2017-2018 Japanese Nationals Ladies FS

[Lzbee]

Just watched the Ladies free skates.

I'm very sad for Yuna Shiraiwa and Nana Araki. Nana's jumps are magnificent and she seems to have a technique that's similar to Yuna Kim with very little pre-rotation and great height and distance. Sadly, she seemed very nervous this time but she's still very young. How likely is she to be selected for Junior Worlds?

Rika Kihira's skate was amazing. Those have to be my favourite 3A out of all them so far and she deservedly got lots of GOE points for them. Hoping she can keep the 3A and improve her spins to really give Trusova a run for her money. I think the best part about it is that she doesn't have a extra long set up like Mao used to and they don't look muscled at all. Congrats Rika!

Mai's freeskate really suits her and watching her here reminded me of why I like her skating. She may not have huge explosive jumps but her jumps have the lightest, softest landings I've ever seen. She really makes it look so easy. She won't make it to the Olympics now but I hope she will keep skating, I feel she still has untapped potential.

Wakaba, oh Wakaba. Satoko has really thrown her a lifeline here as she can still make it to the Olympics but now the pressure is greater than ever, if that's what she wants. She will need to beat Kaori at 4CC to do so but she has a chance. She actually skated pretty well, only one little mistake, but even though she kept the performance up, you can tell it was on her mind. I sometimes forget she's only 16, maybe she could make it to the next Olympics if she brings out a triple axel?

I've never been a big fan of Satoko but she's more expressive here with a fire that I've not seen her skate with before. I like this Satoko much better. Seeing Kaori ahead of her in the short must have been a shock after being undisputed Japan #1 for so long. Anyway, I think her PCS was well deserved although that score looks like no underrotations were called.

 

[Lota]

Kaori!!!

 

[randomfan]

I think Wakaba is being punished because she is the reason why Japan only has 2 spots for the Olympics. Her 11th place finish at Worlds last year was a big blow for Japan. I love her style which I believe is a mix between Yamaguchi and Ito. I really wished she would make the Olympics or World team but not likely to happen.
Japan really deserves 3 spots instead of the US ladies who are a disaster this season.

Can we please stop blaming people for this matter? Seriously, we’ve had so many of these posts for so many months. I’m not aiming this at just you, since many others have said the same thing. Please, everyone just cut it out.

 

[rhubarb]

TBH i really think Satoko is overrated. Compared to other skaters, she doesn't get much height on her jumps. But I think her FS PCS was fair.

Still, Kaori deserved gold.:noshake:

 

[lavender]

TBH i really think Satoko is overrated. Compared to other skaters, she doesn't get much height on her jumps. But I think her FS PCS was fair.

Still, Kaori deserved gold.:noshake:

Now I really like kaori but she came in 4th in the long. She has to beat 2 others to even get close to Satoko overall.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

I think Wakaba is being punished because she is the reason why Japan only has 2 spots for the Olympics. Her 11th place finish at Worlds last year was a big blow for Japan. I love her style which I believe is a mix between Yamaguchi and Ito. I really wished she would make the Olympics or World team but not likely to happen.
Japan really deserves 3 spots instead of the US ladies who are a disaster this season.

Wakaba is on the World team so she is hardly being punished. It's not the JSF who caused her to have errors that she had at Nationals. Had she not popped she could have beat Kaori and gotten her Olympic spot. She also had the option to backload as Kaori opted to do. She could have risked a 3A (which she has landed) as Rika did. The fact that she was given Worlds when the fed could have sent Kaori/Satoko shows they still believe in her and are hardly punishing her. People should not blame the fed or say the deck is stacked against her when she makes mistakes that compromise her score.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

TBH i really think Satoko is overrated. Compared to other skaters, she doesn't get much height on her jumps. But I think her FS PCS was fair.

Still, Kaori deserved gold.:noshake:

I disagree... there is a considerable difference between Satoko and Kaori's Skating. It was not really reflected in their PCs at Skate America but at Nationals IMO they did acknowledge it with a greater PCS difference.

Kaori is a strong jumper but beyond that her performance wasn't gold-worthy. Satoko has small jumps but overall is far superior a skater.

 

[risingtrot]

Kaori's long program was actually kind of funny with all the imaginary stuffs going on with some literally robotic moves as well. She scored well because she nailed her jumps plus the back load. Hopefully in time and with better choreography she will improve artistically. She's not my favorite but I do support her. I think she is likeable though. I also think her body type is a bit similar with Osmond. This makes it easier for her to have longer strides in her jumps.

Just joking but hopefully Kaori will also get overscored just like those Skaters with backloaded programs and questionable content and PCS. Peace.

 

[CanadianSkaterGuy]

Kaori's long program was actually kind of funny with all the imaginary stuffs going on with some literally robotic moves as well. She scored well because she nailed her jumps plus the back load. Hopefully in time and with better choreography she will improve artistically. She's not my favorite but I do support her. I think she is likeable though. I also think her body type is a bit similar with Osmond. This makes it easier for her to have longer strides in her jumps.

Just joking but hopefully Kaori will also get overscored just like those Skaters with backloaded programs and questionable content and PCS. Peace.

It's ironic because while some laud this type of pantomiming/interpretation for Kaori's, they criticize Eteri's students for such pantomiming movements. I personally don't like either and I find the robotic movements and very obvious rest period a bit distracting. Although I do enjoy the fresh youthfulness Kaori otherwise brings to the program. The dress was also WAY less drab and better suited for her this time around.

 

[Shayuki]

It's ironic because while some laud this type of pantomiming/interpretation for Kaori's, they criticize Eteri's students for such pantomiming movements. I personally don't like either and I find the robotic movements and very obvious rest period a bit distracting. Although I do enjoy the fresh youthfulness Kaori otherwise brings to the program. The dress was also WAY less drab and better suited for her this time around.

Yeah... It looks like very lazy choreo with obvious complete rest, without the dedication to artistry. To be honest, I have grown to dislike the entire fs. Even outside of the nap in the middle it is full of two foot gliding. As if she is looking to do nothing but jumps and that is the only content in the fs. Whatever is in between the technical elements is very very simple. So much so that if I saw a 8yo Russian girl doing that I would immediately label her as untalented and skip to the next one.

It truly makes no sense how few complaints there are about this. This is no senior - even junior - program.

 

[mikeko666]

Yeah... It looks like very lazy choreo with obvious complete rest, without the dedication to artistry. To be honest, I have grown to dislike the entire fs. Even outside of the nap in the middle it is full of two foot gliding. As if she is looking to do nothing but jumps and that is the only content in the fs. Whatever is in between the technical elements is very very simple. So much so that if I saw a 8yo Russian girl doing that I would immediately label her as untalented and skip to the next one.

It truly makes no sense how few complaints there are about this. This is no senior - even junior - program.

That's is your personal opinion, which is fine, but no one is obligated to agree with you. I find Kaori's FS fresh and contemporary. There are some people who like the program including Daisuke Takahashi, who said he wanted to work with Benoît Richaud citing Kaori's Amelie in a recent interview.

 

[formersk8ter]

It's ironic because while some laud this type of pantomiming/interpretation for Kaori's, they criticize Eteri's students for such pantomiming movements.

I luuuuuuuuuuuuuuurves me a little posing and pantomiming. :agree:

Better that than no attempt at interpretation at all.

 

[Shayuki]

That's is your personal opinion, which is fine, but no one is obligated to agree with you. I find Kaori's FS fresh and contemporary. There are some people who like the program including Daisuke Takahashi, who said he wanted to work with Benoît Richaud citing Kaori's Amelie in a recent interview.

You can like it artistically while disliking its obvious ease. These are not exclusive. And by the way, the program being easy skating-wise is not really down to opinion that can be labeled under the "tastes"-card.

 

[FSGMT]

The thing that bothers me the most about Kaori's FS is that she has never been an expressive skater in the "Western" sense: while she's skating, her face is often expressionless in a very composed and detached way. So why give her a program full of mimicking? Most of the time she looks as if she was doing it listlessly, as if she didn't really care: the result is that (as opposed to many Eteri girls such as Tarakanova) it is not a bit convincing :hopelessness:

 

[mikeko666]

I disagree... there is a considerable difference between Satoko and Kaori's Skating. It was not really reflected in their PCs at Skate America but at Nationals IMO they did acknowledge it with a greater PCS difference.

Kaori is a strong jumper but beyond that her performance wasn't gold-worthy. Satoko has small jumps but overall is far superior a skater.

There is a considerable difference between Satoko and Kaori's jumps. It was NEVER reflected in either their BV nor GOE at ANY competitions. Kaori’s Midori Ito-class jumps and Satoko’s novice-like jumps received rather comparable GOE at Nationals, not to mention the tech panel intentionally overlooked Satoko’s several URs.

 

[MaiKatze]

The thing that bothers me the most about Kaori's FS is that she has never been an expressive skater in the "Western" sense: while she's skating, her face is often expressionless in a very composed and detached way. So why give her a program full of mimicking? Most of the time she looks as if she was doing it listlessly, as if she didn't really care: the result is that (as opposed to many Eteri girls such as Tarakanova) it is not a bit convincing :hopelessness:

I don't want to compare since that leads to arguments all around but for me personally, I don't agree with that opinion. I think Kaori has an expressive face. It's a very classical japanese face, like the one's you find in classical ukiyo-e art. She would do great with a kabuki-themed program when she's a little older, but for now that playful and quirky Amelié program really suits her. I wrote it in her Fanfest, I wish they would somehow change the middle part, where nothing happens at all for a few seconds, the program comes to a standstill almost. Just add a few more choreographic movements so it looks less empty there.

 

[mikeko666]

The thing that bothers me the most about Kaori's FS is that she has never been an expressive skater in the "Western" sense: while she's skating, her face is often expressionless in a very composed and detached way. So why give her a program full of mimicking? Most of the time she looks as if she was doing it listlessly, as if she didn't really care: the result is that (as opposed to many Eteri girls such as Tarakanova) it is not a bit convincing :hopelessness:

You just can't read expressions on a very East Asian face. Kaori's face reminds me of a Hakata doll's.

 

[MaiKatze]

You just can't read expressions on a very East Asian face. Kaori's face reminds me of a Hakata doll's.

Wow, yeah I totally see it. Hakata Doll, do they come from Fukuoka?

 

[mikeko666]

Wow, yeah I totally see it. Hakata Doll, do they come from Fukuoka?

Yes. They have been around for about 400 years.

 

[FSGMT]

I don't want to compare since that leads to arguments all around but for me personally, I don't agree with that opinion. I think Kaori has an expressive face. It's a very classical japanese face, like the one's you find in classical ukiyo-e art. She would do great with a kabuki-themed program when she's a little older, but for now that playful and quirky Amelié program really suits her. I wrote it in her Fanfest, I wish they would somehow change the middle part, where nothing happens at all for a few seconds, the program comes to a standstill almost. Just add a few more choreographic movements so it looks less empty there.

You just can't read expressions on a very East Asian face. Kaori's face reminds me of a Hakata doll's.

I'm not criticizing her facial expressions in themselves: I find them very appropriate for her SP or for last year's FS and I understand that they come from a culture very different from mine, I just think they don't suit the kind of choreography/music/packaging she has been given in this Amelie FS, it just feels very awkward to me, especially considering how "Western" Amelie's facial expressions were in the film hwell: