Japan Open 2010

coconut wrote:

I guess this season is actually good for every Mao fans.

The contrast between two programs is amazing, must be fun to watch!
I love both pros, but as for this FP, I think only Mao can skate.
"a girl with overflowing joy of love" pro suits Mao very well, especially about the step sequence.
I've watched the COI encore a lot of times already. How beautiful it is.
She'll getting better and better from now on. I'm looking forward to see it.

She has shown us a lot of dramas, I love this girl because of this.
This season may be tough, but I believe she WILL show us a drama again!


Btw, I love this pic so much! So beautiful! Thanks kirakira!

re: Liebestraume. 1992 Olympic pairs gold medalists MISHKUTENOK & DMITRIEV skated to the same music and did it brilliantly. they were unmatched. i guess this might work better since it is a couple conveying the theme... DREAMS OF LOVE... but mao can do it as a girl dreaming of her own love one day.. SEE that is the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3xUswH5Ydw&feature=related

dlnnyc wrote:

re: Liebestraume. 1992 Olympic pairs gold medalists MISHKUTENOK & DMITRIEV skated to the same music and did it brilliantly. they were unmatched. i guess this might work better since it is a couple conveying the theme... DREAMS OF LOVE... but mao can do it as a girl dreaming of her own love one day.. SEE that is the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3xUswH5Ydw&feature=related

I'm not saying it as for the piece of music... I also loved Kulik's one.
I just wanted to say about the choreography.
But thanks for the video. They are beautiful.

I really loved the design of her dress, but the color could be lighter IMO. I tried it in differente colors. Look:



I always imagined her skating to Liebestraume in a light green dress.

alyssa wrote:

I really loved the design of her dress, but the color could be lighter IMO. I tried it in differente colors. Look:



I always imagined her skating to Liebestraume in a light green dress.

Wow! Those really look great, alyssa. I've wanted Mao's dress to be in a light blue shade, but the light green really works well too. However, it does remind me a little too much of Yukina's program though; she also wore a green dress.

Wow it's beautiful in this colors too!

alyssa wrote:

I really loved the design of her dress, but the color could be lighter IMO. I tried it in differente colors. Look:



I always imagined her skating to Liebestraume in a light green dress.

I think I might be the only one that loved that purple color, bc purple is my favorite color in the world
But I have to say the green one is so pretty, I think Mao should do as her previous year and have a lot of different colors for her FP dress. The light green would be so beautiful in her

I love light green, it would be wonderful...my favourite color is yellow but it would not be very good with music

alyssa wrote:

I really loved the design of her dress, but the color could be lighter IMO. I tried it in differente colors. Look:



I always imagined her skating to Liebestraume in a light green dress.

These are really great alyssa! I honestly prefer them more than the purple...I like purple as a color, but that purple seemed a bit too 'pop'. I wanted something a bit more calmer like the colors in these photos. Did Mao ever wear green before, btw? I remember her in something like mint blue which was a bit close to green, but still blue afterall. Yeah, she would look good in green, too! But I like the pink one, too!

And they should change the skin part color to the green one you made. It fits her perfectly...I wish we knew who her designer is, so we can send him or her these photos!

PochinkoPotanko wrote:

And they should change the skin part color to the green one you made. It fits her perfectly...I wish we knew who her designer is, so we can send him or her these photos!

Thanks.
The first thing I noticed was the skin color part. It's too yellowish and doesn't match her skin so well as other dresses she's worn in the past, like these ones:

mingming wrote:

dlnnyc wrote:

re: Liebestraume. 1992 Olympic pairs gold medalists MISHKUTENOK & DMITRIEV skated to the same music and did it brilliantly. they were unmatched. i guess this might work better since it is a couple conveying the theme... DREAMS OF LOVE... but mao can do it as a girl dreaming of her own love one day.. SEE that is the story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3xUswH5Ydw&feature=related

I'm not saying it as for the piece of music... I also loved Kulik's one.
I just wanted to say about the choreography.
But thanks for the video. They are beautiful.

did kulik skate to it too? i didnt know.

alyssa wrote:

Thanks.
The first thing I noticed was the skin color part. It's too yellowish and doesn't match her skin so well as other dresses she's worn in the past.

Totally! I saw the costume and fell in love with it because, well, finally a sleeveless dress with no choker! And then I saw that yellowish piece of fabric(?) that is SUPPOSED to be skin colored and went "Ugh! Hello designers, this is Mao you're working with!"

You know alyssa, you should seriously become Mao's costume designer.

klarification wrote:

You know alyssa, you should seriously become Mao's costume designer.

Me? I just manipulated the color.
Okami should. Remember her creations?
https://maoasada.forumotion.net/arts-photomontages-f10/photo-manipulations-and-dress-designs-thread-t277.htm

Yes, good point about the color of the skin fabric. This would totally not fly on Project Runway or something;-)

On a different note, I'm not sure what all the debate is about. Some fans like this program, others don't, some will change their opinion as the season progresses. It's all normal and healthy to discuss and everyone should be able to express themselves, even if their remarks are not always positive. There should be no censorship or pressure as to what can and cannot be expressed by viewers, as long as it is said politely.

I personally loved Masquerade and Bells (the last even with falls in JO), and also some other programs (like Lavender SP and Chopin LP) right from the beginning. My initial comment was simply to note that for me, I didn't have such a reaction this time. But that's not a problem! This LP has potential, but I simply prefer the D/M version of the music and some changes to choreography. I don't see a problem with expressing my point of view, since for those past seasons when I instantly fell for a program, I didn't post much on the board(s), since I was so happy with what was present, even if it was far from technically perfect at the beginning of a season. Overall, I love this skater, and I can't wait to see how this season unfolds. I do think by Worlds we may see a masterpiece.

I think we needed the words that PochinkoPotanto told us, thanks for your opportune intervention PochinkoPotanto

Personally, I love Mao's new SP, it is elegant, intrincate, sexi and powerful, I hope she use a beautiful black dress. I also like her FS, but it is different, more lighter, it reminds me the famous ballet Giselle.....I think both of the programs are very passionates, so I want to watch how grow in interpretation

Sorry to comment on this late (as usual). I don't really know where the conversation is right now. There was too much to go through. So sorry if I bring up something that someone else already has!

Well I loved the music so much, I thought I would love Mao's new program right away, but I am actually not in love with it yet. I don't get surprised any more when Mao doesn't do well in her first competition of the year, so that's not why. I was expecting this more than ever actually, with her reworking her jumps, and switching coaches. I really praise her for including all the jumps! The music is so beautiful, you can't really go wrong with it. Especially with a light skater like Mao. I don't know if the choreography really does much for me yet though... This may just be because the program had lots of mistakes, and is brand new. I do know one thing which would make me like this program a whole lot more, it's one of those little things that would make a big difference: If Mao would smile more, and look more joyful. That's it! A program like bells definitely didn't require a smile, but this program does - to me any way. I'm sure I will like this program more, and more throughout the season. I like the dress too!

Not all of the videos were up on yt last time I checked. I would really like to see Joannie's. I did get to see Miki's though, and I really liked it. I think it may actually be my favorite LP of hers yet! I think I actually like the choreography (at this point anyway) more than Mao's new program (don't hurt me!). And I loved her dress. Miki always has the coolest dresses imo!

Dani-Chan wrote:

I think I might be the only one that loved that purple color, bc purple is my favorite color in the world

No, you're not the only one Dani-Chan. (And yes, purple is also my favorite color!) But I also love both of the variations Alyssa created. Perhaps a slightly toned-down purple would be better? A little lighter and less vivid?

As to the disagreements over the free program...it would be pretty boring around here if we all agreed on everything, wouldn't it? Like Artistry said, it's fine to talk about these things as long as we keep the conversation civil.

alyssa wrote:

klarification wrote:

You know alyssa, you should seriously become Mao's costume designer.

Me? I just manipulated the color.
Okami should. Remember her creations?
https://maoasada.forumotion.net/arts-photomontages-f10/photo-manipulations-and-dress-designs-thread-t277.htm

Then why not do a collaboration? That would be awesome!

alyssa wrote:

I really loved the design of her dress, but the color could be lighter IMO. I tried it in differente colors. Look:



I always imagined her skating to Liebestraume in a light green dress.

YES. This was what I meant by wishing the dress was a little more understated - something that was a little softer in colour.

Thank you for creating these beautiful images, alyssa .

Ken Himura wrote:

I think we needed the words that PochinkoPotanto told us, thanks for your opportune intervention PochinkoPotanto

Thanks for saying that, Ken Himura.

Now I reviewed Mao's JO FP, and there are some things I've noticed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7srDDFkzpJI

I do think the first half of the pro is a bit lame, to be honest. But I think it's mainly because she needed to keep her stamina for putting the 3A in the latter half. So aside from all the jumps, maybe Lori tried to take it easy on the first half, not putting much choreo in the upper body to make it look more fancy.

But from around 2:35 where the piano becomes stronger, and that's where the 3A was supposed to come in, the music changes from what was very light and soft to something more passionate. It calms down again from the spiral, and the piano moves on to the part where you kind of imagine small bits of crystals falling from the sky (that's the impression I get around 3:15). She does a 3S here, dropping into a sit spin, but this part, I kind of think they could've made more use of the music. But had the 3A and the following jumps been successful, it might've been the correct time for a quiet moment there. And Mao being able to create a comforting silence through what was probabaly meant to be an effortless looking 3S and sit spin, was what I think Lori was aiming at. I think the 3S was supposed to make people image a flower blooming not fully but in a little bit of a shy kind of way, and then you could image the petals falling and fading away as she drops into the spin. I think Mao is capable of expressing such sensibility, while most people would imagine more fancy moves to go with that part of the music. And right after that, in contrast the music goes back to dramatic strings, where she'd blossom again, this time much more boldly and proud expressed through the SS. Before and after arount 4:00 her moves become quicker than ever in the whole pro, with a short part where she starts running, which made me feel like she had no more hesitations for the love she had been enduring throughout the pro, and goes on to express how huge, strong and warm it is to the very end. But I do think a different entering position for the last spin would be preferrable, and I also would've liked it more if she did a one hand biellmann in the end. The music softly calms down in the end, so a one handed biellmann would've fit it better IMO.

I do think overall, that if all the jumps have been successful, the pro simply would've looked much better. This music doesn't grasp you from the start, and nor does the pro, but as she does all the jumps as if she's expressing her emotions for whoever in everyway she could, and the 3A being the peak of all that, the music becomes more strong and powerful pulling the audience into the midst of her magical flow. So, with this program, I think that succeeding every jump is essentially necessary. If she pops or falls in even one jump, the music will leave her behind right away. I think they arranged the music much more dramatically than I'd ever imagine they would. And the way it develops more powerfully towards the end is IMO, actually pretty similar to the 'Bells...' arrangement, rather than her 'Nocturne', 'Fantaisie-Impromptu' or 'Masuquerade Waltz' music. I think Lori, seeing Mao's recent pros felt there should be more dramatic risings in the music. Although I think 'Bells...' was full of it, it was a clear contrast of the first half being depression, and the latter strength to overcome it. So that piece could be well divided into 2 parts. 'Masquerade Waltz' on the other hand has the same gorgeous tone from the beginning to the end, no changes there. But Lori's 'Liebesträume' cannot be divided simply into 2 parts, nor has the same tone all throughout. It's more like a gradation of colors; first it's soft and faint, but it becomes deeper and higher in chroma towards the end. Every single jump is of itself an expression of how the color changes little by little in the music, I think.

So once Mao misses a jump, the audience will be pulled back to reality, and the gradation will be lost. She'll have to start all over again from the next jump, to heighten the emotions of the viewers along with the music. Therefore, with all the mistakes in the jumps at JO, I think it's pretty natural that the effects meant in the pro didn't work on some people.

I also totally agree with Star85 saying Mao needed to smile more during the pro. Esp in the SS part in the end, she has to be bursting with joy just as the music is. I also think she has to pay more attention to her fingers. I think she cared more about them during the past 2 seasons, than this one. I felt the same when I saw 'Ballade' for the first time, and had been hoping she'd be more careful to shape them in more balletic ways, but there hasn't been much progress in that up to now. Miki was extremely good at that point at JO, so seeing her performance before Mao's made me worry more about it. This pro would look much much better only if she'd have the mental room to care about her fingertips and smile more. I'm very sure about this.

Sorry for writing so much...I just watched the pro over again today, and all these thoughts came into my mind, I had to write it down somewhere. Thanks for reading.

klarification wrote:

alyssa wrote:

Thanks.
The first thing I noticed was the skin color part. It's too yellowish and doesn't match her skin so well as other dresses she's worn in the past.

Totally! I saw the costume and fell in love with it because, well, finally a sleeveless dress with no choker! And then I saw that yellowish piece of fabric(?) that is SUPPOSED to be skin colored and went "Ugh! Hello designers, this is Mao you're working with!"

You know alyssa, you should seriously become Mao's costume designer.

Do you know who are Mao's costume designers?

Thank you to you (PochinkoPotanko)

You are right, 'Liebesträume' program require perfection in every element for conquest the heart of the audience. But in this moment She is trying so hard with her jumps. So it needs time and patience, when Mao won enough trust in her jumps, the other elements will be easier to execute. We only have to believe on her and wait

mingming my favorite color is purple too and I believe that purple is the perfect color for 'Liebesträume' costume, but maybe a softer purple is more appropriated for the music, and can look more elegant. Also a blue costume (like in So Deep Is The Night) can look great over the ice.

Mao_Asada_sunrise wrote:

Do you know who are Mao's costume designers?

I have no idea! I know her costumes were created buy a Russian designer last season. I'm not sure why her other designers (probabaly Japanese?) are never mentioned anywhere...But I think the 'Liebesträume' costume was probabaly done by the same designer who did the marvelous 'Clair de Lune'.The way the shiny broaches are used and the soft gradation seem to have a similar touch.

Ken Himura wrote:

Thank you to you (PochinkoPotanko)

You are right, 'Liebesträume' program require perfection in every element for conquest the heart of the audience. But in this moment She is trying so hard with her jumps. So it needs time and patience, when Mao won enough trust in her jumps, the other elements will be easier to execute. We only have to believe on her and wait

mingming my favorite color is purple too and I believe that purple is the perfect color for 'Liebesträume' costume, but maybe a softer purple is more appropriated for the music, and can look more elegant. Also a blue costume (like in So Deep Is The Night) can look great over the ice.

ITA with everything you've written here. I thought that trying all the jumps in one season might be too tough and crazy, but as a result it seems to fit the music. Jumping the same jumps over and over isn't suitable for 'Liebesträume' IMO. It's a good thing she's trying this now, for the sake of Sochi and for the pro itself. She'll get better of course, because getting better is what Mao does the best!

Btw...can I ask you something? You don't have to answer it if you want it to be a secret, but it's been puzzling me for a long time...Who is 'Ken Himura' and why do you use that name for your ID? It sounds very much like a Japanese male name...???

¨She'll get better of course, because getting better is what Mao does the best!¨ I love this phrase, because it summarize pretty well one of the reasons why I admire to Mao, the fact that she always wants to be better, She inspire me to be better, and remind me, each day, that it is possible if we really try

My ID is not a secret is a carelessness......This is the first time that I join to a forum, so when I chose my ID, something similar to the name of my favorite manga character, Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin), looked like a good idea. When I started to post, last month, I noticed that my ID selection was estrange or at least unusual, but I didn't know how to change it. Last week I found a topic about changing ID, but I don´t know what new ID I will choose

I apologize with you and the others members of the forum that felt disconcertedly for my ID

Ken Himura wrote:

¨She'll get better of course, because getting better is what Mao does the best!¨ I love this phrase, because it summarize pretty well one of the reasons why I admire to Mao, the fact that she always wants to be better, She inspire me to be better, and remind me, each day, that it is possible if we really try

My ID is not a secret is a carelessness......This is the first time that I join to a forum, so when I chose my ID, something similar to the name of my favorite manga character, Kenshin Himura (Rurouni Kenshin), looked like a good idea. When I started to post, last month, I noticed that my ID selection was estrange or at least unusual, but I didn't know how to change it. Last week I found a topic about changing ID, but I don´t know what new ID I will choose

I apologize with you and the others members of the forum that felt disconcertedly for my ID

Oh! Kenshin Himura! Now I get it! Please don't apologize, it's prefectly fine!
I've never read or seen the anime of 'Rurouni Kenshin', but it's very famous and popular so I do know it. I did think that maybe your ID was the name of a character in a Japanese narrative of some kind. So I asked my husband if he knew any characters by the name of 'Ken Himura' and he said he didn't...but he had this wild idea that your ID was taken from a famous Japanese comedian called Ken 'Shimura', because your a great fan of his....

Here's a photo of him which looks pretty normal:



Plus here's a photo of him doing his 'stupid feudal lord' act, and his face turns into Mao!



It was originally a gif anime which was presented in Shimura's official blog. It's said that it wasn't Shimura who made it, but he found it on the net and thought it was funny so he used it. Mao wouldn't be angry I think because she seems to like comedians pretty much!

But anyway, I'm relieved that you were not a fan of his! I quite like him as a person, but I've never really found his type of comedy so funny...so if Ken Shimura had become popular world-wide...I'd have been a bit confused about international standards concerning laughter.