Keiji Tanaka | Page 3 | Golden Skate

Keiji Tanaka

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
List of shows Keiji's entered in:

The Legends: Medal Winners Gala (March 30, Osaka)
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAnIGMYGj80
//OT, I don't know about the other Keiji fans, but I was hoping that the baroque Traviata suit had been buried somewhere in the deepest depths of his wardrobe, never to be found again... but it strikes again. :reye://

Stars on Ice (March 31-April 1, Osaka)

Stars on Ice (April 6-8, Yokohama)

Prince Ice World (April 28-30, May 3-5, Yokohama)

Prince Ice World (May 19-20, Otsu)

Heroes and Future 2018 (June 8-10, Nagano)

Dreams on Ice (July 6-8, Yokohama)

If any of the local Keiji fans are coming to any of these, please share photos? :)
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
I stumbled across a couple of interesting articles on Keiji on a site that's dedicated to him:

1) https://tanaka-keiji.tumblr.com/post/172762437003/yuzuru-hanyus-wife-and-shoma-unos-big
where people around him talk about his interactions with Shoma and Yuzuru (I had no idea his presence at Hanyu's side might have helped Yuzuru calm down at the Olys!), including the famous lap sitting scene from FC 2016 :p Also, about how popular he is with kids, and how he keeps his stuff and place tidy (what a guy, lol! :love: /jk).
Also, I didn't know he's mostly Hyogo-based these days, and I loved this quote from a mysterious fed staffer: "Off the ice, Tanaka is the one with the most common sense, so he takes on the role of supporting and taking care of [Shoma and Yuzuru]."

2) https://tanaka-keiji.tumblr.com/post/173006172263/coach-utako-interviews-keiji-for-utakos-room
and in this one, he's being interviewed about his Olympic and Worlds experience. The mess of the boot situation and the timing of the injury in the opening of the season, is an unbelievable stroke of bad luck. I wish all who write Keiji off would read this article, though this being his fanfest, it's highly unlikely they'd peek here.
I'm superhappy he's determined to continue, and curious about the new on-ice persona he wants to become. Perhaps this means he'll drop frilly velvety costumes forever and ever? /hopeful/

Question for fellow Keiji fans, what do you wants to see from him in the new season, in terms of music, programs and elements? Since he's bent on developing and changing, what would you like to see him improve? (aside from consistency, I guess ;) )
 

livetoskate

On the Ice
Joined
Nov 24, 2006
I like him, and he shows great potential. Besides landing the jumps (his quad sal is awesome when landed), I hope he gets better costumes and choreography for the next season. Somebody said his FS costume (the royal blue 3/4 sleeve jacket with the red kerchief sticking out of a pocket) looked like a high schooler's home ec project. It looked a little goofy to me, but I really cringed at the wacky choreo in his FS where he suddenly pretended like he was running. Those types of moves, like Boyang suddenly cheesing it up in his FS, are to me, jarring and odd. Keiji has nice lines and good spins. He should skate to classical music where he can really stretch his long limbs and show elegance.
 

mikeko666

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Today was the first day of Prince Ice World Yokohama, and Keiji performed the EX version of La Traviata in this new costume, which is said to be made lighter than the original. He will debut his new EX at Prince Ice World Shiga Otsu (May 19-20), and his new FS at Dreams on Ice (July 6-8).
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Today was the first day of Prince Ice World Yokohama, and Keiji performed the EX version of La Traviata in this new costume, which is said to be made lighter than the original. He will debut his new EX at Prince Ice World Shiga Otsu (May 19-20), and his new FS at Dreams on Ice (July 6-8).

Thank you! Do you happen to know if any info on his new programs has leaked yet? Choreographers and such?
 

mikeko666

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Thank you! Do you happen to know if any info on his new programs has leaked yet? Choreographers and such?

Not that I know. Fans can talk to the skaters at PIW after the show, and Keiji will be performing tomorrow and Monday, which is a National holiday in Japan. Let's hope someone will ask him more about his new programs. :)
 

combo

Rinkside
Joined
Apr 10, 2017
I think its pretty likely that he'll keep his short program, right? He usually keeps his programs for two seasons 🤔 but he did skate it clean three times already, I don't know if that will impact things. I'm very interested in seeing what he'll do next! Hopefully no injuries, no boot troubles in the next season :pray:
 

mikeko666

Final Flight
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
I think its pretty likely that he'll keep his short program, right? He usually keeps his programs for two seasons 🤔 but he did skate it clean three times already, I don't know if that will impact things. I'm very interested in seeing what he'll do next! Hopefully no injuries, no boot troubles in the next season :pray:

Yeah, it seems like he is going to keep the SP to next season even though he skated it clean a few times already. He may want to change the jump elements as he originally wanted to have two quads in SP last year.

Some fans could see the morning practice of PIW today, and reportedly Keiji landed clean 3A, 4S and 4T.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Yeah, it seems like he is going to keep the SP to next season even though he skated it clean a few times already. He may want to change the jump elements as he originally wanted to have two quads in SP last year.

Some fans could see the morning practice of PIW today, and reportedly Keiji landed clean 3A, 4S and 4T.

Great to hear that. He will certainly need them if he wants to hold off Tomono next year. I'm very much looking forward to the upcoming fight between these two for the position of Japanese #3. :cool14:
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Thanks for the information and pics! I'm excited to see Keiji enjoy himself and challenge himself artistically. I hope his choice brings him luck in competitions in the new season!
Costume-wise, I'm fine with the shirt but for me the pretty vest has zero in common with a 13th century European character, who on earth made that choice? The material, shape and pattern would be fitting for a program to Barber de Seville, a 19th century British gentleman, or maybe even LotR soundtrack, but definitely not for Tell. Humph, maybe there's still a chance he'll change it for something more authentic.

OK, I have an admission to make: I have this dream of Keiji growing a thin moustache next season and skating to The Godfather. That would be freaking awesome as he's got both the looks and the intensity. :luv17:
 

Tavi...

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 10, 2014
Thanks for the information and pics! I'm excited to see Keiji enjoy himself and challenge himself artistically. I hope his choice brings him luck in competitions in the new season!
Costume-wise, I'm fine with the shirt but for me the pretty vest has zero in common with a 13th century European character, who on earth made that choice? The material, shape and pattern would be fitting for a program to Barber de Seville, a 19th century British gentleman, or maybe even LotR soundtrack, but definitely not for Tell. Humph, maybe there's still a chance he'll change it for something more authentic.

OK, I have an admission to make: I have this dream of Keiji growing a thin moustache next season and skating to The Godfather. That would be freaking awesome as he's got both the looks and the intensity. :luv17:

Well, Rossini wrote both Barbiere and Guillaume Tell in the 19th century. Opera productions are sometimes “updated” and set in different eras (eg Carmen set in Franco-era Spain) depending on the director’s concept. Maybe his designer was inspired by something like that.
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
Just read in the news about heavy torrential rains and flooding in Kurashiki Okayama which is where Keiji is from. If his family still live there, I hope they are OK, as well as everyone else from that prefecture. :pray:
 

surimi

Onward and forward, Sota!
Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 12, 2013
OK, I was wondering whether to be frank with my impressions of the FS or not, given the recent events in Keiji's hometown, but I'll bite the bullet and get it over with. I saw the DOI performance yesterday, and I have to say I was underwhelmed. I guess I had high hopes from the end-of-season interview where he claimed he wanted to 'totally transform himself' into a new persona, and try a 'whole new approach'. I'm just not seeing that here. It's commendable he's skating to a lesser used composition. But in my humble opinion, he just doesn't have it in him to skate to European classics. He doesn't feel it, and has trouble keeping up with the fast paced parts. IMO. After Traviata, this is the second time I see him skate to classical music, and I'm not impressed. There are other fields where I feel he might excel - as I said, I would love for him to skate to something dark, like The Godfather, or there is South American music (I don't mean Latin now, which I know he can pull off, but Andean etc), Asian music... and we've seen he's really good at modern music. He's versatile enough, but I feel European classics is out of his expression range. Why did I just say that? Because I care. I'm trying to keep up a positive outlook and give it a chance, and maybe I'll like it later in the season, but right now I just feel the program isn't a good vehicle for him, and definitely doesn't show a 'new' him.

That said, I hope he proves me wrong, and is successful in the upcoming season. I saw images of flooded Kurashiki in the news this morning, and remembered that not only his family are from there, but he's a student at the Kurashiki University as well. I hope his friends and family are alright. I wish Keiji a lot of strength, and that his season gets only better from now on.
 
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