2018-19 Japanese Ladies' figure skating | Page 120 | Golden Skate

2018-19 Japanese Ladies' figure skating

tosca

On the Ice
Joined
Aug 28, 2017
First of all, so happy that someone started this. Two, what a wonderful time to be following the Japanese women!

1) Your favorite lady in 2018
Kaori Sakamoto - I love her personality (and hope she shows it more on the ice). I have to admit, I was on the Marin Honda train when they were both juniors but the growth that Kao-chan since she switched to seniors is truly the definition of an upward trajectory. She really won me over with her Skate America 2017 performance. What I love about her is that she is different in style and *sometimes* packaging. I know that the Japanese women get criticized for their princess packaging and that just doesn’t work for Kaori’s power and style. Her skating skills are like butter and she is very musical!
2) Your favorite program of the year
1. Kaori’s FS, “The Piano”
2. Satoko’s FS, “Invierno Porteno” - I know everyone loves the SP and I will admit I was not a fan of both at the beginning of the season but I find myself drawn to watch her free over and over again.
3. Rika’s FS, “A Beautiful Storm”

I would have put Wakabond but I consider it part of LY’s season and it was my fav LY!
3) Your favorite performance
Kaori's FS at Helsinki, such grit to comeback from such a disastrous SP.
Rika’s SP at GPF bc she finally did a clean short.
4) Your favorite costume
1. Rika’s FS costume
2. Kaori’s FS costume also bc she and Shoma matched at one point
3. Satoko’s first FS costume
5) The biggest surprise
Kaori’s win at nationals but also how bad Satoko's FS costume got
6) The most sad moment/event
Rika Hongo at every competition this season
Mai Mihara always being the almost girl. This girl needs a Rachmaninoff program stat!
7) The happiest moment/event
Kaori's comeback at Finland
Wakababy’s FS at worlds
8) The most promising junior
Tomoe Kawabata with that Yuna Kim 3Lz-3T combo
9) The most promising senior
Rika Kihira but I believe there are some other seniors who could totally add a triple axel into their repertoire!
10) Your wish for 2019
Team Japan to be rewarded with the PCS and GOE that they deserve!
 

Metis

Shepherdess of the Teal Deer
Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
1. Your favorite lady in 2018
Kaori. Which is strange, because that moment of windmill-miming in last year’s free was to me what Medvedeva’s Chopin VOs seemed to be to everyone else — I don’t care how good the rest of the programme is: I WILL NOT FORGIVE THIS. Not enough “noshake” emojis in the world for that moment. And this season... I actually love her short, possibly because Satie’s Gymnopedies are my favourite piece of music, but also because there’s something so warm and engaging about Kaori that I can’t help but be drawn in. Her speed across the ice and the size of her jumps is just heavenly, and the fact that she’s so sweet off ice ... I just want all the good things to happen to this girl.

... of course, I also stan Rika and Wakaba super-hard, so choosing a favourite is painful.

2. Your favorite program of the year
Wakaba’s SP
Satoko’s SP
Kaori’s SP and FP
Rika’s SP
Marin’s SP

(I actually quite like the softer, more refined vibe of Rika’s SP, even if Mao’s take is still the Definitive Version. While the free is a strong programme, I find the short more compelling.)

3. Your favorite performance
Rika’s SP at GPF
Satoko’s SP at Skate America
Maori’s SP and FP at Nationals
Wakaba’s SP at Nationals and Skate Canada
Mako’s FP at Skate Canada

4. Your favorite costume
Rika’s SP dress
Kaori’s FP dress
Wakaba’s SP dress
Mako’s FP dress
Marin’s SP dress

5. The biggest surprise
Kaori winning nationals. Not that it was an outright upset, just that the majority of the attention was on Rika and she entered as the clear favourite — so seeing Kaori take the title was a surprise, but a great one.

6. The most sad moment/event
Wakaba’s FP at Skate Canada, if only because I was worried about her the whole way through.

7. The happiest moment/event
Wakaba’s Bond free skate at Worlds. I cry every time I watch it, still.

8. The most promising junior
Moa, if she can defeat her nerves. Innate artistry and grace in spades.

Kawabata, the best technician I’ve seen in some years and a charming performer to boot.

9. The most promising senior
Hmm. Wakaba and Kaori tie for me. I know Wakaba was working on the 3A (and wasn’t Kaori as well?) and I believe both of them are capable of additional technical content. The only reason I’m not giving this one to Rika is because I think she’s been delivering on her promise this season, as her SP score at GPF shows.

10. Your wish for 2019
Tongue in cheek: for Kaori to be given appropriate GOE — if her jumps aren’t at least a +3 (and more like a +5 when she nails them), then no one’s are.

Actual wish: for everyone to stay or become healthy and happy. I care less about the scores than whether or not skaters themselves are satisfied with what they’ve done.
 

Lamente Ariane

Skating Skills -5, Fashion +3, Camp +4
Record Breaker
Joined
Apr 5, 2017
1) Your favorite lady in 2018 (I know, i start with the most difficult)
With great difficulty... Satoko.
2) Your favorite program of the year
SP: Mai's Libertango, Satoko's Song for the Little Sparrow
FS: Wakaba's Skyfall, Rika's Beautiful Storm
3) Your favorite performance
I will never forget Rika's SP at GPF. Being in the stands for that was just incredible, the whole crowd fell in love with her that night.
4) Your favorite costume
Tie between Kaori's FS costume and Rika's FS costume, both so beautiful and great to photograph in motion
5) The biggest surprise
Definitely Kaori winning Nationals
6) The most sad moment/event
Mai missing GPF by a hair!
7) The happiest moment/event
Aaagh, how can I choose between Marin's first clean short of the season vs any one of the incredible FS comebacks?
8) The most promising junior
I enjoyed Moa Iwano best, does that count?
9) The most promising senior
Rika Kihira
10) Your wish for 2019
Good health for all the Japanese ladies. It's too much to hope for no injuries, but... I can hope.
 

Noxchild

Medalist
Joined
Feb 14, 2018
Country
Canada
I'm wondering also. Hope to see Marin, Mako, Yuna & Wakaba at some spring challengers :love:

edit: just looked at those results and good god Mai's score compared to everyone else's is Worlds '18 men-level lopsided. You go girl!
 

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
My bad. I'm mostly waiting challenge cup assignements. Last year JSF sent a big team. Novices, juniors and seniors iirc.
Would be the occasion to see future juniors like Hana Yoshida (if she has fully recovered from injury) and Rika Tejima.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to make Yuhana Yokoi compete in seniors, to improve her SB. I don't think her SB is enough to get her one guaranted spot in GP next season. She can improve it at junior worlds but a disaster can happen.
 

SnowWhite

Record Breaker
Joined
Nov 30, 2016
Country
Canada
My bad. I'm mostly waiting challenge cup assignements. Last year JSF sent a big team. Novices, juniors and seniors iirc.
Would be the occasion to see future juniors like Hana Yoshida (if she has fully recovered from injury) and Rika Tejima.
Wouldn't be a bad idea to make Yuhana Yokoi compete in seniors, to improve her SB. I don't think her SB is enough to get her one guaranted spot in GP next season. She can improve it at junior worlds but a disaster can happen.

Senior B events don't count for SB - only the Challenger series ones. The only events left this season that count for SB are Euros, 4CC, JW, Worlds and WTT.
 

sakurano

Final Flight
Joined
Oct 20, 2017
Mai is still so impressing to do more than 200 points in a minor competition, it's a good training for next month, which she misses is just good programs at the height of her talents, although I liked his Cinderella and The Mission.
 

cohkaix

FS data keeper
Medalist
Joined
Mar 9, 2013
1st round of announcement re. assignments to B-level competitions in Spring:
Source (in Japanese): https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190116-00000052-sph-spo

*Bavarian Open (February 12–17, 2019)
Satoko Miyahara, Koshiro Shimada [NB: as Koshiro is the 1st alt. to Japanese' men at WC, he should be competing at Sr. level here in order to earn the TES minimum requirement]
Also: Yuna Aoki, Yuto Kishina, Yuna Shiraiwa [NB: as Shiraiwa is assigned to JWC and needs the minimum TES for junior level competition, her assignment might be to the junior level.]

*Challenge Cup (February 21–24, 2019)
Shoma Uno, Rika Kihira, Sota Yamamoto, Wakaba Higuchi
Also: Yuma Kagiyama

(Following from the news, and already confirmed after Nationals): for Winter Universiade 2019
Men: Tomono Kazuki, Shu Nakamura, Hiroaki Sato
Ladies: Mai Mihara, Hina Takeno

*Coupe du Printemps (March 15–17, 2019, incl jr category)
Sena Miyake

NB2: saw in another news report that all the above assignments are at Sr level. I think Yuna Aoki is old enough to skate at senior level (but has been competiting at Jr. level both internationally and domestically. Not sure if Yuma Kagiyama is old enough to skate in senior level though...
 

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
I know that Shoma is a competition bulimic, but it's surprising to see Rika do a competition between 4CC and worlds. Surprising too to see Satoko in a level B.
 

cohkaix

FS data keeper
Medalist
Joined
Mar 9, 2013

yume

🍉
Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 11, 2016
1st round of announcement re. assignments to B-level competitions in Spring:
Source (in Japanese): https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20190116-00000052-sph-spo

*Bavarian Open (February 12–17, 2019)
Satoko Miyahara, Koshiro Shimada [NB: as Koshiro is the 1st alt. to Japanese' men at WC, he should be competing at Sr. level here in order to earn the TES minimum requirement]
Also: Yuna Aoki, Yuto Kishina, Yuna Shiraiwa [NB: as Shiraiwa is assigned to JWC and needs the minimum TES for junior level competition, her assignment might be to the junior level.]

*Challenge Cup (February 21–24, 2019)
Shoma Uno, Rika Kihira, Sota Yamamoto, Wakaba Higuchi
Also: Yuma Kagiyama

(Following from the news, and already confirmed after Nationals): for Winter Universiade 2019
Men: Tomono Kazuki, Shu Nakamura, Hiroaki Sato
Ladies: Mai Mihara, Hina Takeno

*Coupe du Printemps (March 15–17, 2019, incl jr category)
Sena Miyake

NB2: saw in another news report that all the above assignments are at Sr level. I think Yuna Aoki is old enough to skate at senior level (but has been competiting at Jr. level both internationally and domestically. Not sure if Yuma Kagiyama is old enough to skate in senior level though...

Yuma Kagiyama is eligible in seniors. Born in may 2003.

Good thing to give some international experience in seniors to Yuna Aoki.
 

Winnie_20

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2013
*Challenge Cup (February 21–24, 2019)
Shoma Uno, Rika Kihira, Sota Yamamoto, Wakaba Higuchi
Also: Yuma Kagiyama


Is this really for real?
Have all my dreams come true in one figure skating event? At home?!
I don’t believe it.
 
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