Recent Mao news

coconut wrote:

Mao's cute message from Russia!! http://www.maomaiasada.com/message/mao.html

Time to give the helpful and hard-working Batsuchan a break for once! Not that this is much help, since the message itself is pretty short...haha.


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Message No. 36 - February 28th, 2009.

I'm currently practicing in Russia! It was a bit warmer today (than usual) at -4°C (25°F). It was colder last week, when the temperature was -10°C (14°F), and I had to wear my boots and hat that sensei bought me to just step outside. I went shopping during my break in the afternoon today; there was a really nice coat that got my attention, so I went ahead and bought it! With this I'm all set [against the cold weather]. I'll keep practicing while taking care to not catch a cold.

P.S. This photo was taken during the banquet at GPF!
(Photo of Mao holding the cake Korean fans baked for her with the edible Mao + EX dress confectionery)
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Aww. It's great to hear from Mao again! Looks like she's training diligently and working on her programs (as usual), while taking breaks once in a while and enjoying Moscow. The red ushanka - I think that's what it is called - looks cute on her. I wonder who she meant by the sensei who got her the matching red hat and boots...Tat or Shanetta?

clovera wrote:

coconut wrote:

Mao's cute message from Russia!! http://www.maomaiasada.com/message/mao.html

Time to give the helpful and hard-working Batsuchan a break for once! Not that this is much help, since the message itself is pretty short...haha.


-------------------------------------------------------
Message No. 36 - February 28th, 2009.

I'm currently practicing in Russia! It was a bit warmer today (than usual) at -4°C (25°F). It was colder last week, when the temperature was -10°C (14°F), and I had to wear my boots and hat that sensei bought me to just step outside. I went shopping during my break in the afternoon today; there was a really nice coat that got my attention, so I went ahead and bought it! With this I'm all set [against the cold weather]. I'll keep practicing while taking care to not catch a cold.

P.S. This photo was taken during the banquet at GPF!
(Photo of Mao holding the cake Korean fans baked for her with the edible Mao + EX dress confectionery)
-------------------------------------------------------


Aww. It's great to hear from Mao again! Looks like she's training diligently and working on her programs (as usual), while taking breaks once in a while and enjoying Moscow. The red ushanka - I think that's what it is called - looks cute on her. I wonder who she meant by the sensei who got her the matching red hat and boots...Tat or Shanetta?

I think Tat gave her this hat,and it's not ushanka Ushanka has ushi, which means ears. http://www.rybolov-sportsmen.ru/upload/iblock/0e1/USHANKA%20NORFIN%20302764%20big.JPG So it's kind of round hat, but may be there are ears on top, I can't see it clearly I think she has something like this http://www.wolff-fur.ru/images/dr900k.jpg

polosatik wrote:

I think Tat gave her this hat,and it's not ushanka Ushanka has ushi, which means ears. http://www.rybolov-sportsmen.ru/upload/iblock/0e1/USHANKA%20NORFIN%20302764%20big.JPG So it's kind of round hat, but may be there are ears on top, I can't see it clearly I think she has something like this http://www.wolff-fur.ru/images/dr900k.jpg

Thanks for the info Asya!

Aaww Mao is so adorable! I the red boots. I want red boots too!!

clovera wrote:

polosatik wrote:

I think Tat gave her this hat,and it's not ushanka Ushanka has ushi, which means ears. http://www.rybolov-sportsmen.ru/upload/iblock/0e1/USHANKA%20NORFIN%20302764%20big.JPG So it's kind of round hat, but may be there are ears on top, I can't see it clearly I think she has something like this http://www.wolff-fur.ru/images/dr900k.jpg

Thanks for the info Asya!

You're always welcome! I wonder, last time when she was in Russia,there were a lot of jourlnalists,where are they now?

clovera wrote:

Time to give the helpful and hard-working Batsuchan a break for once! Not that this is much help, since the message itself is pretty short...haha.

Haha, thanks clovera! Though I actually kinda enjoy translating (or tying to, at least )...I have to say that being a Mao fan has been really good practice for my Japanese! Otherwise I wouldn't use it at all..

chiyori wrote:

Aaww Mao is so adorable! Swoon I Love Hearts the red boots. I want red boots too!!

I looove the red boots too! I'm just waiting for TAT to get Mao a fur coat, so then she can really be like a mini-TAT! But seriously, TAT seems to get a lot of clothes for Mao! The Russia team jacket and pants, and that hat and boots...wow, how nice of TAT!

I am glad to see that Mao is actually in Russia, practicing hard!

Good luck Mao, and I hope you avoid illness and injury!!!

I just found a clip about the preview of Words 2008. Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClZLvz38jtg

The clip contains an interview with mao and a brief introduction to the main competitors of female figure skating.

I'm particularly interested in the part in which Kim yu-na commented on mao. Wonder if anyone could translate it? Thanks!!!

@snowdrops24
Thank you very much, a nice introduction of the competetors. Would anybody be so kind and could give a brief translation of what Mao says in the interview?
That would be great, thanks

Yes! Thank you for the video...I always love watching Mao's reaction to her Worlds win
I would try to give a rough translation of the interveiw, but my Japanese isn't too sharp...
That's up to you, clovera and Batsuchan :3
I love seeing clips of Mao doing everyday things too, like eating that crepe xD It reminds me that she is a human being too, so she can be relateable to...
Watching that makes me very excited for the end of the month >: D

Ok, so here's what Mao/Yu-Na had to say about each other:

Mao gave her usual line about Yu-Na: "I think Yu-Na is a really good skater, so when we skate together, I receive a good stimulation [ie it's a good motivator]."

Yu-Na says "When Mao skates well, sometimes I think 'If only Mao didn't exist...' but if she didn't exist, I might not be the me I am today, so battling each other is 'fate'. Until the very last day when we end our competitive careers, this fight will continue, so..I do feel pressure, but I think it's a good experience."

Aww, I like Yu-Na's comment!

After hearing what Yu-Na says, Mao says "I think it's exactly that."

Aww, they're so cute!

Thank you so much to Batsuchan for the translation!!

By the sound of it, Yu-Na and Mao are both pretty mature.

Most recent Mao on Feb, 28th!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPFG5CzmdQE

Thank you Batsuchan for translating!
And thank you coconut for the latest clip - I love such!

coconut wrote:

Most recent Mao on Feb, 28th!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPFG5CzmdQE

Wow,it's so cool clip! Love Mao kissing TAT so cute! Does anyone know what is the song playing at the background?

coconut wrote:

Most recent Mao on Feb, 28th!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPFG5CzmdQE

At 0:57, TAT says, "This season has been the year of challenges. Next season, for the Olympics, is is only about progressing toward our goal."

Mao says, "It will be new songs [next year], so I want to try my best to give a better performance than this year."

I all the Mao smiley clips!!

I think this is the end of a 1-hour special, which you can see here:
http://skating.livedoor.biz/archives/51182014.html

But the audio is very lagged from the video, which I found very distracting.

I also didn't like some of the ways that they over-dramatized the events over the past season - like switching the order of the FS (Yu-Na, then Mao) at the GPF to make Mao's win seem more impressive.

I did like one thing they mentioned in the video - the narrator said at one point, "In contrast to Yu-Na, who focuses on facial expression, Tarasova wanted Mao to be expressive with her whole body."

I've said this before, but even though people may criticize Mao for her lack of facial expression, she does so much with her body - and that's what impresses me.

**********
Here's an unrelated news item. They're holding a photo exhibit in Nagoya of all the local skaters - Mao, Miki, Kozu, Yukari, Akiko, and some of the juniors.
http://www.centralpark.co.jp/gallery/gallery2.html

I wish I could go!

There's such a huge fuss around this nice ability of Yu-na to change her facial expression... She really has it, yes, but millions of people do have it too. And there's only one Mao Asada. Think about it, please. :-)
The greatness within figure skating lies in somewhat another plane, while this ability of simple acting is merely a bonus, a pleasant formality. Therefore, no need to make such a big deal out of it, as well as no need to try to justify some lack of it from Mao all the time (watch the last video around 1:17: I see there at least the same level of 'acting', Mao just sells it not as good as Yu-na does. Moreover, Yu-na's got the eyes of textbook (*smile*) coldness (as well as some degree of arrogance, I'd say), and surely it's easier for her to act in an adult, dramatic manner. Would you like to give up Mao's personality (let's put it this way) in exchange for that?).

Here's a behind-the-scenes report for the NHK documentary special on Mao that aired on March 7 - "I won't forget the fighting spirit--Mao Asada's challenges" (see the youtube links above).

http://www.nhk.or.jp/spotai/onair/180/report.html

"Athlete Asada" and "Mao-chan"

When covering [for a news article] Mao Asada-senshuu [athlete/player, polite way to refer to an athlete], one encounters two figures.
During practice, the serious one. For example, for the jumps, from the approach to the take-off, the air position, until the landing--there are many points that need to be checked. A single jump cannot go to waste--that kind of strictness is conveyed. What one hears is the short back-and-forth with her coach or trainer. If it's playing, music. Otherwise, only the clear sound of the edge cleanly taking the ice. This is the practice of a World champion, I think, and even I become tense. To raise the level of her technique and expression to the limit, "Athlete Asada" is training hard everyday.

However, the moment she leaves the rink, there the girl with a bright, charming smile appears. The amiableness with which she will openheartedly talk to interviewers is full of charm, and before one knows it, she has filled the room with her smile. At the center of that circle is "Mao-chan." [chan, as opposed to san, is a diminutive suffix generally added to children's names, or for family members, close friends; it denotes affection]

"Athlete Asada" and "Mao-chan." This gap is fascinating.

In the TV program, it is difficult to decide what to call her. For reporters, who need to maintain a certain distance from their subjects, "Mao-chan" may be too personal, and whether or not to use "chan" for a young woman who will become a college student in April is also questionable. Even so, "Athlete Asada" sounds too stiff/formal.
"Asada-san?" "Mao-san?" "Asada?"--do I use different names depending on the situation? If only there was a way to perfectly convey her charm as a person...

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For me at least, Mao will always be Mao-chan! I think I'll always remember that adorable 15-year old bursting with joy when she won the 2005 Grand Prix Final.

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And here's one more news item!

A new Mao book!
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E7%9C%9F%E5%A4%AE%E3%82%89%E3%81%97%E3%81%8F-%E5%9D%82%E4%B8%8A-%E6%AD%A6%E5%8F%B8/dp/4022505087/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1236700329&sr=8-1

'Mao Rashiku' (Mao-like). It's a compilation of all the special articles run in the Asahi newspaper under that title (like the long article on Mao's off-ice training). Cool!

Thanks for the update, Batsuchan!

I don't know if this has been posted here already... But here is a program featuring Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOjyCzS-nVE
Close to the end of the video there is a short clip from Mao's LP runthrough in Moskva. Not much, just the into, but Mao looks gorgeous and Tatiana looks happy.

summervie wrote:

There's such a huge fuss around this nice ability of Yu-na to change her facial expression... She really has it, yes, but millions of people do have it too. And there's only one Mao Asada. Think about it, please. :-)
The greatness within figure skating lies in somewhat another plane, while this ability of simple acting is merely a bonus, a pleasant formality. Therefore, no need to make such a big deal out of it, as well as no need to try to justify some lack of it from Mao all the time (watch the last video around 1:17: I see there at least the same level of 'acting', Mao just sells it not as good as Yu-na does. Moreover, Yu-na's got the eyes of textbook (*smile*) coldness (as well as some degree of arrogance, I'd say), and surely it's easier for her to act in an adult, dramatic manner. Would you like to give up Mao's personality (let's put it this way) in exchange for that?).

you know what, actually i'm thinking that, IF, if yuna doesn't twist her face like that every time she tries to express sth, i'd have liked her much better..i just can't like it this way. can't. it's unnatural.

Okami wrote:

Thanks for the update, Batsuchan!

I don't know if this has been posted here already... But here is a program featuring Mao:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOjyCzS-nVE
Close to the end of the video there is a short clip from Mao's LP runthrough in Moskva. Not much, just the into, but Mao looks gorgeous and Tatiana looks happy.

They look so cool together, my favorite team. MaoTat Thanks for sharing Okami!

Mao graduated from a senior high school yesterday.

http://www.maomaiasada.com/message/mao.html

Congratulations, Mao

Oh! Congrats

CONGRATS MAO!!!! We'll always support you!!

Look at the picture with Mao and Yamada in practice:
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/ossai_maomaotaishi/e/64092c1de1f6ab1b5a696b211afff466

Does someone knoe where it was?? Was it before the show at the Miki&Mao rink or Mao is training from time to time with Yamada?