Japanese Nationals 20-24.12.2023

[Karen-W]

Sasaki/Ikeda - OMG - these music cuts to "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" And into "Careless Whisper" This Wham medley is something else - "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" to end. I was so distracted by the music I didn't pay close attention to their skating - not terrible - like bottom 1/3 at US Nats quality maybe - think Ling/Wein.

 

[Karen-W]

Yoshida/Morita - "Wild One" - well, the leopard print fits, I suppose, lol. Oh, massive twizzle error from him - he lost his balance and put a hand down on the ice but I think it will count as a fall! Music change to "Wild Thing" and then to "Wild Side" - I'm dying! Overall, I think they were a bit slower than Tanaka/Nishiyama and even with the twizzle error would probably have wound up 3rd behind TanNish and KoKo. Let's see how damaging the twizzle error will be in the end after Kinoshita/Tamura skate.

 

[Tak]

Utana Yoshida/ Masaya Morita "The future of Japanese Ice Dancing", IMHO

Dia Sq 2,2
SBS Tw 2,2 Morita falls during the 2nd set almost colliding with Utana!-2.40
PatDSq3
StLi 4
Choreo +4.50
That twizzle fall could have taken both down, Utana did amazing brake job just to stop in front of him.
No Barbara stare from Utana, though
64.00

 

[Hedwig]

For people looking for a feed - this one is showing day 2:

VK.com | VK

vk.com

 

[Tak]

Delivery and our dog need my attention.
See you later.

 

[Karen-W]

Kinoshita/Tamura - slower than the top 3 teams. He dropped his foot on the twizzles and probably lost a level as a result. Clearly not at the same level as the top 3.

ETA 47.30 and into 5th.

 

[Karen-W]

Standings after the RD -

PL.	選手名	所属	TSS	TES	PCS	CO	PR	SK	Deduction	StN.
1	Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama	オリエンタルバイオ	71.08	41.14	29.94	7.61	7.61	7.29	0.00	#3
2	Misato Komatsubara/Takeru Komatsubara (Tim Koleto)	倉敷FSC	70.89	40.97	29.92	7.57	7.68	7.25	0.00	#2
3	Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita	木下アカデミー	64.00	35.06	29.94	7.54	7.54	7.43	1.00	#5
4	Ayano Sasaki/Yosimitu Ikeda	日本大学 西武東伏見ＦＳＣ	51.47	29.62	21.85	5.57	5.43	5.43	0.00	#4
5	Akari Kinoshita/Takahiko Tamura	慶應義塾大学 三田スケートクラブ	47.30	27.82	19.48	5.04	5.07	4.54	0.00	#6
6	Yuri Kunimura/Kaiji Sakabe	臨海フィギュアSC 大阪経済大学	40.71	23.14	17.57	4.43	4.39	4.39	0.00	#1

Judges protocols - https://www.jsfresults.com/National/2023-2024/fs_j/national/data0403.pdf

 

[Dobre]

Shingo Nishiyama. Better late than never. If anyone finds a link to this program, I would like to see this RD.

 

[Karen-W]

Day 3 live streams -

主播花花直播间_主播花花综合直播_主播花花综合比赛视频直播-企鹅直播

欢è¿æ¥å°ä¸»æ主æè±è±çä¼é¹ç´æ综åç´æé´10012776,æ¬ç´æé´æä¾æ精彩ç主æè±è±ç»¼åç´æ,主æè±è±å¸¦ä½ è§çææ趣ç综åè§é¢ç´æ

live.qq.com

VK.com | VK

vk.com

 

[Karen-W]

Nagaoka's dress looks a bit like a blinged up version of Madison Chock's alien dress.

 

[Frau Muller]

Tanaka/Nishiyama’s Super Mario RD from an earlier competition this season:

Azusa Tanaka / Shingo Nishiyama Souvenir Georges-Ãthier2023 Rhythm Dance ç°ä¸æ¢æ² / 西山çç

www.youtube.com

Very cute!

 

[Karen-W]

Absolutely fantastic skate from Nagaoka/Moriguchi! The JSF really made a mistake in not sending them to Golden Spin to try for the 4CCs TES mins again. Hope they'll be sent to Bavarian Open or Challenge Cup so they can get the Worlds TES mins. Once they get a 3tw, they're going to be competitive with the best teams in the world!

 

[Karen-W]

Judges protocol for the Pairs FS - https://www.jsfresults.com/National/2023-2024/fs_j/national/data0305.pdf

The 3lo+2a+2a seq was a beauty, as were her throws and the SBS 3lz.

PL.	選手名	所属	TSS	TES	PCS	CO	PR	SK	Deduction	StN.
1	Yuna Nagaoki/Sumitada Moriguchi	木下アカデミー	117.57	65.31	52.26	6.50	6.43	6.64	0.00	#1

Final Result -

PL	選手名	所属	SP	FS	Points
1.	Yuna Nagaoki/Sumitada Moriguchi	木下アカデミー	1	1	173.64

 

[Tak]

Wow! for Nagaoka/Moriguchi Free skate.
SBS 3Lo+2A+2A and SBS 3Lz as well as Th3Lo and Th3S, all nailed!
Bavarian seems to be one of few opportunities to get the missing Worlds Minimums.
Well Done!

 

[Jarrett]

How hard it is to get tickets for Japanese nationals? I think I want to add it to my bucket list along with going to Euros one year.

 

[Hedwig]

Rest of Men Free:

Kazuki Kushida

all in black
dramatic start
4toe goodish
3axxel< s.o 2toe
3z <
3flip fall
every jump is a bit or a bit more of a struggle, that is exhausting for him since that takes al of extra strength
3axel wobble into spread eagle
3z 3toe, lutz looked < again
1loop 2axel
that was a struggle from beginning to end but he never gave up!

 

[Hedwig]

Koshiro Shimada

oh no bad slip in the entrance to the quad loop
4toe < s.o.
3axel 3toe< near fall
3flip
3axel euler 3sal s.o.

again a skate with lots of struggles
3lutz 2axel s.o. - lutz was the first good jump but messed it up with the axel

3loop q

this will drop him like a stone if indeed all the < and q are called that I think I saw in real time

 

[Jarrett]

I appreciate his costume. Reminds me of something Weir would wear around 2004/05. Way too many problems on the jumps though but he was still trying to sell it and didn't give up.

 

[Karen-W]

FD is about to start -

VK stream is up - https://vk.com/figure_skaters_ru

 

[Karen-W]

Starting Order -

Group 1
1 Yuri Kunimura/Kaiji Sakabe
2 Akari Kinoshita/Takahiko Tamura
3 Ayano Sasaki/Yosimitu Ikeda

Group 2
4 Utana Yoshida/Masaya Morita
5 Misato Komatsubara/Takeru Komatsubara (Tim Koleto)
6 Azusa Tanaka/Shingo Nishiyama

 

[Tak]

Will join you for second flight.
Still recovering from incredible Mens Free last night...

 

[Karen-W]

Kunimura/Sakabe - music is the Finale from Les Demoiselles de Rochefort and the skating is all very pleasant and sweet but it went from green blobs to yellow to red and yellow mixed about halfway through and they're as underwhelming today as they were Thursday.

ETA - FD score 66.37, total score 107.08

 

[Karen-W]

Kinoshita/Tamura - Glee covers of Like A Virgin, Like A Prayer, and Vogue - just... why? Are they trying to drive home just how vanilla they are? I mean, if you wanted to skate to these songs, just save it for next season and use the originals. Oh, I see they took the IAM board-hugging 101 class offered by Lilah & Lewis...

ETA - FD score 77.56, total score 124.86

 

[Karen-W]

Sasaki/Ikeda - they look like they're going to dance the foxtrot. Oh, nope... Skyfall. They have a very smooth, fluid movement to their skating. Music change to the No Time to Die soundtrack. Crap twizzles from them. Everyone should know by now that I'm a sucker for a good 007 program. This is not that. Just... meh. No edge or danger. Maybe we can get Madi & Evan to give us a 007 program - ooooo... might have to go over to their fan thread and see if we can get a campaign going to send this to them for an RD suggestion for next season. Wow... that was a tangent I went on there, which tells you all you need to know about this actual program I just watched.

FD - 77.93
Total - 129.40

 

[Karen-W]

Warmup group 2 is on the ice. Misato is wearing one of Haley Sales' cast-off negligee/nightie "costumes".

 

[Tak]

Looking forward to Yoshida/Morita doing their "Phoenix" program, well.
Perhaps appropriate, since they err "crashed and burned" in RD Twizzles.

 

[Karen-W]

Yoshida/Morita - I'd have guessed "Firebird" if @Tak hadn't already told us it was a "Phoenix" program. I mean, they're the same thing, even though the music is not Stravinsky, lol.

I like their intensity. Foot down by him on their first twizzle, that's gonna get reviewed. Overall lots of potential with this team but not quite ready for the top of the podium yet.

 

[Tak]

Getting Level 3 for both in OFT and DiStSq is impressive.
But Morita did have minor problem in the 2nd set of Twizzles again.
They did much better at Dance Qualifying Event at West Japan.
Not enough attack, here
109.17 173.17

 

[Tak]

Komatsubaras
They also get Level 3 OFT and CirStSq, surprising.
Scoring just around previous pair at 63.03 according to TES Tracker.
They do have around 5 point lead from RD over Yoshida/Morita.
107.50 178.39 Leads!

 

[Karen-W]

Team KoKo - God help me if this is a POTO program. I know I saw it at NHK but I can't remember. Oh, no, it's not. Maybe worse? Barbra Streisand singing "Loving You" with Patrick Wilson. Not the song or singer itself but... KoKo have definitely taken up the vanilla latte style that Tina Garabedian & Simon Proulx-Senecal left at Gadbois when they retired. Good twizzles with them bent at the waist to disguise Tim's slouchy posture, lol. Seriously... even in the lift - he looks like he's slinging her around with his loose posture. If I thought that losing would send them off into retirement, I'd be hoping TaNishi can beat them tonight but, alas, they're never going to go away.