[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.