Vive le roi! [YOI 08]
I knew that there would be a Canadian character in Yuri on Ice, but I was not prepared for Jean-Jacques Leroy.
I went into a looooong digression about JJ toward the end of this, so I'm going to front-load everything else. Feel free to skip the Canadian over-analyzing at the end, I'm just talking out of my own ass and I Have Opinions.
Anyway.
AHHH I'm so glad we got to see Yurio's grandfather. <3 I was worried he wouldn't be alive, considering what we got before was a flashback, so it was nice to see him.
Pffff, it's kind of interesting to see the contrast between the Rostelecom cup and the Cup of China - like Yuuri mentioned, he doesn't really have any friends with the competitors here (whereas with the CoC, he was pretty friendly with everyone, or at least - with most? He knew everyone, at least.)
"You'll suffer a miserable defeat here in Russia" Tell us how you really feel, Yurio.
"The Rustelecom results will determine whether Phichit Chulanont will advance to the GPF" OH MY GOD poor Phichit's distressed face xD Ahhhh fffff. ...Really though, I do hope we'll see him at the end. I know that some people were crunching numbers in order to figure that he would indeed get to the GPF, but at this point, isn't it too early to be sure?
Argh, I really want to meet Otabek, though. In some ways I feel like he's being set up as a "final boss", since we won't see him until GPF, but I wish we could see... more? Of him.
Hmm, the new characters...
Not sure what to think of Seung-Gil - his performance didn't wow me - I think this is partly because it happened so soon after we met him, so there was no chance to get invested. And the visuals didn't have anything to my taste per se. But I DO appreciate his commitment to dressing like a parrot. :D
My, though, his attitude... he's so sharp and cold! Hm, I know that before this ep, some people were shipping him with JJ, and also with Phichit, but I don't know if I feel it. No, I don't think so. (He sure is pretty, though.)
Emil is... "Mickey! Sala! Let's all go to Barcelona!" Aww, I like him. (Pfff, he keeps trying to get Mickey's attention....) But I haven't seen enough of him in order to really latch onto him.
Mickey, I know you love your sister, but uh. You gotta let her go, man. Love his costume, though. And the music is great. And I like that he incorporated some of the same moves that Sala uses as well.
Feels like they skimped on the secondary performances here... Alas. I would have liked to see them properly - and I would have liked to have the opportunity to get to know the characters a little more before seeing them skate. There wasn't nearly enough to make me fall in love with the Italians, or the Czech guy, or Seung-Gil either. But, anyway.
Ehhhh, Yurio's grandfather didn't come to his performance?! Why? Is he staying home cooking more of those things for him? (I hope so) Ahh but why.... Argh, I feel really bad for Yurio.
...Wow, Yuuri and Victor, those sure are some moments between them eh. "I'll show my love to the whole of Russia" ... Do you have an exhibition kink, Yuuri...
Omg, that moment when he blew the kiss! xD FFFUU
I can't get over like, the little intimacy between those two, though. Victor tying Yuuri's skates... and then kissing his skate after the win, what the hell. Why is that so hot? I normally don't find that kind of thing hot (do I? Well, maybe I do). That's gotta' be kind of unsanitary though, geez. But at least he wasn't licking it. That's for later I MEAN umnevermind. Moving on.
I love how excited Yuuri and Victor are to watch Yurio's Agape performance - it's so cute! It's just so nice that they want to be encouraging toward them.
"Good luck, Yurio!" aww. :D ...I just wish he understood that it's genuine. That's probably something Yurio will understand with time, right?
PFF, THE CAT EARS, THOUGH.
Also, speaking of the Russians - I love how Victor asks Yakov to be Yuuri's coach for a day. Like, clearly he has some respect for him and his decisions and so on, if he'd do that.
...and now we have JJ. Oh gods. I was kind of unsure, but the moment I saw him in that fucking Canadian Tire jacket, I knew. xD (Ah, pardon me, "Cast Wheels". PFF) I don't really have any intense feelings about his performance, compared to some of the China Cup skaters (I loved Leo's SP even on the first view, for example) but maybe it'll grow on me on second watch. But I do appreciate that he's committed to doing his own thing, rather than, for example, strategically loading his jumps at the back - he's confident that no matter what, he can go to the top.
Oh lawd. JJ is - he is not what I was expecting at all. xD He's an absolute hoot. AND YET. Not entirely out of left field, either. He very much fits into the slot of a particular kind off Canadian asshat. I've met so many full-of-themselves young guys like him, oh my gods. Ontario and Quebec are full of 'em.
I can't get over how painfully Canadian he is, though. That Canadian Tire jacket. Maple leaves everywhere. His whole... everything. I'm so amused.
Now, for those who remember Hetalia fandom - remember how some Canadians were kind of annoyed over the portrayal of Canada in it? ...Those people were hoping for someone more like JJ. Or, well, the ideal would be a happy medium between JJ and APH Canada, maybe. But still. Pff. PFFFFFFF.
This guy cracks me up. I don't know whether I want to ruffle his hair or punch him in the face. He's... not what I was hoping for - when all I had to go by was character design + name, I was hoping for someone energetic and flirty but a bit more down-to-earth (and, I'll confess, I was hoping he'd be Acadien too - while there's no confirmation, I'd say... there's no way in hell JJ is a Maritimer). But I can say that I'm really amused. At least this jerk makes me laugh. :D
Also (sorry, I have too many thoughts) his ego is really fitting, because - while I don't follow figure skating, I do follow some other winter sports. While I can't say anything about the attitudes of the athletes themselves, the attitude of Canadians toward winter sports, especially stuff like the Olympics and so on, tends to be very "Oh yeah, we're the best, we're going to win, there's no way we won't win, OH CANADA" and so on. As if we're owed it that gold medal. As if it belongs to us. ...And this is why yeah, JJ's full-of-himself attitude is really suitable. And very in line with that kind off asshat personality. (And this kind of "WIN OR ELSE" thing is also why I don't talk about winter sports with Canadians any more. Or at least not at work. Fff I really hate that attitude....)
Now, I've seen some people discussing whether he's Quebecois or not, and other things, such as Franco-Ontarian or New Brunswicker (I've even seen people assuming that he is meant to be Metis). I don't know whether The Powers That Be were putting that much thought into it. But if one was going to overanalyze this, there are some details that could serve as indicators. I'm going to talk about them as if they were intentional, though I would like to note that I don't think this much thought/intent actually went into it.
My thoughts: Francophone Ontarian. Possibly Quebecois, but some suggestions otherwise. Definitely not a New Brunswicker (Acadien). Highly unlikely to be Metis.
Regarding New Brunswick - everything indicates that he is a big-city guy with the attitude, resources, and connections to go with it. Doesn't really match up with this small Maritime province. The stereotype for this area leans toward hillbilly Franch, if you know what I mean. Not... whatever it is that JJ has going on.
Regarding possible Metis heritage - highly unlikely. There are no cues to indicate this. He does have a French name, but his surname isn't one that would typically suggest Metis heritage (unlike, say, Beaulieu). And his maple leaf tattoo etc suggests positive feelings about Canada as a nation. That's not something one would expect to see from an indigenous person, to say the least. Not saying it's impossible, just very unlikely. The reason I bring this up is because I saw several people talking about Metis!JJ, as if it is a fact that he is meant to be this. I love the idea of a Metis character appearing in something as well-received as YOI. But it's important to have actual indigenous representation in media, not just people pulling ideas out of their asses because they think it sounds cool.
Quebec - This is where it gets interesting. Because when I first saw his name, I assumed, "Oh, he must be meant to be from Quebec". But when I actually saw the episode (well, screencaps and then episode), I had some doubts. It's possible that he could be from Quebec, but there are a few small details that don't really match very well for a Quebecois guy. Plastering himself with maple leaves does make sense from a publicity/promotion angle; Canada kind of feeds off that kind of thing. But this mostly makes sense when it's clothing. Actually putting something on your skin is different.
Regarding his tattoos, in addition to all his vanity stuff (seriously, a tramp stamp of his own name? Geeze, JJ...) the design of interest is - he has a maple leaf and the last three lines of the national anthem in English. (Screenshots, the text is kind of hard to see unless you open the images in a new tab). Quebec sovereignty/separatism is an ongoing subject in Quebec in particular and the country in general, and for that reason symbols of Canada/Canadian unity are not necessarily politically neutral. Literally putting a maple leaf on himself would be an unexpected choice for a young Quebecois man to make, I think. It wouldn't necessarily be a pro-unity statement, but... it also doesn't necessarily have the same kind of vague-neutral-positive association that it would for someone who is not from a province where separatism/sovereignty is an ongoing subject of discussion. Plus, the choice of incorporating the anthem just seems so very Anglo - not even due to the fact that it's in English; it just seems... not Quebecois.
So, basically, this is just a roundabout way of me overanalyzing things in order to say that there actually is no indication that he's Quebecois, and there are some things that suggest he's not Quebecois. And as a matter of fact the only indication we have that he's Francophone at all is his first name! The surname is no suggestion, because I know plenty of people with French surnames who can't say anything more than "Bonjour". But one doesn't end up with a name like Jean-Jacques unless their parents are francophone, at the very least. So: yes to French-speaking, but could easily be from a francophone area of Ontario, rather than Quebec.
Though even after I wrote all these words, I will say once again that I don't think The Powers That Be actually put this much thought into the technical details of Canadian national symbols, and he probably is actually meant to be from Quebec. And, also... I actually do like the idea of Quebecois!JJ. But admittedly it's because I'm one of those weirdos who finds Quebec French hot. /facepalm
[edit] LMAO holy shit, how did I not notice that he crosses himself before coming onto the ice?! I'm dying. Good gods.
Okay, disregard everything I said above, he's so fucking Quebecois it hurts. Criss de calice de tabarnak, that seals it. I can't argue against that.
Also, the fact that he's explicitly Catholic explains why his lyric tattoo would include one of the more controversial lines in the Canadian anthem - that is, "God, keep our land glorious and free/O Canada we stand on guard for thee". It's something I was wondering about, because it would be an odd choice for someone who isn't religious. It isn't even one of the lines that scans nicely (to me, a better choice of lyrics would be "With glowing hearts we see thee rise/The true north strong and free", maybe). But, there we are. Mystery solved.
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3517298.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.
I went into a looooong digression about JJ toward the end of this, so I'm going to front-load everything else. Feel free to skip the Canadian over-analyzing at the end, I'm just talking out of my own ass and I Have Opinions.
Anyway.
AHHH I'm so glad we got to see Yurio's grandfather. <3 I was worried he wouldn't be alive, considering what we got before was a flashback, so it was nice to see him.
Pffff, it's kind of interesting to see the contrast between the Rostelecom cup and the Cup of China - like Yuuri mentioned, he doesn't really have any friends with the competitors here (whereas with the CoC, he was pretty friendly with everyone, or at least - with most? He knew everyone, at least.)
"You'll suffer a miserable defeat here in Russia" Tell us how you really feel, Yurio.
"The Rustelecom results will determine whether Phichit Chulanont will advance to the GPF" OH MY GOD poor Phichit's distressed face xD Ahhhh fffff. ...Really though, I do hope we'll see him at the end. I know that some people were crunching numbers in order to figure that he would indeed get to the GPF, but at this point, isn't it too early to be sure?
Argh, I really want to meet Otabek, though. In some ways I feel like he's being set up as a "final boss", since we won't see him until GPF, but I wish we could see... more? Of him.
Hmm, the new characters...
Not sure what to think of Seung-Gil - his performance didn't wow me - I think this is partly because it happened so soon after we met him, so there was no chance to get invested. And the visuals didn't have anything to my taste per se. But I DO appreciate his commitment to dressing like a parrot. :D
My, though, his attitude... he's so sharp and cold! Hm, I know that before this ep, some people were shipping him with JJ, and also with Phichit, but I don't know if I feel it. No, I don't think so. (He sure is pretty, though.)
Emil is... "Mickey! Sala! Let's all go to Barcelona!" Aww, I like him. (Pfff, he keeps trying to get Mickey's attention....) But I haven't seen enough of him in order to really latch onto him.
Mickey, I know you love your sister, but uh. You gotta let her go, man. Love his costume, though. And the music is great. And I like that he incorporated some of the same moves that Sala uses as well.
Feels like they skimped on the secondary performances here... Alas. I would have liked to see them properly - and I would have liked to have the opportunity to get to know the characters a little more before seeing them skate. There wasn't nearly enough to make me fall in love with the Italians, or the Czech guy, or Seung-Gil either. But, anyway.
Ehhhh, Yurio's grandfather didn't come to his performance?! Why? Is he staying home cooking more of those things for him? (I hope so) Ahh but why.... Argh, I feel really bad for Yurio.
...Wow, Yuuri and Victor, those sure are some moments between them eh. "I'll show my love to the whole of Russia" ... Do you have an exhibition kink, Yuuri...
Omg, that moment when he blew the kiss! xD FFFUU
I can't get over like, the little intimacy between those two, though. Victor tying Yuuri's skates... and then kissing his skate after the win, what the hell. Why is that so hot? I normally don't find that kind of thing hot (do I? Well, maybe I do). That's gotta' be kind of unsanitary though, geez. But at least he wasn't licking it. That's for later I MEAN umnevermind. Moving on.
I love how excited Yuuri and Victor are to watch Yurio's Agape performance - it's so cute! It's just so nice that they want to be encouraging toward them.
"Good luck, Yurio!" aww. :D ...I just wish he understood that it's genuine. That's probably something Yurio will understand with time, right?
PFF, THE CAT EARS, THOUGH.
Also, speaking of the Russians - I love how Victor asks Yakov to be Yuuri's coach for a day. Like, clearly he has some respect for him and his decisions and so on, if he'd do that.
...and now we have JJ. Oh gods. I was kind of unsure, but the moment I saw him in that fucking Canadian Tire jacket, I knew. xD (Ah, pardon me, "Cast Wheels". PFF) I don't really have any intense feelings about his performance, compared to some of the China Cup skaters (I loved Leo's SP even on the first view, for example) but maybe it'll grow on me on second watch. But I do appreciate that he's committed to doing his own thing, rather than, for example, strategically loading his jumps at the back - he's confident that no matter what, he can go to the top.
Oh lawd. JJ is - he is not what I was expecting at all. xD He's an absolute hoot. AND YET. Not entirely out of left field, either. He very much fits into the slot of a particular kind off Canadian asshat. I've met so many full-of-themselves young guys like him, oh my gods. Ontario and Quebec are full of 'em.
I can't get over how painfully Canadian he is, though. That Canadian Tire jacket. Maple leaves everywhere. His whole... everything. I'm so amused.
Now, for those who remember Hetalia fandom - remember how some Canadians were kind of annoyed over the portrayal of Canada in it? ...Those people were hoping for someone more like JJ. Or, well, the ideal would be a happy medium between JJ and APH Canada, maybe. But still. Pff. PFFFFFFF.
This guy cracks me up. I don't know whether I want to ruffle his hair or punch him in the face. He's... not what I was hoping for - when all I had to go by was character design + name, I was hoping for someone energetic and flirty but a bit more down-to-earth (and, I'll confess, I was hoping he'd be Acadien too - while there's no confirmation, I'd say... there's no way in hell JJ is a Maritimer). But I can say that I'm really amused. At least this jerk makes me laugh. :D
Also (sorry, I have too many thoughts) his ego is really fitting, because - while I don't follow figure skating, I do follow some other winter sports. While I can't say anything about the attitudes of the athletes themselves, the attitude of Canadians toward winter sports, especially stuff like the Olympics and so on, tends to be very "Oh yeah, we're the best, we're going to win, there's no way we won't win, OH CANADA" and so on. As if we're owed it that gold medal. As if it belongs to us. ...And this is why yeah, JJ's full-of-himself attitude is really suitable. And very in line with that kind off asshat personality. (And this kind of "WIN OR ELSE" thing is also why I don't talk about winter sports with Canadians any more. Or at least not at work. Fff I really hate that attitude....)
Now, I've seen some people discussing whether he's Quebecois or not, and other things, such as Franco-Ontarian or New Brunswicker (I've even seen people assuming that he is meant to be Metis). I don't know whether The Powers That Be were putting that much thought into it. But if one was going to overanalyze this, there are some details that could serve as indicators. I'm going to talk about them as if they were intentional, though I would like to note that I don't think this much thought/intent actually went into it.
My thoughts: Francophone Ontarian. Possibly Quebecois, but some suggestions otherwise. Definitely not a New Brunswicker (Acadien). Highly unlikely to be Metis.
Regarding New Brunswick - everything indicates that he is a big-city guy with the attitude, resources, and connections to go with it. Doesn't really match up with this small Maritime province. The stereotype for this area leans toward hillbilly Franch, if you know what I mean. Not... whatever it is that JJ has going on.
Regarding possible Metis heritage - highly unlikely. There are no cues to indicate this. He does have a French name, but his surname isn't one that would typically suggest Metis heritage (unlike, say, Beaulieu). And his maple leaf tattoo etc suggests positive feelings about Canada as a nation. That's not something one would expect to see from an indigenous person, to say the least. Not saying it's impossible, just very unlikely. The reason I bring this up is because I saw several people talking about Metis!JJ, as if it is a fact that he is meant to be this. I love the idea of a Metis character appearing in something as well-received as YOI. But it's important to have actual indigenous representation in media, not just people pulling ideas out of their asses because they think it sounds cool.
Quebec - This is where it gets interesting. Because when I first saw his name, I assumed, "Oh, he must be meant to be from Quebec". But when I actually saw the episode (well, screencaps and then episode), I had some doubts. It's possible that he could be from Quebec, but there are a few small details that don't really match very well for a Quebecois guy. Plastering himself with maple leaves does make sense from a publicity/promotion angle; Canada kind of feeds off that kind of thing. But this mostly makes sense when it's clothing. Actually putting something on your skin is different.
Regarding his tattoos, in addition to all his vanity stuff (seriously, a tramp stamp of his own name? Geeze, JJ...) the design of interest is - he has a maple leaf and the last three lines of the national anthem in English. (Screenshots, the text is kind of hard to see unless you open the images in a new tab). Quebec sovereignty/separatism is an ongoing subject in Quebec in particular and the country in general, and for that reason symbols of Canada/Canadian unity are not necessarily politically neutral. Literally putting a maple leaf on himself would be an unexpected choice for a young Quebecois man to make, I think. It wouldn't necessarily be a pro-unity statement, but... it also doesn't necessarily have the same kind of vague-neutral-positive association that it would for someone who is not from a province where separatism/sovereignty is an ongoing subject of discussion. Plus, the choice of incorporating the anthem just seems so very Anglo - not even due to the fact that it's in English; it just seems... not Quebecois.
So, basically, this is just a roundabout way of me overanalyzing things in order to say that there actually is no indication that he's Quebecois, and there are some things that suggest he's not Quebecois. And as a matter of fact the only indication we have that he's Francophone at all is his first name! The surname is no suggestion, because I know plenty of people with French surnames who can't say anything more than "Bonjour". But one doesn't end up with a name like Jean-Jacques unless their parents are francophone, at the very least. So: yes to French-speaking, but could easily be from a francophone area of Ontario, rather than Quebec.
Though even after I wrote all these words, I will say once again that I don't think The Powers That Be actually put this much thought into the technical details of Canadian national symbols, and he probably is actually meant to be from Quebec. And, also... I actually do like the idea of Quebecois!JJ. But admittedly it's because I'm one of those weirdos who finds Quebec French hot. /facepalm
[edit] LMAO holy shit, how did I not notice that he crosses himself before coming onto the ice?! I'm dying. Good gods.
Okay, disregard everything I said above, he's so fucking Quebecois it hurts. Criss de calice de tabarnak, that seals it. I can't argue against that.
Also, the fact that he's explicitly Catholic explains why his lyric tattoo would include one of the more controversial lines in the Canadian anthem - that is, "God, keep our land glorious and free/O Canada we stand on guard for thee". It's something I was wondering about, because it would be an odd choice for someone who isn't religious. It isn't even one of the lines that scans nicely (to me, a better choice of lyrics would be "With glowing hearts we see thee rise/The true north strong and free", maybe). But, there we are. Mystery solved.
This entry was originally posted at http://yuuago.dreamwidth.org/3517298.html. You can comment here or at the original entry.