#stars on ice japan 2024

[rabidline]

2024 Stars on Ice Japan: Osaka - March 30, 2024 Kaori Sakamoto → Baby, God Bless You (Orchestral Version) by Shinya Kiyozuka, choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle

[grantmentis]

2024 Ice Hockey Women's World Championship: A Primer

When: April 3rd to April 14th. The schedule here will tell you when games are taking place both in your local time and venue time.

Where is it taking place?: Utica, New York

Where to watch:

For the first time, we will have ALL games broadcasted in USA and Canada. I am not sure how many games are going to be broadcasted outside North America, but we can reasonably assume they will at least carry their home country games

TSN will carry all games in canada

NHL Network and ESPN+ will carry a mix of the games together. See The Ice Garden's Michelle Jay's tweet for the schedule of which games are where.

SVT (Sweden)

Discovery (Finland)

Czech TV (Czechia)

Magenta (Germany)

TBS (Japan)

Swiss TV (Switzerland)

If you are not in any of these countries, or you are but are struggling to find a way to watch, please feel free to DM me and I will do my best to find you something

What is the tournament format?:

There are two divisions, Division A with the five ranked teams going into the tournament and Division B with the next five. Each division plays a round robin style ranking round, and at the conclusion the bottom two teams in Division B will be relegated, while the rest automatically make the quarterfinals. Quarterfinals will go A1-B3, A2-B2, A3-B1, A4-A5. In addition to the finals for gold that will take place, there will be a bronze medal game and a fifth place game for ranking. Standings will use a three point systems.

Who is in each division?:

Division A: USA, Canada, Czechia, Switzerland, Finland

Division B: Sweden, Japan, Germany, China, Denmark

Who are each teams?

Here is where it gets long. Below the cut I will tell you each teams roster, how they did last year, their reasonable goals, notable roster changes, and three players to watch. I will do my best to keep this informative, but brief.

USA

Roster:

(Text version available here)

2023 Result: Won Gold

2024 goals: Win gold again

Notable roster changes: This team continues to go very very young. Abby Roque is the most notable roster omission here. Top defender Lee Stecklein is also not on this roster, due to her taking a break from the National Team. Amanda Kessel was also left off, but she has not been active within the last year as a player, so not entirely surprising.

Three players to watch: Grace Zumwinkle has been one of the stars of the PWHL so far, and is likely to get more responsibility on the national team than ever before, so keep an eye on her and how she may translate her successful season to the tournament. Rory Guilday may only be 21, but she is heading to her third senior world championships, a long time favorite of the team USA coaching staff with her shutdown defensive skills who they'll hope can take another step this tournament with Lee Stecklein absent. Joy Dunne is the youngest player on this roster, just 18 years old coming off a 24-18-42 season in Ohio and a national championship. This will be her first senior level tournament, and I'd expect her to get ample offensive opportunities.

Canada

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 result: Silver

2024 goals: Gold

Notable roster changes: Micah Zandee-Hart is the most surprising one after being on the roster for a few years. Claire Thompson is absent as is Rebecca Johnston, but that is more expected while Thompson is finishing medical school and Johnston has not played in the past calendar year. Cousins Nicole and Julia Gosling join the team after strong rivalry series showings.

Three players to watch: Natalie Spooner is the front runner for PWHL MVP, so everyone will be watching to see if she continues to score at the rate she has been. Expected number one overall pick in the upcoming PWHL draft, Sarah Fillier, will be playing in her last showing before the draft happens as she finished out her college season. Nicole Gosling was the highest scoring defender in the NCAA this year at Clarkson, going 14-25-39 in 40 regular season games, so seeing how she impacts this blue line is a must watch.

Czechia

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: Bronze

2024 goal: upset their opponent in the semifinals and make the finals

Roster changes: The bad news is top defender Dominika Lásková is out with injury. The good news is star goaltender Klára Peslarová is healthy unlike last year, as is blueline mainstay Tereza Radová. Alena Mills retired from the national team. Kristýna Pátková did not make the team this year, in her place comes Boston University commit Anežka Čabelová who had a stellar U18 worlds. Karolína Kosinová did not make the team, in her place is HV71 assistant captain Klara Seroiszková.

Three players to watch: 17 year old Adéla Šapovalivová was the highest scoring u18 player in the SDHL (Sweden's highest level league) this year and one of their top scorers in general going 11-18-29 in 32 regular season games. She was also a key part of the U18 team that upset Canada in the semifinals to advance to Czechia's first ever u18 final. With Mills retired, she will get more minutes at her third (!!!!) senior worlds. Next up is Klára Peslarová, and if you're not familiar with her game, she is straight up a top five goaltender in the world. She just came off a stellar season with Brynäs IF in Sweden where she had a .935 save percentage in 20 games, and has been consistently stellar on the international stage as well like when she had 55 saves against the united states at the olympics. Kateřina Mrázová is a fantastic playmaker has been a bright spot on a Ottawa tam that has struggled to find itself, and is also one of the most veteran members of this squad. If they win, she'll have to lead the way.

Finland

Roster

Text version available here

2023 finish: Fifth Place

2024 goals: Bronze

Roster changes: Two of their key offensive pieces Elisa Holopainen and Michelle Karvinen, are back and healthy this year! Susanna Tapani is also back on this team. Those are three absolute big pieces that completely change this roster for the better. A few depth roster forwards were left off in their place, most notably Kiira Yrjänen. Defense has more shakeups. Sini Karjalainen is a notable omission and long time defender Rosa Lindstedt retired. Eve Savander, Oona Koukkula, and Siiri Yrjölä slot in.

Three players to watch: I've consistently been a very big Elisa Holopainen fan and I think she's one of the best players in the world and not talked about nearly enough. Just as she began to really shine in the international stage, she got hit with injury, but as she's come back with year she dominated Finland's league going 32-25-57 in 19 games. I think I've put her as a player to watch like every year I've done a preview and I'm going to keep going it. Finland has faced a lot of questions about their goaltending following Räty and the team going their separate ways, but right now, it is Sanni Ahola's crease to lose. She was stellar in the three games she started last year for Finland in the world championship and was solid for st cloud state with a .935 save percentage in 17 starts this year. With Lindstedt's retirement, Krista Parkkonen will see more minutes, coming off a breakout sophomore year in a university of vermont program that's developed a decent amount of international blueliners.

Switzerland

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 result; 4th place

2024 goals: bronze

Roster changes: quite a lot of shake up. no Caroline spies as their mainstay backup, Alexandra Lehmann takes her place. No Sarah Forster, who wore an A and led their defense last time around. She only played 7 games in SWHL this year, so likely injury is at play.

Players to watch: it is, of course, the Alina Müller and Lara Stalder show until it isn’t. So, besides them, the players to watch are Andrea Brändli is another “top five goaltender in the world” to know, sporting a .937 in her first year playing in Sweden post a stellar college career. 18 year old Ivana Marie Wey just had a great year playing pro as Stalder’s teammate and will be important for the next Swiss wave. With no Forster, Lara Christen will take on a lot of the top defensive minutes most likely.

Sweden

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 results: sixth

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: no Sarah Grahn which isn’t entirely expected but still a big change, in response Ida Boman gets the call. No Fanny Rask or Olivia Carlsson, who retired.

Three players to know: Ebba Hedqvist is a 17 year old elite center coming off a great performance at worlds and has an eye for playmaking that will be critical for Sweden. Maja Nylén Persson is the #1 defender of team Sweden that has consistently been the top defender by points in the SDHL and won defender of the year in 2022-2023, and she is only 23 years old. Another part of Sweden’s insane center depth is Lina Ljungblom, who will likely play in Montreal next year and had 46 points in 36 regular season games. In the various tournaments/friendlies that Sweden has played leading up to this (ie five nations cup), she has 10 goals in 15 games. These three players are truly some of my favorite in hockey right now

Japan

Roster

(Text version available here)

2023 result: 7th

2024 hopes: return to group A

Roster changes: honestly we mostly running this back. One or two u18 add ins but overall the same as 2023

Players to watch: stop me if you heard this before but Akane Shiga is very good. The PWHL Ottawa player is the only player from Japan to score against the USA, and will continue to be japans biggest threat. Another big player is Haruka Toko, one of the SDHL’s top scorers this year who had established herself as a top talent in the last two years. This year, the 27 year old had 13 goals and 30 assists in 36 games in Sweden this year. She was one of seven players in Japan to play in Sweden this year, a year that saw a new high in Japanese players going overseas to play. That also includes my last player to watch, Yoshino Enomoto, who played in switzerland and still put up around a point per game on a team that struggled (they folded in the offseason then came back and built their roster late and were ultimately relegated, but she was a bright spot in her first season there)

Fun fact: did you know three pairs of sisters play on this team? Akane and Aoi Shiga, Haruka toko and Ayaka Hitosato, and Rio and Riri Noro

Germany

Roster

(text version available here)

2023 Results: Eighth

2024 Goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Both goalies behind Abstreiter last year, Chiara Schultes and Johanna May, did not make this roster with Hemmerle and Loist taking their place. The d core remains the same besides Daria Gleissner taking Heidi Strompf's place. National team vet Marie Delarbre is absent with injury, Sonja Weidenfelder did not play hockey this year and her status is uncertain, and Anne Bartsch did not make the roster. In their place we have Emily Nix, Lilli Welcke, and Lucia Schmitz.

Three players to watch: Luisa Welcke was with Germany last year, but has a second season in the NCAA under her belt and a nice depth player performance at Boston University. She will have more chances to show off her offense this tournament than in the NCAA, and I'm excited to see what she can show. Jule Schiefer had a revelation this year in the German league. From last year where she only scored 4 goals in 20 games, this year she scored 22 in 24. Let's see if she can continue this at worlds. Nina Jobst-Smith will play big defensive minutes for Germany after finishing her fourth season at Minnesota Duluth, this time serving as an assistant captain, and was nominated for 2023-24 All-WCHA Third Team. She's a two way defender who will be taking on big responsibility for Germany as she has in the past.

China

Roster

(Text Version available here)

2023 result: Promotion from Division I

2024 goal: Make quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Oh boy. So, like, a lot of people, and here is why: up until this tournament, China allowed dual citizens not born in China to play for them. This includes some players you may know from PWHL/NCAA like Leah Lum, Hannah Miller, Rachel Llanes, and Tia Chan. Going into this tournament, they changed the rules and those players will not be eligible, so it is a significant roster shakeup.

Three player to watch; This team is very young. Yifan Wang is 16 years old, and in her international debut scored 10 goals in 5 games in the WJC-D2A U18. This is obviously a gigantic step up in competition and very hard for a 16 year old to be playing against adults on the highest level stage of women's hockey, so I don't imagine she'll get a TON of ice time, but she is worth looking out for. Xin Fang is the veteran and star of this roster, who had 2 goal and 2 assists in the teams D1A tournament that earned them their promotion. 17 year old Dartmouth commit Grace Zhan is who I expect to be their starting goaltender. Born in Beijing, she spent the past year playing Minnesota High School Hockey and put up top numbers in a league that sees a lot of NCAA recruits.

Denmark

Roster

(Text version here)

2023 Results: Promotion from Division I

2024 hope: Make Quarterfinals and avoid relegation

Roster changes: Long time national team star and centerpiece of the team Josefine Jakobsen will no longer play for Denmark, though she will continue her club career.) Otherwise, despite some depth changes, it is mostly the same lineup.

Three players to watch: Frederikke Foss had a great year at Shattuck St Mary's u19 program and has committed to UMaine, and may be able to spark some offense Denmark will desperately need without Jakobsen. Silke Lave Glud will also be expected to carry the offense after her stellar year in the Tier 2 league in Sweden, and lead the way for younger players as one of the most experienced members of the team. Goaltender Emma-Sofie Nordström's performance at the D1A worlds was a big reason for their promotion, and she is coming off a great sophmore year at st. lawrence university where she had a .931 save percentage in 36 games and 7 shutouts. If Denmark wants to stay in the top division, she will need to steal a game for them.

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.08.05] AERA x Yuzuru Hanyu: 24.8.12-19 No. 37

person in focus

"After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well."

A session with photographer Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year. In a long interview exclusive to this magazine, he talks about the ideals he pursues.

Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu

Born December 7, 1994 in Sendai. 2009 Won the Junior Grand Prix Final at age 14. 2010 Became the youngest Japanese male to win the World Junior Championships. 2011 While practicing at a rink in Sendai, the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred, and he had to live in an evacuation shelter. The rink where he was training was temporarily closed. 2012 First participated in the World Championships, coming in third. 2013 Graduated from Tohoku High School. Enrolled in a correspondence course at the Faculty of Human Sciences at Waseda University, studying human informatics and cognitive sciences. Won his first Grand Prix Final. Won four consecutive titles thereafter. 2014 First Asian gold medal in men's figure skating at the Sochi Olympics. First World Championship win. 2017 Second World Championship win. 2018 Second gold medal in men's figure skating at the Pyeongchang Olympics. 2020 Won his first Four Continents Championship, becoming the first man to win all major international junior and senior competitions. 2022 Participated in the Beijing Olympics. In July, announced his professional career. The ice show "Prologue" was held in Yokohama in November and in Hachinohe in December. 2023 In February, the ice show "GIFT" was held at Tokyo Dome. In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In March and April, he appeared in the ice show "Stars on Ice" (Osaka, Iwate, Yokohama). In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Miyagi, Niigata, Kobe). In November, the ice show "RE_PRAY" tour began at Saitama Super Arena. The following year, it was held at SAGA Arena in Saga in January, Pia Arena MM in Yokohama in February, and Sekisui Heim Super Arena in Miyagi in April. 2024 In March, the ice show "notte stellata" was held in Miyagi Prefecture. In May and June, he appeared in the ice show "Fantasy on Ice" (Makuhari, Aichi). On September 15th, he will be performing in the "Noto Peninsula Reconstruction Support Charity Performance Challenge" in Ishikawa Prefecture.

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It has been two years since he made a new start as a professional figure skater in the summer of 2022. In 2024, he led three successful ice shows: "RE_PRAY" (Saga, Yokohama, Miyagi performances), "notte stellata" and "Fantasy on Ice".

The shoot with Mika Ninagawa for the first time in a year began with a cheerful greeting from each other, "Thank you for your continued support this year," and "Thank you." When she said to him, "You're still as young as ever!", Hanyu replied with a smile, a little embarrassed, "I'm almost 30."

"Move freely."

With those words, he made expressions and gestures as he pleased.

Various scenes were set up in the vast studio. Hanyu, who changed costumes and was photographed in each scene, moved and made expressions freely, sometimes under instructions and sometimes as if he was imagining (creating) a story himself. The people watching repeatedly let out gasps of amazement as the images were displayed one after another on the computer monitor. It was nothing short of amazing how he instantly exuded various moods - from boyish with a hint of innocence to cool and seductive.

His creativity was not limited to the way he behaved as a subject. When the BGM was played during the shoot, his body naturally responded to the music, and he also requested songs himself when he saw the costumes. There was also a moment when he saw a prop that had been set up and asked, "Do you have one more of these?" This revealed his high level of creative awareness.

The shooting has completed.

"Thank you very much," he said, and there was something light-hearted and cheerful about it. After a year, what he showed in the studio was a more mature and expressive side to him.

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Exclusive interview with this magazine

[In pursuit of a distant ideal]

He is now in his third year as a professional figure skater. Reflecting on his days of taking on unprecedented challenges, he spoke about what he has gained from them and what the future holds.

Photo: Mika Ninagawa    Writer: Takaomi Matsubara

Yuzuru Hanyu, the journey continues

hair & make up: Noboru Tomizawa  styling: Masataka Hattori costume: NEEDLES    BED j.w. FORD    YUKI HASHIMOTO  prop styling: Ayumi Endo

Yuzuru Hanyu started out as a professional figure skater in 2022. In his first professional ice show, "Prologue," he performed the first solo ice show in history. He skated for nearly two hours, with a structure that richly conveyed his skating career. Following "Prologue," he then performed a solo show at the Tokyo Dome for the first time in history, "GIFT." The ice show filled the gigantic venue, which had never been seen before.  After "Prologue" and "GIFT," he held the performance "notte stellata" in March 2023, which was filled with thoughts and prayers for March 11. It has been a year since our interview last summer, following those three performances.

Changes in the "depth" of thinking

"When I was interviewed a year ago, it had just been a year since I turned professional. I had a desire to grow and learn more specialized things. In the year since then, I think that my technique, expression, and many other aspects have changed. Among them, I feel that I have had many more opportunities to think about expression. I have been thinking about expression even in my daily life. I think that the way I think about my show, the way I think about each program, the depth of those things has clearly changed." He talks about what triggered the change in the past year. "First of all, I had to spend more time thinking about writing a new ice story after GIFT and also about my own performance.” The new ice story was "RE_PRAY", under the title "ICE STORY 2nd".  It opened on November 4, 2023 at Saitama Super Arena. It was performed in Saitama for two days, on that day and the following day, and in the new year it was performed in Saga on January 12th and 14th, and in Yokohama on February 17th and 19th, for a total of six performances in three cities. After the premiere in Saitama on November 4th, Hanyu said the following. "First of all, I myself have learned from games, manga, novels, and various other sources, about what life is all about, how precious life is, and other similar things that everyone else roughly feels.

In games, the concept of life is really light in a sense, and you can repeat it, so you can use characters to do all sorts of things and push forward with curiosity. If you apply that to the real world, you might be a person who has the drive to grab hold of dreams, or conversely, from a different perspective, you might be a very terrifying person. But if you could do it all over again, I'm sure people would try it."

24 hours a day, always skating

In this story with a game motif, the question of "choice" is often depicted. We make choices in our lives, even if we are not aware of it. What if you choose a different option than the one you originally chose? Or would you choose the same option? This story asks the audience, which serves as an opportunity to reexamine their way of life. Of course, just like "Prologue" and "GIFT," the fact that this story was completed and received with overwhelming acclaim was due to the performance of Hanyu, who was the sole performer. And even after six performances, he did not try to stay in the same place. He continued to evolve. There were many evidences of this growth at the final performance of the Yokohama show, for example. The movements in the performance of "Chicken, Snake and Pig" where he moved forward as if resisting the shackles. The performance of "Megalovania", following a silent performance without music with only the sound of his edges resonating, was more integrated with the music than in previous performances. Not only in the production aspects, but also in the details of Hanyu's performance itself, there were traces of refinement here and there. After the Saga performance, Hanyu spent his days preparing more rigorously for the Yokohama performance.  "Of course, I trained and restricted my diet. Well, how should I say it, there are 24 hours in a day, but I spent the entire time on nothing else but skating. In other words, skating was always present, 24 hours a day.” "That's right. To put it simply, it felt like I was spending every day just working on 'RE_PRAY'." The reason he spent all his time facing skating was because he had regrets about the Saga performance. "After all, it's frustrating when I can't perform well." However, the standards of frustration have changed from when he was a competing athlete.

Still not enough

"Gradually, the focus is shifting from scores to an evaluation. If something technical that I had planned didn't go well, then my evaluation vector changes and my perspective shifts. I couldn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in Saga, so I was simply disappointed." After spending 24 hours focused on skating, the Yokohama performance came. After the final performance, he said, "I feel a sense of accomplishment like winning the Olympics." While he felt a sense of fulfillment, he wasn't completely satisfied. He also felt that his ability had not yet caught up with what he wanted to do. "So I feel like there are still things I need to study more. Of course, I think I'm evolving. I think I'm getting better. But I still feel like it's not enough. As I keep digging deeper and deeper, my ideals become higher, and the things I want to express are becoming more and more specific. The more my ideals become more concrete, the more I feel like I'm not catching up." He is aware that he still has areas where he needs to improve, especially in the finer details. This is something he realises now, which he didn't feel this way when he was competing in the sport. "It's impossible to realise this when you're a competitive athlete. After all, if you can jump, you win. To be honest, if you couldn’t jump, there was no point in talking about it, as the outcome of the competition was pretty much decided by how many types of quadruple jumps there are and where you put them in the program. For example, what memories do you have of this song, the background of this song, what is the story you want to express, how will the story and the song fit together, or what meaning is in the choreography, to be honest, there’s not much room to think about them. You have to complete all your technical elements in one go in the four minutes of a competition (free skate), so that's all you can focus on."

A world not in first place

Win the match. In a competition, that is set as a goal. "Since I had already achieved that, there was no way I could go any higher. If you think about it in the world of competition, I won first place, so even if I tried harder, I couldn't get any higher than first place. In other words, I just tried to see how long I could maintain that first place position.

But in the world I'm in right now, even if I think I'm in first place, it may not be. It’s a place where I can think, "I'm still at the bottom". When I look at the various works of art or technically excellent things from around the world, I feel that there are still many things I can't do, so I think that I still have a long way to go." When he moved from the world of competition, which was fixed in a sense, to a new world, it was no longer a confined space. However, whether one knows its vastness or not, whether one feels that there is an endlessly wide world out there, is up to the individual. So even though the world is infinite, some people only notice a limited space. Or, there are those who limit the space themselves.

Right now, Hanyu thinks, "I still have a long way to go." He feels like he's at the bottom. This is because he knows that the world is endlessly vast. The reason he feels this way is because he has the ambition to move forward without being content with the present. So instead of seeing the place he has arrived at as the end point, he knows that there is still space to go beyond that.

Ideals evolve

"I may have surpassed the ideal I had a year ago. But the sense of distance between me and my ideal is probably the same as it was a year ago. For example, if the distance between me and my ideal a year ago was 10 meters, it may be 10 meters, no, 11 meters now. That's how I feel. I'm living and experiencing life, I see information every day, and in the midst of that, my ideal evolves. My ideal gets further and further away. But at the same time, through what I have seen and experienced, I'm sure I’m also one step closer to my ideal." Then, after a short pause, he continued with a smile. "As long as I want to, I think I can continue for the rest of my life." The skater is still on his journey, striving towards the ideals he has built with his own will. 

Source: AERA issue 24.8.12-19 No.37, pg 9-15 Info: https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0D89L6LS2

[alwayshappyhoursomewhere]

Stars on Ice Japan 2024 | from Loena's ig

[asyalorelei]

2024 Stars on Ice Open Rehearsal

Shoma Uno, MARCH 29, 2024 - Stars on Ice 2024, in rehearsal, at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Naoki Nishimura/AFLO SPORT)

[jennibeultimate]

Stars on Ice Cast Japan 2024

(From Sysmex_figureskatingteam Instagram)

[myjunkisyuzuruhanyu]

Group number of Team Japan @ Stars on Ice Japan 2024

Photos by Kiyoshi Sakamoto

[aentrilon]

Hi! Anime Expo 2024!!

Title: Hi! Anime Expo 2024!!

Where we will be heading to the signing event in July 2024

Outside: See you later.

is Los Angeles, United States!!

The editors who will be coming with me this time are...

the usual slim glutton M-da-kun,

the considerate and quiet H-gata-kun,

Y-no-san with the face of a saing yet with the heart of Enma

and the closeted otaku(?) and beautiful K-tou-san..

So, the United States are ridiculously large. (I also mentioned it on the Volume 18 flap.)

The faraway scenery is really far away.

Anyway, let's have a meal first.

Outside: Eep.

Here it is, ther Americal steak!!!

Moreover, its mega size sure packs a real punch.

We can eat it as much as we can!!

Its cooking and chewiness are the best.

As expeted of the home of steak.

30 minutes later...

After this... let's drink... alcohol...

Vegetables... I wanna eat them.

Old men in their 50's like us are nearing their limits.

Just as expected, the younger people aren't having any issues at all.

I can come here any day.

Arrow: Especially him. In terms of kilos of meat eatedn from the start, it's like eating up a cake. Such a strong guy.

Without a care in the world, the heavy-drinker K-tou-san is drinking nothing but wine.

Delicious.

Y-no-san was told by his dentist to abstain from eating sweets yet also gumped down wine.

He is sure to give me an earful...

I gave in so quickly and kept on drinking whiskey. I ended up having a hangover for two days.

Outside: Something... something sour...

Ah, I've got dried plums.

Gimme one.

Well now, let's go have a fun tour next!

Outside: Yeah.

Hollywood!!!

Just walking in the town makes me all excited!♬

The Chinese Theater!!

So cool!!

The hand and footprints and signatores of Hollywood stars.

Schwarzie's hands and feet are huge!!!

The Hollywood sign...

So small.

was hella far away...

Madam Tussauds wax museum was awesome.

Outside: Getting kicked by Bruce Lee,

Outside: stopping his kick with my fingers,

Hah.

Outside: getting grabbed by King Kong,

Outside: H-gata-kun recreating edward Scissorhands' famous scene.

We took plenty of silly photographies.

And then, we went to the Santa Monica beach pier on a separate day.

This kinda feels like an amusement park.

Guys, it's hot so how about having ice cream?

We ate granulated and super-rich ice-creams on a lively pier... (What a name for the ice-cream...)

Outside: Yummy!

Japan is over there several thousands of kilometers away...

After that, an incident happened.

H-gata-kun was merrily playing ona swing set up along the beach.

What kind of miracle happened when he got off it?

The swing's chain ripped off every button on his shirt except the topmost one!!

What the heck are you doing!!?

Y-no-san, who joined us later, teased him about it.

You were eager to show that blonde beauty how cool you were, right?

Outside: H-gata-kun, you're such a pervert.

N... no, no. I didn't go on the swing to act cool. I'm a pervert though...

Outside: Yep, yep.

Well, I wouldn't be surprised from him.

Outside: Yep, yep.

As an aftertaste episode,

A parent and a child came to talk to us in the middle of strolling,

it turns out that they came to bring us the accessory K-tou-san dropped.

It was a very heartwarming scene.

We went on and visited Paramount Studios

Center: Bumblebee

Right: The bench from Forrest Gump

This is the best.

and saw the area where the cast actually lived.

We also watched a Dodgers match in Dodgers Stadium.

M-da-kun quite enjoyed it despite not being a sports enthusiast.

...I digress here but my biggest blunder all trip long was that I forgot my watch. (Seriously yes.)

There are no clocks in the hotel, not even in rooms. The time on the TV wasn't displaying correctly...

I should get a smartphone soon...

Well, whatever! Let's put it aside and get going to the event!

You know, it's retty important for me!!

Yes, yes, let's go, let's go.

Then it's about time to go to the Anime Expo!!

AX for short!!!!

I took part in the signing event

to give interviews and talk events online.

I drew the eye on the daruma at the opening ceremony.

I hesitated to draw the Dragon's Sin of Wrath emblem but I chose the pig instead...

Lee Kapi-san, who's my translator for the talk event,

Outside: I love Punisuke.

has been my fan since my debut work. I feel grateful.

And then came the signing event that spanned over three days...

Outside: Topless apron Ban!!

Really passionate fans came to me. Oh God, I'm so happy!!

Among them, there were strong people who got the ticks for all three days.

Day 1: Meliodas.

Day 2: Elizabeth.

Day 3: Hawk.

They had me complete signings on one carboard sheet...

A guy cosplaying as Pellegarde

came with his girlfriend who cosplayed as Arthur.

The quality is amazing.

Moreover, on the following day, there were Escanor and Meliodas cosplays...!!

That couple was very intimate.

Also, I'm still preciously wearing

the Dodgers cap that a fan gave me.

Outside: The local old man seems like a supporter.

I'm really

glad I came.

There were a bunch of parts I had to omit due to the page restrictions but in any case, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you so much, Americans!!

I'mm come back next time with medicine for the stomach...

THE END

[stupendouspizzacomputer]

INSANITY (Hellaverse x Isekai Male reader) BIO:

Name: Y/N L/N

Eye color: (E/C)

Hair color: (H/C)

Race: Human

Country of birth: USA

New Home: Hell

Gender: Bisexual

Weapons:

-Spear (Transformers/Transformers one)

-Twin swords

-One dagger

Age: 19

Like: Taylor Swift's music, videogames, movies, ice cream, hot dogs, pizza, protect his friends and family, Painting, Radio Broadcasts, Sabrina capenter's photos, Sculpture, bread, writing on ao3/art of our own, embroiderying, birds, feeling cozy, cozycore, autumn/fall, Winter, cosplay, hippo, handmade's works, watercolor, Spooky season, Bats, Bat, Fairycore, writers, Dropout's shoes, Traditional art, Halloween, art history, Plush, football, classical music, North Carolina, Drawtober, biology, writing on Nanowrimo, playing with Rpg games, book quotes, inktober 2024, Inktober, Short Story, Climate change, Dancing with the stars, Trans right, Grandmacore, Florida, Germany, Japan, Crochet, Northern Lights, Gouache, going to the library, Columbus day, Indigenous peoples day, Knitting, Plushblr, Cyberpunk, scifi, swifties, mtg, the eras tour, Black and White Photography, Zoology, Pusheen, 3dmodeling, blender3d, animation, chaggie, Mark rothko, memes, sketchbook, original Photographers, Incorrect quotes, Photographers on tumblr, Peru, writing prompt, april fools, Boop, Boop o meter, baseball, pumpkins, Gaza, Palestine, Free Gaza, Free Palestine, Gaza Strip, November 5th, South Corea, Pennsylvania, the sound of music, Farmcore, Christmas, Newyear, Webfishing, studyblr, Entomology, Originaldesign, Foryoupage, november, 5th november, gl2, gl2mv, Gachamusicvideo, Gachaanimation, baby, baby deer, babydeer, anime, asmr, asmrsounds, capcut, my, drawing, oc, fyp, swapau, sketches, movie, moviescenes, sketchbook, Nature Photography, Hazbin fanart, hazbin hotel comic, hazbin hotel headcanon, hazbin hotel fanfiction, animationtest, adobeanimation, Trending, rocknroll, acdc, music, virale, live, film, odderic, menswear, cinema , octopus, Shakespeare, reproductive rights, affection, infatuation, pet, poetry, cityscapes, gatti, cats, mensfashion, animals, food, falling leaves, vivziepophazbinhotel, gaming, cold, Trolledit, curiosità,

Dislike: Pedophiles, Rapers, gangsters, killers, Drug dealers, someone who hurt his friends and his new family, Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene, Israel, being abandoned, Psychological torture

Friends: Blitzo, Moxxie, Loona, Octavia, Millie, Fizzarolli, Vortex, Bill Cipher, Deadpool, Wolverine, Ford Pines, Dan howell/Daniel howell, Phil Lester, mimzy, sir pentious, egg boys

Harem: Velvette, Verosika, Josh, Coco, Apple, Kat, Milky, Kiki, Ace, Charlie (chaggie), Vaggie (hazbinhotelvaggie/chaggie), Emily, Monika, Sayori, Yuri, Natsuki, Desire (possessive behaviour towards Y/N)

Family: Alastor (1st Father Figure), Asmodeus (Uncle Figure), Mammon (Uncle Figure), Beelzebub (Aunt figure), Husker (Radiohusk) (Older Brother Figure), Angel dust (hazbinhotelangeldust/huskdust) (Older Brother Figure), Lucifer (Hazbinhotellucifer) (Uncle Figure), Niffty (Little sister figure) (Niffty hazbin hotel/Hazbin hotel niffty/Nifty), Carmilla/Carmilla Carmine (Mother Figure), Rosie (Aunt Figure), Missi Zilla (Older sister Figure)

Enemies: Valentino, Vox, Stella, Striker, Crimson, Adam, Lute, Exorcists, Sera, Cherubins, D.H.O.R.K.S., Satan, Andrealphus, Sukuna, Muzan, 1-Crowley, 1-Ferid, 5-Vampires

Favourite president: Joe Biden

Favourite Movie's actors: Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds,

Favourite Singer: Taylor Swift

Favourite Studio: Studio Ghibli

Favourite race car driver: Land Norris/Lando norris (F1/Formula 1)

Hobby: artist

Powers:

•Super Speed

•Earth Magic

•Fire Magic

•Immortality

•Holy Magic

•Demonic Magic

•Blood Magic

Skills:

•Mental health

•Zoology

•Science

•Fire Ball

•Eath pillars

•Bloodlust

•Grasp Heart

•Omega Ark

•Divine Judgment

•Summon

•Stealth

•Poison

•Paralyze

•Aura Manipulation

•King of the Thunders (Zeus' Blessing)

•King of the Oceans (Poseidon's Blesssing)

•King of the Dead (Hades' Blessing)

•King of the Sun (Apollo's Blessing)

•Queen of Wisdom (Athena's Blessing)

•Queen of family and Marriage (Era's Blessing)

•King of the System (Sung Jinwoo's Blessing)

•Demonic transformation

•Angelic transformation

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

His Army (Military):

-Generals (Genshin Impact/Genshin):

•Pierro

•Il Dottore

•Columbina

•Arlecchino (2nd Father Figure)

•Pulcinella

•Scaramouche

•Sandrone

•La Signora

•Pantalone

•Tartaglia

•Il Capitano

•Crucabena

-Liutenants (Mcyt/Dream smp/Minecraft/Evbo/Mineblr/Dsmp):

•Dream

•Technoblade

•GeorgeNotFound

•Wilbur

•Philza

•Tommyinnit

•Jack Manifold

-Soldiers (Team Fortress 2/TF2):

•20 000 Soldier

•10 000 Scout

•3000 Pyro

•2000 Medic

•12 000 Engineer

•1000 Sniper

•4000 Demoman

•5000 Heavy

•1000 Spy

-Elite Soldiers (Cotl/Cult of the Lamb):

•Leshy: Bishop of Chaos

•Heket: Bishop of Famine

•Kallamar: Bishop of Pestilence

•Shamura: Bishop of Knowledge and War

•Narinder: Bishop of Death

-Commanders (Homestuck):

•Karkat Vantas

•Dave Strider

-Y/N's bodyguards (Baldur's gate 3/Bg3):

•2 Death knights

-Airforce (Pokemon):

•3000 Beedrills

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gods who have blessed Y/N:

•Zeus (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Poseidon (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Hades (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Apollo (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Athena (Percy Jackson/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Era (Kaos/Netflix/Greek Mythology/Epic the Musical/Epic the Vengeance Saga/Percy Jackson and the Olympians) (Pagan)

•Sung Jinwoo (Sololeveling/Manwha) (Pagan)

[yuzu-all-the-way]

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING SOMEBODY HELP ME???? NOTTE STELLATA? IM SO NEW😭

Alright, the short answer: Notte Stellata is an ice show that's been held last year for the first time in March as commemoration for the 2011 Japan earthquake and its victims. Yuzu and his family are survivors of that earthquake and, over the years, he's been doing a lot of charity work to help with the reconstruction of the areas affected (through donations and raising awareness).

Notte Stellata was supposed to be a one-time thing - Yuzu was the "chairman" of the ice show, the star of it, and he gathered a cast of skaters that are close to him.

It was a surprise to get the announcement that Notte Stellata is going to be held in 2024, too. It seems it will be an anual show.

Oh, and the name - it comes from Yuzu's exhibition program "Notte Stellata" - it means 'starry sky' in Italian. He said when he looked up while sheltering after the earthquake, the night sky was full of stars like never before since electricity was down at the time. The exhibition program is linked with that and, consequently, the ice show's name.

I highly recommend you read the wikipedia articles related to Yuzu. Henni, a dedicated Fanyu, and her team are doing great work for putting everything there and explaining it as best as possible.

Main Yuzuru Hanyu Wikipedia article - you'll find his article series in the box on the right (see photo below)

Yuzuru Hanyu - Ice show productions Wikipedia article

[firewoodfigs]

Tagged by the resplendent @roseofbattles :)

TEN GOOD THINGS IN 2023

1. New York / poetry readings — sometime around September, I got to feed an old, ostensibly impractical dream that’s emerged and lurked around since two decades ago. I wrote a poem and got to read it aloud in a wonderful art studio around Chelsea, teeming with so much talent and heart, thanks to the incredible @mirabile---visu. Thank you, dear friend, for giving my poem a home. I will remember this forever and hold dear to heart all the honest conversations we had over pizza, art and wine <3 you are such an inspiration and I can’t wait to see you again! Thank you too to the insanely talented @go-haywire for putting my words into print and allowing them to rest in a well-bound sanctuary — I carried it with me in New York as a lucky charm, and will always be eternally grateful for your generosity and faith.

2. New Zealand — sometime in April, in between jobs, I got to visit the amazing @tsaritsa in NZ, and it was two weeks of peace and great novelty, including but not limited to riding on a horse, feeding penguins, and donning on a firefighter costume! We also walked a ton and talked a lot and gazed upon a blanket of stars. Thank you for all your hospitality and love which I will never forget (and see you in 2024?!)

3. Other travels — I travelled a lot around Asia this year, for work and for fun! I got to see the cherry blossoms for the first time in my life with Japan with my partner. We also got to celebrate his birthday there, and it was an all around lovely trip; I’m really happy he got to have this break because he’s been truly working so hard in 2023. I also ushered in the new year with a dear friend in South Korea; the fireworks were nothing short of spectacular! We got a strawberry shortcake after and returned to our cute little apartment to just wind down and pen down our hopes for 2023 :) I also got to visit Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia for work, which were really exciting experiences!

4. Job switch — sometime in April, I was confronted with this HUGE dilemma of staying here in my hometown or moving to… a tax-free desert… the latter meant I’d at least be able to stay with my previous firm, but after a lot of coffees and deep consideration I decided it was better to move on to someplace else and stay put so I could spend more time with my partner. In hindsight it was probably the best decision I could’ve made; 2023 has been quite emotionally distressing for us and I would’ve hated to see him ensure all of that alone. I was mildly apprehensive at first about the switch, but I’ve been really blessed to have the most wonderful colleagues and bosses and am really excited to see what’s in store next :)

5. Meeting new friends, and in a similar vein, catching up and reuniting with old ones :) New York was a dream, in large part due to meeting some of the most luminous souls I’ve had the serendipitous pleasure of knowing during the pandemic—first over a screen, and then in person, over karaoke, and bagels, and coffee, and ice cream, and of course fried chicken LOL. @x-rainflame-x @roseofbattles @nightofnyx8 @beware-thegemini @thatisadamnfinecupofcoffee @annespelledwithane it was so so precious getting to meet you all in New York and I will cherish our time there together forever!

6. Learning a language—I try to learn at least one new word a day, and I’ve also been working on my Japanese since moving into a Japanese firm. It really helps as well to have colleagues that I can practice with—I took classes briefly in college but it sort of just drifted out of my memory after the pandemic because I didn’t speak it regularly, but now that I do it’s been super fun!

7. Getting into Spy x Family — and consequently, getting back into fic writing :) all of this is @nightofnyx8’s fault btw, now I have to pretend I like this stupid fake family a normal amount (when I’m just obsessed an unhealthy amount lmao)

8. Fraud/investigations work — this basically consumed the entirety of my Nov/Dec and there’s not much I can divulge about it (apart from the fact that it pretty much aged me by a decade) but… I felt like Loid Forger and it was fun being a spy for a month. the end

9. Dealing better with anxiety (?)—question mark because my progress is… questionable. On one hand I think I’ve gotten a lot better at regulating (or perhaps suppressing) a lot of associated feelings, but it still gets frightening on occasion when the dam breaks free without much prior warning. Regardless I think it’s a marked improvement from the countless menty bs back in college lmao. To be very frank, having a stable income of sorts has helped a great deal; in college I was constantly plagued with the fear of not having enough to purchase required materials or at times food, and it was just a lot to deal with. It felt like there was no room for failure because I only had myself to rely upon, and success was the only tenable avenue out of poverty, but being able to now obtain necessities and even additional wants has done wonders for my mental health. It’s true that money doesn’t happiness, and I spend a great deal of time daily mulling over capitalism and consumerism and the like, but I cannot deny the sense of security it affords.

10. And finally, falling deeper in love everyday :) it’s easy to think we know a great deal about someone, except we don’t. People may appear simple, but the truth is we’re all a work in progress, and by extension, a continuing story. I could read a million books and write a million poems, but beloved, believe me—you will always be my favourite.

Goodbye 2023, and hello 2024!

[rabidline]

2024 Stars on Ice Japan: Osaka - March 30, 2024 Kaori Sakamoto → Baby, God Bless You (Orchestral Version) by Shinya Kiyozuka, choreographed by Jeffrey Buttle

[wutlaikalikes]

hololive production COUNTDOWN LIVE 2023▷2024 -HOLOSTARS side-【#ホロスターズカウントダウン2023】

just fangirling under the cut:

The stream started at 10pm for me but 11pm in Japan. There was a lot of waiting then surprise, Armis! They were there to introduce themselves and basically notify everyone that the concert is pre-recorded and that there is a possibility that a Holostars talent is streaming. At the time, Aruran was having a watch-a-long together with Shien. Rio and Roberu also showed up. Axel was also having a watch-a-long while making food. I later found out that Hakos Baelz and Kureiji Ollie also had a watch-a-long.

⚙️🟣 怪獣の花唄 (Kaiju no Hanauta) by Vaundy

Gawd, I love this song. I don’t care for the choreography but I guess it's better than just standing there. Anyway, the choreography is very male idol-like, I don't mind it at all.

🌺🍕🦔💨 LADY by 米津玄師 (Kenshi Yonezu)

Everybody is thinking that it'll be a silly performance from them because of their performance of Perfect Human from Temma’s anniversary stream. It would be interesting but this idol-like cutesy dance is just 🥰. Also their vocals are amazing! Aran you have improved a lot!!

🐃🦝🃏 インザバックルーム (In the Back Room) by syudou

Seriously another Stars that improved a lot is Oga. I was banging my table so hard when they did that slight body roll and I happened to be staring at Oga. Sorry table… Also Oga is like my oshi, why wouldn’t I gawk at his presence? lol

🎭🦔💨🍷 オトナブルー (Otona Blue) by 新しい学校のリーダーズ (Atarashii Gakko!)

I’ve discovered Atarashii Gakko! just recently, so I’m kinda excited what Suntempo will do with the song. And I gotta say this is one of my favorite performances. Astel is right for them to perform this song, it just fits their psychopathic tendencies. But seriously, these 3 clowns are so good at singing,

🎨☔⚙️🕯️ 星座になれたら (If I could be a constellation) by 結束バンド (kessoku band)

I will be honest, I kinda tuned out during the collab songs. But this ain’t bad though. Their voices blended well.

🎲🧟‍♀️🍷🖌️ ビートDEトーヒ (Beat De Tohi) by ハマいく (Hamaiku)

This song is perfect for these hyper red talents. Ollie is so cute in this! I really like Roberu’s singing voice so it’s kinda a surprise for him to rap a bit.

🌺🎸🦝 フライデー・ナイト (Friday night) なとり (natori)

This is a nice unit. I’m surprised by this unit. Miyabi is usually bubblegum pop, Fuma is usually cool kpop-ishi and Izuru has that husky voice. I’m just very appreciative of this, they sound so cool.

🍕🐃🖌️ 第ゼロ感 (Dai Zero Kan) by 10-FEET

This performance was just fire!! They are also moving a lot, but it's not a concern for these guys' endurance since Aran goes to the gym frequently, Oga always rides his bike at night, and Gamma does stream Ringfit Adventure. The only missing member of this unit is Temma, another exorcist enthusiast . But gosh they sound so good together, high energy performance of sorts. Oga is so cool!!

I just noticed, Aran is mainly in the middle cause his clothes are white, green on the left and red on the other. Oga, on Aran’s left, is mainly black and green and Gamma, on Aran’s right, having black and red. It’s kinda nice.

🟣🃏🕯️ スターマイン (Star Mine) by Da-iCE

Grrrrrrrrrrrr. The growls coming from these three!! That ‘brah!’ coming from Rio is so adorable compared to how that other two does it lol

🎸🎭 アイドル - YOASOBI

They have to put these two last. Well justified since they are such good singers and overall performers. I feel this song is so overplayed now but gawd I can’t deny how much I love these two and how they performed this song.

BRING BACK STAR COLLECTION!! I love how they managed to squeeze in Holostars EN in their current form. And of course Miyabi and Machina interaction. I hope they release this part with English translation.

🌟 We are the HOLOSTARS!!

This song never fail to entertain me and now there's a new version?! The surprise of Uproar!! joining them brought me happiness!

H-O-L-O-S-T-A-R-S Uproar!!

🌟 Connecting by halyosy

The transition to this song was kinda lacking. This part I was hoping that EN would be on the screen at least. It’s kinda sad that it didn’t happen. Also seriously what the heck was that note Rio?!

moar thoughts

This is shorter compared to the Hololive side. I mean I don’t care, I just heard Ollie mention it. I had fun watching this. While I’m writing this I’m currently watching it for the third time.

In terms of collab songs with Hololive, I think last year’s Cinema still holds number 1 for me. Suisei and AsuIzu just nailed that performance! 2nd place is Sora, Azki and Rikka’s WASURENA.

I was wishing so hard that at least Axel would be in this. Again, I don’t care if he’ll be a cardboard cutout. Seriously, I don’t care for new outfits for the boys but 3D will be greatly appreciated so they can join Holostars JP for the Countdown Live 2024.

[yuzurujenn]

[2024.05.11] Quardruple Axel May Issue: Tanaka Keiji - On the basis of solid techniques

Tanaka Keiji is expanding his activities by appearing in numerous ice shows, including “Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata 2024”. As an irreplaceable friend of Hanyu Yuzuru, who inspired each other in the men's single competition during his amateur career, we asked Mr. Tanaka to talk about the evolution of “Professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu” as he sees it.

--The second year of the "Notte Stellata" show has celebrated its opening day. What was it like being on the show?

I am of course happy that we were able to hold the show for the second time, and I'm glad that we were able to make the show even more exciting with the addition of new member Javi (Javier Fernandez).

--Mr. Hanyu created this show with themes of recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake and hope for the future, but this year a large earthquake occurred on the Noto Peninsula on New Year's Day. I think it left a profound impression in the hearts of both the performers and the viewers.

I think this is a day that we really should not forget, and I think there are people who actually suffered from the disaster, people who know the hard times, and people who may not want to remember, but I feel that this show is performed with a very important concept in order to show hope for the future.

--After the show opens, Mr. Hanyu skated ``Notte Stellata'' by himself, which is also the title of the show. It is unusual to have a solo number before the opening, but this makes the concept of the show clear.

I think it is very important that the chairperson of the show skates first to clearly convey the meaning of the show to everyone before the show begins. By having Yuzu skated at the start, from there subsequently, I think the essence of the show was expressed well. It was a really important time for the show, and it felt like everyone were embodying the chairperson’s thoughts through their skating.

-- Did Mr. Hanyu say anything to his co-star skaters, such as, “Please skate with these thoughts in mind”?

Since it was being held at this time of year, everyone was aware of the atmosphere since last year. Last year, the performance date coincided with 3/11, so we understood the weight of that and the feelings that must be put into the skating. However, I also understand that it is even more difficult for the chairperson than for us. I think the other performers are also accepting of that. Or rather, we all stand by each other and support each other. I think everyone understands that, even if we don't say it in words.

--Did you have any thoughts about Mr. Hanyu that you felt during rehearsals?

Last year, I think there were a lot of times that he wondered, ``Is it okay to do a show at this time of year?'' This year, it may just be my own personal thought, but I felt that he’s spending this day with a slightly softer expression than last year.

--Indeed, last year, he expressed his thoughts very seriously when he greeted the audience.

It was the most difficult time for him, so I think he took the meaning of holding the ice show on that day very seriously. He puts his thoughts and feelings in various places, and although we do not see all of them, I think there are parts that are conveyed through each of his actions.

--This year, the collaboration with Mao Daichi became a hot topic. It was a co-starring performance between top entertainers. What did you think of "Carmina Burana"?

It was a magnificent stage. Both of them were truly divine. I only saw it on the monitor (in the backstage), but the power was conveyed even through the screen. It felt like they were showing something far beyond anything I could have imagined on the skating rink and on stage.

--At the end of the performance, Mr. Hanyu skated “Danny Boy” as a solo. How was your impression of this poignant and graceful program?

After Yuzu’s solo, the flow of the song leading to the finale is very fitting too, and I think it is a performance that is very typical of him. I think he expresses it very beautifully, and the sense of “the show is coming to an end, but there’s still hope from here on” is very much connected to the overall theme of the song.

--Some of the choreography seemed to express the theme of reaching for hope in spite of the hard times.

Yes. I only had one practice time with him, as I watched him perform, even though it was a rather difficult piece, I got the impression that he was taking each note seriously. I felt it was really amazing.

-- This time as well, I was able to once again feel the range of Mr. Hanyu's expressions through his collaborations and solo performances.

I think the fact that he is touring solo is a big factor. He is able to create a show by performing many different things on his own. Depending on the show we perform in, we usually have at most two solo numbers and one or two group numbers, but even that is a lot of work. So, to connect a show by oneself, one really needs to perform different things and learn many things. I think it is because he is exposed to so many opportunities all at once that he is able to create such a variety of expressions.

--Was it a surprise for you that he put together a show like this by himself? Or did you think that Mr. Hanyu would be able to do this much?

I thought it was possible for him to do it. Of course, at first I was like, “All alone!?'', but when I really thought about it, I realised, “It sure looks like he can do it.'' I guess there was something he wanted to do that much. Really, that part of him is amazing.

--How has Mr. Hanyu evolved since becoming a professional?

He already has world-class jumps and skating skills, so I think he has been thinking a lot about how to use them since he became a professional. In competitions, advanced techniques were incorporated into programs within the framework of rules, but now that the framework has been removed, we can use them in a variety of ways and present them in many different ways. In that respect, I think it's amazing that he is further honing his already high-level skills and working on even more advanced things.

--Have you ever been surprised by something that he does?

Of course, his technical prowess is amazing, but I focus on how it fits with the music. It is not so much about him doing something very difficult, but rather that he is using the choreography and program structure in such a way, or presenting it in such a way, that I admire. For example, it could be a part where he moves in sync with each note, or conversely, he might suppress that technique and just dance. He uses them in various ways. Since he already has all the advanced skills, I think the challenge now is how to use them. After all, if he just uses the technical skills, it will end up being something similar to a competition program, so the key is to subtract and add things and how to incorporate the correct elements into a new program. I feel like that is how he is presenting his style now.

--Since Mr. Hanyu has turned professional, what are the things you feel have remained the same or have changed in your opinion?

The part that has not changed is his concentration. The way he concentrates before he starts his performance is always amazing to watch. In fact, I think his ability to concentrate has become stronger than when he was a competing athlete. On the other hand, the things that have changed since he became a professional are, as I mentioned earlier, the range of his performances and the vision for what he wants to do. He has achieved many things through the new productions that he has pioneered in his solo ice shows, and I really feel that he is stepping forward and wanting to do many different things to showcase skating in new ways.

--I think it must be really difficult to have to deal with so much, are there times when Mr. Hanyu is relaxed and back to his true self?

I wonder. I only meet Yuzu during the show, so there is no time for him to relax. But during meals, etc. we see each other, and at those times, I think he takes care of himself.

--What do you mean by that specifically?

I think that for skaters, our body is the only means to express ourselves. Of course, we are here as professionals, so we take care of our bodies, diet, and many other things, but I feel that he takes even more care of his body in places we can't see. What I see is only a small part of him, but I think he is doing a lot more behind the scenes.

--As a professional skater, I think it is really wonderful that one can give courage and convey thoughts through their performances. Keiji-san, do you yourself see any difference between when you compete and when you perform in an ice show?

In an ice show, you have to have a theme and think about what you are going to do, so it is very difficult to choose the songs. In competitions, I think the order is fundamentally reversed, as I think about the theme after the music is decided. In competitions, the premise was to choose a song that could benefit us. However, when it comes to skating professionally, you have to first create a theme and then think about the music, costumes, and choreography, or things will go awry, so I think it's quite interesting but also demanding in that sense.

-- At this show, you performed “HOPE”. Please tell us about the theme and choreography of this performance.

I chose the song. The choreography is by Kohei Yoshino. The title is ``HOPE,'' but it is not about being full of hope from the beginning, but to push forward even though there are many hardships. You may experience a setback once, but you have the strength to get back up from that, and that’s what is being conveyed through the rap music.

--Did you have in mind that it would be performed at the show?

I had been thinking of doing this song for a long time, but the choreography only started after it was decided that I would be skating here, so I thought about what kind of feelings I would have if this song were to be performed here. I was working towards that since it would be performed for the first time in ``Notte Stellata''.

-- Even from the choreography, I could feel the determination to face hardships.

Really, it would be best if you could listen to the lyrics one by one (laughs). Mr. Kohei also carefully looked at the lyrics during practice, so I really felt the meaning of the lyrics and the song itself as I skated.

--Also, the collaboration number ``Saturday Night Fever'' with Mr. Mura was also a big hit.

This was also a pretty good choice of song (laughs). After all, Mura-kun is my senior, so it's interesting to work together with my senior and aim for something that's dorky and cool.

--I thought the collaboration with Mr. Mura was a great fit.

Even in the skating world, I think we are both on the larger side and the power type. It's not like we clash with each other in that aspect, but it's fun to be able to perform together like that.

-- Did you and Mura-san talk about something like, “Let's make it exciting here!”?

No, we were both really nervous, so it wasn't like that at all (laughs). Moreover, after the opening, after my solo number and group number, we skated towards the end of the show, so it's pretty tiring. I was quite tired when it was our turn (laughs).

--I see. So it was like you were giving it your all at the end.

That’s right.

-- Did Mr. Hanyu say anything when he saw it?

No, I’m not sure if he was watching or not. After that, he has his own performance, so I think he was concentrating on warming up. We just warmed up the venue for him (laughs).

--Speaking of warming up, there was a group number “Permission to Dance” at the start of the second part. It was a collaboration with a video of Mr. Hanyu. How was it?

In short, it's a fun time, and we did it with the idea of ``bringing as many smiles as possible'' to energize each and every one. Speaking of dancing, his movements truly have a unique vibe that only Yuzu can bring out. In a way, we were probably lucky because it was a collaboration with a video. Because if we were to dance side by side on the ice, only Yuzu would be in a different dimension… It's hard to dance next to him. I don't want to dance next to him too much, because I can't keep up with him if the music is too lively (laughs). Of course, this is a compliment!

-- Mr. Hanyu is so sharp.

That’s right. My movements are slow, while Yuzu floats around. That's how sharp he is.

-- Thank you for your valuable story. What have you learned from professional skater Hanyu through shows like this?

It's his "figure". I think it's amazing how he keeps coming up with new ways of expressing himself, the ability to tackle all kinds of new things without having restrictions.

--Lastly, please tell us what you expect from Mr. Hanyu in the future, and your own words of determination.

First of all, I would like to go to the venue myself and see the ice show. I am also a professional skater, so I want to see and absorb a lot of things, and I want to go see more solo shows too. I also want to absorb what I can and improve my range of expression. I would like to do my best to grow and develop so that when we perform again together, I can show new and evolved things and be worthy of standing on the same stage as a fellow professional. Also, as friends, I think it would be nice if we could spend some relaxing time together off-ice, outside of shows.

Tanaka Keiji talks about “Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata” 2023 performance

--How did you feel when you received the offer to appear in the first show last year?

I felt very grateful to be invited to the show. Moreover, since the show was held on a very important day, it also meant that I would be skating a program with a concept appropriate for that day, so I strongly felt that I had to carefully select the songs to align with the theme.

--The show is filled with Mr. Hanyu’s message of wanting to deliver a ‘light of hope’.

At this time of year, I think the more you think about it, the more painful it becomes. Therefore, holding an ice show on that day was quite an experience. This cannot be done without determination. We put on a show after thinking carefully about the meaning of what we were doing on this day, so I felt that everyone put a lot of emotion into this show. There weren't that many skaters performing, but I felt the message of ``connecting many things together'' and that we all understood the meaning of doing it at that time and took on that challenge. I got the impression that everyone was skating in an atmosphere different from the usual shows.

--I feel that the experience of this earthquake has had a big impact on Mr. Hanyu’s outlook on life and how he approached competition. Having spent time with him, have you ever felt this way?

I think that at that time of year, he’d remember various things. I imagine that he’d realize again “I guess I’m alive”, and a resolve to “become even stronger”. Although he doesn't directly show us that, everyone around him is working toward recovery, and I get the feeling that he too is becoming stronger as he overcomes that day every year.

--At “Notte Stellata” held last year, he collaborated with gymnast Uchimura Kohei. It was very a groundbreaking attempt for an ice show.

It was really amazing. It was my favourite performance in “Notte Stellata”.

--What did you think of if when you saw it?

When I first saw Mr. Uchimura’s name, I was excited and wondered what kind of collaboration it would be. At the same time, I couldn’t imagine what the program would be like, wondering “What will they prepare?” and thought, “Maybe he’ll put in a horizontal bar or something”. In fact, there was a gymnastics floor next to the rink, and I was surprised, saying “This is really an amazing venue for a competition”. At that time, I couldn’t imagine how Yuzu would collaborate with Mr. Uchimura’s gymnastic routine. However, in the actual performance, the mood of the song and the costumes matched perfectly, and the two performers matched their timing in various ways, which was amazing. I was really overwhelmed.

--I thought the idea of a collaboration between two gold medallists from different sports was amazing, but to able to make it happen was also amazing.

That’s right. I think it must have been really difficult for the two of them to match their timing, since I don't think Mr. Uchimura usually competes in time to the music. However, during the actual performance, it didn’t feel like that at all and I was surprised to see how well it turned out, as if they had been doing it from the beginning. I feel that this is a performance that could only have been done by two people of that calibre.

-- I could sense a pride in both parties, as if they were saying to each other, “I'll match you”.

Yes, it felt that way.

Source: Quadruple Axel 2024 #羽生結弦 SPECIAL pg 56-59 Info: https://x.com/AxelQuadruple/status/1790023081739575501

[brookston]

Holidays 12.13

Holidays

Acadian Remembrance Day (Canada)

Anesthesia Technicians Day (Turkey)

Bicycle Built For Two Day

Blame Someone Else Day

Clip-On Tie Day

Count the "La's" in "Deck the Halls" Day

Ella Josephine Baker Day

International ACAB Day

Jane Addams Day

Jum ir-Repubblika (Malta)

Loki Day

Martial Law Victims Remembrance Day (Poland)

Nanking Massacre Memorial Day (China)

National Bring Your Brother-in-Law to Work Day

National Day (Saint Lucia)

National Day of the Horse [also 2nd Saturday]

National Guard Day (US)

National Violin Day

New Calendar Day

Nusantara Day (Indonesia)

Peace Day (Korea)

Pick a Pathologist Pal Day

Reed Plant Dat (French Republic)

Republic Day (Malta)

Sailor’s Day (Brazil)

Santa Lucia Day (Sweden, Scandinavia)

Skip Day

Swiftie Day

Unreturned Library Book Day

World Violins Day

Yuletide Lad #2 arrives (Giljagaur or Gully Oaf; Iceland)

Food & Drink Celebrations

Ice Cream and Violins Day

National Cocoa Day

National Cream Cheese Frosting Day

National Ice Cream Day

National Popcorn String Day

World Raclette Day

2nd Wednesday in December

Book Club Day [2nd Wednesday]

Independence Days

Vendsyssel (Declared; 2018) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Antiochus of Sulcis (Christian; Saint)

Aubert (Christian; Saint)

Comp-U-Coffee 2000 (Muppetism)

Emily Carr (Artology)

Euler (Positivist; Saint)

Feast of the Light-Bringer (Old Swedish Goddess of Light)

Hanukkah Day #6 (Judaism) [thru Dec. 15th]

Herman of Alaska (American Orthodox Church)

Ides of December (Ancient Rome)

John Marinoni (Christian; Blessed)

John Wayne Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Judoc (a.k.a. Joyce; Christian; Saint)

Kenelm, King (Christian; Saint)

Larry Storch Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Losar (Ladakh, India)

Losoong (a.k.a. Namsoong; Sikkim, India)

Luciadagen (a.k.a. Little Yule; Scandinavia)

Lucia’s Day (Pagan)

Lucy (Christian; Saint) [Writers]

Monkey Appreciation Day (Pastafarian)

Odile of Alsace (Christian; Saint)

Othilia (Christian; Saint)

The Sementivaem (Ancient Rome)

Tellus (Ancient Rome, with table spread for Ceres)

Thorn Cutting Ceremony Day (Glastonbury, England; Celtic)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Martes (Unlucky Tuesday; Spanish culture) [Tuesday the 13th] (2 of 2 for 2022)

Prime Number Day: 347 [69 of 72]

Taian (大安 Japan) [Lucky all day.]

Triti (Unlucky Day; Greece) [Tuesday the 13th] (2 of 2 for 2022)

Premieres

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Slingshot (Web Series; 2016)

American Hustle (Film; 2013)

An American in Paris, by George Gershwin (Broadway Musical; 1928)

Bedknobs and Broomsticks (Disney Film; 1971)

Beyoncé, by Beyoncé (Album; 2013)

Bugsy (Film; 1991)

A Chorus Line (Film; 1985)

Clue (Film; 1985)

Dark Star, performed by the Grateful Dead (Song; 1967)

Driving Miss Daisy (Film; 1989)

Emily of New Moon, by L.M. Montgomery (Novel; 1923)

Fool Coverage (WB LT Cartoon; 1952)

Foxy Lady, recorded by Jimi Hendrix (Song; 1966)

The Getaway (Film; 1972)

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Film; 2013) [3 of 3]

Jerry Maguire (Film; 1996)

The Jewel of the Nile (Film; 1985)

Jumanji: The Next Level (Film; 2019)

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (Animated Film; 2024)

Maid in Manhattan (Film; 2002)

Mars Attacks! (Film; 1996)

A Miser Brothers’ Christmas (Animated TV Special; 2008)

Monitored Noose or The Carbon Copy-Cats (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S1, Ep. 6; 1959)

My Name is Nobody (Film; 1973)

The Poseidon Adventure (Film; 1972)

Rakuen Tsuiho: Expelled from Paradise (Anime Film; 2014)

Richard III (Film; 1955)

Saving Mr. Banks (Film; 2013)

Scooby-Doo! Pirates ahoy! (WB Animated Film; 2005)

The Scorched Moose (Rocky & Bullwinkle Cartoon, S1, Ep. 5; 1959)

Sense and Sensibility (Film; 1996)

6 Underground (Film; 2019)

Star Trek: Nemesis (Film; 2002)

Tristessa, by Jack Kerouac (Novel; 1960)

Uncut Gems (Film; 2019)

Wind (Pixar Cartoon; 2019)

Today’s Name Days

Jodok, Lucia, Odilia (Austria)

Jasna, Lucija, Otilija, Svjetlana (Croatia)

Lucie (Czech Republic)

Lucia (Denmark)

Ele, Ere, Hele, Loviise, Lucia, Luise, Viise (Estonia)

Seija (Finland)

Jocelyn, Lucie (France)

Jodok, Johanna, Lucia, Ottilia (Germany)

Aris, Efstratios, Ioubenalios, Evstratios, Loukia, Lucy, Stratos (Greece)

Luca, Otilia (Hungary)

Antioco, Lucia (Italy)

Lūcija, Veldze (Latvia)

Eiviltė, Kastautas, Kastytis, Liucija, Otilija (Lithuania)

Lucia, Lydia (Norway)

Łucja, Lucja, Otylia, Włodzisława (Poland)

Dosoftei (Romania)

Lucia (Slovakia)

Lucía, Otilia (Spain)

Lucia (Sweden)

Louise, Lucia, Lukia (Ukraine)

Cinderella, Cindy, Cynth, Cynthia (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 347 of 2024; 18 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 3 of week 50 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ruis (Elder) [Day 16 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Jia-Zi), Day 1 (Yi-Si)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 1 Teveth 5784

Islamic: 30 Jumada I 1445

J Cal: 17 Zima; Threesday [17 of 30]

Julian: 30 November 2023

Moon: 1%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 11 Bichat (13th Month) [Euler]

Runic Half Month: Jara (Year) [Day 3 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 81 of 89)

Zodiac: Sagittarius (Day 22 of 30)

Calendar Changes

冰月 [Bīngyuè] (Chinese Lunisolar Calendar) [Month 12 of 12] (Ice Month) [Earthly Branch: Ox Month] (End-of-Year Month)

Ṭēḇēṯ (a.k.a. Tevet, Tebeth & Tebetu) [טֵבֵת] (Hebrew Calendar) [Month 10 of 12]

[asyalorelei]

2024 Stars on Ice Open Rehearsal

Shoma Uno, Keegan Messing MARCH 29, 2024 - Stars on Ice 2024, in rehearsal, at Towa Pharmaceutical RACTAB Dome, Osaka, Japan. (Photo by Naoki Nishimura/AFLO SPORT)