- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
Shoma did an interview with Hiroya Miyauchi from THE ANSWER, likely as part of the Tokyo promotions for Ice Brave 2, since he has the same outfit he wore for the TBS taping of Nino's show and show announcements. The interview is in 2 parts and it's (again) very good.
Since it is about ice show promotions, Shoma does talk about the same topics in these interviews (skating, shows, entertainment). But I have been interested in how he would describe his Twitter account exploding and this interview does touch about it a bit.
And it's probably just me because I have been reading all these interviews, but I think Shoma got more loose and free in talking about his past competitive career, the longer he has been retired. You can kind of read it in the way he's more relaxed in explaining what he did in the past and why he decided to retire.
Part 1 of the the interview here: https://the-ans.jp/column/568393/
Machine translation here:
“Let Me Take a Peek Inside Shoma Uno’s Mind” – When We Asked Him Directly, We Discovered the Root of His Candidness: “I Don’t Think About Anything”
Part 1 of the Interview: His First Ice Show “Ice Brave” Has a Sequel Coming This November
Former world champion and now professional figure skater Shoma Uno sat down for an interview with THE ANSWER. Following the successful debut of his first self-produced ice show Ice Brave, the second installment is set to take place in Tokyo starting November 14. Having stepped away from the competitive stage, what kind of thoughts are now taking shape in his mind as he creates a new show? We were allowed a rare look inside Uno’s head. (Part 1 of a 2-part interview, interviewer: Hiroya Miyauchi, THE ANSWER Editorial Department)
— It’s been over a year since you retired from competition. How has your mindset evolved in this new chapter of your life? Let’s explore the theme of ‘Shoma Uno’s mind’ today.
“Thank you, I look forward to it.”
— You’ve had many new experiences since retiring. Has your perspective on figure skating changed before and after retirement?
“First of all, when I was a competitor, figure skating was something I recognized as a sport. Of course, there were things I wanted to do, and things I found rewarding, but the foundation was always the awareness that it was a competition—a sport. That’s why I felt I had to do what would earn the most points.
I did it to achieve great results as an athlete, and that aligned with both my goals and what I needed to do. But in the last one or two years… I managed to become No. 1 in the world (winning back-to-back World Championships in 2022 and 2023), and when I thought about what came next, I realized that what I wanted to do and what I had to do started to branch apart.
I kept going for about a year after that, but compared to the time when my goals and duties aligned, I started to feel that it was ‘a little tough.’ Various things overlapped, and although it was quite early compared to other athletes, I decided to retire. Even after retiring, being able to do ice shows like this is something I’m extremely fortunate for, and now I can say I’m glad I gave producing a try.”
— When you talk about doing “what earns the most points,” do you mean jumps?
“Yes, exactly. A good or bad performance is often judged by whether the jumps succeed. Of course, it’s important precisely because it’s so difficult, but I thought about what kind of skating I admired when I was little. Watching someone like Yuzu-kun (Yuzuru Hanyu), I thought, ‘It would be amazing to become a skater like that.’ I dreamed of competing on the same stage one day.
But the skater who captivated me the most as a child was Daisuke Takahashi. His expressiveness was one of a kind, and I had this foundational hope of becoming the kind of skater who could do something uniquely my own. While I was still in competition, I couldn’t compromise on jumps or results—I had to stay hungry. But when I started to want to chase the kind of performance I once admired, and push my own skills further, retirement started to feel like the right decision.”
— You have a reputation for expressing your thoughts clearly and honestly. Your posts on X (Twitter) often go viral. As someone in the public eye, do you consciously think about how you present yourself?
“Honestly, I don’t think about it much. I’m not good at saying things that are just for show or that aren’t really how I feel. It’s not that I can’t do it—but I was raised in an environment where I was allowed to do things my own way, so when I have to speak insincerely, I freeze up.
No matter how things change, I try to speak honestly, without overthinking it. For interviews, I prefer having a natural conversation rather than answering the same question ten times. I started with Instagram, but I’m not really one of those flashy, picture-perfect types (laughs). I love games, I’m an indoor person, and I like joking around with my close friends. That vibe fits me better, so I think X (Twitter) suits me more, but it’s not like I plan things out.”
— Your X account drew attention, with some wondering if it was really you or not.
“It’s me (laughs). I said it clearly from the start, but… well, not everyone noticed. Of course, people who’ve supported me for a long time figured it out right away, but people seeing my account for the first time were like, ‘Is this really him?’ and I get that—it can look suspicious.”
— What made you start using X in the first place?
“I knew from the gaming community on YouTube that Twitter had a lot of active users. At first, I was planning to use the account just to post stuff like, ‘I uploaded a new video—please check it out!’ But then I lost a lottery for the Nintendo Switch 2, and it really pissed me off (laughs). I posted about it on social media, and that’s when it started to get fun—I’ve just been throwing out my honest feelings ever since.”
— Your first self-produced show Ice Brave was a success. With Ice Brave 2 coming in November, what was the hardest part of being a producer?
“Of course, it’s the skaters who make the show, and I think it’s tough for them too. But the behind-the-scenes staff, who support everything, have it really hard. No matter what’s happening, they’re the ones predicting needs and providing support so that the performers can work freely and comfortably. This time, I was partially on the production side too, and that’s when I realized how hard it really is.
The skaters in the cast are all very serious and easy to work with, so that made things easier. But still, the more people there are, the harder it gets to communicate a shared understanding of how things should be. At first, I found it really difficult that nothing would move forward unless I pointed and said, ‘Let’s go this way.’
What should I do? What should I say? I really tried hard to encourage others, but thankfully, everyone was very capable. Toward the end, I actually relaxed and relied on the others more, while still setting a general direction with a ‘Let’s do it this way’ kind of attitude.”
— Creating an ice show is completely different from being a competitive athlete, isn’t it?
“It’s a totally different thing. In competition, it’s an individual sport, so everything depends on whether I can perform well or not. Even when you interact with other skaters, it’s more as friends. But this time, since it’s not a competition, being able to share fun and excitement with the skaters and the audience in the moment—that was something I really enjoyed.”
Since it is about ice show promotions, Shoma does talk about the same topics in these interviews (skating, shows, entertainment). But I have been interested in how he would describe his Twitter account exploding and this interview does touch about it a bit.
And it's probably just me because I have been reading all these interviews, but I think Shoma got more loose and free in talking about his past competitive career, the longer he has been retired. You can kind of read it in the way he's more relaxed in explaining what he did in the past and why he decided to retire.
Part 1 of the the interview here: https://the-ans.jp/column/568393/
Machine translation here:
“Let Me Take a Peek Inside Shoma Uno’s Mind” – When We Asked Him Directly, We Discovered the Root of His Candidness: “I Don’t Think About Anything”
Part 1 of the Interview: His First Ice Show “Ice Brave” Has a Sequel Coming This November
Former world champion and now professional figure skater Shoma Uno sat down for an interview with THE ANSWER. Following the successful debut of his first self-produced ice show Ice Brave, the second installment is set to take place in Tokyo starting November 14. Having stepped away from the competitive stage, what kind of thoughts are now taking shape in his mind as he creates a new show? We were allowed a rare look inside Uno’s head. (Part 1 of a 2-part interview, interviewer: Hiroya Miyauchi, THE ANSWER Editorial Department)
— It’s been over a year since you retired from competition. How has your mindset evolved in this new chapter of your life? Let’s explore the theme of ‘Shoma Uno’s mind’ today.
“Thank you, I look forward to it.”
— You’ve had many new experiences since retiring. Has your perspective on figure skating changed before and after retirement?
“First of all, when I was a competitor, figure skating was something I recognized as a sport. Of course, there were things I wanted to do, and things I found rewarding, but the foundation was always the awareness that it was a competition—a sport. That’s why I felt I had to do what would earn the most points.
I did it to achieve great results as an athlete, and that aligned with both my goals and what I needed to do. But in the last one or two years… I managed to become No. 1 in the world (winning back-to-back World Championships in 2022 and 2023), and when I thought about what came next, I realized that what I wanted to do and what I had to do started to branch apart.
I kept going for about a year after that, but compared to the time when my goals and duties aligned, I started to feel that it was ‘a little tough.’ Various things overlapped, and although it was quite early compared to other athletes, I decided to retire. Even after retiring, being able to do ice shows like this is something I’m extremely fortunate for, and now I can say I’m glad I gave producing a try.”
— When you talk about doing “what earns the most points,” do you mean jumps?
“Yes, exactly. A good or bad performance is often judged by whether the jumps succeed. Of course, it’s important precisely because it’s so difficult, but I thought about what kind of skating I admired when I was little. Watching someone like Yuzu-kun (Yuzuru Hanyu), I thought, ‘It would be amazing to become a skater like that.’ I dreamed of competing on the same stage one day.
But the skater who captivated me the most as a child was Daisuke Takahashi. His expressiveness was one of a kind, and I had this foundational hope of becoming the kind of skater who could do something uniquely my own. While I was still in competition, I couldn’t compromise on jumps or results—I had to stay hungry. But when I started to want to chase the kind of performance I once admired, and push my own skills further, retirement started to feel like the right decision.”
— You have a reputation for expressing your thoughts clearly and honestly. Your posts on X (Twitter) often go viral. As someone in the public eye, do you consciously think about how you present yourself?
“Honestly, I don’t think about it much. I’m not good at saying things that are just for show or that aren’t really how I feel. It’s not that I can’t do it—but I was raised in an environment where I was allowed to do things my own way, so when I have to speak insincerely, I freeze up.
No matter how things change, I try to speak honestly, without overthinking it. For interviews, I prefer having a natural conversation rather than answering the same question ten times. I started with Instagram, but I’m not really one of those flashy, picture-perfect types (laughs). I love games, I’m an indoor person, and I like joking around with my close friends. That vibe fits me better, so I think X (Twitter) suits me more, but it’s not like I plan things out.”
— Your X account drew attention, with some wondering if it was really you or not.
“It’s me (laughs). I said it clearly from the start, but… well, not everyone noticed. Of course, people who’ve supported me for a long time figured it out right away, but people seeing my account for the first time were like, ‘Is this really him?’ and I get that—it can look suspicious.”
— What made you start using X in the first place?
“I knew from the gaming community on YouTube that Twitter had a lot of active users. At first, I was planning to use the account just to post stuff like, ‘I uploaded a new video—please check it out!’ But then I lost a lottery for the Nintendo Switch 2, and it really pissed me off (laughs). I posted about it on social media, and that’s when it started to get fun—I’ve just been throwing out my honest feelings ever since.”
— Your first self-produced show Ice Brave was a success. With Ice Brave 2 coming in November, what was the hardest part of being a producer?
“Of course, it’s the skaters who make the show, and I think it’s tough for them too. But the behind-the-scenes staff, who support everything, have it really hard. No matter what’s happening, they’re the ones predicting needs and providing support so that the performers can work freely and comfortably. This time, I was partially on the production side too, and that’s when I realized how hard it really is.
The skaters in the cast are all very serious and easy to work with, so that made things easier. But still, the more people there are, the harder it gets to communicate a shared understanding of how things should be. At first, I found it really difficult that nothing would move forward unless I pointed and said, ‘Let’s go this way.’
What should I do? What should I say? I really tried hard to encourage others, but thankfully, everyone was very capable. Toward the end, I actually relaxed and relied on the others more, while still setting a general direction with a ‘Let’s do it this way’ kind of attitude.”
— Creating an ice show is completely different from being a competitive athlete, isn’t it?
“It’s a totally different thing. In competition, it’s an individual sport, so everything depends on whether I can perform well or not. Even when you interact with other skaters, it’s more as friends. But this time, since it’s not a competition, being able to share fun and excitement with the skaters and the audience in the moment—that was something I really enjoyed.”
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I wonder if Shomarin is cooking something new for Ice Brave 2...
)
