Badminton in Japan

Discussion in 'Japan Professional Players' started by gaDEfan, May 6, 2007.

  1. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    On that line, ....It's not quite a manga, but a new badminton animation is going to start on January 22 on Asahi TV's cable network, called "リーマンズクラブ" (https://rymansclub.com/). Rather than the typical high school badminton club storyline, this animation is actually going to focus on a corporate team, which could be quite revealing as far as the social structure of these entities is concerned. The voice actors are really famous in Japan!
     
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  2. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    AJC SF Results (December 29):

    WS:
    1. An upset! Mizui Hirari (NTT-East) overcame Takahashi Asuka (Yonex) in a 70-minute battle, 23-25, 21-17, 21-14. This result could well have consequences for Takahashi's place on Team A. As Mizui's world ranking of No. 93 may prevent her from being considered for a spot, will Ohori regain her place?
    2. In the other half, Okuhara prevailed over the gutsy Sato Sayaka who, judging by the scoreline, seemed to run out of steam in game 2. (21-19, 21-12)

    Sadly, this was Sato's last tournament.
     
  3. sbad

    sbad New Member

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    Watched the trailer. Looks promising. In fact, the real life stories of the players can make good anime/movie, from takamatsu starting as a high school pair to Olympics gold medalist and momota's suspension to rise to the top. All very good material for dramatisation.
     
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  4. Pcyl

    Pcyl Regular Member

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    Haven't watched the match between Asuka Takahashi and Mizui Hirari yet. I knew Mizui Hirari was good and she must have improved and leveled up. I saw her as a strategic player which requires a lot of thinking. It is good but when her strategy isn't working out she melts down. But i guess she has overcome and worked around that. Asuka Takahashi attacks with instinct and not afraid to go for the lines. High risk player but when she works on minimizing unforced errors, she can threaten opponents effectively.

    Ohori and Sayaka takahashi are actually very good. That's why on their better days, they can even beat Sindhu or CYF. Problem is they have something similar with Nishimoto and Tsuneyama. They can melt down and become impatient. When that happens, they forgot that the opponent is also having as much chances to make errors as them. Suddenly, it is like they just decided it is not their day and they are the only ones who are making all the unforced errors.
     
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  5. Pcyl

    Pcyl Regular Member

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    Sato Sayaka played very well last year. I hope she didn't just decide to go easy with Nozomi Okuhara (Although I am a big fan of Okuhara). I know they are good friends.
     
  6. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    AJC SF Results (December 29):

    MD:
    As predicted, Takano/Tamate (Hitachi Engineering) scored a win over their opponents, Meiji University pair Takei/Endo (21-15, 22-10), and march on to the final. Here they will meet Inoue/Mitsuhashi (Unisys), who needed to battle hard against Ogata/Shibata of NTT-East (21-18, 14-21, 21-18) for a lengthy 74 minutes.

    XD:
    Nihei/Asakura (NTT-East) took it in straight games; their narrow win in G1 (30-28) over Ichikawa/Kato may have decided the eventual outcome. Their opponents in the final, Midorikawa/Saito required three games against Urai/Shimizu (21-15, 19-21, 21-11) to pave their way.
     
  7. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    The line-up for the AJC Final (December 30) is as follows. I have added the players' AJC ranking (updated on December 13 after it became clear that most of Team A would not be able to participate), domestic ranking, and world ranking for reference:

    MS:
    Tanaka Yushi (Nihon U., Team B, AJCR 8, JR 11, WR 383) vs Naraoka Kodai (IMG, Team B, AJCR 2, JR 5, WR 47)

    WS:
    Okuhara Nozomi (Taiyo Holdings, Team A, AJCR 1, JR 2, WR 5) vs Mizui Hirari (NTT-East, Team B, AJCR 3, JR 7, WR 93)

    MD:
    Takano/Tamate (Hitachi Engineering, AJCR 1, JR 8, WR 150) vs Inoue/Mitsuhashi (Unisys, Team B, AJCR 2, JR 9, WR 295)

    WD:
    Hobara/Miyaura (Yonex, AJCR 5, JR 12, WR -) vs Sakuramoto (Yonex, Team A)/Suzuki (NTT-East) AJCR 6, JR -, WR -

    XD:
    Nihei/Asakura (NTT-East, AJCR 12, JR -, WR -) vs Midorikawa (Waseda U., Team B)/Saito (ACT SAIKYO, Team B) AJCR 2, JR 4, WR 83

    Tomorrow, I will get up at 4:00 am, and take the shinkansen up to Tokyo to see the Final, ... dragging my reluctant husband with me. Significantly, the last time I watched badminton live was at the 2019 AJC. It has been two long years of living with COVID-19, and this is the first time that the NBA has opened its doors to the general public since December 2019.

    Here's wishing everyone a brighter 2022! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
     
  8. Pcyl

    Pcyl Regular Member

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    Just watched the full match of Okuhara vs Sato Sayaka . Great match! Sato Sayaka certainly didn't make it easy for Nozomi Okuhara. Yonex vs Mizuno. Just realised Asuka Takahashi has the same Yonex coah as Sato Sayaka . Good attackers. Will miss Sato Sayaka. Great Japanese WS player! Nozomi is bit by bit getting back her form. Shots are still not as tight as they used to be. Unforced errors and misjudgments now and then. Luckily, she doesn't have to meet Akane Yamaguchi this time. When she gets back her form, AY and NO are almost the same level. Can never predict who will win. I was very touched when both Sato Sayaka and Okuhara cried at the end of the game. But I think maybe for Sato Sayaka, her friend, Okuhara is a worthy warrior to defeat or be defeated by in her last appearance. Cannot wait to see the match between Okuhara and Hirari. Can a recovering Okuhara survive an upcoming Hirari?
     
    #2548 Pcyl, Dec 29, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2021
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  9. huynhvinhthang

    huynhvinhthang Regular Member

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    I think Akane has leveled up. Even if Okuhara completely recover she won't be able to match Akane. Akane's shot quality is super and consistent. Moreover, her attacks are very effective nowadays. The only downside is that she can have off days quite offen that it prevented her from winning more tournaments.

    I think Momota should learn from AY. If he can improve his smash precision, angle and efficiency (not power but 70% output without too much energy cost), he would easily reign again. Another thing is that Momota today doesn't try to defend every smash, he "give up" on opponent's smashes too easily and relies on guessing which side.
     
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  10. yuon

    yuon Regular Member

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    More exciting than predicting who will win the WS final: whose coaching bench will Sato Shoji be on today? :D
     
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  11. Cunning Linguist

    Cunning Linguist Regular Member

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    Okuhara will win, unless she has severe comeback issues. She's a much better player and I can't see what's really "upcoming" about Hirari (or Takahashi for that matter). The only Japanese player I see with the potential for a top 20 career - in a WS department that will probably see the retirement of some all time greats soon - is Gunji. However, she's lost to Takahashi in the QF, so she's not exactly taking the world by storm, either.
    Her saving grace is that she's still 19 as opposed to Mizui's 21 and Takahashi's 22. In WS terms, 22 and 21 are not young anymore, imo. They should have produced results by now.
     
  12. Pcyl

    Pcyl Regular Member

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    did Mizui Hirari choose today to shut down? Okuhara didn't have to do much because Hirari is just not focused enough and made errors from beginning to end. Wish i could watch her match with Asuka Takahashi.

    Both Naraoka and Tanaka Yushi played very well and I am not surprised Tanaka Yushi won. In his match with Koga Minoru, i noticed that he was in very good form.
    In XD, I was impressed by Saito. No comments on MD. That match could have gone either way. But congratulation to Hitachi's team.

    Sorry, edit: in XD, I was impressed by Midorikawa ... . He played with good speed and attacks.

    WD, don't know what to say. But ... guess the Yonex pair Hobara / Miyaura did ok.
     
    #2552 Pcyl, Dec 30, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2021
  13. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    Short impressions of the AJC Finals, which I watched live at Musashino Forest Sport Plaza, the stage for badminton at the Tokyo Olympics. Given COVID-19 protocol, the atmosphere was much more subdued than last time I visited, which was for the 2019 Japan Open.

    Most exciting match: Undoubtedly the MD match between Takano/Tamate and Inoue/Mitsuhashi. As far as yesterday's matches were concerned, this was definitely a level above the rest.
    Most disappointing match: The WS final between Okuhara and Mizui. It is not as though I expected a strong performance from Mizui (I don't think that she is a particularly promising player), but her body language was simply awful. After every point Mizui lost, her shoulders dropped and she sluggishly paced around the court. In stark contrast, Okuhara was thoroughly clinical, and looked the total 'pro' that she is. The content of, and demeanour at her victory speech, too, simply outclassed everyone else. Okuhara, incidentally, will be back on the international circuit next year.
    Other matches: I didn't find the WD particularly watchable, but the inexperience of Sakuramoto/Suzuki as a pair resulted in their loss. It seemed difficult for them to find the rhythm to orchestrate a sustained attack, and they were pushed into a predominantly defensive position. Tanaka thoroughly deserved his win over Naraoka. From the second game onwards, with high-paced aggression, he managed to puncture the slow, rhythmical game-making pattern that Naraoka relies on. In the end, Naraoka was totally helpless. It was the first time that my husband watched a live badminton match; his comment was, "Why is Naraoka always looking over to his father?" And later, "He needs to break free from him." With regard to XD, Midorikawa was, by far, the best player on court. Although, he is very short of stature, he gets a lot of height onto his smashes. Actually, he reminded me a lot of Watanabe Yuta, with less lethal drop shots for sure, but, possibly, more punch in his attacking shots.
     
  14. Simeon

    Simeon Regular Member

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    Great work on this thread Kurako.
    Thank you, respect.
     
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  15. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    Although the division between Team A and Team B has not yet been made, last evening, after the completion of the AJC Finals, the NBA announced the National Team line-up for 2022. The players are listed in hiragana (Japanese alphabet) order; this has no correlation to their ranking.

    For reference, I have included the final placing in the AJC of those players who participated, and added asterisks (*) for new additions to the team.

    MS (10 players):
    Koga Minoru (NTT-East) AJC QF
    Shimono Hashiru (Tonami) AJC SF
    *Takahashi Koo (Tonami) AJC SF
    Tanaka Yushi (Nihon U., 4th year) AJC Champion
    Tsuneyama Kanta (Tonami)
    Naraoka Kodai (IMG) AJC Runner-up
    Nishimoto Kenta (Gifu Badminton Association)
    Hatano Riku (Tonami) AJC R2
    Momota Kento (NTT-East)
    Watanabe Koki (Unisys)

    WS (10 players):
    *Oie Natsuki (NTT-East) AJC QF
    Ohori Aya (Tonami)
    Okuhara Nozomi (Taiyo Holdings) AJC Champion
    Kawakami Saena (Hokuto Bank) AJC R2
    Gunji Riko (Saishunkan) AJC QF
    Takahashi Asuka (Yonex) AJC SF
    Takahashi Sayaka (Unisys)
    Nidaira Natsuki (Tonami) AJC R2
    Mizui Hirari (NTT-East) AJC Runner-up
    Yamaguchi Akane (Saishunkan)

    MD (8 pairs):
    Inoue/Mitsuhashi (Unisys) AJC Runners-up
    Okamura/Onodera (Unisys)
    Koga A./Saito (NTT-East)
    *Takano/Tamate (Hitachi Engineering) AJC Champions
    *Takei/Endo (Meiji U., 3rd Year) AJC SF
    Takeuchi/Matsui (Hitachi Engineering)
    *Nishida/Mezaki (Tonami) AJC QF
    Hoki/Kobayashi (Tonami)

    WD (8 pairs):
    *Sakuramoto (Yonex)/Suzuki (NTT-East) AJC Runners-up
    Shida/Matsuyama (Saishunkan)
    Nakanishi/Iwanaga (Unisys)
    Nagahara/Matsumoto (Hokuto Bank)
    *Hirokami/Kato (Saishunkan) AJC QF
    Fukushima/Hirota (Marusugi)
    Hoshi/Matsuda (Unisys)
    *Hobara/Miyaura (Yonex) AJC Champions

    XD (7 pairs):
    Kaneko/Matsutomo (Unisys)
    Nishikawa/Ozaki (NTT-East) AJC Withdrawal
    *Nihei/Asakura (NTT-East) AJC Runners-up
    Midorikawa (Waseda U., 3rd year)/Saito (ACT SAIKYO) AJC Champions
    Yamashita/Shinoya (NTT-East)
    Yamada (Nippon Sport Science U., 4th year)/Ikeuchi (77 Bank) AJC QF
    Watanabe/Higashino (Unisys)
     
    #2555 kurako, Dec 30, 2021
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2021
  16. yuon

    yuon Regular Member

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    Thank you, Kurako, for the behind-the-scene report. There's a lot of nuances that can't be picked up from watching the video broadcasts so we're all very appreciative of you sharing your observations with us.

    Your husband's observation of the Naraoka father-son relationship is spot on, and it's what many people have been saying for years. Now that he had failed to win the title, what's his chance of making it to Team A next year? The one advantage he has over Tanaka is his world ranking, which puts him in striking distance of eligibility for high level tournaments. He has the technical skills, but is still lacking in experience when facing strong opponents. Perhaps, it is time to swap him with Watanabe Koki and see what he can do with the opportunity given. We'll get our answer in a few days, but this decision is so important with respect to the future of Japan's MS that it's hard to sit still :).
     
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  17. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    Conversely, here is a list of the players who lost their place on the National Team, along with their AJC placing:

    MS:
    Onodera Yusuke (Unisys) AJC QF

    WS:
    Shimoda Natsumi (Hiroshima Gas) AJC R2
    Saito Shiori (ACT SAIKYO) AJC R2

    MD:
    Kaneko/Kubota (Tonami) AJC R2

    WD:
    Yokoyama/Yasaki (San-in Godo Bank). (Actually, Yokoyama had already been removed from the B Team list earlier this year. This pair did not play at the AJC.)

    XD:
    -

    All in all, a conservative re-shuffle. Given the fact that Team A was unable to participate in the AJC this year, there was probably not that much that could done, though.
     
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  18. kurako

    kurako Regular Member

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    Yep, I wonder about Naraoka. I am not sure whether he can secure the spot over Tanaka "politically", hence, the status quo may prevail. You are absolutely right about his ranking position, though, and I really can't see Watanabe Koki getting anywhere. Leaving Papa Naraoka aside, looking at his game yesterday, four things came to mind: 1) Currently, his smash power can't hurt anybody. 2) He needs to consider training in a team setting. He is too young and inexperienced to go it alone at this stage of his career. 3) He reminded me a little of Antonsen in his match prolonging tactics. 4) He needs to work on buffing up his muscles a little. There was a huge contrast between his physicality and that of Tanaka.
     
  19. Pcyl

    Pcyl Regular Member

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    Kurako, if it isn't too much trouble, could you to share what Okuhara said in her victory speech? Thanks
     
  20. terrynguyen121988

    terrynguyen121988 Regular Member

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    I want to see Nishimoto in team B, but unlucky, the young was worse than him.
     

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