Interview Koshiro Shimada: Bringing anime to life on ice

[gsk8]

We caught up with Japan's Koshiro Shimada who talks about his anime roles on ice and how he was able to relate to the characters.

Known for his ability to bring extravagant characters to life on the ice, he took on the role of “Sanji” in the anime-themed show “One Piece on Ice,” alongside former training partner Shoma Uno.

In the spring of 2024, Shimada also portrayed a character in the show “Hyoen” while performing alongside his idol Daisuke Takahashi. He describes how he easily adapted to playing a partly female character and the positive feedback he received from the audience.

Listen in!

Koshiro Shimada: Bringing anime to life on ice

Koshiro Shimada Japan's Koshiro Shimada, who is passionate about figure skating, has distinguished himself not only as a top competitor, but also as a

www.goldenskate.com

 

[ladyjane]

Koshiro is such a nice guy! Thanks for this. Lovely to know that audiences appreciate him.

 

[Anna K.]

Koshiro is such a nice guy! Thanks for this. Lovely to know that audiences appreciate him.

The best thing to know for me is that he feels interested in show production

Talking about which, I'm so glad that he was selected for Hyoen even though he only played a minor character(s). Hyoen is a show of entirely different production class. The very being in the mix and watching things happening can teach a lot and I am happy to learn that Koshiro was impressed.

With all respect to One Piece on Ice in general and Koshiro's contribution in particular, this show hardly rose above the level of a cosplay parade (I'm sorry). Having said that, fans do get blown away by a good piece of cosplay any time and this wasn't just a good piece of cosplay - this was definitely outstanding at times. That's why I'm not disappointed and imo it was certainly worth doing - worth bringing anime/manga to ice just to show how ice-friendly this format is. However, in the sense of production there is huge space for development left. The choreography, the staging has created some good vibe and told a simplified story, but nothing more than that.

Hyoen is an entirely different case. This is a full-bodied musical on ice, very intense visually and emotionally - certainly the highest class in all production aspects (and absolutely worth travelling to Japan to see it, if you are asking me). This show is fantastic both literally and figuratively speaking. It has a different LED design for every theme. Scene transformations are mind-blowing. Singing is great. Choreography is meaningful. Acting is spot-on. Every episode just nails it. There is just one thing that I can say: we need more shows like this!

And now, I'm thinking: so, Koshiro is so good as Sanji. There are at least two One Piece arcs that evolve around Sanji: the Baratie Floating Restaurant arc (love it) and the Cake Island arc (the anime version is actually a musical). And Koshiro says he wants to produce shows. Wouldn't it be great if he brought to life any of these arcs producing a proper high-class show one day?

 

[synesthesia]

The best thing to know for me is that he feels interested in show production

Talking about which, I'm so glad that he was selected for Hyoen even though he only played a minor character(s). Hyoen is a show of entirely different production class. The very being in the mix and watching things happening can teach a lot and I am happy to learn that Koshiro was impressed.

With all respect to One Piece on Ice in general and Koshiro's contribution in particular, this show hardly rose above the level of a cosplay parade (I'm sorry). Having said that, fans do get blown away by a good piece of cosplay any time and this wasn't just a good piece of cosplay - this was definitely outstanding at times. That's why I'm not disappointed and imo it was certainly worth doing - worth bringing anime/manga to ice just to show how ice-friendly this format is. However, in the sense of production there is huge space for development left. The choreography, the staging has created some good vibe and told a simplified story, but nothing more than that.

Hyoen is an entirely different case. This is a full-bodied musical on ice, very intense visually and emotionally - certainly the highest class in all production aspects (and absolutely worth travelling to Japan to see it, if you are asking me). This show is fantastic both literally and figuratively speaking. It has a different LED design for every theme. Scene transformations are mind-blowing. Singing is great. Choreography is meaningful. Acting is spot-on. Every episode just nails it. There is just one thing that I can say: we need more shows like this!

And now, I'm thinking: so, Koshiro is so good as Sanji. There are at least two One Piece arcs that evolve around Sanji: the Baratie Floating Restaurant arc (love it) and the Cake Island arc (the anime version is actually a musical). And Koshiro says he wants to produce shows. Wouldn't it be great if he brought to life any of these arcs producing a proper high-class show one day?

I fully agree with your assessment of Hyoen. Imo OPOI was great at what it set out to do as well. They’re very different types of shows with different target groups. The original post of this thread kinda makes it sound like both were anime adaptations, which is not true of Hyoen, which was loosely based on the 1934 novel “Night on the Galactic Railroad”. Koshiro’s queer character was completely original, as were most of the characters in this adaptation. Even the two main characters (who are young boys in the original) and the story itself were significantly altered. What connected the show to the source material were the core concepts and messages, which were pretty deep for an ice show, dealing with themes such as self-sacrifice, philosophy/religion, grief and ultimately with the acceptance of a loved one’s death and self-forgiveness. All told in the format of an original musical with live singing and dialogue.

OPOI is a fluff, fun ride, which stays close to the source material in all/most aspects and is aimed at a pre-existing/built-in audience. Because it draws on its popular characters and established story arcs, it doesn’t need a more elaborate production (which would drive up ticket prices) to attract an audience. (The production is fine for what the show is though with the projection mapping adding to its production value.)

The Japanese ice-show market is so oversaturated now that it’s necessary to have these different types of shows, speaking to different audiences. Eversince Hyoen launched the trend in 2017, there has been a diversification of the market in Japan. All of the established formats that came before followed more or less the same formula. Now producers try to come up with more original concepts, drawing inspiration from genres outside of skating, such as kabuki theater (Hyoen 2017), the Takarazuka Revue (Hyoen/Luxe 2021, Notte Stellata 2024), musical theater (Hyoen 2019, PIW, Hyoen 2024), varieté/dance theater (Everlasting33), experimental dance theater (Kassouya), anime (OPOI) or computer games (RE_PRAY).

We can see how they influence and inspire each other too, while at the same time each is trying to create something unique.

By the time Koshiro retires and might consider entering the field of show production (Kazuki Tomono has expressed similar interests btw), he might be interested in doing something different than OPOI or any of the already existing show formats for that matter. The question is, if the Japanese ice show market will still be sustainable then. I guess it might thin out in the coming years with the most popular established shows (like FOI, FaoI and PIW) on one hand and the most original concepts (Hyoen, Mao’s, Dai’s and Hanyu’s productions, possibly adaptations of other popular mangas/animes) on the other hand surviving. It will be a matter of finding a niche with a potential audience that hasn’t been occupied by then.

 

[Anna K.]

The original post of this thread kinda makes it sound like both were anime adaptations, which is not true of Hyoen, which was loosely based on the 1934 novel “Night on the Galactic Railroad”.

To be fair, the anime adaptation of the novel exists. It's the movie "Night on the Galactic Railroad" (1985) and it even has a decent English dub. I'm guessing it was also made as a loose adaptation because most characters were drawn as cats (cheers @CrazyKittenLady ) but the anime version of the story is probably the best known outside of Japan.

What connected the show to the source material were the core concepts and messages, which were pretty deep for an ice show, dealing with themes such as self-sacrifice, philosophy/religion, grief and ultimately with the acceptance of a loved one’s death and self-forgiveness. All told in the format of an original musical with live singing and dialogue.

I would say that, even if you tackle serious and deeply metaphysical issues in your show/movie, it is always better to make all levels work. Which is, it is better if the story is also visually exciting, has a good pace, is emotionally relatable etc. because then it will also entertain the part of the audience that doesn't care about metaphysics. I'd say that all levels worked for Hyoen. But it does hurt my heart that they didn't for OPOI.

OPOI is a fluff, fun ride, which stays close to the source material in all/most aspects and is aimed at a pre-existing/built-in audience. Because it draws on its popular characters and established story arcs, it doesn’t need a more elaborate production (which would drive up ticket prices) to attract an audience. (The production is fine for what the show is though with the projection mapping adding to its production value.)

The source material (the 2007 movie "One Piece: Episode of Alabasta - The Desert Princess and the Pirates") is low - if not the lowest - ranked One Piece adaptation which simplified the original story way too much. The original One Piece is a manga that contains its share of serious and emotionally complex messages, not to forget the visual and action-wise excitement it can bring. It certainly deserves better adaptation (talking both about the ice show and the source movie) and every follower of the original manga knows it. Right now, the audience seems happy with the ice show the way it is (ticket prices including), but will it always be? I would leave it as an open question. Let's see how it evolves.

The Japanese ice-show market is so oversaturated now that it’s necessary to have these different types of shows, speaking to different audiences. Eversince Hyoen launched the trend in 2017, there has been a diversification of the market in Japan. All of the established formats that came before followed more or less the same formula. Now producers try to come up with more original concepts, drawing inspiration from genres outside of skating, such as kabuki theater (Hyoen 2017), the Takarazuka Revue (Hyoen/Luxe 2021, Notte Stellata 2024), musical theater (Hyoen 2019, PIW, Hyoen 2024), varieté/dance theater (Everlasting33), experimental dance theater (Kassouya), anime (OPOI) or computer games (RE_PRAY).

We can see how they influence and inspire each other too, while at the same time each is trying to create something unique.

Quantity evolves into quality and diversity, love that
I think that the development of Japanese ice shows is on the right track now and it is very exciting to wait what will come next.

By the time Koshiro retires and might consider entering the field of show production (Kazuki Tomono has expressed similar interests btw), he might be interested in doing something different than OPOI or any of the already existing show formats for that matter. The question is, if the Japanese ice show market will still be sustainable then. I guess it might thin out in the coming years with the most popular established shows (like FOI, FaoI and PIW) on one hand and the most original concepts (Hyoen, Mao’s, Dai’s and Hanyu’s productions, possibly adaptations of other popular mangas/animes) on the other hand surviving. It will be a matter of finding a niche with a potential audience that hasn’t been occupied by then.

I can imagine Koshiro and Kazuki working as co-producers
I think that, given the pace of development of original concepts, it is only a matter of time until Japanese ice shows start travelling around the world on the same right as Cirque du Soleil ice shows do - not because the audience is interested to see any celebrity skater but because the show is great. I guess we need to wait some years until this level is reached, so... it could be right about the time when Koshiro and Kazuki retire

 

[synesthesia]

To be fair, the anime adaptation of the novel exists. It's the movie "Night on the Galactic Railroad" (1985) and it even has a decent English dub. I'm guessing it was also made as a loose adaptation because most characters were drawn as cats (cheers @CrazyKittenLady ) but the anime version of the story is probably the best known outside of Japan.

I know, I watched it to familiarise myself with the material before watching Hyoen. The anime is based on a manga, which in turn is based on the novel. Both have adopted most of the original characters (although for some reason the artistic decision was made to portray most of them as cats ) and follow the novel’s storyline relatively closely.

There are many other adaptations in the form of musicals and stage plays that adhere to the source material to varying degrees, and from what I gather the general story is well known and pretty popular in Japan. I agree that the anime is probably the best known version internationally due to the English dub.

For Hyoen, Amon Miyamoto (who came up with the original idea before being replaced by Kikunojo Onoe as director) and scriptwriter Riko Sakaguchi collaborated to create their own story with mostly different characters, while staying true to the spirit of the source material by Kenji Miyazawa.

I would say that, even if you tackle serious and deeply metaphysical issues in your show/movie, it is always better to make all levels work. Which is, it is better if the story is also visually exciting, has a good pace, is emotionally relatable etc. because then it will also entertain the part of the audience that doesn't care about metaphysics. I'd say that all levels worked for Hyoen. But it does hurt my heart that they didn't for OPOI.

You have a point. However, imo that doesn't necessarily equate to having a huge production. Not all shows have the budget available to go all out with the production and some producers/production companies make a conscious decision not to drive up the costs in order to keep the tickets affordable, as was the case with Mao's tours and Kassouya, for example. It is possible to create shows with engaging content and interesting visuals that are able to captivate audiences on a lower/medium budget, as the aforementioned productions have proven, going by ticket sales/attendance and audience reviews.

Because the "One Piece" characters are exaggerated/larger than life, I personally don’t relate to them on as deep a level as I do with characters that are more grounded in reality to begin with, so I watch/read something like "One Piece" with a different mindset than something like “Night on the Galactic Railroad”. Both have fantastical elements, but the main characters in “Night on the Galactic Railroad” are portrayed as relatable people facing relatable struggles. So depending on my mood I choose to watch an ice show based on "One Piece" primarily to have fun, and a show based on "Night on the Galactic Railroad” to connect with the story and characters on a deeper emotional level. And I'm not saying one is better than the other – for me it's just different.

I suppose how each of us perceives these shows and whether they are successful in our eyes in their execution has a lot to do with our individual expectations going in.

The source material (the 2007 movie "One Piece: Episode of Alabasta - The Desert Princess and the Pirates") is low - if not the lowest - ranked One Piece adaptation which simplified the original story way too much. The original One Piece is a manga that contains its share of serious and emotionally complex messages, not to forget the visual and action-wise excitement it can bring. It certainly deserves better adaptation (talking both about the ice show and the source movie) and every follower of the original manga knows it.

I'm not an expert on "One Piece" (I've only read the first volume and watched an episode here and there), so I'll take your word for it.

Quantity evolves into quality and diversity, love that
I think that the development of Japanese ice shows is on the right track now and it is very exciting to wait what will come next.

Agreed.

I can imagine Koshiro and Kazuki working as co-producers

Let's throw Kosho Oshima into the mix as well to maximise the creative chaotic fun!

I think that, given the pace of development of original concepts, it is only a matter of time until Japanese ice shows start travelling around the world on the same right as Cirque du Soleil ice shows do - not because the audience is interested to see any celebrity skater but because the show is great. I guess we need to wait some years until this level is reached, so... it could be right about the time when Koshiro and Kazuki retire

I would very much like to see that happen, but I think it's very difficult because there is so much competition in the entertainment industry, even though I think several current Japanese ice show concepts theoretically have the right ingredients to be successful internationally. Daisuke has even cautiously expressed that he would like to tour abroad with one of his shows* and there were such considerations for Hyoen in the past (as Kikunojo Onoe hinted at in this Luxe documentary), but so far these are still vague dreams, I suppose.

* For those who are interested: He said this in a recent, excellent documentary/interview that highlights Daisuke's endeavours as an innovator of the Japanese ice show landscape (since it was produced for NHK World, there are English subtitles and commentary throughout! ):

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2043094/

_________________________​

 

[Anna K.]

I suppose how each of us perceives these shows and whether they are successful in our eyes in their execution has a lot to do with our individual expectations going in.

Yes, definitely so!
That's the point: when we evaluate a show, it's better to do it together and/or to read into comments written by spectators from different segments of audience with different background. Then we can talk about the impact or success of the show. Otherwise, we do not really evaluate the show. We evaluate only the time that we have spent watching it

Talking about the later, OPOI would earn "good time" (Hyoen would get "fantastic time" ) label from me, too. I was surprised that very simple and budget-friendly ways they used to present the story worked so well. Just, knowing the potential of its source material... and here we go again

I'm not an expert on "One Piece" (I've only read the first volume and watched an episode here and there), so I'll take your word for it.

Do it, take my word! I don't dare to suggest that you read the whole manga (it has over 1100 chapters that are available in 109 volumes and has not ended yet) or the whole serialized anime adaptation, which counts 1000+ episodes.
However, this is Koshiro's thread; so I'll carefully suggest to you and other readers of this thread the Baratie Floating Restaurant arc, manga chapters 42-68 (volumes 5-8) or serialized anime episodes 19-30, because it introduces Sanji as a character. And, even though this arc is short, it has a memorable story.

Because the "One Piece" characters are exaggerated/larger than life, I personally don’t relate to them on as deep a level as I do with characters that are more grounded in reality

Eiichiro Oda's play with exaggeration is a specific artistic style (which can actually be very intense - shall I say tragicomic? - when it covers dramatic or tragic parts of the story) for sure. But I wouldn't say that the imagery of a ride on a metaphysical train is awfully realistic either. The question is: does this style/imagery bring up relatable themes and emotions? In case of Hyoen I'd say, yes. In case of OPOI, it didn't.
So I'm waiting for the next, more ambitious, generation of manga-on-ice producers

Let's throw Kosho Oshima into the mix as well to maximise the creative chaotic fun!

I think it's very difficult because there is so much competition in the entertainment industry, even though I think several current Japanese ice show concepts theoretically have the right ingredients to be successful internationally.

Alas, for general public, a regular ice show is "boring". It will take something special for an ice show to regain the place in the international entertainment industry. The plank is high indeed but I think Japanese productions are in a good position to attack it (lots of talent, a large domestic market where to try and develop new concepts). They still need to learn a lot because it's not enough just to produce a good show; it has to be also advertised and promoted, so it certainly will take time and maybe some mistakes or flops in the process. But now we know that Daisuke has it on his to-do list, so it's about to happen one way or another

For those who are interested: He said this in a recent, excellent documentary/interview that highlights Daisuke's endeavours as an innovator of the Japanese ice show landscape (since it was produced for NHK World, there are English subtitles and commentary throughout! ):

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/2043094/

Very nice documentary, thank you!

 

[TallyT]

It appears that Japanese ice shows are developing in several new directions at once - One Piece is (from what I gather) a fun, almost DisneyonIcemeetsanime piece of fun, Hyoen is something else again, and Yuzu's shows are something again completely new and thrilling. All of them very different from the SoI/FAoI/Friends etc type of 'cabaret' where skaters do their star turns and hits.

Which is good, because given the competition for customer dollars, they need variety as well as brilliance.

 

[Anna K.]

It appears that Japanese ice shows are developing in several new directions at once - One Piece is (from what I gather) a fun, almost DisneyonIcemeetsanime piece of fun, Hyoen is something else again, and Yuzu's shows are something again completely new and thrilling. All of them very different from the SoI/FAoI/Friends etc type of 'cabaret' where skaters do their star turns and hits.

Which is good, because given the competition for customer dollars, they need variety as well as brilliance.

Talking about which, thank you for starting a thread about Japanese ice shows! I really hope this thread will bring us new project updates over time

And big thanks to Shimada Koshiro for letting us know how it feels from the insight of a Japanese figure skater! In the documentary that is linked above, Daisuke said that, when creating shows, he wanted to provide new space for development for Japanese skaters. And now we hear from Kazuki, from Koshiro, that they are considering it as well. Good to know!