[2025] Echoes of Life - ICE STORY 3rd

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2025.02.22

 

Source: https://www.advertimes.com/20250222/article490354/

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250222064418/https://www.advertimes.com/20250222/article490354/

 

 

TV Asahi's "Metaverse Roppongi" collaborates with Yuzuru Hanyu, aiming for over 10,000 visitors in about an hour

 

Starting February 24th, the "Roppongi Metaverse of Light and Stars," developed by TV Asahi, will be collaborating with Yuzuru Hanyu's solo ice show tour, "Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY 3rd "Echoes of Life" TOUR."

 

Spoiler

Starting the same day, the floor of the arena area within Metaverse Roppongi will be transformed into an skating rink, and photo spots will be set up where you can take photos with Hanyu, including a giant banner display of him from "Echoes of Life."

 

The "Red Moon" floating in the night sky in the Metaverse

During the collaboration period, a red moon will appear in the night sky inside the metaverse, and the rainbow bridge spanning the arena will also be painted red.

Furthermore, since the character Nova, played by Hanyu in "Echoes of Life," appears from a capsule-shaped object, a capsule-shaped object was also installed that visitors could enter and take photos in, taking advantage of the characteristics of the metaverse and allowing visitors to virtually experience it.

 

"Red Moon" is from a scene in a performance where a red moon floats over a city at night, and the moon, which is supposed to be in space, grows larger and illuminates the buildings of the city. This time, as a special collaboration, Roppongi is illuminated with the light of the red moon.

 

"The rainbow in Metaverse Roppongi is also red, so climbing to the top of the rainbow and looking at the red moon will be a completely different immersive experience," says Masaru Yokoi of TV Asahi's Corporate Design Center.

 

The second collaboration with Hanyu is an even easier process

The "Yuzuru Hanyu "RE_PRAY" Event in Metaverse Roppongi" held in December 2023 attracted a total of approximately 35,000 people.

 

The "Echoes of Life" performance is the third in Hanyu's ice story series, but the entire series has a solid original worldview, and the company felt that it would be a good fit for the Metaverse in terms of expansion.

 

"The entire performance of 'Echoes of Life' is philosophical, and the protagonist, played by Hanyu, asks questions such as 'What is myself?' and 'What does it mean to be born?' I thought it would be interesting to see participants in the metaverse take part in the performance as 'avatars that represent themselves' and watch the performance," said Yokoi.

 

The previous event was a big hit, trending on social media, but this time they made it easier to get people involved, set up a practice period beforehand, extended the open period itself, and incorporated many photo spots within the metaverse.

 

Yokoi says that he hopes that this event will be an introductory experience for not only Hanyu's fans and people interested in figure skating, but also for people who have never experienced a virtual world or metaverse before.

 

"I think it's a fun experience to be able to communicate with strangers without exchanging words, just through emotional actions," says Yokoi.

 

The KPI is "more than 10,000 visitors in about an hour"

In addition, a one-night-only limited event, "Hanyu Yuzuru 'Echoes of Life' Exchange Event in Metaverse Roppongi," is scheduled to be held from 9:00 p.m. on February 26th.

 

Here, visitors can enjoy some of the performances from the final performance of the "Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY 3rd "Echoes of Life" TOUR" Chiba concert held in February 2025 in the metaverse space. Anyone can participate with just a smartphone.

 

"Roppongi Metaverse of Light and Stars" is said to be a large-scale world designed to accommodate 10,000 people at the same time during events, and the company has set a KPI of "more than 10,000 visitors within about an hour of the event" on February 26th.

 

"However, since Collaboration World itself will be open until March 9th, we think that it's not just the number of visitors that's important, but also the sense of interaction between participants and their satisfaction with the event experience. The Metaverse is not something special; it's entertainment that can be played casually on your smartphone. I often use video streaming services myself, but this is different from that; it allows you to experience the world online and also offers a new experience where you can interact with the performers and participants, so I hope that everyone will enjoy it casually," said Yokoi.

 

 

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2025.03.08

 

Source: https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/336463

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250308042348/https://www.tokyo-sports.co.jp/articles/-/336463

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu has a tremendous influence in the metaverse world. 130,000 people attended the event over three days.

 

Yuzuru Hanyu (30), a professional skater who won two consecutive Olympic gold medals in men's figure skating, also has an enormous influence in the metaverse world.

 

　When the collaboration between Hanyu's third ice story "Echoes of Life" and "Metaverse Roppongi" started on February 24th, the information spread among fans in an instant. A person in charge of the event revealed, "The number of visitors exceeded 130,000 in three days, and the total number of emotes was about 1.35 million, and the number of comments was about 32,000, making it a very active world."

 

　Furthermore, for a limited time until March 9th, the floor of the arena area in Metaverse Roppongi will be transformed into an ice rink. A red moon will be floating in the night sky, and the rainbow bridge over the arena will also be specially decorated in red. The person in charge recalled, "Fans who crossed the bridge in search of a special world view took commemorative photos in front of the red moon, and in front of the giant banner display of Yuzuru Hanyu from 'Echoes of Life,' fans came out one after another to enjoy themselves by striking the same pose with their avatars."

 

　On February 26th, a one-night-only limited event was held, in which Hanyu himself participated as an avatar. His caring spirit seems to be alive and well, as he showed a performance on and off the ice that exceeded the expectations of his fans.

[yuzurujenn]

*machine translation, inaccuracies exist*

 

 

2025.03.21

 

Source: https://www.ninomiyasports.com/archives/129968

Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20250321112037/https://www.ninomiyasports.com/archives/129968

 

 

Yuzuru Hanyu's "I am the Strongest" goes beyond the finale ~Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY 3rd "Echoes of Life" TOUR~

 

The opening performance of "Yuzuru Hanyu ICE STORY 3rd "Echoes of Life" TOUR" in Hiroshima (January 3, 2025, Hiroshima Green Arena) will be broadcast on TV Asahi Channel 2 on March 22nd.

 

Spoiler

About two weeks have passed since "Yuzuru Hanyu notte stellata 2025" came to an end. With Echoes of Life and notte stellata 2025 coming to an end, there are probably many people who feel lonely.

 

　Hanyu himself said during the encore at the final performance of the Chiba concert (February 9th) that he felt like he had "seen off" the character Nova, whom he played in Echoes of Life.

 

　Nova had a unique charm. Watching him confront various questions, struggle, and grow was endearing. Some fans even referred to him as "Nova-kun" on social media. I was no exception. After the Echoes finale, when I asked Hanyu about Nova’s state of mind during Mass Destruction - Reload, I almost slipped and said "Nova-kun", and panicked a little.

 

As I reminisced about Echoes before the upcoming CS broadcast, I reread my past articles. Something felt off. It wasn’t about the story—it was a magnificent and wonderful narrative.

 

I had previously written that Echoes featured 12 performances in the main story and three more in the encore, including his signature "SEIMEI." Other media outlets also described it as 15 performances in total, so it wasn’t a mistake on my part.

 

　However, while reviewing the footage, I suddenly realized something. I had mentally categorized it as "12 main performances + 3 encore performances" / "finale and victory lap." Typically, the latter consists of skaters waving to the audience while circling the rink. This was the source of my unease.

 

　Recently, Hanyu has chosen Ado's "I Am the Strongest" for the laps and finales of his solo ice shows and Ice Story.

 

　In Echoes, "Watashi wa Saikyou" was essentially another full program.

 

　After going around the rink, there is a part where the song changes from 4 beats to 3 beats. The lyrics go, "Even if I have to push myself a little, I want to water the flowers." From here, Hanyu showed off his quick steps and turns. He even did a beautiful upright spin. In some performances, he even performed an open axel, hydroblading, and a layback Ina Bauer. Depending on the show, he also showed the gesture of watering the flowers and extending his hand in sync with the lyrics at the part, "Come on, let's hold hands."

 

　The reason these are beautiful is because of the foundations that have been polished over and over again. In the spring of 2012, he crossed the ocean and reexamined the foundations under coaches Brian Orser and Tracy Wilson. At a press conference after achieving consecutive Olympic victories, Hanyu said the following.

 

"True artistry is built upon a foundation of correct technique and thoroughly refined basics. If that is lacking, it’s not art."

 

　Let's get back to Echoes. He performed "I am the Strongest" after performing 15 songs. By then, lactic acid must have been building up in his muscles. Although he likely replenished amino acids and glucose with drinks between performances, there’s no guarantee they had been fully absorbed. He could have even been on the verge of depleting his muscle and liver glycogen stores—yet he still put on a breathtaking finale performance.

 

　In Prologue, "I Am the Strongest" was a more subtle performance, with only light footwork and small head movements to match the beat. In RE_PRAY, he delivered skating synchronized to the music, and in Echoes, he went beyond the realm of a lap song.

 

　As he skates, exhausting all his strength, you can feel his thoughts that "I am the strongest because of all my fans." Hanyu's "I am the strongest," which can be considered an extension of his program, has a unique and captivating appeal.