State of Japanese Skaters 2014-2015 | Golden Skate

State of Japanese Skaters 2014-2015

christinaskater

Medalist
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
I'm really excited that
Tatsuki Machida and Takahito Mura are all doing well. Tatsuki is just getting better and better. Takahito needs to improve the connection to the music but all in all, he is superb!

I am also very impressed with Satoko Miyahara. There is also something very special about Rika Hongo. I feel that Rika is going to be a combination of Akiko Suzuki, Miki Ando and Shizuka Arakawa all rolled into one.
 

begin

Medalist
Joined
Feb 8, 2014
Eh, Rika has awful posture that hasn't improved much at all. "Stars" feels like an overstatement in general, but that might just be because of Japan's previous roster.

OTOH a lot of the novices and juniors are incredibly promising. Hoping they'll keep their jumps by the time they're seniors, as so many of them are gifted performers already.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
The guys have been around for a while, winning GP events for the last 3 years or so. The presence of Daisuke, Oda and Kozuka (when he was in top form) had overshadowed them, but now is their time to shine.

Satoko is a darling and her skating is growing on me slowly with each viewing. There is something wonderful about not having to worry about a skater doing well or not. This year, no matter what others do, I know Satoko will be consistently great.

Rika needs a bit more confidence and flair to pull off a tango program, will that come in time? I was actually very surprised. Skate Canada is the best I've seen her skate...ever.
So I hope she lets this good competition build her confidence so she can continue to improve.

Coming up to the senior ranks next year will be Shoma Uno who is working hard on his jumps and already has very good presentation.

Just up from the novice category, Wakaba has been a delight to watch with her huge jumps and her huge smile.

There is a future for Japan's figure skating. :clap:
 
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YesWay

四年もかけて&#
Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 28, 2013
I'm really excited that
Tatsuki Machida and Takahito Mura are all doing well. Tatsuki is just getting better and better. Takahito needs to improve the connection to the music but all in all, he is superb!

I am also very impressed with Satoko Miyahara. There is also something very special about Rika Hongo. I feel that Rika is going to be a combination of Akiko Suzuki, Miki Ando and Shizuka Arakawa all rolled into one.
Machida and Mura are not exactly "new"... but whatever :-D

Machida is looking awesome again this year, although he looked like a wreck at the end of his FS at Skate America - I am worried he sees this year as his biggest and best chance for the top titles (I think so myself)... and while I want him to do well, I also hope he doesn't push himself too hard and end up injured.

Yay for Mura! He really stepped up and hit it out of the park at Skate Canada. I hope he can repeat that consistently, and improve on it.

Hanyu is not "new" either but I'm very much looking forward to seeing his new programs. Just hope he stays fit - he's constantly pushing his limits, I hope he doesn't try to do too much, too quickly. And it seems to me his training this year may have been hampered by too many ice shows and too much media attention.

I do like Rika Hongo. Saw her at Finlandia (my photos HERE). She is diligent and hard-working, and seems very sweet. Her free skate in Canada was a definite improvement over Finlandia: landed her 3F-3T (albeit UR), lots more expresssion, fire and passion. I think her increased score was well deserved, and it was a very good GP debut. Great to see her smiling after her skates now, and in the K&C. Really pleased she has a second GP placement now too, I hope she keeps the momentum going and continues to improve. I agree her posture could use a little work though, and she'd get quite a boost if she could stop getting "e" on her Lutzes...!

I hope Miyabi Oba does well in her GP debut too. She had a terrible fall not that long ago, hit her head so hard she had to be carried off the ice to the hospital. She was so afraid of the ice after that, and has had to fight hard to overcome that. Last performance I saw by her, she nailed it but was very emotional afterwards and cried a lot. I hope she can continue to rebuild her confidence, and maybe she'll try the 3A in competition again in the future.

Miyahara continues to show solid, consistent performances. She's graceful, controlled and precise. Apparently lots of ladies are trying to do spins in both directions now... but Miyahara has been doing that perfectly for ages. Already a great prospect on technical ability alone, I think she could become a real star if she can add bigger jumps, emotion and expression, and earn better PCS. I hope Kanako Murakami gets out of her slump this year, because otherwise I think Miyahara could well become national champion this year.

Three Japanese juniors made it to the JGP final - Very interested to see how they do, especially Wakaba Higuchi - if she can keep her nerve (seems fearless so far), she has a good chance to get on the podium, and seems a bright hope for the future.

Shoma Uno is another rising star. He has talent, skates with style and flair, and it seems he's added a quad jump this season...

I'm a bit sad about Kozuka's poor start to the season... o_O
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Could we perhaps use this thread to discuss the Japanese skaters competing this year?
Including the ones that aren't 'stars' yet?

Two male skaters who are making a very quiet debut on the senior GP are Tanaka Keiji and Ryuju Hino.

Tanaka skates with a powerful and 'manly' presence...but he has yet to land a quad in international competition.
Ryuju Hino ...hmmm, well I don't know about him much other than he's grown some alarming facial hair...perhaps to make himself look more mature? Both these guys used to be Hanyu's direct competition in his novice and Junior days- even winning competitions over Hanyu; but he got into the senior circuit at 15 and they have only just graduated.

Does anyone have more information on these two?

EDIT: Tanaka has landed a quad once in the JGP. Thanks NMURA.
 
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NMURA

Medalist
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Actually Tanaka landed a quad in competition only once (2013JGP Czech).

Hino never landed a quad even at local comps.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
As of this week, the Men's world standings are as follows:

Men of Team Japan

1st Yuzuru Hanyu
3rd Tatsuki Machida
6th Takahito Mura (although his win should put him in 5th shortly)
16th Takahiko Kozuka
20th Shoma Uno (above Jeremy Abbott at the moment!)
38th Keiji Tanaka
43rd Ryuju Hino

Women's world standings are as follows:

Women of Team Japan

1st Mao Asada
7th Satoko Miyahara (already ahead of Kanako)
11th Kanako Murakami
13th Haruka Imai
23rd Rika Hongo
37th Miyabi Oba

I'll try to compile things like best scores of this season so far etc. I'm afraid I can't come close to the excellent Mrs.P's info-compiling skills :bow:
But if you want to add some interesting information or statistics please feel free to do so. I don't think well in numbers. :slink:
 
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Sandpiper

Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 16, 2014
State of Japanese figure skating? Too good to be true. ;) Their men are dominating the GPs, and their women look promising whether Mao returns or not.

Not sure if it's about time to put resources in pairs/ice dance.
 

Sai Bon

Final Flight
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Country
New-Zealand
Satoko seems incredibly talented and consistent. Apparently a real hard worker, quiet and reserved, but with inner steel. My only concern would be that at 16 years of age she is only 1.47m (perfect for pairs if she stayed that way) and very slim. She could be like Kanako, have a growth spurt in her late teens and lose all her jumps, which many have pointed out are on the small side.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
Team Japan Scores for 2014-2015 Season

Men
Best Total Scores
Machida Tatsuki 269.09 Skate America
Mura Takahito 255.81 Skate Canada
Machida Tatsuki 237.74 Trophee Bompard
Hanyu Yuzuru 237.55 Cup of China
Uno Shoma 227.51 JGP Croatia
Kozuka Takahiko 216.80 Rostelecom Cup
Kozuka Takahiko 203.17 Skate Canada
Tanaka Keiji 189.26 Cup of China

Best Short Program Scores
Machida 93.39 Skate America
Machida 88.70 Trophee Bompard
Hanyu 82.95 Cup of China
Mura 82.57 Skate Canada
Kozuka 81.38 Rostelecom Cup
Kozuka 75.85 Skate Canada
Shoma 74.82 JGP Croatia
Keiji 56.82 Cup of China

Best Long Program Scores
Machida 175.70 Skate America
Mura 173.24 Skate Canada
Hanyu 154.60 Cup of China
Machida 149.04 Trophee Bompard
Shoma 152.69 JGP Croatia
Kozuka 135.42 Rostelecom Cup
Keiji 132.44 Cup of China
Kozuka 127.32 Skate Canada


Women
Best Total Scores
Miyahara Satoko 181.75 Skate Canada
Hongo Rika 178.00 Rostelecom Cup
Hongo Rika 171.47 Skate Canada
Murakami Kanako 169.39 Cup of China
Imai Haruka 158.10 Skate America
Imai Haruka 154.70 Trophee Bompard
Oba Miyabi 154.57 Rostelecom Cup

Best Short Program Scores
Kanako 60.44 Cup of China
Satoko 60.22 Skate Canada
Rika 59.32 Rostelecom Cup
Rika 59.10 Skate Canada
Haruka 54.72 Trophee Bompard
Haruka 53.79 Skate America
Oba 46.76 Rostelecom Cup

Best Long Program Scores
Satoko 121.53 Skate Canada
Rika 118.15 Rostelecom Cup
Rika 112.37 Skate Canada
Kanako 108.95 Cup of China
Oba 107.87 Rostelecom Cup
Haruka 104.18 Skate America
Haruka 99.98 Trophee Bompard
 
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hippomoomin

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
I am not a fan of either of the two Japanese ladies. Satoko is so small and skates, jumps small. The point is that she can skate clean. I think even if she falls, it will be a small fall too.
I think in my heart I have Alexandra Proklova as a comparison. Sasha is tiny but her presence is huge, better skating skills, more contagious presentations, and bigger jumps than Satoko.

Rika has a good body line except her neck-shoulder. I hope she can work on her posture but that is a long shot.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
I don't know if Rika can 'fix' her neck and shoulders. She has a short neck and wide shoulders so I think there is nothing she can do about it except skate as well as she can.

I believe that Satoko is the favorite for the Japan Nationals. Kanako must prove herself again that she has a competitive mentality.
Whether you like her style or not, Satoko -like Machida, is consistent and competitive.

My pick for the Women's podium at Nationals is
1. Satoko
2. Kanako
3. Rika
 

KansaiPJ

On the Ice
Joined
Jun 30, 2014
Machida and Mura are not exactly "new"... but whatever :-D

Machida is looking awesome again this year, although he looked like a wreck at the end of his FS at Skate America - I am worried he sees this year as his biggest and best chance for the top titles (I think so myself)... and while I want him to do well, I also hope he doesn't push himself too hard and end up injured.

Yay for Mura! He really stepped up and hit it out of the park at Skate Canada. I hope he can repeat that consistently, and improve on it.

Hanyu is not "new" either but I'm very much looking forward to seeing his new programs. Just hope he stays fit - he's constantly pushing his limits, I hope he doesn't try to do too much, too quickly. And it seems to me his training this year may have been hampered by too many ice shows and too much media attention.

I do like Rika Hongo. Saw her at Finlandia (my photos HERE). She is diligent and hard-working, and seems very sweet. Her free skate in Canada was a definite improvement over Finlandia: landed her 3F-3T (albeit UR), lots more expresssion, fire and passion. I think her increased score was well deserved, and it was a very good GP debut. Great to see her smiling after her skates now, and in the K&C. Really pleased she has a second GP placement now too, I hope she keeps the momentum going and continues to improve. I agree her posture could use a little work though, and she'd get quite a boost if she could stop getting "e" on her Lutzes...!

I hope Miyabi Oba does well in her GP debut too. She had a terrible fall not that long ago, hit her head so hard she had to be carried off the ice to the hospital. She was so afraid of the ice after that, and has had to fight hard to overcome that. Last performance I saw by her, she nailed it but was very emotional afterwards and cried a lot. I hope she can continue to rebuild her confidence, and maybe she'll try the 3A in competition again in the future.

Miyahara continues to show solid, consistent performances. She's graceful, controlled and precise. Apparently lots of ladies are trying to do spins in both directions now... but Miyahara has been doing that perfectly for ages. Already a great prospect on technical ability alone, I think she could become a real star if she can add bigger jumps, emotion and expression, and earn better PCS. I hope Kanako Murakami gets out of her slump this year, because otherwise I think Miyahara could well become national champion this year.

Three Japanese juniors made it to the JGP final - Very interested to see how they do, especially Wakaba Higuchi - if she can keep her nerve (seems fearless so far), she has a good chance to get on the podium, and seems a bright hope for the future.

Shoma Uno is another rising star. He has talent, skates with style and flair, and it seems he's added a quad jump this season...

I'm a bit sad about Kozuka's poor start to the season... o_O

Really nice summary. Thanks!
 

yhmafan

Medalist
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
I don't know if Rika can 'fix' her neck and shoulders. She has a short neck and wide shoulders so I think there is nothing she can do about it except skate as well as she can.

Kinda agree. but um..I don’t think her neck is that short, is just an average in my eyes.
And yes, as someone said, She has a really good body line and I like it.
for me, now Rika is the most, whom I am paying attention to among Team Japan members all (besides Yuzuru).
Simply I like watching her dynamic skating, enjoyable and fun !
I will be keeping a close watch on her through this season.
 

Interspectator

Record Breaker
Joined
Dec 25, 2012
True, it could be that her shoulders make her neck 'appear' shorter. Anyway, she has many good qualities, as you pointed out.

Coming up, there are 3 Japanese skaters in the Cup of China--all 19 years old.
Yuzuru Hanyu
Kanako Murakami
Keiji Tanaka

Most attention will be on Hanyu, but this is an important competition for Kanako and Keiji too.
Keiji needs a solid start to his senior GP Debut and Kanako needs to get back into her competitive groove.
Good Luck team Japan.
 

thoakun

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 7, 2014
I don't even notice that her neck is short, but she still seems awkward in controlling her long limbs. Precise and controlled movement will come with age, when she grows into her own beauty.
 

hippomoomin

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 30, 2012
I noticed a number of top female skaters have short necks: Radionova's short neck-big head-narrow shoulder (everything is relative) makes people criticize her shoulders, which is an illusion--I can barely see her shoulder bones.
Satoko, and Karen Chen both have short neck. Since they are tiny, it is not that obvious. Somehow a longer neck is associated with elegance. That might be the reason why I don't find them particularly elegant despite their nice moves.

I don't know if Rika can 'fix' her neck and shoulders. She has a short neck and wide shoulders so I think there is nothing she can do about it except skate as well as she can.

I believe that Satoko is the favorite for the Japan Nationals. Kanako must prove herself again that she has a competitive mentality.
Whether you like her style or not, Satoko -like Machida, is consistent and competitive.

My pick for the Women's podium at Nationals is
1. Satoko
2. Kanako
3. Rika
 

yhmafan

Medalist
Joined
Apr 22, 2014
As for Radionova, I did not even notice that her short neck-big head. (I don’t think she has such a big head ).
Maybe because she always reminds me of the fairy drawn on the children's story or something when I see her.
and I also like watching her skating as same as the way she looks, and her cute face, it helps me to like her more :biggrin:
if someone try to look down on them (Japanese and Russian skaters) , is a really pity.
 

thoakun

Final Flight
Joined
Jun 7, 2014
Doesn't Suzuki have short neck-big head-narrow shoulders-small body frame as well? I admire her ability to choose programs which emphasize her strengths and stay competitive even when she doesn't have the "ideal" physique.
 
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