Bored and In Lockdown: An English Literature Student picks apart Yuzuru Hanyu's R&J 1.0 to a degree which it was never meant to be analysed to, because it's Really, Really, Good

I maintain that this was a GENIUS choice for Yuzuru. The British commentators kinda hit on it; they said he basically is Romeo, but I would argue he's both. He essentially channels the intensity of emotion, the desperation for freedom, that's present at the heart of the play.

Both Romeo and Juliet are highly emotional, highly passionate characters are led basically completely by their heart. (This is a very generous description of Romeo but these are the qualities that lovely lovely Yuzu's portrayal of him emphasises, so we'll be nice lol.)

Yuzu was a teenager, too; he like dramatic music, to skate fast (and still does, even if he has mellowed a bit.) He gets completely caught up in the moment and the emotion, and they took this quality and applied it to a narrative!

The music really helps. I prefer 1.0 to 2.0 because I think Nino Rota makes R&J too dignified, and there's something more frantic and melodramatic about this score that fits the tone of the play better. It also means the softer, more romantic moments strike a bigger contrast.

The skate follows the rise and fall of the play as well! It starts intense, as the play does with the fight between the Montagues and Capulets, slows and softens as Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love, then quickens again for Romeo's banishment/Juliet's 'death'/their real deaths.

Also, the fall in the STSQ during Worlds adds even more to the interpretation, even if inadvertently! (I would have given extra marks lol.) There's a scene where Juliet is anxiously waiting for Romeo to arrive; "Come, gentle night...Give me my Romeo, and when I shall die/

"Take him and cut him out in little stars /And he will make the face of heaven so fine/That all the world will be in love with night." (3.2.20-24) Safe to say she's pretty infatuated with him.

(hey you know who else would make the face of heaven pretty damn fine?)

Er...anyway. But then she discovers that Romeo has killed Tybalt, and her idealistic visions of love and her husband are shattered. The fall embodies that sudden ruination of their romance, even if it does so accidentally. ("He falls good" - Roman Sadovsky.)

Then coming out of the stsq into the 3A-3T-- right back in with the big jumps. I feel like this represents the return of the fighting and conflict that the big jumps represented initially, but with the music still somewhat sad, gives the impression of regret--

Because Romeo tried to avoid this fight with Tybalt, but was driven to it through grief after Mercutio is killed in his stead. The violence is not as eager as before. (Also note the pulling of the wrist here; like he's staying his hand.)

The yell! I pair this with Act 5 Scene 1, when Romeo finds out that Juliet's 'dead', and, after believing so strongly in the power of fate, decides to go against it. "Then I defy you, stars!" (5.1.24), he declares, then goes and drinks poison like an idiot before any fact checks.

Then we reach 'oh happy dagger/this is thy sheath/there rust, and let me die.' I don't think this is deliberate, but this motion comes after the biellmann, which is a typically female spin; almost as if representing Romeo is now dead, and Juliet is now left to follow him.

So yeah! A lot of this is a massive reach but I think this is one of Yuzuru's strongest skates in terms of storytelling, even almost 10 years later. Seimei and Tenchi outstrip it now, but this still holds special significance to me just because I'm fond of the play.

I hope this was at least a little interesting!