yeah i think this arc will be more on the chill side similar to meikou cup or west japan to let us take a breather after the intensity of all-japans and introduce all the key players in junior. though the tone can definitely change once we get to the long program. i guess we'll seeI feel like the tone of this chapter was a bit more subdued than any of Inori's other competitions, and I think that's deliberate. This is the first performance where she wasn't relying on pulling off miracles, rather she was just executing an extremely high and refined level of skill. Case in point, even the lvl 4 step sequence which was such a big moment in the previous competition almost seemed like a done deal in this one.
I was actually thinking it was along the lines of illustrating her increase in skill over time. Every other tournament she has relied on at least one miracle move, and in the All-Japan basically every move felt like a miracle move. In the All-Japan her level 4 step sequence felt kind of like "Wow she pulled off a level 4 that's absolutely incredible!", in this one it, at least to me, felt more like "Great! She pulled off a level 4, just as planned." Well that's my view anyway, I might be reading too much into it.yeah i think this arc will be more on the chill side similar to meikou cup or west japan to let us take a breather after the intensity of all-japans and introduce all the key players in junior. though the tone can definitely change once we get to the long program. i guess we'll see
While I don't disagree with the miracle move/shortcake strategy thing (because I'm of the belief that Inori is at a disadvantage when it comes to her peers because of the lack of experience she has had with competing/skating camps,and hopefully juniors is when she'll start accumulating that and honing her skills) Inori had; but at least in my POV her level 4 was because of her skill. She'a always loved the essence of ice dancing more than jumping and although I'm sad it's only shown in the BG; she did practice very hard to acheive that. I thought that It was meant to be ammunition against the other competitorsI was actually thinking it was along the lines of illustrating her increase in skill over time. Every other tournament she has relied on at least one miracle move, and in the All-Japan basically every move felt like a miracle move. In the All-Japan her level 4 step sequence felt kind of like "Wow she pulled off a level 4 that's absolutely incredible!", in this one it, at least to me, felt more like "Great! She pulled off a level 4, just as planned." Well that's my view anyway, I might be reading too much into it.
EDIT: I also want to clarify that this comment isn't about my enjoyment as a reader, I am loving these chapters just as much as the previous ones, I'm just speculating if this feeling I have from the chapter is in any way deliberate from the author.