[2024.05.15] Ice Jewels Vol.19

[yuzurujenn]

Info: 

https://www.kazi.co.jp/icejewels/backnumber/vol19/vo19.html

 

Price: 1,760 yen (tax included)
Release date: 2024/05/15
A4 size, 80 pages

 

 

CONTENTS

02｜Special Feature: Special Photo Session  

The very best of Yuzuru Hanyu

 

360° Yuzuru Hanyu
44｜56 Questions Asked to Yuzu

We asked him questions we've always wanted to ask, such as when he first started skating, the difference between competitions and shows, what it means to be a professional skater, and his current interests and hobbies.

48｜Summary of "RE_PRAY"

"RE_PRAY" was held at four venues across the country. After the final performance in Miyagi, he shared his thoughts on the show, what he saw throughout the performances, and his plans for the future.

 

Co-creators of "RE_PRAY"
Prayer of professional skater Yuzuru Hanyu
52｜『Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY 2nd "RE_PRAY" TOUR』

53｜MIKIKO

Hanyu-kun seems like a boy, a sage, and a prayerful man all at once.
MIKIKO, the choreographer who teamed up with Hanyu again after "GIFT", spoke in detail about the difference between the concepts of "RE_PRAY" and "GIFT", how amazing Hanyu Yuzuru is after participating in the long-term tour, and what she expects from Hanyu in the future.

56 | Shinya Kiyozuka

The feeling that "I have to devote myself" that I felt because I was Yuzuru Hanyu's "best friend"

Since collaborating on "Haru yo, Koi" at "Fantasy on Ice" in 2018, Kiyozuka Shinya has been a close friend both in public and private. Hanyu himself calls him his "best friend," so we spoke to him about his thoughts and passion, the significance of the collaboration, and what kind of songs he would like to collaborate on in the future.

62 | Toby Fox

"RE_PRAY" is the freedom to try new things.
Toby Fox is a game creator and composer who developed the game "UNDERTALE" and also worked on the game's background music. His own songs "MEGALOVANIA," "Bergentrückung," and "ASGORE" are used in "RE_PRAY," and he said that the entire story and some scenes were inspired by "UNDERTALE." He talked about the points that impressed him and made him feel "in sync," and the interpretation that expanded from there.

64｜Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata 2024

To deliver the "light of hope" we see amid fear and despair
 

Interview Their Way
66｜Javier Fernandez　 70｜Jason Brown　 74｜Taketo Tamura
Ice shows are performed not as competitors but as performers. We spoke to three skaters who participate in ice shows in their respective roles, both as professionals and as active skaters.

Ice shows are performed not as competitors but as performers. We spoke to three skaters who participate in ice shows in their respective roles, both as professionals and as active skaters.

 

Other articles
78Figure Skating as a Performing Art (19) Haruto Shirai
Yuzuru Hanyu's "Romeo and Juliet" - A miracle born from "tragedy"
80Back Issues & Colophon

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309405034343457489072

 

Ice Jewels Vol. 19 - 360° Yuzuru Hanyu (56 Q&A)

 

Spoiler

Q: Do you still remember the first time you stepped on the ice? What was it like to take those first steps?
A: I don’t remember. I have basically no memory of it.

 

Q: When you started skating, did you have any fear of falling and did you remember the pain?
A: Although I don’t remember feeling pain from falling down, I do remember the fear of the teacher (laughs).

 

Q: Why do you want to learn figure skating?
A: Because my sister started learning, I wanted to follow her. I felt like I wanted to do the same thing as her.

 

Q: When you could do all kinds of single jumps, what was your best jump?
A: I don't really remember, but if I had to say, it was probably the double jump. I was quite good at the Axel jump.

 

Q: How old were you when you succeeded 2A?
A: I think I was 9 years old.

 

Q: What are your memories of your first competition?
A: I can’t remember much. Anyway, it was like what I saw in the videos, I was focused in my own world.

 

Q: What are your memories of your first international competition?
A: I was the youngest, but I completely refused to admit defeat and ended up winning the tournament.

 

Q: Were you nervous about competing as a child?
A: I was nervous to a certain extent. I still wanted to give a good performance because I didn't want to be scolded. But more importantly, the excitement of being watched by others was stronger.

 

Q: When you were a child, was there anyone in your life that you wanted to be praised by?
A: Maybe the teacher? I think so. And family.

 

Q: What was the first song you chose for yourself? Why did you choose that song?
A: It was Ultraman Gaia! Because I just like it (laughs). I often hummed it on my way home from school.

 

Q: After turning professional, what are the criteria for selecting songs? Intuition?
A: For example, I will consider whether there is an image that comes to mind when I listen to it, whether it is necessary for my skating, and whether what I want to perform exists there. But there are also times when I decide to skate to this piece of music based on my intuition.

 

Q: Is there any difference in the difficulty level of skating between vocal and instrumental music?
A: Both are music, so there is no difference. The key is only to think about whether the characteristics of this song are suitable for skating.

 

Q: When you were a kid, what did you find most painful about continuing to skate? (getting up early, not having time to play, cold, etc.)
A: I used to think that I wanted to play, but the most difficult thing was that the teacher was really scary. Also, it’s painful when I tried hard but didn’t get results.

 

Q: Now that you have turned professional, what is the most difficult part of your daily practice and management of physical condition?
A: How to adjust the intensity and amount of training and exercise. It’s not like practice for free skating or anything like that anymore, now I have to practice a lot of programs. If I want to master all of them, I will be overworked, and although I can recover my body in time, it is very difficult to achieve the goal of being more efficient and having a manageable amount of training.

 

Q: Other than illness and injury, what's the longest consecutive days of rest you've had so far?
A: I think the longest is 4 consecutive days off. (Except when there was an earthquake and when there was too much work.)

 

Q: Looking back on your career as a competitor, which performance was the most satisfying?
A: 2020’s 4CC short program (Ballade) and Jnats free skate (Tenchi).

 

Q: For Hanyu-san, what is the biggest attraction of figure skating?
A: I think the range of performance through the integration with the music that can only be done on the ice, and the feeling of tension and heightened emotions that can only be achieved precisely because of reaching the limits of physical strength and technique.

 

Q: Is the tension different between the competition and the ice show?
A: No change. On the contrary, it's better to say that the ice show is more intense. It's because I have to skate without 6 mins practice, and feeling the tension of not being able to perfectly replicate the feeling of off-ice training, while bearing the responsibility to deliver the performance.

 

Q: What do you like about being a professional figure skater and what do you find difficult?
A: I feel happy to continue the challenge of including what I want to express with my technique, and to create it together with people who wholeheartedly help me achieve these things. To accomplish this, I must have the corresponding expressiveness, and I feel that I must exceed expectations every time, which is indeed very difficult.

 

Q: What is the thing you cherish most about being a professional skater? (attitude, words, actions, etc.)
A: Teamwork, I guess. I can’t do it alone, and it’s only because of everyone that I can accomplish it, and I cherish that very much. I'm going to do my best to make everyone feel happy to work with 'Yuzuru Hanyu'.

 

Q: What has changed the most since you became a professional skater? (Things you have experienced) What else have you started doing? (performing, including privately)
A: I have started to devote myself to (physical fitness) training again. I think it has changed a lot recently. I can also feel that I still have great potential.

 

Q: What is the end goal of being a professional skater?
A: There is no goal or end point. I just want to give the best performance every time. How long and whether the ice story will continue, I don't know. I just keep thinking about putting all my heart and soul into performing every time.

 

Q: After the second Notte Stellata, tell me your thoughts about Sendai again.
A: Compared with last year, I skated with more hope and wanted to convey this hope to everyone. Even after 13 years, there are still people with painful thoughts, and I hope to do my best to care for them.

 

Q: Is there a sport you want to try?
A: Ski jumping. Archery.

 

Q: Do you prefer the sea? Or the mountain?
A: I like mountains. Although I don’t want to encounter bugs (get bitten), I like to enjoy the scenery and feel a sense of accomplishment from conquering a difficult mountain.

 

Q: What is your favourite event in the sports day?
A: Tamaire (玉入れ). I love throwing balls.

 

Q: Are you a competitive person in sports events?
A: I wouldn't say I'm overly competitive, but I don't like to lose. I always give my best effort. However, in dance competitions, I put in my utmost effort and really want to win first place.

 

Q: What's your favourite thing lately?
A: Exploring music that I like with cheap headphones (between 1,000 and 5,000 yen), which I bought by chance, is something that has been making me happy recently.

 

Q: Regarding the games you often play recently. (What you like about it?)
A: パワフルプロ野球 栄冠ナイン クロスロード Powerful Pro Baseball Eikan Nine Crossroad (note: a baseball-related mobile game), but it takes up a lot of time, so I don’t play it often... Also, I bought the Persona 3 Portable Remaster and I can't wait to play it. I also want to spend more time in the ancient cave in Estpolis Lufia II (laughs).

 

Q: What made you start playing games?
A: I might be influenced by my sister, cousins, and grandparents. Before I knew it, I started enjoying games.

 

Q: What do you do on your days off? Do you watch dramas or movies?
A: Get plenty of rest, stretching and training. But I also watch live game commentary and cooking videos on Nico Nico Douga.

 

Q: Which one do you dislike more, cold or hot?
A: It must be hot. Because I sweat a lot. If it's cold, just wear more clothes and you'll be able to get through it. But if possible, it is better to have a suitable temperature. . . If it's too cold, my movements will be sluggish.

 

Q: Do you sing in the shower?
A: Although I want to sing, I won’t as it disturbs others (laughs)

 

Q: Compared with electronics (hi-tech, tablet computers, etc.), do you still think that things like ancient analog integrated circuits are better (Note: questions about old-fashioned lifestyle)
A: I still use paper and pen when writing notes or stories.

 

Q: Do you have any hobbies or habits that you think, "This is an occupational disease"?
A: I would start doing imagery training suddenly. Even if I watch any video, I will suddenly get into the mood to dance and do choreography.

 

Q: How would you compare yourself to an animal?
A: Cat? But there are people said I’m like a dog.

 

Q: Do you find any person that you think is cool? (It doesn't have to be a specific person, regardless of gender, as long as you think that person is cool)
A: I think people who can seriously commit to their goals and fully dedicate themselves are really cool. Those who can give their all for others are also truly admirable.

 

Q: What is your favourite bento dish?
A: Fried chicken (karaage). I like frozen ones.

 

Q: What is your favourite dish in school meals?
A: Milk, Reito Mikan (frozen orange), gyoza.
** Reito Mikan- Mikans are a winter fruit, so most Japanese historically would peel and eat them sitting around a kotatsu. However, to get them to last until the summer, they would be frozen and stored to be enjoyed later half-frozen, like the world's easiest sorbet.

 

Q: Are you a sauce person or a soy sauce person when it comes to korokke (croquettes)?
A: Sauce person!

 

Q: When it comes to tamagoyaki (Japanese omelette), do you prefer the sweet version with lots of sugar, or the version with dashi broth?
A: I prefer the one with lots of sugar.

 

Q: Favourite ice cream flavour.
A: Vanilla, mint chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, strawberry.

 

Q: What do you dip into your favourite gyoza? (What is the golden ratio between soy sauce and vinegar?)
A: Ponzu sauce. Instead of vinegar and soy sauce, it’s ponzu sauce and chili oil.

 

Q: What do you want to eat for the last supper?
A: Delicious zunda mochi. And gyoza (laughs).

 

Q: How do you overcome temptation when restricting your diet?
A: Willpower. Because it’s more painful to feel guilty. Instead, I prepare some healthy and acceptable foods for myself, and I stick with that.

 

Q: How many hours of sleep do you usually need? How many hours would you ideally like?
A: My ideal sleep duration is over 8 hours. But since I often have trouble falling asleep, my sleep time is irregular. Sometimes I only sleep for 4 hours the night before, and the next day I might sleep for about 10 hours. However, before the official competition (or ice performance), I will try my best to get as close to 8 hours of sleep as possible.

 

Q: Are you the type of person who can fall asleep easily anywhere?
A: I am not the type of person who can fall asleep at any time anywhere. I will try many ways, but when I can't fall asleep, I really can't fall asleep at all.

 

Q: Do you listen to music when you study or do some work that requires concentration? Or would it be better to be in a silent environment?
A: It depends on the situation! When creating, it'd be hard without music. When studying, I need music to get into the right mindset, but after that, I might want to turn it off. However, generally, I play music or videos to help me concentrate, and that's what I do most of the time when working.

 

Q: What is your mantra? Yoisho? (laughs)
A: よいしょ(Yoisho). よし(Yoshi)。よっしゃ(Yossha)。えっと(etto)。だから(dakara). I feel like I’ve been using them more frequently these days.

 

Q: Is there anything you would like to learn, master, or try as a hobby?
A: I want to learn bioethics again. I don’t have a habit of reading, but I’d like to learn. Also, I want to master more programming languages and become someone who can write code professionally. I learned a bit of Python during my thesis research, and I think I should really study it properly.

 

Q: If you are not a figure skater, what kind of job would you like to have?
A: Anything is fine. Whether I am engaged in sports or choose a path in academics, I will probably go all out. Even if it was a field I wasn’t suited to, I would still want to try my best to get to the top.

 

Q: What advice would you give to someone who wants to learn figure skating as an adult?
A: It depends on the person, so it’s hard to generalize, but skating faster can actually make you more stable! Also, you need to invest time! Even when you’re not skating, doing some mental imagery training is more effective than doing nothing at all! When I was a child, I relied on my feelings, but as I grew up, knowledge becomes more dominant than my feelings. But that's just part of being human, so let’s use knowledge to improve ourselves!

 

Q: Please give some advice on how to enjoy an ice show.
A: As long as you enjoy it, I think that's okay. However, to ensure that others can enjoy it too, I hope everyone observe the unspoken rules, so everyone will feel happy, and I can perform more easily and happily as well, creating a positive cycle.

 

Q: At the finale of the ice show, can you clearly see the faces of the fans and the banners?
A: I can see it! It all depends on the lighting, but at the end of the RE_PRAY tour, they were shining lights on the audience, so it looked really beautiful. Thank you!

 

Q: Please say a few words to the fans.
A: No matter what happens, no matter what the circumstances, I will work hard every day to make everyone feel from the bottom of their hearts that it is really great and worthwhile to come to my performance, and I will try my best to do my best in the show! I hope everyone will be happy and healthy!

 

Q: Now that you are 29 years old, what would you say to your 9-year-old self?
A: Although twenty years have passed, I’m doing better than you (おまえよりうまいよ). But it’s thanks to you that I’m here now. I will work harder.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://weibo.com/6473801248/OeXHp49US 

 

Ice Jewels Vol. 19 - “RE_PRAY” Summary

 

"RE_PRAY" was held at 4 venues nationwide. After the final performance in Miyagi, he gave a summary of himself, what he saw through all the performances, and talked about his future plans.

 

Spoiler

Q: This season you have successfully skated four performances in Saitama, Saga, Yokohama and Miyagi. Looking back at your first solo tour, you have something special for every performance. What do you think? In addition, half of the performances you performed were choreographed by yourself. 

 

A: I didn’t expect that I made up half of it! I really worked hard... I want to praise myself (laughs) 

 

Saitama: 
As for Saitama, I was filled with fear and nervousness about how people would interpret me. Although I tried my best to put on a perfect performance and reached a level where I was able to make just few mistakes during the training, I was sure that the nervousness from the official performance and the exertion from it were very strong, and since I had to skate along with the ice projections until the very end, I felt that I was constantly depleted, and it felt like I was just exhausting my physical strength and energy to put on the performance. But I managed to put all my strength into it. Although I felt good at the end of the performance and was wrapped up in a sense of accomplishment, looking back now, I think, "Was it really any good…?", and I can't be satisfied with it... But I did my best at the time, and I did my best within the time limit. I am very grateful to the staff for being able to show the final shape of RE_PRAY like that, even though I had to work very hard to produce it within the limited time. It was really hard for me too, but compared to me, I think the team members had a harder time than I did.

 

Saga: 
Saga... is just very sad. I don't think there's anything I'd like to look back on, but I think that is a world of performance that can only be shown with the physical condition at the time. In my heart, it was a really regrettable performance, but even so, there were people who were willing to support me and watch me, and it was in this way that the story was able to be established. This performance made me feel that again a little. And I can think that it is because of this pain and everyone's support that not only made the next performance possible, but also forged my way of thinking that is the cornerstone of who I am now. But that’s just it, it’s only today that I can think about it this way… 

 

Yokohama: 
I think Yokohama was a RE_PRAY finally presented in its full form, a full-fledged show. Not to mention my performance, the video team, the choreography team, the photography team, and the ice team, it felt like all the gears clicked together perfectly, and on top of that, the thoughts of the people watching the show also came together to make RE_PRAY a success. In a way, if I may use the content from RE_PRAY, it was as if Saga was a fork in the road, and Yokohama was a performance where the team and fans had made their choice with utmost determination.

Miyagi:
I can say that I have no regrets about Miyagi's performance. There were no mistakes on the first day, and the performance was almost perfect. On the second day, even though I had a day off before, I still felt that there was not enough time to adjust and recover, so it was quite difficult from the beginning. I tried my best to fully immerse myself in the character, but I was in a very bad state and was very tired. I was thinking to myself, “Ah—can’t I surpass the level on the first day? "While I was rapidly preparing for the second half, I was still very frustrated. I also understood that it was not easy to surpass the performance on the first day. It took more than a month to complete an almost perfect work, it was impossible to surpass it in just one day. And I have done my best on the first day, so I could imagine how difficult it was to surpass that. Everyone in the "RE_PRAY" production team had the same expectations and nervousness, and they all hoped to have a better performance on the last show, so they had been making various adjustments for me. Because of everyone's efforts, I deeply felt the responsibility for not completing the performance perfectly, which also consumed a lot of energy and made me exhausted. 

Before the start of second half (after Dark Messenger), I only had about two minutes to rest before I took off my skates. During the intermission, I rearranged my hair, spent five of the remaining 10 minutes warming up, and then, in a state of breathless nervousness, changed clothes, put on my shoes, threw on my cape, and immediately stood back on the sidelines to get ready. My legs were shaking and my knees were weak, making a "clicking" sound if I relaxed even slightly. But miraculously, when the music started and I stepped out onto the ice with a prayerful heart in echo to the projection of the feathers, the pain faded away and I instinctively and naturally expressed myself the way I wanted to express myself. Of course, there were also costume mishap on the stage, which caused the backstage to become busy, and at times even getting oxygen-deprived or distracted, but it was really a great event that infused prayers and wishes into skating in the most intense way.”

 

 

Q: What did you notice from this tour?
A: In this tour, generally speaking, there are two things I realised. The first is the importance of constantly getting familiar with skating and dancing, and the importance of the quality and quantity of basic physical strength. It’s not that I’ve gotten better with each tour, but rather, since Saga, I’ve spent a lot of time in my daily life developing training methods, strengthening my physical fitness and muscle strength, gaining training knowledge, doing image training and brushing up on my choreography. I had almost no time to play games, and though I often relied on sleeping pills, but considering the burden on my body and nerves, I tried not to take them and tried my best to focus on getting enough sleep, making significant changes in my lifestyle. I felt that the improvement of my basic physical fitness and muscle strength led to improvements in my jumps and rotation speed, and by performing the skating and dancing carefully for a considerable amount, I was able to maintain my form even if I skated with emotion, as I did on the final day of the performance. 

 

The second thing is the power of fans. I'm really happy to see people analysing RE_PRAY from various angles, trying to relate it to themselves, or starting to play games… They're really enjoying RE_PRAY deeply, and that makes me happy. Of course, just watching the performance, seeing the images, and somehow feel moved by the words, even if they can’t express it well in words, that also makes me really happy. These things are the driving force that keep me going no matter how tough my daily practice and training were. Recently, I've been able to express my gratitude, though not directly, through X and YouTube, but once again I would like to express my gratitude to you. Really, really, really thank you so much!

 

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://weibo.com/1746783312/OgJ0XkzPN

 

Ice Jewels Vol. 19 : MIKIKO - Hanyu-kun seems like a boy, a sage, and a man of faith all at once.

 

MIKIKO, the choreographer who teamed up with Hanyu again after "GIFT", spoke in detail about the difference in concepts between "RE_PRAY" and "GIFT", how amazing Hanyu Yuzuru is after participating in the long tour, and what she expects from Hanyu in the future.

 

Spoiler

——What did you think when you first read the script written by Hanyu-san for "RE_PRAY"? 
Not to be misunderstood, my reaction at the time was, "Huh? So dark!" (laughs). At the same time, I think he is a very interesting person. Although Hanyu-kun has already revealed his inner world a bit in "GIFT", this time he went deeper into the personal part to create. Therefore, I was fully aware when directing, I must truthfully and completely convey Hanyu-kun's intentions to avoid misunderstandings. 

 

——It seems that Hanyu-san's script is quite difficult. How did you understand it, MIKIKO? 
Although the players in this game are the audience, after all, it is the language woven by Hanyu-kun himself. I believe these words also come from his own life experience and understanding. On the other hand, because he has studied psychology seriously, he was able to incorporate messages with universal meanings from a bird's-eye view of life. I interpreted it with this in mind. 

 

——After "GIFT", you wrote that "the opening performance is very important", so what kind of thoughts did you have about the opening of "RE_PRAY" this time? 
The opening is an image of offering prayers in a secret place that is closest to heaven and belongs only to you. Also, from the concept of the game's 8-bit graphics, the scene where the main character is trapped in a Rubik's Cube naturally came to mind, so I thought about that kind of choreography.

 

——In the video part, there were both realistic scenes and 8-bit scenes, and in Hanyu’s skating, there were also new programs and old programs that have been skated many times. In order to bring together all these different elements in the ICE STORY "RE_PRAY", what were the areas that you paid special attention to? 
At the time of ‘GIFT’, the approach was to present Hanyu-kun's life in an anthology format, but this time, from the beginning of production, we wanted the audience to feel like they were watching a movie, so we created it in this way. Therefore, during the production process, we paid special attention to the seamless connection between the videos and the skating performance. 

 

——MIKIKO-sensei formally choreographed ‘Chicken, Snake, and Pig’ for Hanyu-san for the first time. What was the process like and how was the choreography done? 
(omitted, the answer to this question is more detailed in the previous interview in Quadruple Axel magazine) 

 

——In the stage performance after ‘Chicken, Snake, and Pig’ and ‘Haru yo koi’, as well as in the second half of the video where he asked "God, do you hear me?", Hanyu-san danced not to the accompaniment of music but to "language" (recitation). What did you think of this? 
Seeing him dance in an improvisational way while expressing emotions like this, I once again deeply felt that he is not only an outstanding figure skater, but also a performer with outstanding abilities. 

 

——After watching the choreography of "MEGALOVANIA", "The Messenger of Destruction" and "Estpolis Chronicle II" choreographed by Hanyu-san himself, what do you think of the current "choreographer Yuzuru Hanyu"? 
Because he choreographs from an objective point of view, he is able to convey the concept of the choreography clearly, and he has a great sense of how to use space and how to arrange the pauses, so now he is very good at choreography, isn't he? I think I'm starting to feel his style (laughs).

 

——The last time, "GIFT" was a one-night-only performance, but this time it is a long tour. Please share with us any feelings you have about the differences between this performance and GIFT, or any interesting aspects of this tour.
Because each performance is always slightly adjusted according to the venue, each performance looks special, which is really interesting. As the number of performances increases, Hanyu's performance becomes more sophisticated, and as his performance changes, the arrangement of the entire performance will also change accordingly, which is also interesting.

 

——Please tell us about the scene in "RE_PRAY" that impressed you the most (it can be a scene you like, or a scene that you can't forget because you put a lot of effort into it). 
In my opinion, "Chicken, Snake, and Pig" can be said to be a work that is closest to the idea I had in my mind. In addition, the sky lanterns in "Requiem of Heaven and Earth" were also realised through trial and error, and eventually became a scene full of emotional impact. 

 

——What were your thoughts at the end of the final performance? 
During the MC session, Hanyu-kun himself said that it would be great if he could perform it again somewhere someday. In fact, from the moment I entered the Miyagi venue, I was thinking in my mind, "What else could we create if we continue next time?" 

 

——After "GIFT", you said, "Although I have put 120% of my efforts into the creation of "GIFT", after all, this is my first attempt at directing a figure skating performance, and there are still some areas that I am exploring. In addition, there are many things that cannot be confirmed until the actual performance, including the audience's reaction. However, after the actual performance, I think that there are still many areas that can be improved." How do you feel now after completing eight performances of "RE_PRAY" in four cities? 
I am still a newcomer in the world of figure skating, and though I may have broken away from the traditional ice show model, I am sure that I can create interesting works and performances that are not restricted by genres. I sincerely hope that the performances that Hanyu-kun worked so hard to produce can be seen by a wider audience who has not been exposed to them so far. 

 

——Are there any new anecdotes that made you feel "Hanyu Yuzuru is really amazing" again this time? In addition, if you have any happy and unforgettable stories about Hanyu-san, please share them with us.
In the script written by Hanyu-kun, in addition to the story scenes (video part), he also wrote corresponding texts for the programs, and also changed the interpretation of past programs, which really amazed me. In addition, he actively participated in the important video production discussions this time, and I think his bright personality also deepened the bond between the staff. 

 

——After the collaboration of "Prologue", "GIFT" and "RE_PRAY", what kind of person is Yuzuru Hanyu in MIKIKO's mind? 
He seems like a boy, a sage, and a man of faith all at once.... He is an incredible person who has always lived in a special world but able to empathise with ordinary people. And it’s clear to me that he has so much talent that he hasn't even tapped into yet. It's truly terrifying.

 

[yuzurujenn]

*Machine translation. Inaccuracies exist*

 

 

Source: https://weibo.com/1746783312/OgzomvYei

 

Ice Jewels Vol. 19 : Toby Fox - "RE_PRAY" is the freedom to try new things

 

Toby Fox is a game creator and composer who developed the game "UNDERTALE" and also worked on the game's background music. His own songs "MEGALOVANIA," "Bergentrückung," and "ASGORE" are used in "RE_PRAY," and he said that the entire story and some scenes were inspired by "UNDERTALE." He talked about the points that impressed him and made him feel "in sync," and the interpretation that expanded from there.

 

Spoiler

Hello everyone! I am Toby Fox, the developer of the game "UNDERTALE" and the composer of all the original soundtracks in the game. This time, Yuzuru Hanyu used the music I composed, "MEGALOVANIA", "Bergentruckung" and "ASGORE" in the "RE PRAY" performance. I am really honoured and I still can't believe it.

In fact, although this is my first time to watch an ice show live, I am still amazed by Hanyu's superb skating skills. I think every move Hanyu showed must be extremely difficult, but the smoothness of his moves makes people completely unaware of the difficulty... I don't know much about figure skating, and if I were to give an evaluation of the performance, I'm afraid it would be "super awesome, so awesome", so this time please allow me to write my thoughts on other elements of the ice show.

◆ Inspiration from my "UNDERTALE"?

Having said that, a special warning! What I'm going to talk about next is not only "UNDERTALE", but there will also be spoilers for the "RE PRAY" performance, so please be careful...

I heard that the story outline and some scenes of the "RE PRAY" performance (especially the first half) seem to be inspired by "UNDERTALE", right? I actually watched it and I think there are indeed some similarities. For example...

First, about the "replay" structure of the story. As we all know, "UNDERTALE" has two quite extreme routes. One is the killing route where you defeat all enemies to gain experience points and sacrifice everything except yourself to become stronger. The other is the pacifist route where you advance in the game world without hurting anyone.

Although the content of the second half of "RE PRAY" is not quite the same as the pacifist route of "UNDERTALE", the "destructive" route in the first half is very similar to the killing route of "UNDERTALE". Defeating all the enemies he encountered, gaining strength and making sacrifices, and finally reaching the incredibly difficult level, this journey made Hanyu-san suffer a lot. This part really reminds people of the final battle in "UNDERTALE" when you choose to defeat all enemies. After that, just like the plot in "UNDERTALE", Hanyu-san's game save was deleted and he had to start from the beginning. The title "RE PRAY" also means to perform "re-prepare" (start over) in order to change the ending of the story.
 

There are also very similar parts in the expression of the image. The scene of a red heart appearing in the middle of the black screen appears several times, which is the symbolic picture of "UNDERTALE". As a game character, Hanyu-san's eyes are also like hyphens, which is also very similar to the protagonist of "UNDERTALE". Also, the scene where Hanyu-san, the game character, finds a flower that looks like it is illuminated by a spotlight is also reminiscent of a scene in the beginning of the game "UNDERTALE".

 

In addition, the corridor that serves as the stage for the scene “where Hanyu-san is in agony when reaching a difficult level" mentioned earlier is exactly the same as the location where the boss battle that "tortured" most of the players of "UNDERTALE" took place. The "final boss" that Hanyu-san fights looks very similar to the final boss in "UNDERTALE".

In this way, I found many similarities and was extremely excited to watch. When I was at the venue, I thought, "Eh? Could this be the one from "UNDERTALE"!?", and in a positive sense, I smiled (laughs).

◆ What is the meaning of the story...?

Based on this, there are many things in the first half that remind people of "UNDERTALE", but I think the story of this performance can also be explained in another way.

Of course, what Hanyu-san meant by "gaining experience points" and "making sacrifices" was not just about defeating the enemy literally. The enemy to be defeated was probably the tournaments he had participated in so far, and the scene of him struggling in the corridor probably symbolized the long years of hard training to achieve a perfect performance. In other words, this was a route that sacrificed all of his private life in order to become the world's number one. However, his time as a competitor ended, and that route also came to an end.

Then began the second route. Every performance began with being locked behind a fence, and Hanyu-san realized that his way of survival had trapped him in a small space. He walked out of the cycle of tournaments and refused to play this game over and over again. In this way, he would reach a space where there was nothing. But even so, he was still not free. He was still controlled and trapped by some existence. However, he didn't know what that existence was. So he began to pray. To gain freedom, he prayed to the "god". But who exactly was this "god"?

In my opinion, isn't "God" Hanyu's audience? He is just a game character, a puppet controlled to please the audience. He cannot live a normal life and is often forced to play the role of "Hanyu Yuzuru". Then, Hanyu, who began to doubt that he was just a game character, stood on the stage and began to pray in a literal sense in front of the audience. Finally, he found a place he had never seen before. It was an unknown and incredibly beautiful place. "God", that is, the audience, has always regarded Hanyu as a "character". But it is also thanks to the grace of "God" that Hanyu has found new freedom. That is the freedom to challenge new things and keep trying (just like this performance). In addition, Hanyu also used this opportunity to call on the audience to cherish and protect their own freedom and daily life.

Of course, this is just my own interpretation, and it is not the result of in-depth research. However, I think the wonderful thing about this performance is that it can be interpreted freely in any way. So, it would be great if everyone could come up with their own interpretations!
 

 

◆ The power I felt through his performance

What moved me the most was that I could feel the power of his performance even when he wasn't performing any difficult moves. Here are some scenes that left a deep impression on me:
 

■ In "A Fleeting Dream" program of "Final Fantasy X" that appeared in the beginning of the ice show, there was a scene where he skated along the curve extending from the huge trees drawn by lights on the ice. That performance instantly moved my heart... Although he was just skating, I felt a sense of nostalgia. The moment I saw it, I thought "This is the best thing I have ever seen in my life" (sorry for the exaggeration).

 

■ Before "MEGALOVANIA" started, the venue went dark and silent, and Hanyu-san took his time to slowly enter the ice. The only sound echoing in the venue was the sound of his skates, raising anticipation for the next program.

■ As a fanservice, he put his face close to the camera and covered it with his hand. Everyone couldn't help but cheer and scream. I did the same. The audience around me was mostly female, and I was the only foreign male voice. This development seemed a little strange...

■ He took a tissue from the Pooh tissue box and blew his nose several times. After blowing, he checked his snot for a while (no, this kind of thing doesn't matter at all, I'm so sorry...).

Anyway, it was a really wonderful performance. It would be great if we could see the recording someday... If so, I hope everyone will watch it! But... maybe you can hear my cheers from the audience... I'm sorry everyone!