Cup of China 2015- Ladies

Mao Asada made her first appearance at a major event this season. She skated okay, but not exceptionally. The triple axel in the free was great, much better than some of the men at the senior level, but her free fell apart after that a little. She seemed to be so preoccupied with the triple axel that the rest of the program wasn't really there. It was still a good start to her season, and things are looking very good for her at worlds.

Rika Hongo finished in second, behind Mao Asada, but actually won the freeskate. She skated very well, and I enjoy her skating more than I have in the past. Initially, I thought the free was a terrible choice for her, but it was a whole lot better than I had expected. I'm still not entirely sure about Riverdance for her, but it is really not bad. She's skating very well, especially compared to the Russian ladies who largely dominated the field last season.

Elena Radionova had a pretty disastrous short program, but finished third overall, with the second best free. The Titanic program is really not good. She is a very energetic, upbeat skater, if a little wild, and so the dramatic, slow, tragic story of Titanic doesn't work for her. The program isn't structured great, and I could more than do without the sexy Leo voice over the music. I have no clue why sexy Leo voice is a thing this season, but it needs to die sooner than later. Time to scrap the program and start over, especially for Radionova.