2025 Ice Brave | Jun-Jul 2025

[synesthesia]

What I mean is fans on Shoma are very critical to *Shoma* himself, lol. They aren't shy from being vocal in blaming Shoma on social media for the things that he does or is involved with. And mentioning his name too so it shows up in search engines. They are less intense about it now but heck, they were even complaining about how he wrote his Twitter bio

From my experience with other fans, they tend to keep their dissatisfaction about the material of programs and shows to themselves and only talk about it in private. If it's very bad then it's the organizer and/or management that's blamed. It's always 100% support on social media so when I meet and talk in person with them it's so surprising that they do have some things they weren't happy about. Well it works, since my impression of the other shows are flawless and magical always if I only see social media

That's what I meant too. Since I follow a good amount of Shoma fans myself, I’ve seen some of what you describe with my own eyes and for the most part it isn’t so different from what’s happening in other fan circles - even if the areas that people are most vocal about vary when it comes to other skaters. I'm of course most deeply involved with Dai's and Kana's fan base(s) where the criticism is usually not so much geared towards show related, but rather towards personal and general skating related topics (which is often worse imo ) – most of the time the former is limited to mild dislike or constructive feedback, but sometimes the criticism is prevalent/amplified enough that it has an impact. I believe Dai saying he’s feeling bitter about not managing to connect with the audience during Hyoen 2024 didn’t come from nowhere. He has seen the feedback from his fanbase and the raving reviews towards Takuro Ohno and it seems that made him doubt himself and wanting to “get it right” this year. And that’s just one example.

 

[rabidline]

He has seen the feedback from his fanbase and the raving reviews towards Takuro Ohno and it seems that made him doubt himself and wanting to “get it right” this year. And that’s just one example.

This is what I mean the problems of the shows are rarely explicitly said the way Shoma fans talk about it on social media, it's in a more of a "polite" way by tiptoeing around it and praising other aspects of the show. To be fair I do think Hyoen changed direction very sharply from 2024 to 2025 so I think direct feedback must have reached them, but we will only know the improvements when the show start.

But like I said, now I realize that those constant direct and vocal criticism at Shoma turned into something good, because Ice Brave is probably the best skating show that any fan of Shoma who are still willing to pay that price of tickets can get, and they know it. It has all the best things that Shoma fans got in his previous ice shows and left behind all the annoying things that made the viewing experience not great. My friend said after watching the final Fukuoka show, "this is really the show for everyone who have been following Shoma and his skating for so long" and I cannot agree more, he really delivered for us who have been watching over his journey. That the show is also great and exciting for people who haven't followed him so closely is honestly a bonus

There is only one thing that they are still holding a grudge on and Shoma made his position on it incredibly clear through his skating. I didn't say all criticism needs to be entertained

 

[synesthesia]

This is what I mean the problems of the shows are rarely explicitly said the way Shoma fans talk about it on social media, it's in a more of a "polite" way by tiptoeing around it and praising other aspects of the show. To be fair I do think Hyoen changed direction very sharply from 2024 to 2025 so I think direct feedback must have reached them, but we will only know the improvements when the show start.

The feedback/complaints I saw on social media was/were specifically and explicitly directed at how Dai's character Kakeru didn't feel like the main protagonist. Personally, I thought he made the most of his role and I disagree that he failed to connect with the audience, but rather... the script made Tokio the central and most complex as well as relatable character instead of Kakeru (and that's not me trying to be polite or to deflect the blame - I actually didn't mind Tokio being the lead ). Of course Dai would never say it was the script's fault, but he takes the blame himself, as he always does.

The production itself was praised by most fans as far as I could see, so the "improvements" will most likely pertain to the complexity of Ura's character. I wouldn't say so much that they've changed direction sharply from 2024 to 2025, but rather that the 2024 production was something of an experimental exception (a welcome change for me personally - it was my favourite Hyoen production so far due to its deep, emotional story and relatable themes) and that with the new production they are going back to the roots (I'm under the impression that this is mainly due to the fact that Dai himself favours this direction).

But like I said, now I realize that those constant direct and vocal criticism at Shoma turned into something good, because Ice Brave is probably the best skating show that any fan of Shoma who are still willing to pay that price of tickets can get, and they know it. It has all the best things that Shoma fans got in his previous ice shows and left behind all the annoying things that made the viewing experience not great. My friend said after watching the final Fukuoka show, "this is really the show for everyone who have been following Shoma and his skating for so long" and I cannot agree more, he really delivered for us who have been watching over his journey.

Hopefully there will be a broadcast.

There is only one thing that they are still holding a grudge on and Shoma made his position on it incredibly clear through his skating. I didn't say all criticism needs to be entertained

Would that be his relationship with Marin? If I were him I wouldn't let that kind of "criticism" affect me either (that's just plain jealousy/delusion on the complainants' part). It's good that he made a bold statement.

 

[rabidline]

The feedback/complaints I saw on social media was/were specifically and explicitly directed at how Dai's character Kakeru didn't feel like the main protagonist.

For an illustration, Shoma fans complained a lot about shows having poor visibility on the skating, despite getting front row / second row seats and paying premium tickets, and that it's obvious lottery winners are not getting the best seats of the ticket category despite making the effort to try win the tickets earlier before the general sales. What happened in Ice Brave is that those issues are completely addressed. Even the layout of the same venue are completely different between the show in 2024 and Ice Brave in 2025:



That kind of hospitality goes a long way. Japan still has the super convoluted manner of purchasing tickets, especially from overseas, although because Shoma choose paper tickets it's easy for foreigners to buy in person in Japan (7-11, Lawson) before the day of the show. But I think Shoma has the data of who made the most purchases and took care of the more urgent issues one by one, so that the price of the tickets, despite him charging normal prices, are worth it, both for his long time fans, and also for people who went to an ice show for the first time. If he decides he wants to continue Ice Brave, or if he agrees to be involved in the production of other ice shows as one of the producers, this will be the reputation that he brings.

One of the subtle things he did to make sure all sides are getting similar experience is through his own skating: his solo program Loco and Wild Side duet with Marin switch their front-facing directions in every alternating show, making both sides experience the program similarly. Of course he cannot do that for the whole show (but group / duet / trio numbers are arranged to have highlights in all sides) but it also helps the usual "back" side to experience more of the show, considering the way he set up the seating layout.

For someone who has way less core fans than other retired Japanese top skaters, I think he's making good use of the feedback and setting himself up as a producer who do pay attention on these details. And first impressions are really important.

____

On Marin, it's not just jealousy/ delusion, but many ongoing and persistent accusations over how she is a scheming woman who is only using him for skating jobs when there are many more capable skaters Shoma can skate with, and who lured him to the "entertainment world" with her wiles and making him have no passion for competition anymore, hence the retirement. Also for making him only do things with her, accusing them of being co-dependent.

Shoma knew what he was doing when he withheld the duet preview until pretty much the very last second before the show started, and he revealed he can do ice dance elements and 3A and 4T and 4T3T at the same time. The image of doing ice dance for some of his fans is still something a skater does when they can't jump (and therefore can't compete) anymore, which is obviously not the case with him. Some are still refusing to acknowledge any of his efforts even now- this is really the biggest difference with other fans and their favorite skaters, because I know some fans would kill to have their favorites be able to ice dance (with a height difference too!!!) and land quads. But because it's Marin...

 

[rabidline]

Costumes photos are up!!! As I hoped and expected (it's also on the pamphlet, but another designer is listed so I'm not sure...), the main designer for ICE BRAVE new group costumes is Naho Murata from NJU... I'm so happy because the group costumes are especially amazing, they did Mao's show group costumes before and I love the synergy...

naho murata on Instagram: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #宇野昌磨 #アイスブレイブ"

1,140 likes, 3 comments - njucostume on June 23, 2025: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #宇野昌磨 #アイスブレイブ".

www.instagram.com

naho murata on Instagram: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #宇野昌磨 #アイスブレイブ"

972 likes, 1 comments - njucostume on June 23, 2025: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #宇野昌磨 #アイスブレイブ".

www.instagram.com

naho murata on Instagram: "Marin Honda 「Ice brave」　 #marinhonda costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #本田真凜 #アイスブレイブ"

1,211 likes, 3 comments - njucostume on June 23, 2025: "Marin Honda 「Ice brave」　 #marinhonda costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 #本田真凜 #アイスブレイブ".

www.instagram.com

naho murata on Instagram: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 ＃宇野昌磨 ＃本田真凜 ＃ステファンランビエール ＃本郷 理華 ＃中野 耀司 ＃唐川 常⼈ ＃櫛⽥ ⼀樹"

792 likes, 3 comments - njucostume on June 23, 2025: "Shoma Uno 「Ice brave」　 #shomauno costumedesign #nju costume creation#nju #njucostume #costume #衣装 #衣装製作 ＃宇野昌磨 ＃本田真凜 ＃ステファンランビエール ＃本郷 理華 ＃中野 耀司 ＃唐川 常⼈ ＃櫛⽥ ⼀樹".

www.instagram.com

 

[synesthesia]

For an illustration, Shoma fans complained a lot about shows having poor visibility on the skating, despite getting front row / second row seats and paying premium tickets, and that it's obvious lottery winners are not getting the best seats of the ticket category despite making the effort to try win the tickets earlier before the general sales.

To be fair, that’s a common and valid complaint regarding – not only – Japanese ice shows (I had a similar experience at Art on Ice in 2017 – at the second show I attended I had an expensive 3rd row on ice seat with poor visibility, because the rows were only minimally staggered). Complaints like these have not only been directed at The Ice, but for instance at SOI Japan and FaoI as well. Did Shoma’s fans blame him personally for poor visbility at The Ice or OPOI (I hope not )?

What happened in Ice Brave is that those issues are completely addressed. Even the layout of the same venue are completely different between the show in 2024 and Ice Brave in 2025:



That kind of hospitality goes a long way. Japan still has the super convoluted manner of purchasing tickets, especially from overseas, although because Shoma choose paper tickets it's easy for foreigners to buy in person in Japan (7-11, Lawson) before the day of the show. But I think Shoma has the data of who made the most purchases and took care of the more urgent issues one by one, so that the price of the tickets, despite him charging normal prices, are worth it, both for his long time fans, and also for people who went to an ice show for the first time. If he decides he wants to continue Ice Brave, or if he agrees to be involved in the production of other ice shows as one of the producers, this will be the reputation that he brings.

One of the subtle things he did to make sure all sides are getting similar experience is through his own skating: his solo program Loco and Wild Side duet with Marin switch their front-facing directions in every alternating show, making both sides experience the program similarly. Of course he cannot do that for the whole show (but group / duet / trio numbers are arranged to have highlights in all sides) but it also helps the usual "back" side to experience more of the show, considering the way he set up the seating layout.

Newer shows are trying to address this issue (Mao’s shows and Kassouya for example) by offering actual seat selection (instead of the random seat assignment within a category), detailed descriptions of the seat categories, staggering the seats optimally within the possibilities of the venue and choreographing the show in a way that serves all sides equally. It’s great that Ice Brave joins that trend and goes one step further by switching the front-facing direction of the two highlight programs between shows (at least I haven’t heard of any other ice show doing that).

On Marin, it's not just jealousy/ delusion, but many ongoing and persistent accusations over how she is a scheming woman who is only using him for skating jobs when there are many more capable skaters Shoma can skate with, and who lured him to the "entertainment world" with her wiles and making him have no passion for competition anymore, hence the retirement. Also for making him only do things with her, accusing them of being co-dependent.

Oh dear – that does sound delusional and, frankly, immature.

Shoma knew what he was doing when he withheld the duet preview until pretty much the very last second before the show started, and he revealed he can do ice dance elements and 3A and 4T and 4T3T at the same time.

It’s impressive to do these jumps on dance blades, especially toe jumps as the toe pick is significantly smaller than on freestyle blades.

The image of doing ice dance for some of his fans is still something a skater does when they can't jump (and therefore can't compete) anymore, which is obviously not the case with him. Some are still refusing to acknowledge any of his efforts even now-

I don’t get that mindset, especially not from his own fanbase (usually this kind of hate comes from other directions as we’ve seen with Daisuke). Also, this was a performance in an ice show and not an announcement that they intend to compete. But even regarding the high profile singles skaters that actually made the switch – I never once thought that Dai accepted Kana’s offer, because he couldn’t jump anymore (I mean, he still landed quads in practice one year before he switched), even if it had become harder for him to do them. I was rather relieved he wouldn’t have to constantly drill them and abuse his knee anymore. Koshiro has cited hip problems as one of the reasons for switching, but he is still capable of jumping 4Ts and 4Ss. Of course ice dance is hard on the body (including the knees) too, but in different ways. I think people with that mindset don’t understand how difficult ice dance is and that it is an entirely different sport that takes years of serious dedication to reach top level.

 

[rabidline]

Did Shoma’s fans blame him personally for poor visbility at The Ice or OPOI (I hope not )?

What do you think heck they personally blamed him for all the things that go wrong at shows when he's there. Seats, start and end time, accessibility of venue, visibility, ticket prices, lighting and effects, music, costumes, colors, merchandise, content, previews, programs, marketing, invitations, choice of cities, social media posts, choreography. When it was clear Marin was more than Shoma's friend, gloves were off. In a way it kind of primed Shoma for having his own show because it's like they gave him a list on what to avoid logistically.

Seriously though, it's *good* that other fans are supportive of their favorites and always want more screentime and better material and spotlight for them in shows, and keep the more serious complaints directed to the organizer or talked in private. Like I personally had wished some of Shoma's own fans would be more like that instead of scrutinizing everything so hard, and then also blaming him for getting very distant from fans because of that scrutiny.

It's also why I was less confident than some of you about Shoma making his own show. The years of unreasonable scrutiny in the name of support was pretty draining. More than any artistic vision, I was worried Shoma would lose heart on the things he cares about the most, and leave them behind to make a show that will get approval instead.

But he didn't and it really is the best show I can ask for as a fan. And I am glad he took the leap to produce Ice Brave when Stephane said on Sunday it was his dream to go on an ice show tour in Japan with Shoma... (after they became coach and student) and I realized that it would be almost impossible if they relied on the existing shows and organizers.

 

[synesthesia]

What do you think heck they personally blamed him for all the things that go wrong at shows when he's there. Seats, start and end time, accessibility of venue, visibility, ticket prices, lighting and effects, music, costumes, colors, merchandise, content, previews, programs, marketing, invitations, choice of cities, social media posts, choreography. When it was clear Marin was more than Shoma's friend, gloves were off.

Ouch, now I wonder how many Shoma fans I blocked because I thought they were antis.

 

[rabidline]

Ouch, now I wonder how many Shoma fans I blocked because I thought they were antis.

It's really an extension of how critical they are during Shoma's competitive years the "when will you go to Switzerland to properly TRAIN?" "why are you always SLEEPING and playing with your dogs?" "why are you insisting on a coach who can't teach men to JUMP?" questions... it's like some fans don't want to accept that Shoma has his own personality and any deviation to the precedent set by previous top skaters are judged and derided.

I fully took on your argument here really because Ice Brave is a really strong statement by Shoma that his strength and happiness comes from the people he cares about the most (the words in the back of the closing jackets)... and that those years of criticism and scrutiny from his own fans did not deter him for continuing to pursue that. But he's also logistically a very kind producer so even for fans who dislike what he is doing they still will have a great view and experience of the show if they buy the tickets. It's why I think he's suited to work on producing other shows that doesn't necessarily have him as the main star, he has the objectivity for it.

 

[synesthesia]

Seriously though, it's *good* that other fans are supportive of their favorites and always want more screentime and better material and spotlight for them in shows, and keep the more serious complaints directed to the organizer or talked in private. Like I personally had wished some of Shoma's own fans would be more like that instead of scrutinizing everything so hard, and then also blaming him for getting very distant from fans because of that scrutiny.

It's really an extension of how critical they are during Shoma's competitive years the "when will you go to Switzerland to properly TRAIN?" "why are you always SLEEPING and playing with your dogs?" "why are you insisting on a coach who can't teach men to JUMP?" questions... it's like some fans don't want to accept that Shoma has his own personality and any deviation to the precedent set by previous top skaters are judged and derided.

[...]

But he's also logistically a very kind producer so even for fans who dislike what he is doing they still will have a great view and experience of the show if they buy the tickets.

As I said, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows when it comes to other skaters and some of their own fans (sometimes to the point of being driven off or discouraged from posting on their sns accounts), but most of it isn’t show related (then again there was the case of being criticised for priotitising to hold a charity show over training for Worlds) and the critical fan voices are almost always amplified by antis, who are jumping on the bandwagon, so that it’s hard to know which is which (I wasn’t joking when I said I’m wondering how many Shoma fans I blocked because I thought they were antis – I've "gained experience" with other faves). I will never understand why some people are making themselves miserable by following – let alone spend money on – someone or something that they don’t actually enjoy. Life’s too short for that.

I fully took on your argument here really because Ice Brave is a really strong statement by Shoma that his strength and happiness comes from the people he cares about the most (the words in the back of the closing jackets)... and that those years of criticism and scrutiny from his own fans did not deter him for continuing to pursue that.

Got ya, I’m not the one who needs to be converted, though. I did believe in his resilience and the strength of his personal relationships.

 

[rabidline]

Newer shows are trying to address this issue (Mao’s shows and Kassouya for example) by offering actual seat selection (instead of the random seat assignment within a category), detailed descriptions of the seat categories, staggering the seats optimally within the possibilities of the venue and choreographing the show in a way that serves all sides equally. It’s great that Ice Brave joins that trend and goes one step further by switching the front-facing direction of the two highlight programs between shows (at least I haven’t heard of any other ice show doing that).

Shoma confirmed through his membership that this is something he worked on with the producers who did the program setlist for not just his programs but others (like Yoji's and Rika's La vie en Rose) so that different sides can get a different highlight each time. I think it aligns with the "live concert" vibe he wanted for the show- like the peak highlights remain the same but there's no exact same experience in each show.

He confirmed that he is very happy that the show he had envisioned and tried to create was brought to life by everyone

 

[synesthesia]

Now this is where I differ, since I have already read many of Shoma's interviews about this show. He's more of an operational producer as opposed to driving the creative vision, and he focuses a lot more on the presentation and logistics of the show, and also on the show and people management. This is likely why he said it's his first and last he's going to be too stressed trying to come up with a creative concept that he enjoys and also thinks can appeal to the audience.

He confirmed that he is very happy that the show he had envisioned and tried to create was brought to life by everyone

This sounds like he drove the creative vision after all. (Which doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing all by yourself, just that you're the one coming up with the main concept/the general idea - many creators/producers have (specialised) support helping them to realise their vision.)

 

[rabidline]

This sounds like he drove the creative vision after all. (Which doesn't necessarily mean that you're doing all by yourself, just that you're the one coming up with the main concept/the general idea - many creators/producers have (specialised) support helping them to realise their vision.)

I think the main vision from him, which is an ice show that's more like a live music concert/show, is more functional in nature. So that perspective helps him filter the creative proposals from the team of producers that he has. The producers are all credited in the pamphlet, this was not a solo endeavor

I think it helps streamline the show but still retain the most essential elements of it in high quality, and reduce impractical frivolities to a minimum.... again this is why I want Shoma to continue to learn and be more involved in production. His practical sensibility can be implemented on many things that's not necessarily centered on him.

 

[synesthesia]

I think the main vision from him, which is an ice show that's more like a live music concert/show, is more functional in nature. So that perspective helps him filter the creative proposals from the team of producers that he has. The producers are all credited in the pamphlet, this was not a solo endeavor

Most shows/creative works aren’t – look at any (even fairly small scale) show production from music concerts to dance shows, musicals or theater plays – there’s (almost) always a creative team behind the main producer/director (and the bigger and more ambitious the show, the more you have to delegate).

I think it helps streamline the show but still retain the most essential elements of it in high quality, and reduce impractical frivolities to a minimum.... again this is why I want Shoma to continue to learn and be more involved in production. His practical sensibility can be implemented on many things that's not necessarily centered on him.

I agree with all of this. I think we mean different things when we talk about potential future productions under his own brand, though. They don’t have to be centered on him, if he doesn’t want to. That’s the beauty of having (creative) freedom. With your own show you can do whatever you like – you can also choose not to perform at all and just work behind the scenes and focus on the aspects of production you are best at or that you enjoy the most. The main difference is that you have the final say. If you’re a hired hand for an existing show your decisions can be overridden at any time and the final product might not be what you envisioned at all.

 

[rabidline]

With your own show you can do whatever you like – you can also choose not to perform at all and just work behind the scenes and focus on the aspects of production you are best at or that you enjoy the most. The main difference is that you have the final say. If you’re a hired hand for an existing show your decisions can be overridden at any time and the final product might not be what you envisioned at all.

Yeah, I agree so so much on this. I still think getting that experience may be beneficial for Shoma, even as a "hired help" because he can continue to finesse his vision based on what works and what doesn't work in other shows. It's like Ice Brave was able to implement many learned lessons from Shoma's past shows without him being in the production chair.

Like we have talked before, I am of the opinion that Shoma has a tricky personality to be a headliner, because he has been notorious for not enjoying this "chairman" / "face of the show" position in the last few years, especially when it comes to acting like he's the center that the show revolves around. He's someone who is a lot more comfortable when the whole show goes well... and all the skaters stay in good health and do well... in a way, being the producer allows him to have more control of that, instead of just a performer.

 

[Silevril Ilumire]

Toyota Times made episodes chronicling the work in progress for the show, and here's Ep 2 with more footage from the previous months since the announcement is made (Ep. 1 was more about the announcement).



I'm very excited and curious over how they're going to present Shoma's past programs in a show with multiple skaters... there are already some spoilers on what everyone is doing (Marin and Rika having solo numbers, Rika has a duet with Kazuki Kushida) and there are some programs that will clearly be there (Bolero, Grespi, Stairway to Heaven, Loco).

Also Shoma seems to get more confident as they got more and more stuff under control, his quality of movement looks as good as ever and he seem to be settling quite well in a bird's eye view role, giving inputs and guidance on presentation (which is an underrated skill of his that gets buried due to technical demands of competitions). There was an episode they include on him and Kazuki Kushida, which is nice to see because Kazuki is the skater Shoma knew the least about (they connected at Fukuoka for BISF25 and Shoma recruited him then and there lol. They are fellow Marin fanboys though).

And some glimpses on the costumes at the end. Now this was something I worried about, because Shoma came out with incredible costumes during his active years. But I love what I am seeing so far. They look classy and well made.

@rabidline, thank you for your many posts and all the information you shared about the show! I decided to post the first episode of the Toyota Times series you mentioned because a kind fan group made English subtitles for it, which I really enjoyed. As you said, it is mostly about his announcement but there was some footage that I was really grateful for. I particularly liked when Shoma and his cast were learning streetdance from an instructor. Shoma seemed very engaged and would discuss things with their instructor, like differences between dancing off ice and skating, so that they could combine their expertise and make something that would really work for skaters while doing something special on the ice. The instructor ended up being very impressed with him! I was too . I admire Shoma for various reasons, but I didn’t know he would take on a project like this and show us talents and interests that some of us (like me) didn’t know about.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

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[Silevril Ilumire]

I don’t suppose Ice Brave is being streamed? If it is broadcast, I will need to figure out how to watch it. I want to see it so badly!

 

[rabidline]

I don’t suppose Ice Brave is being streamed? If it is broadcast, I will need to figure out how to watch it. I want to see it so badly!

No streaming and broadcast plans at the moment! And Fukuoka and Niigata shows are also closed to media. But you do remind me that I have not posted footage from Japanese TV here:

 

[rabidline]

Toyota Times have released the behind-the-scenes video for the first shows at Aichi. Lots of preparation footage, but some spoilers as well:

 

[rabidline]

Niigata local TV report of today's show: