Also a very good interview by Satoko Sawada for AERA, this is one of the interviews done on the announcement day of ICE BRAVE 2 (July 18, 2025) so it was more than a month ago:
2024年5月、現役を引退し、プロスケーターとして活動中の宇野昌磨さん。初のプロデュースアイスショー「Ice Brave」を成功させ、11月には「Ice Brave2」を開幕する。ショーでしかでき…
dot.asahi.com
Machine translation of only the interview parts:
── Since it was announced that "Ice Brave" would take place, you’ve been inviting everyone to “get hyped together,” haven’t you?
Shoma Uno (hereafter, Uno): If you ask whether I truly belong to the figure skating community, at my core, my personality is more that of a gamer... I think that fundamental nature of mine comes through both in interviews and in my skating. I tend to speak frankly, and while many skaters perform elegant programs, I often choose powerful, energetic routines. So rather than a refined, polished show, I feel my vibe is closer to that of an idol concert. There’s this impression that skating should be watched quietly and politely, but because it’s an ice show I’m producing, I wanted to convey, “I want to do it with this kind of energy and warmth.” I’m really grateful that the excitement and enthusiasm turned out even bigger than I had imagined.
── You said that ice dance, which you challenged yourself with alongside Marin Honda, is like “the essence of skating,” right?
Uno: To me, the essence of figure skating is both “gliding smoothly” and “captivating the audience.” In my era, singles skating sometimes allowed some leeway: as long as you could land your jumps, you were somewhat forgiven. But ice dance is a serious competition in everything except jumps. I think ice dance is an extension of the old figure skating tradition where you “draw beautiful, clean traces on the ice.” Precisely because there are no jumps, the true battleground becomes the “expressive, captivating” part. That’s why I feel ice dance might be the very essence of figure skating.
Ice dance is a discipline where the story naturally comes through, but I felt I lacked that quality. I had only focused on expressing how I personally interpret the music. But at the same time, because I felt I was lacking in that area, I’m glad I was able to take on that challenge.
── Regarding expression, how do you balance fundamentals and emotions?
Uno: The challenge of “balancing” is something that exists in any field. In ice dance specifically, I think you should first learn the choreography fundamentals without expressing emotions. If the phrase “balance” comes from someone who’s truly mastered their craft, that’s fine, but if someone mediocre says it, it’s often just laziness: neglecting one side or the other. Sometimes you can impress people by showing emotion even without strong fundamentals, but if you can deliver something amazing even without emotional expression, I believe that’s the ultimate level of fundamentals.
But since these are performances for people to watch, moments when emotions truly come through are often very visible. No matter how strong your fundamentals are, without emotion, people might think “skilled,” but it won’t easily reach their hearts. Both emotion and fundamentals are important. But if I had to say which comes first, fundamentals should come first. Personally, I’ve tended to cover up with emotion, but I believe that by properly learning fundamentals, I can become someone on par with the skaters I admire.
── Are you currently focusing on fundamentals and holding back emotions?
Uno: In actual performances, I think it’s okay to completely “ignore” fundamentals. Fundamentals should be prioritized only during practice; during a performance, they should be so ingrained that you do them unconsciously. A performance is a piece presented to an audience, so emotion absolutely must come first. If I fail because of that, then I just need to practice more.
── You mentioned that in "Ice Brave 2," you want to take on even more challenges, right?
Uno: I want to research and develop moves that can only be done in a show setting. In “Ice Brave,” I performed the Klimkin Eagle (Cantilever) three times, but I think it’s worth trying new things so I can show different moves.
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New moves... will we see the backflip on Ice Brave 2?
Not gonna lie I AM WORRIED... practice safely, Shoma.
Shoma's natural distance with figure skating fascinates me and also worries me at times
he can sound so removed from the skating world but at the same time he's also pretty invested in it, but in a very specific way. It's fun to see him explore other things in skating aside from jumps, and it really makes me somewhat melancholic to imagine how much time and energy he must have spent working and thinking about jumps during his competitive career.
www.fnn.jp
Other than overrotating this seemed like a pretty good attempt, though - I can see Shoma succeeding. (Personally speaking, backflips make me nervous, especially when it comes to my favourite skaters and I kinda wish they wouldn't attempt them. 
)
. Missing him so much on the competitive scene!
