A detailed four-part article by journalist Akiko Tanaka has been published on gendai media, which explores the unique features of The MELT (make sure to click on the articles - there are several show photos scattered throughout):
Part 1: https://gendai.media/articles/-/167027
Part 2: https://gendai.media/articles/-/167028
Partial machine translation:
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Profile
The ‘Hyoen’ series is a comprehensive ice entertainment production that fuses figure skating with Japanese culture, in which Daisuke Takahashi has starred and served as artistic director. ‘The MELT -Cross of Roots-’, an ice show in which skaters who have performed alongside him, as well as singers, actors and other performers from diverse backgrounds, blend together and resonate on the ice, ran for a total of 12 performances at the Shin-Yokohama Skating Centre from 2 to 5 May. Writer Akiko Tanaka reports on the event in two parts. This first instalment covers the performance on 2 May, featuring Takahisa Masuda, who co-starred in last year’s ‘Hyoen’, and is presented in two parts.
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This otherworldly stage appeared midway through the ice show ‘THE MELT -Cross of Roots-’ (hereinafter referred to as ‘THE MELT’). It was realised based on the idea of Koshiro Matsumoto X (then known as Somegoro Ichikawa VII), who suggested, ‘Why not have Kabuki on ice?’
This led to ‘Hyoen 2017 -Basarā’, a fusion of Kabuki and figure skating in 2017. Starting from there, the ‘Hyoen’ series has spawned various productions, including musicals and plays. It is a comprehensive ice-based entertainment spectacle that fuses figure skating with Japanese culture, bringing together not only skaters but also actors, singers and performers from other disciplines to perform together on the ice. This latest production, ‘THE MELT’, is a new ice show in which performers from different disciplines, all of whom have previously appeared in ‘Hyoen’, perform on the ice in a manner that transcends genre boundaries, as if melting together. The director is Kikunojo Onoe, the man who knows everything about ‘Hyoen’, having been involved in the series from the very beginning as a director, movement coach, and instructor and choreographer of Japanese dance.
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An Opening You Barely Notice
And now, for the main event. Surprisingly, I didn't initially realize that the performance had actually started. Performers appeared on the rink one by one—some tentatively gliding, others stretching to loosen up, and a woman with a bucket even tending to the ice—each going about their own business. This marked the true beginning of the show; as more people gradually entered the rink, it transitioned seamlessly into the opening number. The opening featured not only skaters but also other artists, who glided across the ice just as naturally as the skaters while singing live. Above all, watching everyone on the ice—looking so genuinely joyful to be there—was both heartwarming and beautiful.
The first half unfolds at a dizzying pace, featuring high-energy numbers, skating set to the actors’ recitations, and routines reminiscent of the ‘LUXE’ programme.
In the middle of the show, there was an audience-participation segment called the ‘Lyric Battle’, where an actor acted as MC and skaters competed by asking the audience to judge their performances. Takuro Ohno was the MC for the day. It was impressive to see him so energetically whipping up the crowd. During this segment, the audience turned on their mobile phone lights to join in as stars in the galaxy, inspired by ‘Night on the Galactic Railroad’, the theme of the third ‘Hyoen’ production. Takuma Zaiki and Ryota Aoyama, acting as ‘favourite’ judges, nominated different skaters each day, and the audience decided the winner by holding up their lights to the skater whose performance they preferred. After the venue had been whipped into a frenzy, the MC announced that the bond between the performers lay in ‘Hyoen’, and that the programme from this point onwards would be ‘performances that embody the spirit of “Hyoen”’.
Then, in the darkness, Daisuke Takahashi entered the rink. As he took his starting position amidst thunderous cheers, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent.
A ‘legendary production’ that took on the army of evil led by Koshirō Matsumoto
And so, this is where the ‘Dance of Okuni’ begins, as I mentioned at the start. This performance was a surprise dance by Daisuke Takahashi in ‘Hyoen 2017 – Basa-ra’, the first instalment of the ‘Hyoen’ series, which fused Kabuki with figure skating. Takahashi, who was playing the role of Minamoto no Yoshitsune, infiltrated a den of iniquity led by Niki Danjo, played by Koshiro Matsumoto (then known as Somegoro Ichikawa), disguised as a courtesan. There, without his skates—effectively neutralising his greatest weapon—he performed on a platform set upon the ice. This legendary performance, which fused Japanese classical dance with hip-hop hand movements choreographed by Tokyo Gegegay, sent the Yoyogi National Gymnasium into a frenzy. It had been reported in advance that this time, the dance would be adapted into a skating routine and presented as a new creation.
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Looking back from 2017…
Come to think of it, in 2017, following his initial retirement from competitive skating, Takahashi resolved—after experiences including his first ‘Hyoen’ performance—that he wished to live as a performer centred on skating, and he returned to competitive skating in 2018. In 2019, he teamed up with Kana Muramoto and switched to ice dancing. In 2017, Takahashi—still a slender young man—danced in drag, but this time he approached the performance with the muscles honed through competitive couple skating, as well as the experience gained from taking on various entertainment challenges—such as singing, delivering lines and appearing in films—in the ‘Hyoen’ series following his retirement from ice dancing.
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I suspect that the alluring grace of his movements, reminiscent of a female role in traditional Japanese theatre, stems in large part from his experience performing the ‘Sagi Musume’ (Heron Maiden) dance alongside Chika Nishikawa, the head of the Nishikawa School, in last year’s ‘Nagoya Odori NEO Keikishya’, as well as from observing the movements and dance up close during rehearsals. Furthermore, in the programme for the previous performance, he remarked, “Dancing Tokyo Gegegay’s choreography on land was a tremendous pressure, but overcoming that has given me a sense of confidence.” Speaking of this performance, he expresses confidence, saying, “I hope this will be something where the audience can sense my own growth through the various experiences I have undergone.”
Amidst unceasing cheers, Rio Nakata and Takahashi, dressed in Yoshitsune’s costume, skated in a criss-cross pattern before switching places. The Yoshitsune dance was a programme performed by Takahashi in the 2017 ‘Hyoen’ production, but this time Nakata danced it with a fresh energy, embodying the young warrior. Although Nakata is a young skater who won the World Junior Championships and is moving up to the senior ranks this year, he is actually a veteran of ‘Hyoen’: he appeared as a child actor at the age of eight in the very first production, and in the second instalment, ‘Hyoen 2019 – Like Moonlight’, he played the childhood version of Emperor Suzaku, a role performed by Stéphane Lambiel. Furthermore, the performance progresses with programmes set to the music of ‘Hyoen’. Finally, it is Takahisa Masuda’s turn to take the stage.
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Following ‘The Miracle of the Cross Star’, on to ‘Kagamon no Yasha’, in which he co-starred with Mr Masuda
The segment for the third production, ‘Hyoen 2024 – The Miracle of the Cross Star’, themed around ‘Night on the Galactic Railroad’, began. As Takuro Ohno sang YUZU’s ‘HAMO’ resoundingly on the ice, Kazuki Tomono—who played the protagonist’s younger self, portrayed by Daisuke Takahashi—burst onto the ice in his school uniform, skating with boundless energy and a radiant, joyful aura. In a group number with other skaters in uniform, his performance, brimming with youthful vigour, brought a refreshing breeze to the rink. Eliana is said to have been a skating fan from the start, and her dedication was evident as she continued practising with Takuro Ohno and the others even after appearing in the third Hyoen production. Her figure on the ice, singing with a smile and arms outstretched, was truly wonderful.
Next, we move to the world of ‘Hyoen 2025 – Kagamon no Yasha’, directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi and based on the legend of Ura in Okayama, which featured Daisuke Takahashi and Takahisa Masuda in dual leading roles in 2025. Masuda had joined the first half of the ‘THE MELT – Cross of Roots’ shows, squeezing it in between his solo live tour dates.
Masuda made his entrance onto the ice, where the theme colours of the two characters from ‘Kagamon no Yasha’—red and blue—were projected. He sang the original song from ‘Kagamon no Yasha’, ‘Sword, Sleep’, with heartfelt emotion and a resonant voice, whilst Keiji Tanaka, dressed in red and blue, danced powerfully and passionately in time with the music. I’d heard that Mr Masuda had been suffering from a sore throat during the 2025 ‘Hyoen’ performance, but it was only upon hearing him sing this time that I truly realised it.
And then, something surprising happened. During the latter half of the song—"Kagamon no Yasha"—actors Takuma Zaiki and Ryota Aoyama, who had previously appeared in the stage production of the same name, emerged onto the ice. To my astonishment, they joined Keiji Tanaka’s performance, skating alongside him and executing choreography just as if they were professional figure skaters themselves. To be honest, when I first saw this during the premiere, I didn't realize it was them; I actually assumed it was a pair of young, up-and-coming skaters. That is just how naturally and seamlessly they blended into the performance.
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Idols who have remained at the top of their game for so many years are truly extraordinary
Next, Mr Masuda performed ‘Kidoairaku’, the title track of his own live tour, and Daisuke Takahashi and Kana Muramoto took to the stage. Accompanying Masuda’s singing, the two skated, all three wearing wonderful expressions and displaying excellent teamwork. “Unlike on the floor, you can’t brace yourself on the ice, so hip-hop is difficult to balance,” Muramoto notes in the programme, yet Avecoo’s choreography is incredibly fast-paced, and the rap sections in particular look very challenging. However, Takahashi, true to his reputation for dance talent, was really getting into it and dancing with great energy.
Meanwhile, Masuda also remarked in the programme: ‘As for me singing, I sing this song by lowering my centre of gravity, so it might be difficult on the ice; it’s a new challenge.’ Yet his clear, bright voice resonated in time with the rhythm, transforming the rink into a concert venue. And to my utter amazement, Mr Masuda skated at breakneck speed around the rink’s curves whilst singing into a handheld microphone. He executed this difficult feat with effortless ease. Although his excellent athletic ability had seen him improve rapidly on the ice last year, this performance truly took me by surprise. It really brought home to me once again that those who have been at the forefront of the idol scene for so many years possess extraordinary athletic ability and dedication.
Masuda’s singing and Kanadai’s skating blended seamlessly, and it was clear just how much the three of them were enjoying performing together. In last year’s ‘Hyoen’, Takahashi and Masuda played the roles of Ura and Kibitsuhiko, who were enemies yet drawn to one another, only to part ways tragically in the end. Seeing them here, as if reincarnated in the modern day as close friends, filled me with a sense of happiness.
Later, Mr Masuda sang and skated to his 2012 release ‘Akatsuki’, wearing a costume with a fluttering cape, having reportedly been asked to perform it because ‘the atmosphere of the song suits this show’. Nobunari Oda, who collaborated on this track, was performing jumps as if he were still an active skater. Furthermore, Mr Masuda sang Ayaka Hirahara’s song ‘Beyond the Rainbow’ with great individuality, undeterred by the difference in key.
During the ‘Beyond the Rainbow’ programme, the skaters’ performances were so moving that tears flowed unnoticed. I intend to cover these moments, along with Koshiro Matsumoto’s heartfelt voiceover at the end, and the ‘LUXE’ tribute programme (which I haven’t mentioned here), in my second report (scheduled for release on the 12th), which will focus on the second half of the event featuring Ayaka Hirahara.
[To be continued...]
www.nikkansports.com
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He took part in the skating battle himself and was cheering on Seiya Hashimoto 
He also performed ‘Hassan Nessan’ with Seiji Fukushi*
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That said, I’ve tried to select images that really capture the charm of the costumes and staging, as well as performances that haven’t been featured elsewhere, so I hope both those who’ve seen the show and those who haven’t will enjoy them 
And as for Mr Masuda, whilst I was, of course, blown away by hearing him sing live for the first time, I was even more surprised to see him skating and singing as if it were the most natural thing in the world—and he even threw in a bit of dancing too. I really had to tip my hat to him…! 
on Ice
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