[2024] Echoes of Life - ICE STORY 3rd (Saitama)

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2024.12.30

 

Source: https://www.fantasymagazine.it/36803/yuzuru-yanyu-crea-un-mondo-postapocalittico-per-il-tour-echoes-of-life

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20241230130039/https://www.fantasymagazine.it/36803/yuzuru-hanyu-crea-un-mondo-postapocalittico-per-il-tour-echoes-of-life

 

Yuzuru Hanyu creates a post-apocalyptic world for the Echoes of Life tour

 

The second stop for Echoes of Life, Yuzuru Hanyu's sci-fi tour. One of the show's dates will be available for livestream viewing in Italy as well.

 

Spoiler

The setting is post-apocalyptic, with semi-destroyed buildings and a lifeless land, where a single figure moves: VHG-257 “Nova.” Portraying Nova, both on the big screen and on the ice during the Echoes of Life tour, is Yuzuru Hanyu.

 

When he announced in July 2022 his decision to retire from competition after winning everything there was to win, including two Olympic golds and two World Championships, and writing indelible pages in the history of figure skating, Hanyu stated that he wanted to change the perception of what it means to be a professional skater. He kept his word, with a journey over the past two and a half years that has seen him star in nine different shows, totaling 51 performances. What stands out in this journey are the solo shows, something that was unimaginable before him, and which may remain unique due to the inherent challenges of such performances.

 

There are technical challenges because Hanyu continues to perform some of the most difficult elements currently seen in competitions, making it clear that if he were still competing, he would have no trouble standing on any podium. There are athletic challenges because the intensity and duration of what he performs exceed those of any competition. There are interpretive challenges, as transitioning from one piece of music to another within minutes requires him to assume multiple roles or one role in different atmospheres, shifting his focus from the athletic to the acting realm. There are scenic challenges, with the artistic contributions of numerous professionals who, starting from his vision, collaborate with him to create a cohesive work. And there are narrative challenges, because what the audience witnesses is not a sequence of programs, but a single story, and this may be the most surprising aspect of all. Because after becoming famous as an athlete, Hanyu has discovered that he is also an artist.

 

In Prologue, in the fall of 2022, Hanyu narrated his competitive journey. With GIFT, in February 2023, he created the format of the Ice Story, presenting his story again but transforming it to make it universal. A year ago, RE_PRAY was another step forward in terms of narrative. The plot, connected to the world of video games, was developed through programs that the protagonist, a player in the show, performed to the music of Final Fantasy, Undertale, and Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals. Now, in Echoes of Life, the figure of Hanyu, still perceptible behind the player, completely disappears to make way for Nova, a creature on a journey of self-discovery, exploring the world it inhabits and the meaning of life. Among the music in a show narrated through the fusion of video and live performances, there are numerous tracks created for video games or fantasy-themed anime.

 

The Echoes of Life tour, which was launched in Saitama on December 7, the day of Hanyu's 30th birthday, will move to Hiroshima before concluding in February in Chiba. For the second date in Hiroshima, on January 5, 2025, an international livestream with subtitles in several languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese, has been announced on Beyond Live. You can find the link in the online resources.