I really should sit down and make that Fan Fest lol... I also have a lot of their interviews on me about how they teamed up, that needs to be recorded somewhere....
Looking forward to it! There really were quite a few interviews and articles about them in the last couple of weeks.
____________
This is so cute
:
The cast after the last show in their La La Land outfits:
Skating enthusiast and Inori's voice from the popular anime "Medalist", Natsumi Haruse, came to one of the FOI shows:
I went to see Friends on Ice 2025...!!
This ice show has been running since the Turin Olympics.
As a skating fan, there were moments when memories flooded back, I enjoyed the skilled skating and expressiveness, and it was a show filled with happiness, giving me a sense of a fresh future 
#FRIENDSONICE2025
So did pop singer/musical actress Ayaka Hirahara, who performed in two Hyoen productions and has formed friendships with several of her co-performers (she says that with Shizuka she had actually already been friends since the Turin Olympics!) Another lovely connection this time is that Ayaka has played Christine Daaé in the Japanese version of "Love Never Dies" and that Rika Hongo skated to Ayaka's recording a few years ago. Ayaka wrote this passionate "ode" to Friends on Ice:
‘Omotenashi’
A term that gained popularity
during the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Its origins lie in ‘to accomplish’ and ‘without pretence’.
Welcome to Japan
Thank you for coming
Enjoy your stay
Please come again
It seems to encapsulate all these sentiments,
evoking a truly gentle resonance.
This ice skating show
once again brings together skaters
not only from Japan but from countries worldwide.
Produced by Shizuka Arakawa
‘Friends on Ice’ 2025
After each performance,
warm cheers rise from the audience.
Fans hold up their favourite skaters' towels,
commonly called ‘banners’ –
each likely brought with personal significance.
But when an international skater appears,
it changes completely.
The entire venue becomes awash
with the flag of that skater's homeland.
Ah, if only the same happened to me abroad. How wonderful that would be. How heartening.
It truly lives up to the name
‘Friends on Ice’ –
it's practically ‘Friends on Seats’ now.
We are your friends,
as if welcoming an old friend home –
the audience's warm behaviour
slowly but surely brings a wave of emotion.
This time, above all else,
I'd heard from the lead, Shizuka Arakawa-chan,
that they'd be performing ‘Love Never Dies’,
so my expectations were high.
For me, it was the work that marked my musical debut,
and it had only just been revived again this past January.
Shii-chan came to see it with the producer,
and apparently that's what made her decide to stage this production.
Re-encountering the Phantom's and Christine's feelings,
which I've experienced countless times before,
left me with a gut-wrenching sensation.
Why am I here now?
This is no time to be Friends on Seats.
Right here, right now... let me sing!
I don't know how many times I thought that (laughs),
but remembering those days brought tears flooding back.
I heard that Rika Hongo-san had previously skated to the production of ‘Love Never Dies’ sung by me,
and I was finally able to thank her in person.
Some seek to convey joy,
others to touch the wound.
In each performance,
the unique character of each skater seeps through.
Carving away at their hearts, that crystallisation
danced onto the ice with the skaters and melted away.
At that moment, I truly believe
we witnessed the brilliance of their souls.
Performing alongside comrades
who fought together at the Turin Olympics also brought tears,
and the biggest cheer of the day erupted
for Shizuka Arakawa-chan's surprise performance of ‘Nessun Dorma’,
which she apparently thought of this very morning.
It was truly a magnificent show.
Incidentally, I was mildly shocked that every single audience member who spotted me
called out ‘A-ya!’
Lately, I've had hardly any work on the ice at all (laughs)
I thought I'd been forgotten,
but to be called like this, so familiarly, like family...
It's enough to make you cry, really.
I should note here that
‘Friends on Seats’ was just as passionate
as ‘Friends on Ice’.
Next year, 2026,
the Olympics will be held in Italy
for the first time in 20 years.
I intend to keep singing steadily,
hoping to welcome the athletes through my songs.
I'll always be cheering you on, everyone!
And please do come along
to support my concerts too!
I'm also looking forward to seeing
everyone appearing in ‘Friends on Seats’!
[...]
Our dear Shii-chan, who surprised us with a dance.
Meeting at the Turin Olympics,
and remaining dear friends to this day –
for this, I am truly grateful!
Also, I didn't know this - PIW ensemble skater, Kiki Nakanishi, wrote that Friends on Ice was the first show she had ever performed in as a young girl
:
Friends on Ice 2025 was absolutely wonderful!
Next year marks the momentous 20th anniversary Let's celebrate!
:
www.skate-info-glace.com
deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp
worldfigureskating-web.jp
deepedgeplus.kyodonews.jp
And for me, their height and stature gave them such amazing, majestic aura, even when they are doing an upbeat program. Can't wait to see them with their competitive programs (and so we can finally start a Fan Fest thread for them!!)
(although Koshiro isn't quite as tall as Chris was). I think in terms of vibes I would describe them as youthful and light (even in a darker number like Love never dies). 
Thank you 
This photo is from my very first appearance in 2007. I was absolutely stiff with nerves, wasn't I? 
