Shoma Uno: 2014-2024

[Maria Victoria]

great great interview and a real dive into his reflexions and personality.
To be honest it made me a bit sad how harsh he was to himself. Being humble and able to see his flows and areas of improvement is great but he seems to be completely unable to acknowledge some of his strenghts and some things he is actually you know... amazing at. Then again, you don't become a champion by throwing flowers at yourself and being complacent but yeah, i feel for him.

Also honestly those questions about Hanyu are tiring. Does everything ever has to be about Hanyu?

I agree it was a great interview because Shoma was so honest and forthcoming in his answers. I have noticed, and not just from this interview, how females have been a great influence on him: his two coaches Machiko Yamada and Michiko Higuchi, Mao, Kanako, and of course his mother. Re his fights with Kanako, I remember reading an interview of Kanako where she said after their fights, she would try to apologize to Shoma, but he would be avoiding her and she would have to chase him. This has been posted before I think, an indication of their closeness is that he gave her a pillow which she uses in her travels and named "Shoma" after him.

I am a fan of both Shoma and Yuzuru so I don't find the questions to Shoma about Yuzuru tiresome. I think questions about each other are to be expected as they are the top men not only in Japan but also in the world as last season showed. It's great (third time I used this word, but I think it only appropriate) they respect each other and push each other to be better.

 

[Arriba627]

Maybe it has something to do with the ice? Dry air?

So...did you go back in time?

Yes, I traveled back in time, am eating supper, and in a bit will go back in time again. Afterwards got a few photos of smol bean with other smaller beans that I will post later. He was a huge hit for both of his Ex's that he skated. Darn, they had the plexiglass up so it was hard to take photos. hwell: This was the audience when he ended This Town with a gorgeous blur spin and See You Again with the cantilever. :eeking: :eekn:

 

[yyyskate]

just watched new SP, i like it, felt very structures (in terms of body language) which matched music really well. his stsq is a treat to watch every time(always different). also SP tech element arrangement is different from previous SP. seems back loaded at lot, which will make this program felt even more different from before. it is a violin based classic music like previous sp has been done. but felt difficult in details.

 

[daphenaxa]

I am a fan of both Shoma and Yuzuru so I don't find the questions to Shoma about Yuzuru tiresome. I think questions about each other are to be expected as they are the top men not only in Japan but also in the world as last season showed. It's great (third time I used this word, but I think it only appropriate) they respect each other and push each other to be better.

meh i am a fan of Yuzu too and that's not against him, he is lovely and great and all but i still feel it's tiring. Like it's not only Shoma. Every skater when they are interviewed are ALWAYS asked about Yuzuru and especially Shoma when the reverse is not really happening. It's a bit annoying. I get he is a big influence for him and if he mentions him himself then it's great but bringing him all the time is unwarranted i feel and the constant comparison too. I also felt that in some Shoma special shows on Japanese tv that showed Yuzuru every 2 seconds.

here is the performance from this town at the Chicago show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuX1HsSdRl4

 

[Arriba627]

meh i am a fan of Yuzu too and that's not against him, he is lovely and great and all but i still feel it's tiring. Like it's not only Shoma. Every skater when they are interviewed are ALWAYS asked about Yuzuru and especially Shoma when the reverse is not really happening. It's a bit annoying. I get he is a big influence for him and if he mentions him himself then it's great but bringing him all the time is unwarranted i feel and the constant comparison too. I also felt that is some Shoma special shows on Japanese tv that showed Yuzuru every 2 seconds.

here is the performance from this town at the Chicago show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuX1HsSdRl4

Agree 100%.Why does everything have to be filtered through the Hanyu lens. Very tiresome, even if I do enjoy his performances. And then if Shoma doesn't give exactly the right answers, people start picking apart everything he says and criticizing him....It's true that they ask skaters about other skaters all the time. I remember being surprised before Skate America when they asked Jason about Shoma. Jason never missed a beat and wasn't the least bit surprised. It's pretty excessive though with Shoma and Yuzu.

So happy you posted the Chicago video link. Looks like the view I had. Ah that plexiglass! :furious: There definitely is something to be said for small venues though. We needed you there daphenaxa so you could tell us which boxer briefs Shomita had on.

 

[Arriba627]

Oops -- multiple posts here. Sorry. Here are some photos. Life is strange - somehow for the 2nd show I ended up sitting in the VIP section which is (literally) right on the ice. A little cold but nice and close.

https://pic.twitter.com/Q2Flrqi63Q Shoma - far right Bradie Tennell 2015 US Jr. Champion
https://pic.twitter.com/lrTuDBYogI Shoma with red eyes
https://pic.twitter.com/UGyGPFe2Iv Shoma and kids
https://pic.twitter.com/jUBlJ7uGDj My favorite -- 4 smol beans
https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/OY81sjRAnQA3QQBDFfib022g9zi77V613NpSNGbXq9e …" End of show -- taking a bow
https://www.amazon.com/photos/share/KmvCFbeFuTJ8lKMed1zErxr58YTMXC4svD1vZztTyMZ …" Blur spin at end of "See You Again"

ETA -- Darn, just realized I don't have any pictures of featured skater -- Maxine Bautista. Maxine placed 7th at 2017 US Jr. Nationals. Both she and Bradie Tennell are local skaters. They did a beautiful job.

 

[Pattina]

@Arriba627, thank you so much for report and for sharing pics!!!

@daphenaxa thanks for sharing your video!! I really enjoyed it.

I smiled in my heart while reading about his difficulties in communicating in English, anyway I understand he is respected, appreciated and - yes - loved by people at Glacier. What a joy: no culture/language/Country barriers, just the love for the beauty of figure skating and two far-away worlds are reunited.

So grateful to cantilover for her precious translations. Not so surprised by Shoma's humble and "low self-esteem" attitude. He is always saying he has to improve a lot, it's a costant keypoint for him.

 

[daphenaxa]

We needed you there daphenaxa so you could tell us which boxer briefs Shomita had on.

How i wish!!! From what i saw in the video it seemed to be black with no pattern. No very visible Calvin Klein like he had in his last shows in Japan.
Thanks so much for pics and reports :luv17:

Just for precision it is not my video but Eggplant's, the fantastic person behind the shoma uno blog on tumblr

 

[MaiKatze]

Oops -- multiple posts here. Sorry. Here are some photos. Life is strange - somehow for the 2nd show I ended up sitting in the VIP section which is (literally) right on the ice. A little cold but nice and close.

Somehow? It's because you're a VIP to the Shoma Fans! And to Shoma, so you deserves special seatment, haha! Love the theme, BttF is one of my favourite movies. They even got a Delorean - and look, even Marty and Doc went back in time to see Shoma skate again, again and again! :agree:

Anyway, love the pictures with the little ones. Just thought of British ESP and their commentary..."He's great with the kids..." "He's super..." "Going to skate in our show, how about that?" What a sweetie. And how gladly he poses for the camera with these kids. They will treasure that and remember that forever.

 

[Skatefan15]

The show was absolutely amazing! However, I'm slightly disappointed because 3 of the rink staff/members told me that Shoma was doing an autograph signing after the show. But sadly, he never came out. I really wish I was able to meet him...

 

[MaiKatze]

The show was absolutely amazing! However, I'm slightly disappointed because 3 of the rink staff/members told me that Shoma was doing an autograph signing after the show. But sadly, he never came out. I really wish I was able to meet him...

Oh no....wth? :sad21::curse:

 

[daphenaxa]

here is see you again from 1pm show https://twitter.com/sasaringo1997/status/871445561634942976

and from evening : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuX1HsSdRl4

oh skatefan so sorry you couldn't meet Shoma :/ Do you know if the staff members gave you wrong info or if Shoma like canceled his signing?

 

[Arriba627]

The show was absolutely amazing! However, I'm slightly disappointed because 3 of the rink staff/members told me that Shoma was doing an autograph signing after the show. But sadly, he never came out. I really wish I was able to meet him...

Not sure if you were at the 1 pm or 6 pm, but at the earlier show they even announced the possibility of autographs during intermission. But instead, after Shoma's skate, he went directly into the hockey rink and was practicing. They were guarding the door to keep people out. There were so many of us, he must have felt like an animal at the zoo with us all peering at him through the glass windows! Finally they chased us away, which was probably for the better. At the end of the show, he was on the ice for photos, but no autographs.

I was impressed with the show and really enjoyed it. It was so fun to see skaters at so many different levels from as young as 4 on up to adults. I loved the DeLorean. Now I have to watch Back to the Future again. In fact I am recording it today. For some reason, they are running Parts 1, 2, and 3 these next couple days. With Maxine, Bradie, and Shoma, they skate so much faster than everyone else that it made me nervous that they were getting so close to the DeLorean...A funny moment, one of the narrators got into the DeLorean and the door must have jammed and she couldn't get out. B ESP Chris said "We have a little technical difficulty."

I thought Shoma really looked like he was enjoying himself. Probably nice to skate in a very non-pressure event. Love the way he still comes out and gives it his all, even though it's not something competitive. Was also so impressed with how he takes his time with all the moves and has such attention to detail. So great to see him up close.

Forgot to mention that I met B ESP Chris (broadcaster). I finally got the chance to tell him that he and his partners are much appreciated by GSers. Talked with him for a few minutes about the Worlds competitions. He's a really nice guy!No, did not ask him anything about the mighty thighs!

https://pic.twitter.com/1uNfmUybIP

 

[MaiKatze]

That's great about Chris, thank you Arriba. They finally know that they have fans, haha.

I read on Tumblr that Shoma is back home in Japan. He probably needs to, because of the shows coming up, but I can't help worrying that this was too short of a trip. I mean, I know he can practice on his own/ with the other coaches, but I really do wonder if he goes back to Chicago before the season begins once more.

 

[Verit]

Thank you so much for your reports and photos, Arriba! Glad you had so many awesome encounters and such a nice time there.
I actually caved in on the last day, bought a subscription and watched some practice + both performances through the livecam. It was very frustrating, as the camera tended to move away from Shoma a lot , but it was still fun! I really adore both of this EXs, glad to see them, too, progress and change, even if just slightly. (Also, Back to the Future trilogy was one of my favourites as a kid, so that was a nice bonus.)

Meanwhile, I finally finished a monsterpost about every (recorded) performance of Ladies in Lavender: here on tumblr. As I've already said probably countless times, I grew to really love this SP and I wanted to compile my thoughts on it and show how much it changed over the season. I am no expert, but I kept an eye out for details! So there's a lot of different small things I noticed in each performance + several gifs.

Of course, it also made me think of Winter – imo, it does look better already in comparison to the first recorded showing of Ladies in Lavender, which was in august (!!!) last year. Which just made me more excited for seeing how the new SP is gonna develop!

 

[daphenaxa]

here is small doc that aired today : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-GOo2QOV14

and shoma at airport https://twitter.com/meguo28/status/871409226119168000

 

[Arriba627]

but I really do wonder if he goes back to Chicago before the season begins once more.

I knew he was going back to Japan on Sunday morning and was surprised at how short this trip was. So he arrived Tuesday night and left Sunday morning. There's no way that was the official training trip, just because the time was too short and time was taken up with the show and show practices. I was looking at the little calendar on tumblr that shows his scheduled ice shows, and I remember last year he was here at the end of June / beginning of July (while I was in Canada :curse: ). Seems like there's a gap of 19 days in there somewhere, so maybe that's when he'll be here. Hard to say. He has his work cut out for him with all the choreography. Still can't wait to hear what Stephane's role will be again. I can only imagine the insight he can provide on Winter! We are really in for a treat with that program.

 

[Arriba627]

here is small doc that aired today : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-GOo2QOV14

and shoma at airport https://twitter.com/meguo28/status/871409226119168000

Fun summary of the Winter Prince's season. Fave moments: Little kids piling gifts on him at Rostelecom at 1:15; Little kid footage I've never seen of him. Lucky he got into skating or he would have driven his parents crazy. Typical little boy -- constantly in motion at 5:43. At SA Danny O'Shea lifting him overhead at 8:52.

Detective work on the airport photo. He's in the United terminal (you can tell by Gate C15) and judging by the time of the photo, he had the 12:30-ish non-stop Chicago to Tokyo (the Shoma kun express). Only eekn a 13 hour flight.

 

[Skatefan15]

I was at the 6 pm show! Honestly, I'm still confused on what happened, it just sucks that multiple people told me that Shoma was doing an autograph signing and then later finding out he had already left. Maybe the rink staff told me the wrong info?

 

[synesthesia]

Thank you for your lively reports and the great photos, Arriba! (And for answering my previous questions about the tie and a possible "Nessun Dorma" debut. You should've used the DeLorean to travel into the future to see what the finished program is like. ) This show sounds like it was a real treat and there were such loud cheers for Shoma! He is adorable and so kind with the kids. So cool you got to talk to Chris as well. The B.Esp uncles have undoubtedly been fan-favourites for many years for their enthusiastic and fair commentary. I love how they're always finding nice words for everyone!

Love the theme, BttF is one of my favourite movies. They even got a Delorean - and look, even Marty and Doc went back in time to see Shoma skate again, again and again! :agree:

Now I have to watch Back to the Future again. In fact I am recording it today. For some reason, they are running Parts 1, 2, and 3 these next couple days.

The first movie is one of my all time favourites as well and I've watched the whole series countless times. I was a wee child when the original had its initial theatre run, so didn't get to watch it until a couple of years later on TV. Still enjoy the whole series today 30 years later! They're truly timeless classics!


I still can't visualize what the overall show was like. Was there a continuous narration? Did the skaters (apart from Shoma) use music from the BTTF movies or even reenact a few key scenes? Love those 50's inspired costumes on the young skaters - they suit the atmosphere perfectly and remind me of the "Enchantment under the sea" prom!

Imo "This town" is the best exhibition Shoma has had to date. The program suits Shoma's skating so well, because it really is as light and elegant as a butterfly wafting over a meadow! And those butterfly moves are such a beautiful choreographic touch.

With Maxine, Bradie, and Shoma, they skate so much faster than everyone else that it made me nervous that they were getting so close to the DeLorean...

Did they section off part of the rink? It seems smaller than a "normal" sized rink. Looks like the skaters had to be careful not to bump into the DeLorean and maybe couldn't gain their normal speed?

The show was absolutely amazing! However, I'm slightly disappointed because 3 of the rink staff/members told me that Shoma was doing an autograph signing after the show. But sadly, he never came out. I really wish I was able to meet him...:

Oh, that's such a shame! If it wasn't agreed upon with Shoma they shouldn't have announced it. That's so disappointing for his fans, who were looking forward to it!

Meanwhile, I finally finished a monsterpost about every (recorded) performance of Ladies in Lavender: here on tumblr

Bookmarked for later! That looks like an ambitious analysis. How much time did you spend on it?