Shoma Uno | Page 60 | Golden Skate

Shoma Uno

Arriba627 said:
@rabidline I was watching the performance of a VERY GOOD skater the other day (who shall remain nameless). The skating itself was really wonderful, but I couldn't help but feel that he just didn't have the charisma, the "pizzazz", the star power that Shoma has. After that, I watched Sho's Shoboe and couldn't help but think it will be a long time before there is another skater like him. It made me feel really sad!!! We were so fortunate that he had so many wonderful programs.

@yuumagical I'm with you on the solo show. And I can't really imagine Sho doing a solo show. The cool thing is that receiving some news about something new really woke all the Shoma fans up and has started the conversation! LOL.

@Figskater23 Go to You Tube and watch Sho's Turandot free skate for 2018 Worlds. I was there. He was injured. It was quite a skate. Silver medal.

Adding:
I think there should be a REAL Meet and Greet. Not the skaters circling the rink and making the V sign. A real, private M & G where people pay for the privilege of going and can take photos, talk to the skaters, etc. Or how about something like the Friends of Figure Skating breakfast (that the U.S. used to have) where fans really get to make a.connection with the skaters. I don't know that I've heard of any other show doing that in Japan. Try something new!
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While I don’t know Shoma, he seems like he prefers to avoid meeting fans in that kind of way. Being on the ice with the fans in the stands gives a boundary that is more comfortable. The photos posted from the dinner event after the show in Switzerland his face in those photos even with Stéphane around it seems like he was nervous especially since he doesn’t speak English at a high level. Although maybe it will be another surprise in the future where he does speak more English.
 
Figskater23 said:
While I don’t know Shoma, he seems like he prefers to avoid meeting fans in that kind of way. Being on the ice with the fans in the stands gives a boundary that is more comfortable. The photos posted from the dinner event after the show in Switzerland his face in those photos even with Stéphane around it seems like he was nervous especially since he doesn’t speak English at a high level. Although maybe it will be another surprise in the future where he does speak more English.
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Well, he does have to earn a living, and it might be nice to do something other than give the V sign. He would be fine if it were organized properly with some boundaries. He was more bored than nervous in Switzerland. He doesn't have to worry about speaking English in Japan.
 
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I think with Shoma it's just... for me his skating really just speaks for itself. Yes fans have preferences on the music, the costume, the background, the theme... but his skating, movement and performance quality is so... good. As is. And when he's committed to something you bet he'll deliver it fully.
 
Figskater23 said:
I think he would include them too and maybe the two ladies that were his coaches when he was a child. Why not a solo show? Harder to do? I think it could be autobiographical. Hey maybe this will be Shoma's way of telling his story instead of writing a book. Whatever it is, it'll be amazing.
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Mihoko Higuchi and Machiko Yamada? Oh, for sure he should at least do a program choreographed by them, as a show of respect for all they were able to teach him. I doubt they would be willing to skate in shows themselves.

As for my preference against a solo show, there's an elephant in the room that I need to address here. By that, I mean the fact that Yuzuru Hanyu's solo shows are immensely popular and that if Shoma tries that sort of thing, it will inevitably be compared to what Yuzuru has done, for good or for ill. I worry that a solo Shoma show would be seen as a mere imitation of what Yuzuru pioneered. This worry was what underlied my hope for an "artistically distinct sort of show" earlier. I'm fine with Yuzuru doing his shows his way, but I hope Shoma can do his own show his own way and feel bold enough to try something really different. And of course, the pressure would be on him 100% of the time in a solo show to pull it off properly.

I think such concerns would be lessened if Shoma had some special guests with him: The focus wouldn't be on him 100% of the time, he would be able to support his friends, he would be able to take some more breaks, it would be easier to have a wide variety of performances, any comparisons to other shows wouldn't be as big of a deal...

To be clear, I'm not saying that a solo show isn't something Shoma could do; I think he could definitely pull it off with his level of charisma and star power. (@Arriba627 This is in fact something I can imagine!) It's just that the prospect of a solo show makes me a lot more worried than the prospect of a group show. 😂 I mean, is this something Shoma should do? Like, would Shoma have the stamina required for something like that? Would the music used be interesting enough? Will he be able to attract a large enough crowd to support him? Of course, these lesser worries feed into the bigger worry of "Will it be artistically distinct?!?" Well, that's a question that only Shoma can answer. Perhaps it's time for me to repeat "no expectations and a lot of hope" once more? 😂
 
Arriba627 said:
Well, he does have to earn a living, and it might be nice to do something other than give the V sign. He would be fine if it were organized properly with some boundaries. He was more bored than nervous in Switzerland. He doesn't have to worry about speaking English in Japan.
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Good point Arriba about Sho earning a living. He has a lot of fans but to keep the interest going and to earn money he will have to somewhat cater to his fan base something he did not really have to do while he was competing. Looking forward to his new show!
 
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yuumagical said:
..

To be clear, I'm not saying that a solo show isn't something Shoma could do; I think he could definitely pull it off with his level of charisma and star power. (@Arriba627 This is in fact something I can imagine!) It's just that the prospect of a solo show makes me a lot more worried than the prospect of a group show. 😂 I mean, is this something Shoma should do? Like, would Shoma have the stamina required for something like that? Would the music used be interesting enough? Will he be able to attract a large enough crowd to support him? Of course, these lesser worries feed into the bigger worry of "Will it be artistically distinct?!?" Well, that's a question that only Shoma can answer. Perhaps it's time for me to repeat "no expectations and a lot of hope" once more? 😂
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100% he could do his own show. We're thinking the same thing. Should he? Would he want to? There will inevitably be comparisons between shows, but there already always have been with the existing shows (PIW, FOI, SOI, etc.)
 
I honestly was quite surprised that Shoma really took this initiative to produce his own show- I know that X-produced ice shows are all the rage now but I felt that he had a competitive career that doesn't necessarily needs him to create this show to achieve something he wanted or convey something he wants to tell to his fans. And it was a very long, non-stop competitive career too, no hiatuses or health concerns or super serious injuries that took him out from many competitions. There is nothing a show can prove that Shoma hasn't proven during his career.

So I was just thinking... I wonder how much he is wondering outside his comfort zone for this. Shoma is so... remember in 2021, where he said before Skate America, that he wanted to for once feel like the main character of his story? That he has to say it means he just naturally don't think about himself that way... how should I say it... he just doesn't seem like someone who has enough of an ego to produce HIS own show, and definitely not enough of an ego to make it a solo show. Not that it's a bad thing to have an ego, but I just think Shoma is a very different person from his seniors, be it Yuzuru, Mao Asada, Daisuke Takahashi. He's probably the most similar to Shizuka Arakawa in mostly minding their own business but can still really skate a mean performance whenever needed.

I really think he did this one for his fans. His own show, at least this once. Shoma's fans have been really vocal about wanting to see him skate more, getting super despondent when he gradually stepped back from his roles at The ICE. So... yeah. I really think it's a brave thing to commit to producing his own show, when I think about what kind of person Shoma is.

Writing this made me feel like I really need to go ahahahahaha.
 
Arriba627 said:
Well, he does have to earn a living, and it might be nice to do something other than give the V sign. He would be fine if it were organized properly with some boundaries. He was more bored than nervous in Switzerland. He doesn't have to worry about speaking English in Japan.
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Bored because he couldn't speak much to others or because the event was just a fancy dinner?
 
rabidline said:
I honestly was quite surprised that Shoma really took this initiative to produce his own show- I know that X-produced ice shows are all the rage now but I felt that he had a competitive career that doesn't necessarily needs him to create this show to achieve something he wanted or convey something he wants to tell to his fans. And it was a very long, non-stop competitive career too, no hiatuses or health concerns or super serious injuries that took him out from many competitions. There is nothing a show can prove that Shoma hasn't proven during his career.

So I was just thinking... I wonder how much he is wondering outside his comfort zone for this. Shoma is so... remember in 2021, where he said before Skate America, that he wanted to for once feel like the main character of his story? That he has to say it means he just naturally don't think about himself that way... how should I say it... he just doesn't seem like someone who has enough of an ego to produce HIS own show, and definitely not enough of an ego to make it a solo show. Not that it's a bad thing to have an ego, but I just think Shoma is a very different person from his seniors, be it Yuzuru, Mao Asada, Daisuke Takahashi. He's probably the most similar to Shizuka Arakawa in mostly minding their own business but can still really skate a mean performance whenever needed.
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I was thinking that he may have decided to create this show as a means of futhering his career and remaining relevant. It's been hard to deny that Shoma has increased his presence on social media and TV since his retirement. This seems to be part of his strategy. A star can't remain a star unless they stay in the spotlight, right? As much as he would probably like to stay out of the spotlight, I do think the reality of being famous means that one often has to put oneself out there and be hip and trendy...perhaps the modern neon look is a way of doing this?

I'm not saying that his fans aren't part of the equation here. And I'm not saying that this show won't be a genuine expression of who Shoma is (In fact, I really hope it's a genuine expression!). I just want to point out that there may be a more practical concern with his decision to create a show as well.

Although...he did say he wanted to try lots of new things after retirement. This may simply be Shoma wanting to try something new! 😆
 
yuumagical said:
I was thinking that he may have decided to create this show as a means of futhering his career and remaining relevant. It's been hard to deny that Shoma has increased his presence on social media and TV since his retirement. This seems to be part of his strategy. A star can't remain a star unless they stay in the spotlight, right? As much as he would probably like to stay out of the spotlight, I do think the reality of being famous means that one often has to put oneself out there and be hip and trendy...perhaps the modern neon look is a way of doing this?
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It could be so, but I also think he seems to take his work on TV and his youtube video creation as... normal work? If he wants to, IDK, remain relevant, he would have posted more social media updates about him and do it consistently, but he seems to be taking things at his own pace and take one thing at a time. He would also probably take on the option of more ice shows, creating more programs, but he's been declining all the other invites to prepare for this one so that's not exactly keeping himself on the spotlight.

"A star can't remain a star unless they stay in the spotlight, right?"

- That's the thing, I don't think Shoma necessarily wants to remain a star. He still seems very surprised that there are fans who are seeking on the next opportunities to see him skate after retirement. While he does maintain a cordial space with fans (especially in his paid membership), he also doesn't jump on the things fans tell him they want to see him do- again, keeping his own boundaries and pace. Actually talked with my friend on this yesterday and she's like, Shoma gave so many things already, more than other skaters- it's just not necessarily what the fans say he should do.

And that's sort of what my point has been all this time... Shoma retired in a very good place. I feel like because of the current landscape on who is skating professionally and on ice shows, the assumption is of course, Shoma would still want to be that professional skating star, and remain in the spotlight. But I don't think he's indicated anywhere that it's what he wants. Sure, he enjoyed his opportunities and projects (especially OPOI) but that's more because of the work that he took on and the time spent working together with other people to create something.

Like... think about it. Until the very end, Shoma was still doing a full schedule. He went to all GP series, he went to Nationals, he earned his spot at Worlds and went there. He didn't skip main competitions because of injury. He didn't limit himself to one show in the off season and worked hard in every performances while also being an active competitor. He didn't take a season or two off competing. With a schedule like that, doesn't it make sense that he just..... needs time away?
 
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rabidline said:
I honestly was quite surprised that Shoma really took this initiative to produce his own show- I know that X-produced ice shows are all the rage now but I felt that he had a competitive career that doesn't necessarily needs him to create this show to achieve something he wanted or convey something he wants to tell to his fans. And it was a very long, non-stop competitive career too, no hiatuses or health concerns or super serious injuries that took him out from many competitions. There is nothing a show can prove that Shoma hasn't proven during his career.

So I was just thinking... I wonder how much he is wondering outside his comfort zone for this. Shoma is so... remember in 2021, where he said before Skate America, that he wanted to for once feel like the main character of his story? That he has to say it means he just naturally don't think about himself that way... how should I say it... he just doesn't seem like someone who has enough of an ego to produce HIS own show, and definitely not enough of an ego to make it a solo show. Not that it's a bad thing to have an ego, but I just think Shoma is a very different person from his seniors, be it Yuzuru, Mao Asada, Daisuke Takahashi. He's probably the most similar to Shizuka Arakawa in mostly minding their own business but can still really skate a mean performance whenever needed.

I really think he did this one for his fans. His own show, at least this once. Shoma's fans have been really vocal about wanting to see him skate more, getting super despondent when he gradually stepped back from his roles at The ICE. So... yeah. I really think it's a brave thing to commit to producing his own show, when I think about what kind of person Shoma is.

Writing this made me feel like I really need to go ahahahahaha.
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There are reasons to produce shows other than trying to prove something or feed one’s ego. The desire to stay relevant may be part of it, but shows also offer creative and expressive people a platform to explore different artistic avenues / satisfy their artistic curiosity.

Hanyu, Mao and Dai are also very different from each other, and I suspect that they don't share all of the same motives – I guess what they have in common is that they enjoy to express themselves and to develop alternative ice show concepts that stray from the norm (but even their shows take inspiration from other productions – be it in their own or in different genres – as nothing exists in a vacuum). In 2013 Shizuka suggested to Dai he should do a solo show after retirement (this was in a Friends+ interview), but he was pretty wary of the idea and of course he has never done it and, as we know by now from his interviews and the shows he does, he enjoys above all to create and collaborate with others, be it with accomplished performers from different fields like he does in Hyoen (in the upcoming production he co-stars with Takahisa Masuda, who is a bigger name than him) or with much younger and – because of their younger age – more athletic (at least in terms of jumping prowess) skaters than him like in Kassouya. And while producing Kassouya means on one hand creating a space for himself to perform, it also means in equal measure using his popularity to provide opportunities for skaters that otherwise wouldn’t have them and in Kassouya every skater is given the same importance – he does not stand out more than the others. He has even stated that he might very well give up the Kassouya production duties to someone else (like Kana or Kazuki) in the future. Mao’s shows were very much collaborative efforts too. Yes, she was the star, but her cast played a very integral part and each of them got their own sections to stand out in. In this aspect, I would say Mao’s shows were not that different from Shizuka’s, who, while she is also the star of Friends on Ice, has always used her self-produced show to give others a platform to take center-stage as well (like Shoma in 2017).

As an exceptionally expressive person like his seniors, it does not surprise me that Shoma will have his own ice show. I actually tentatively called that he would have his own ensemble show just a few weeks ago in a private conversation. And I do think that he could very well do a compelling solo show – I just think it's unlikely because Shoma has always shown such a strong sense of community and friendship, and I think he would probably enjoy creating with other people rather than on his own (as you also said above). So yes, I also expect to see several of his close friends as part of the cast and/or maybe even taking on other roles. I’m very much looking forward to finding out all the details!
 
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I'm a little bit confused by the.following post. Does this mean that this DiceTokyo is the one who will be producing Sho's show? Maybe this would make sense to you @synesthesia? Looks like the same producer of.Dai's and Mao's shows? Oh, I see on Deepl translator it says they MIGHT be the producer of Sho's show. Interesting too that the site is following Sho's instagram. The plot thickens. LOL.

 
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Thanks @synesthesia for the vote of confidence. I am very surprised that many people expected Shoma to work on his own show, while here I am thinking man... this is so out of his comfort zone. But then again, Luffy and One Piece was similar to this. And they gave him a reason to still find value in skating just as he's outgrowing his need for competitive skating. So this new show can also be that outlet for Shoma- he's participated in sooooooooooooooooooo many shows during his competitive career, so if he has a vision that he thinks he's not able to achieve through the shows available for him before, this is a chance to try to make the show the way he wants.

I think with Shoma he's just way too quiet about the effort he puts in 😅 but it really makes the output he gives even more satisfying when it surprises in its quality.

Don't expect active skaters in Shoma's show, btw- he's respecting the Olympic season and will not burden them with additional responsibilities.
 
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