika received a total of 61.60 points. She is currently in 6th place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Kaetlyn Osmond - Canada - Is it just me or was she awfully overscored? Home turf must do that trick for you, or a judge who just really wanted you to lead, though this is just me being a negative nancy I suppose. I really liked her dress, she looked very pretty in it, but watching her program felt like she was doing one thing while the music something completely else and, even if you'd play the wrong one, it probably wouldn't make too much of a difference. I mean sure she is a good skater, but I don't think she should've gotten that many points and have such a big lead on Anna Pogorilaya (whom I thought actually had the best performance out of all the ladies). Nonetheless I will follow her this season to see how her scores will compare and to see that rivalry play out on the ice, probably in the same way that I follow Nathan Chen to be honest.
For her short program Kaetlyn received a total of 76.06 points. She is currently in 1st place. If you want to watch her performance you can do it right here.
Vanessa James / Morgan Cipres - France - I adore these two, easy as that. They have so much chemistry between them and artistry in their skating and expression it is unbelievable, and they just keep on getting better and better. I've so far loved all of their programs and this one is no different. The choreography, set to Make It Rain by Ed Sheeran, was beautiful and fit on the dot, their costumes with Vanessa's blue dress and the blue accents in Morgan's shirt and vest were perfect and underlined the program just right. I could watch them skate all day, every day and not get bored any time soon. I am sure they will go far this season, their throws are definitely improving and I can't wait to see this program performed at its full potential soon.
For their short program Vanessa and Morgan received a total of 73.04 points. They are currently in 10th place. If you want to watch their performance you can do it right here.
And that's it for the short programs at Skate Canada. Next up the free skate and the question of who will medal from my little list of favorites. Let me know what you think and whom you are rooting for in the comments below, or on twitter (@Alice_Reeds).
Welcome to my medalists post for the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Russia. Previously I wrote about the men's short program (and planned on talking about their free skate) and today I will be talking about the finals for the men, ladies and ice dance. I don't follow anyone in pairs (who was present) so unfortunately nothing about them, I'm sorry.
Reminder - I'm not a pro when it comes to figure skating, so this isn't a technical analysis of the programs or anything by any means, therefore I might (accidentally) get something wrong. If I do, please do correct me. This is more of me just gushing or talking about my thoughts and opinions. I hope you'll still enjoy it.
Anyway, without further ado, let's get right into it.
Men
Nathan Chen - USA - Gold - Where do I begin with Nathan? If you read my previous post you know that, even though I enjoy seeing Nathan in competitions and going up against my favorites, especially Yuzuru, you know I am not really a fan of his short program. I'm also, what surprise, not a fan of his free skate either. His costume (is this the final one?) is almost the same one as during his short program, the only difference being that the shirt is a dark blue instead of black. That's it. Maybe it iss supposed to be less special so that his skating can shine, maybe not, I don't know, but as much as I usually like simple and elegant costumes, I expected something...more? Last season he had an amazing costume for his free skate that fit it perfectly, so I guess I hoped he'd have something as interesting this year, too. Aside from his costume, his choreography wasn't really my thing either. Sure it is technically on a high difficulty level, it has a lot of jumps and spins, but that by itself doesn't make a good choreography. To me, as someone who, among other reasons, watches figure skating because of its aesthetic beauty, it was just very lacking. Lots of arm flapping and going in circles while preparing for the next jump and not much else. Maybe as the season will continue I will warm up to his programs, but so far it's not my jam. (Side note - can we please also remember that, even though Nathan perfectly skated his free skate, his points were lower than Yuzuru's, even though Yuzuru missed out on a couple points?) The next time we will be Nathan will be November 24-26 at Skate America in Lake Placid, NY, USA. Fun Fact - Nathan is the first American male skater to win gold at the Rostelecom Cup (or back then the Cup of Russia) since the time Johnny Weir won it back in 2007.
Check out his short program (100.54 points) and free skate (193.25 points, total of 2903.79).
Yuzuru Hanyu - Japan - Silver - His fans were crying, I was sad, everyone was sad, because Yuzuru didn't get gold, despite landing his quad Lutz in this competition. But, he struggled with some of the jumps, and had to turn a quad into a double (I think, though correct me if I'm wrong), which was such a shame but I have absolute faith that Yuzuru will rock the season regardless. This program is absolutely phenomenal and just perfect for him. His costume, the music, the artistry, it's wonderful to watch, filled with passion and showing just how much work went into all of it. Yuzuru is an amazing skater and he showed that once again at the Rostelecom Cup, despite a few struggles and wobbles here and there. Do I wish he would've won? Hell yeah. But being a very close second place is also totally fine for the first serious competition of the season. There is still so much more to come, especially the Olympics, so Yuzuru has a lot of time left to perfect both programs, easy. The next time we will see him will be November 10-12 at the NHK Trophy in Osaka, Japan
Mikhail Kolyada - Russia - Bronze - As much as I want to like his free skate to this rather oddly put together Elvis medley, I just don't. I mean the costume isn't as awful as the one previous season, but it still doesn't really convince me, neither does the music. The skating is good, although it is pretty evident that Mikhail is very much still struggling with it quite a lot. At this point, after watching him more or less crash through this program, I kind of do wish he would just switch back to a different one, maybe the one from previous season, to give him a better chance at medaling at a competition where he would have to stand up against the big six. He is a very good skater so seeing him struggle is just a really sad thing, but I'm still hoping that he'll continue working on both of his programs and that, when we see him again November 3-5 at the Cup of China in Beijing, China, he'll be stronger and more confident. (Side note - why is it so hard to find pretty/good looking pictures of Mikhail from his programs?)
Evgenia Medvedeva - Russia - Gold - Is anyone really surprised that Evgenia won? I don't think so because, let's face it, she is perfect in every way possible. If I understood Russian commentator Tatiana Tarasova correctly (my Russian is a bit shaky so excuse me if I got something wrong), she said that in all her years as coach, and just in the figure skating world, she has never seen such a remarkable athlete as Evgenia. She is graceful, her artistry is captivating, her choreographies perfectly showcase her abilities (I mean did you see all those Rippon jumps?). The one surprise that I'm sure stayed in all of our minds after watching her Free Skate was the fact that Evgenia fell after landing her double axel toward the end of her program. A collective gasp went through the arena. But I love how Evgenia wasn't bitter about it, she rather laughed at it all and that was amazing. The next time we will get to see her will be at NHK Trophy.
Check out her short program (80.75 points) and free skate (150.46 points, total of 231.21).
Carolina Kostner - Italy - Silver - Carolina is definitely an established and experienced skater and I really like watching her a lot, she's also the only Italian skater I follow. Both of her costumes are great, her programs intricate and artistic, and it's just a delight to watch her. The point difference between her and Evgenia is quite something though, but I can understand it. Maybe I would've actually given her a few more points for both programs, but I'm not in the know-how enough to really be the judge of any of it. I certainly can't wait to see her again at the NHK Trophy, and certainly hope to see her in the Grand Prix Final. She definitely would deserve it.
Wakabe Higuchi - Japan - Bronze - I live for both of Wakabe's costumes as well as programs, especially her Skyfall Free Skate with her dark blue dress. It's amazingly choreographed and the music fits seamlessly to it. Both of it is rounded off by Wakabe's artistic expression and with how much passion and emotions she performs. I think she definitely deserved her spot on the podium and I can only hope that she, too, will make it to the GPF, and that her performances will just keep on getting better and better. Also, hi, please send her to the Olympics, that'd be awesome. The next time we will see Wakabe will be at the Cup of China.
Maia and Alex Shibutani - USA - Gold - Usually Ice Dance isn't really on my radar, since I'm not that into any of the pairs, or at least so I thought until the Free Dance and the Shibutani siblings took the ice. I loved their red and black costumes, their choreography, music choice, and their artistic expression. Watching them was just fun and I enjoyed it a lot, which really surprised me. I can't say that it necessarily made me more curious about ice dance, but I will definitely keep an eye out on how these two are doing across the season, that much I know. The next time we will see the Shibutani siblings will be at Skate America.
Check out their short (77.30 points) and free dance (119.94 points, total of 197.24 points).
And these were all my thoughts on the medalists from the Rostelecom Cup 2017. Next up is Skate Canada, November 27-28 2017. Thank you so much for reading!
Welcome to the start (technically the Challenger Series started the season but shhhh) of the figure skating season kicking off the Grand Prix Series with the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow, Russia. If you've been following me on twitter and Instagram since last year, or just the last month even, you know that I love figure skating, both the viewer aspect as well as the skater side. I've been skating myself for almost a year now, so of course I am no expert at all. So, since I am the type of nerd who keeps track of all of her favorite skaters to the point that I have an actual list with all their scores from the Grand Prix events etc, I thought I might as well share my thoughts and opinions and thoughts on my favorite skater's performances with you guys.
Before we get into it, once again, I am not an expert so don't expect this to be some kind of super smartly worded and technical analysis of their programs and scores post, there are other people that are way better qualified for that than I am, this is just my ramblings. But, despite that I hope you'll enjoy this little addiction to my usual posts.
Group One
Denis Ten - Kazakstan - Denis skated third and I am quite excited to see his short program. He was the only one from my list of favorites whose programs for this season I hadn't seen yet. Right off the bat I really liked his costume choice of black pants and a loose white shirt, classy and elegant. But, unfortunately, his program certainly left a lot of room for improvement. His jumps were shaky, and he even fell twice, which was truly a shame. I hope he will improve the more he performs his short program but, if his jumps stay as inconsistent I really don't see him getting any medals, and certainly not landing a spot in the Grand Prix Final. His choreography itself was very nice and promising though.
For his short program Denis received a total of 69.00 points. He is currently in 10th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Nam Nguyen - Canada - Nam skated right after Denis and I was basically holding my breath throughout his entire program. Nam caught my eye during his previous competition, being the Autumn Classic International 2017 in Montreal (Challenger Series) where he came in 5th. His costume is quite simple yet elegant with his shirt being a light shade of blue and black pants. It very much complements his more artistic skating style, which I personally very much prefer over the more athletic throw-in-as-many-quads-as-possible style tbh. Unfortunately Nam lost points by flubbing a jump landing on the ice with a painfully looking fall that made me gasp out loud. But besides that his choreography was very nice to look at and I have very high hopes that he will improve as the season continues and maybe, with a little luck, he will make Team Canada for the Olympics, I certainly would be very happy.
For his short program Nam received a total of 80.74 points. He is currently in 7th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Misha Ge - Uzbekistan - I like Misha a lot but what is that costume, and why? His choreography is emotional and beautiful to look at, but I certainly struggle to see the connection between that and the costume. Now that I have that rant out of my system, let's move on to everything else. I was quite surprised when I heard that Misha would be competing this season, since I though he'd announced he's retiring after Worlds earlier this year, but if I understood the Russian commentators correctly, his family urged him to continue so here we are. I certainly don't mind. Misha works as choreographer and I'd say it definitely shows. He puts a lot of thought and emotions into his skating making it wonderful to look at, artistic in the best way. His performance was definitely solid but I hope he will improve some more as the season continues and wish him luck for his free skate.
For his short program Misha received a total of 85.02 points. He is currently in 5th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Deniss Vasiljevs - Latvia - Deniss has a special place in my mind. His talent captured me (as well as Russian commentator Tatiana Tarasova, I mean did you listen to her comments last season, she was so excited every time he performed) last season with his boyish young looks and artistic skating. Deniss is coached by Stephane Lambiel, former Swiss figure skating champion whom I adore. They are a very fun duo and you can see how well they get along and how much of an effect Stephane had on Deniss. But, as much as I love these two, I unfortunately really don't like Deniss short program for this season. The Aria, as well as his costume, seem much too mature and stoic for a young boy like him, seem to lock him down and that means his performance lacks this certain spark that his short program from last season had. Whereas last season you could see I-am-having-so-much-fun-performaing-this written across his face every time, I don't see it this season and that is truly a shame. It also seemed like Ms. Tarasova also wasn't too fond of the program either and that certainly means something (for those of you who might now know it, Tatiana Tarasova is a big number in the figure skating world as commentator and former Russian coach, possibly the most successful one ever coaching more world and Olympic champions than any other coaches, so her opinion certainly weighs a lot). Also that costume, just no.
For his short program Deniss received 82.44 points (solid as for the fact that he doesn't have any quads in his program). He is currently in 6th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Nathan Chen - USA - Remember those skaters I mentioned before that have more of a athletic throw-in-as-many-quads-as-possible style? Nathan is one of them and, unfortunately, I am not a fan. I know people love Nathan and he is basically the US standard every US skaters aspires after right now, but the one thing that his programs for this season lack for me is artistry and a proper choreography. All I see is some arm flapping here-jump-a spin here-more jumps-arm flapping-jump combo, you get the point. I can see how Nathan is something like a sensation in the figure skating world right now as the first skater who is able to jump five out of six quads, and that's awesome, especially considering how young he is, but to be completely honest, he is what I think is wrong with figure skating right now. When I think of figure skating, I think of beautiful choreographies, artistry, a few jumps, gorgeous spins and all of that perfectly matching the music. Nathan lacks most of that for me, except for the nice jumps, those he certainly can do. Last year his programs were nice, okay, but this year, well, it's easy to see his plan is basically to quite literally jump gold for himself hoping his high TES (technical scores) alone will do the trick. Hm.
For his short program Nathan received 100.54 points. He is currently in 1st place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Mikhail Kolyada - Russia - Out of all the Russian male skaters, and there is quite the number of them, Mikhail is the only one I like to be completely honest. He is a really good skater with solid programs, his style is artistic and emotional, very nice to look at, but somehow this season hasn't been quite kind to him. During the Finlandia Trophy he crashed and burned during his free skate, the ending of his program being quite painful to watch as though he held on quite literally by only sheer power of will while his body just wanted everything to end. Today his short program was solid but again his jumps weren't quite there. When it comes to his program in general, my question would be who chose that music for him? If I understood Tatiana Tarasova correctly, she wondered the same thing, why this particular piece? I like the piece by itself, but somehow I would've wished for Mikhail to skate to something a little different, maybe something a little more positive or just...different. Compared to his tragic costumes from last season, this one is definitely a bit of an improvement. Not quite something I would call nice or pretty, but also not bad. I dearly hope Mikhail will calm down and improve some more as the season continues so he'll be able to perform his short program at its fullest potential during his next competition, being the Cup of China in two weeks.
For his short program Mikhail received 85.79 points. He is currently in 4th place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
Yuzuru Hanyu - Japan - Yuzuru was called the 'Japanese God' by the Russian commentators and honestly I can only agree. He gets on the ice, everything turns still and quiet as though everyone is holding their breath and trying not to move or even blink, and he performs magic right in front of our very eyes. Yuzuru and his style are the perfect mix between artistic and athletic, his choreographies beautiful (quite evident also by the high PCS (presentation scores) he receives every time) and mesmerizing, his jumps high and consistent, his costumes gorgeous and fitting. I love watching his programs and personally he more than deserves to be the reigning King of the figure skating world when it comes to the male senior division. I love his short program for this season. His costume fits it marvelously, as well as his music. It all just works, easy as that. So imagine my surprise and loud protest when he sat in the Kiss & Cry (the area where skaters wait with their coaches for their scores) and somehow he only got second place with way less points than Nathan. Sure, Yuzuru struggled with two of his jumps, but overall his program is way better than Nathan's, in my humble opinion. Well, at least the whole Nathan vs. Yuzuru thing makes for quite the show and it is just such a delight to see those two perform during the same competition and wondering which one will end up in first place. Yuzuru is a tremendous inspiration to me, as well as so many other skaters around the world, and he definitely deserves all the love he receives. I mean did you see all the gifts and Winnie's that the audience threw onto the ice after he finished his program?! None of the other skaters got that much!
For his short program Yuzuru received 94.85 points. He is currently in 2nd place. If you want to watch his performance you can do it right here.
And that's it, all my thoughts and opinions on my faves from the men's short program. Next up later tonight the ladies short program featuring, among others, world champion Evgenia Medvedeva. I certainly hope you enjoyed this post. If you did let me know in the comments below, or via twitter (@Alice_Reeds).
Yuri On Ice Original Title: ユーリ!!! on ICE Genre: Sport Aired: Oct 6, 2016 to Dec 22, 2016 Duration: approx. 23 Minutes Season: 1 Main Characters: Yuri Katsuki Victor Nikiforov Yuri Plisetsky
The show's story revolves around Yuuri Katsuki, who carried all of Japan's hopes on his shoulders to win at the Grand Prix Finale ice skating competition but suffered a crushing defeat. He returns home to Kyushu and half feels like he wants to retire, and half feels like he wants to continue ice skating. With those mixed feelings swirling inside him, he confines himself inside his parents' house. Suddenly the five-time consecutive world championship ice skater Viktor Nikiforov appears before him, and along with him is Yuri Plisetsky, a young Russian figure skater who is already defeating his seniors. Viktor and both Yuris take up the challenge on an unprecedented Grand Prix series. (myanimelist.net)
Review based on episodes 1-7.
Ever since I was a little girl (this makes me sound way older than I am, wow) I've loved figure skating. Each time it was on TV, I would sit with my mom on the sofa and watch it, all of it, all day because I was just so in love with it. All these years I waited for a movie, TV show or anime to come out and be centered around this beautiful sport that is figure skating. One day in one of my author friends' manuscript this anime was mentioned called Yuri!!! On Ice. I was immediately intrigued and asked if that's a real thing. It was and is, though back then it wasn't airing yet.
I remembered this show when episodes 1-4 were out already and I fell in love after watching the first couple of minutes of episode 1. Since then I've been impossibly obsessed with this show and I hope, after reading this review, you will check it out, too, because it's so worth it.
Plot
Yuri!!! On Ice, as the title suggests, is about a 23 year old Japanese figure skater called Yuri Katsuki who, despite being insanely good at figure skating, messed up during the Grand Prix Finale and came in last. This shatters him enough that he begins to consider retiring. He goes home, let's his figure slip but the fire still burns within him. Everything really starts to pick up once Victor Nikiforov, the most famous and best figure skater in the world and Yuri's idol, shows up at his house and decides that he will coach him.
The story follows Yuri's journey as he tries to fight his way to the Grand Prix Finale with the hopes of making it this time with Victor by his side. Along the way we meet really interesting side characters, about which I will talk more later, and watch as Yuri begins to have more confidence in himself while discovering many things he'd never known and felt before.
I am in love with the plot. The story is told in a absolutely beautiful manner with a brilliant pace that's neither too fast nor too slow showing all the right and important moments we need to see to experience all of the character development. Something that I didn't even realize until someone pointed it out on tumblr was how much time passes between the episodes. As example, between episode 4 and 5, I think, something like 5 months pass. Thanks to that all the relationships building between the characters feel very natural and it adds really well to the plot.
Characters
Let me start of my saying that I LOVE the characters in Yuri!!! On Ice (maybe with the exception of one and I'm sure you all know whom I mean because honestly...). I really appreciate the fact that even the side characters, especially the other skaters, all seem like people and not just one dimensional shells appearing for five minutes only to further the plot. They actually add something to the episodes and to the overall plot and arc of this story, which is amazing.
Yuri Katsuki - Yuri is our wonderful main character and I love him to bits. He is insanely good at figure skating -- the first time we see him actually skate he 'casually' copies Victor Nikiforov's Free Skate choreography and nails it despite being out of shape -- and is just overall a wonderful and flawed character. Something that makes Yuri relatable is the fact that he deals severely with anxiety, which was also one of the reasons why he failed at the Grand Prix Finale, and it comes up more than once. It's definitely an important part of his character and I love the fact that it wasn't forgotten along the way. Yuri struggles with his confidence even though he's come so far in his career and people keep telling him that he's amazing.
Another part of Yuri that I think is important is the fact that he easily gains weight, which is something we rarely see talked about especially in sports anime or shows/movies in general. As figure skater you obviously have to maintain a certain physique which is harder than one would think, especially when you're dealing with failing and the uncertainty of what the future might bring.
The moment Victor enters Yuri's life we see him, at first, struggle with Victor's behavior toward him, how flirty and in-your-face he is, especially in the beginning. Yuri has never had a relationship and he feels like people trying to get closer to him just want to claw their way into his feelings and expose his weaknesses and he can't deal with that/hates it. Being afraid to open up is something many people deal with so seeing someone like Yuri deal with it is amazing and really interesting. Slowly as the episodes progress we see him change and seeing that change happen just adds so much more to his character.
Victor Nikiforov - Victor is the number one in the figure skating world. He won the world championship for five consecutive times and is at the peak of his career, even though people are wondering if he might soon retire since he is already 27 (that's old in the figure skating world). Everyone loves him and he has mastered the art of pleasing the crowd, though his motto is to always find ways to surprise the audience. Unlike Yuri he choreographs all his skates himself and has the music for it specially made so it tells exactly the story he wants it to. But despite all his successes Victor is slowly reaching a point where nothing he does really surprises anyone anymore because everyone simple expects only the best of the best from him. This really eats at him.
Victor is a really interesting character in the sense that, as viewer, we don't really know much about him. We know of his successes, we know he's from Russia, and that he a poodle named Makkachin. But when it comes to his family and past, nothing. That makes Victor quite the mystery, but it definitely adds a lot to just how intriguing of a his character is. On the outside he seems all smiles and winks and good moods, but I think there is a lot more to him than that. Even though he's quite forgetful and always seems so positive, he's very much a thinker type character, as in that he actually considered every decision he makes before making it. That in itself very much adds to the question of why he decides to pack his things and fly out to Japan to coach Yuri.
As much as Yuri learns from Victor, I think it also works the other way around. For the first time, most likely, in his life Victor is supposed to just be himself when asked what role he is supposed to have in Yuri's life. As their journey progresses we slowly discover that Victor is caring and protective and that he is really trying his best to be the coach and person Yuri needs/wants. Slowly this mask he seems to be wearing falls away to reveal the real Victor and I cannot wait to discover more of him and hopefully of his past. It's remarkable how, even though everybody constantly goes on about how self-centered he is, Victor is actively trying to help Yuri, he really listens to what he tells him and tries his best to learn from it. But more on their relationship later.
Yuri Plisetsky - He is the youngest of our cast. While Yuri and Victor are in their 20s, Yuri Plisetsky is merely 15 year old and just getting into the senior division. Also, just like in the show, to make it easier to distinguish which Yuri I'm talking about, I'll refer to Yuri Plisetsky as Yurio. Yurio used to train with Victor under their coach Yakov but when Victor decided to leave for Japan, Yurio is pissed. The reason being that Victor was supposed to choreograph his senior debut. Yurio comes across insanely angry and confidant when he talks to Victor and Yuri, which really nicely showcases the fact that he really is just a teen. He is used to being the best among the juniors so of course that only added so many more layers of confidence and cockiness to his character. He's quite the interesting contrast to our other Yuri.
I love Yurio because of his insane drive and willingness to do whatever it takes to make it to the top, and beat Yuri along the way. Something I have to remind myself every once in a while is just how young Yurio is compared to most of the other skaters and the fact that he is willing to do everything, even if it might break him, to show that he is just as good as everyone else, even if he has to compete against skaters who are more than 10 years older than him. I think there is a lot to his character which he have so far not seen yet (as of episode 7) so I am truly curious to find out more about him, and could someone please just give that boy a hug? He might hate it but he looks like he could actually need it.
As for the side characters, specifically the other skaters, there are quite a few things that I feel are definitely worth mentioning.
Representation in terms of Diversity:Yuri!!! On Ice does an amazing job with having a really diverse cast, which makes sense since it's all about Yuri participating in an international competition. But, what really makes this an important point to mention is how well the representation of these different characters is handled. For example as representing skater for the USA we have Leo de la Iglesia, a Mexican-American boy who doesn't come across as stereotype driven side character. He has his own goals that he wants to achieve and a personality that fits him greatly. Furthermore we have skaters from countries such as China, Italy, Switzerland, or Thailand. The latter is an interesting one especially since, in the real world, there are no Thai figure skaters. Phichit Chulanont is amazing at skating and his personality is just so fun, ambitious and lovely that you can't help but root for him. He is also quite fond of social media, specifically Instagram, which definitely makes him that tad bit more real and relatable.
Three dimensional characters: As I previously mentioned, Yuri!!! On Ice actually gives us an insight into all the skaters, their dreams and goals. Everyone has his own personality and quirks that make them interesting. One example that immediately comes to my mind would be Georgi Popovic from Russia, a fellow rink mate of Victor and Yurio's, who has a truly emotional backstory. Both his short program and free skate are centered around his heartbreak caused by his girlfriend breaking up with him and moving on to a different guy. Even though he seems blinded by his love and obsessed with the girl, it's still interesting to watch and hear about. It shows how much love and care the creators of this show put into every detail of it. (More on that point later)
Relationships between skaters: This is another thing I think is very important because, contrary to what I always thought of athletes, this anime skillfully shows us how everyone seems to cheer on everyone else despite being rivals. The younger skaters look up to the older ones and see them as motivation to keep going and get better. Everyone seems genuinely happy when the person currently performing lands a quad or does well in general. I think that's a really important part of the show and it's also just really amazing to see.
Love Wins! - Say goodbye to queerbaiting
(MILD SPOILERS)
Let's talk about Yuri and Victor, just like I mentioned above that I would. While Yuri!!! On Ice is most importantly a sports anime, their relationship is still a very integral part of the story arc and of Yuri's journey to the Grand Prix Finale. What better way to underline that than by making "Love" the theme for this Grand Prix. Growing up Yuri idolized Victor because he was everything Yuri wanted to be and reach. His room was plastered with his posters and he even got a poodle simply because Victor also has one (said poodle was then also named Victor). So, understandably, when Victor shows up at Yuri's after he saw the recording of Yuri skating his routine, Yuri is floored.
An integral part of their relationship, that I love that they actually thought of adding, is the process of Yuri slowly deconstructing the idea of Victor on the pedestal, someone he can't reach and who is miles above him almost like a god. Slowly Yuri realizes that Victor is just as human as everybody else and that he, just like everybody else, also has flaws. This is very important in the context of their relationship both as people and as coach and student.
Both Yuri and Victor are quite guarded when it comes to their true feelings, even though Victor might not come across that way at first, so it's beautiful to see how they slowly, small steps one at a time, begin to open up to each other. At first it seemed like it was only Yuri who needed to open up since Victor seemed like he was eager to share things about himself, but upon further analysis and rewatching the episodes, it's clear that they both slowly learn how to be honest and open with each other. As I mentioned previously, probably, Yuri is the first person that simply wants Victor to be Victor and not Victor the figure skating god or sexy flirt, which I think is something Victor most definitely isn't used to. So, generally, both Yuri and Victor are helping each other to express and find sides of each other that they might've not known of before or simply forgotten along the way. Victor isn't a flawless god and Yuri isn't actually as weak as he thinks he is.
If we're already at the topic of flaws, I adore how Victor really tries to learn more about Yuri, about the things that make him anxious and the ways in which he could help him. There is one scene, that might very well be the contester to my favorite one so far, which very nicely shows that Victor has very few experiences with how to deal with someone who is just as anxious as Yuri and how to handle it as coach. In said scene Victor majorly fucks up while trying to help Yuri and his overwhelming anxiety before his free skate. As much as it hurt my heart to watch it, it was an insanely important moment and was handled in the best way possible. It showed how actual human relationships work and that, despite it being used way too often in movies or books, kissing your problems away isn't an actual option. No, instead they handle it like adults. Yuri finally let's his emotions drive him and actually tells Victor that he fucked up, why and what he really wants from him. I am so happy that the creators of this show did this because it is so important and shows that their relationship is definitely genuine and healthy. Thank you.
Going back to the very title of this segment - when I first started to watch Yuri!!! On Ice I was afraid that this show would just be another sports anime with queerbaiting like others before it, like Free! for example. But I was very pleasantly surprised that oh boy, this isn't queerbaiting at all. Yuri!!! On Ice did what so many sports anime before it didn't do. It actually created a genuine, healthy and naturally evolving and forming relationship between two male characters, main ones even, and with it broke so many walls I still can't believe that it's true. It's canon, just saying.
I cannot wait to see what will happen next and what ways the creators will find to surprise us even more than they've done so far.
Music
The music in Yuri!!! On Ice is amazing. When it comes to the Opening and Ending/Credits, I usually skip them with most anime because they are usually not that good or interesting, but with Yuri!!! On Ice I never skip either. The Opening track is "History Maker" by Dean Fujioka and contains the lyric that I so nicely chose for the title of this review (though I shortened it) - We were born to make history. Up until episode 7 I thought they meant that merely in the context of Yuri and his life, but after episode 7 it's pretty clear that the creators of Yuri!!! On Ice meant way more than just that. This show is making history and I am so happy to be witnessing it as it happens.
As for the other songs in the soundtrack, there are definitely some that are very much integral to the very plot of the anime, no matter how crazy that sounds. It starts with "Stay Close To Me and Never Let Go" which is the opera style piece that Victor performs to at the very beginning of the show, and the piece that really starts everything. It's in Italian, so many people like me don't understand any of it, so at first I thought that it was simply a nice piece of music but oh boy was I wrong. Turns out the creators of this anime love their details (more on that later).
Generally the music is stunning and I've listened to the soundtrack for hours already and I'm looking forward to seeing what other pieces we will hear in the upcoming episodes. As someone who loves music, I am insanely pleased with Yuri!!! On Ice so far.
Style/Animation
Yuri!!! On Ice is visually stunning and it must be so much work I can't even imagine it. When it comes to different animation styles etc. in anime, I'm the first to admit that my knowledge is very limited since I've not seen that many anime, but if I see something very pleasing I am still able to say as much. There is a lot of love for details in the animations and the style, and I am still amazed that they actually managed to animate the different performances and skates so beautifully. I was worried that that might be an issue, but I was quickly proven otherwise. Than again, if figure skating is an integral part of your show, it makes sense to pour a lot of time and work into it. Of course there are a few instances where the animation isn't AS pretty as other times, but if you have to cram six different choreographies into one episode, it comes as no surprise that you have to prioritize some over others.
I also really like how each time Yuri performs his short program, "On Love: Eros", we can see subtle differences between the previous time he performed. We can see how he's getting better, how his expression changes and that is truly amazing. No matter how many times we see him perform Eros, it never turns boring!
Bringing up the opening and ending of Yuri!!! On Ice again, I just wanted to point out how visually intriguing both of them are. In the opening (which you can check out below even though there is a slight difference (it's only a few seconds so it barely matters) between the actual one and this one but it's unfortunately the best I could do) we simply see our three main characters, Yuri, Victor and Yurio, staking with colorful visuals. It's relatively simple but intriguing, especially since the opening changes from episode to episode in terms of how colorful it is, turning more so the further we go. As for the ending/credits, it incorporates a few different thighs, though it mainly stays with sequences of pictures while also including what looks like someone scrolling through their Instagram feed, which reminds me to point out how social media actually plays a role in this anime and Instagram is actually brought up a few times. The pictures are all really interesting and show our different characters in a beautiful manner. As I mentioned before, I never skip the opening or the ending.
Love to detatils
As I mentioned in the section about music, something else that struck me as outstanding about Yuri!!! On Ice is the extend of the creator's love to details. While watching, and reading things on tumblr, I quickly realized that everything in this show is done deliberately and nearly everything matters in the grand scheme of things. This starts with the names of the characters, 'Katsuki means 'Victory’ + 'Life/Birth’ and Yuuri means 'Courage’ + 'Benefit’' (source), goes over the music and even includes things happening in the background.
An example when it comes to music would be the piece titled "Yuri On Ice", which is the music for Yuri's free skate. Not only does it contain the obvious title drop but also, looking at the different parts of the music and how they sound and feel, it could almost be seen as something like a music interpretation of Yuri's journey and life, which is honestly so deep I cannot even. I really love it when creators go this extra mile and put this much attention into their work.
Also, bringing up the opening song again, "History Maker". As I pointed out before it turns out that even this song and it's lyrics are important in the grand scheme of this show since it is making history and it has promised us to do that since the very beginning, we just didn't know to which extent they'd go. It is also worth mentioning that they are not only making history through breaking tropes and standards, but also because their lead couple is not only made up of two adult males, but also interracial since one of them is Russian and the other Japanese. The country choice is, in my opinion, very important and interesting at the same time especially when you look at Russia's opinion of the LGBT community.
The relationship between Yuri and Victor is another point I'd want to add to this section since the way it slowly builds and progresses, all these small details about them that they notice and show us really highlight how well planned these characters are, how much depth they really have and how much there still is to explore. This is also shown in their dialogues where certain things get brought up from earlier episodes and thus add more meaning to what is being said. This also goes for the piece that started it all, "Stay Close To Me and Never Let Go". In subtle ways that, thanks to the subs people might not even realize, this piece and its meaning follow us through the show and I absolutely love that.
Another point can be the figure skating in and of itself. There are so many different choreographies in this anime created specifically for it, each different and telling different stories that fit perfectly with whoever is performing them. This also goes for the costumes they wear during their performances. From what I've seen the designers treated the task with so much as as though they were creating and designing actual costumes for actual figure skaters which, again, shows you just ho much work and detail was put into this show from beginning to end.
General Thoughts
Since this review is already turning into something of definitely epic proportions (and it only deals with half of the anime since there are still at least 5 episodes to come), I think it's time for some general closing thoughts. Personally I think this show is important for many different reasons outlined in this review, but especially due to the way it not only treats the sport with so much complexity and care, but also due to the genuine and healthy relationship forming throughout it. Yes, the latter is important, but it isn't too in your face so that, even if it might not necessarily be your thing, I think you can still definitely watch and enjoy this anime. It has so much to offer in form of brilliant music, stunning visuals and a sport we rarely get to see, especially when it comes to men.
I am absolutely in love with Yuri!!! On Ice and it has definitely taken over my life and reminded me of just how much I used to love figure skating. Since I started to watch this anime I've felt the insane need to go and skate myself.
I cannot wait to see where Yuri!!! On Ice will go from here and how it'll end.
I give Yuri!!! On Ice Episodes 1 - 7 5 out of 5 Stars!
