Prologue (ice show)

Prologue (プロローグ) was a solo ice show by Japanese figure skater and two-time Olympic champion Yuzuru Hanyu in 2022, organized in partnership with TV Asahi and CIC Co., Ltd. The show was held in two cities at Pia Arena MM in Yokohama on November 4–5 and Flat Hachinohe in Hachinohe on December 2–3, and 5.

Prologue
Ice show type	Solo show
Format	On-screen narration with live figure skating performances
Theme	Yuzuru Hanyu's skating career flashback
Duration	90 min
Start date	November 4, 2022
End date	December 5, 2022
No. of shows	5
Country	Japan
Venue	Pia Arena MM Flat Hachinohe
Attendance	24,800
Cinema live viewing	Japan
Broadcast	CS TV Asahi
Producer	Yuzuru Hanyu (performer)
Organizer	TV Asahi CIC Co., Ltd.
Sponsor	Ajinomoto Kosé Nishikawa Tōwa Pharmaceutical (Yokohama)
Website	prologue-official.jp
Yuzuru Hanyu article series
Skating career	Olympic seasons Career achievements Figure skating programs Bibliography
Solo ice shows	Prologue Gift Repray Tour
Ensemble ice shows	Continues with Wings Yuzuru Hanyu Notte Stellata

It was the first solo ice show in the sport of figure skating and the prologue to the Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Story series, produced and directed by Hanyu. Each show had a duration of 90 minutes and featured 8–10 programs performed at the athletic level of skating competitions, opening with a six-minute warm-up session and a challenge of Hanyu's free skate program Seimei from the 2018 Winter Olympics.

The show was sold out with 24,800 spectators at the two venues in total. The final day of the show in each city was screened live at cinemas in Japan and aired live on the subscription channel CS TV Asahi. The broadcast of the Hachinohe show was awarded the Grand Prize in the category "best relay broadcast" at the 13th JSBA Original Programs Awards [ja] in 2023. The event was sponsored by Ajinomoto, Kosé, Nishikawa, and Tōwa Pharmaceutical.

Background

Prologue is the first solo ice show to be produced in figure skating,^[1] with Hanyu as the only scheduled skater, which is an unusual approach compared to established show formats.^[2][3] The first major era of ice shows, headlined by Ice Follies and Ice Capades from the 1930s to 1980s, typically featured large skating ensembles inspired by ballet and theater. Since the late 1980s, ice shows experienced a shift towards smaller casts with elite international skaters, including multiple Olympic and world champions.^[4] However, a solo ice show of 90 minutes was considered impractical due to the physical limits of skating and performing for a longer period.^[3][5]: 2 Hanyu's preparations included a significant improvement of his stamina, five practice run-throughs of the full show, and a new approach to commitment and pacing,^[6][7] stating: "I'm used to emptying the tank for one skate. I've never thought about heading back out immediately after. But I managed to add the strength and stamina I needed to get through it all."^[8] Three-time world champion Patrick Chan from Canada expressed his respect for Hanyu's accomplishment: "Just one person, without any group dancing in the middle? How is that possible? I think, Yuzu is the only person in the world who can do that. It's unbelievable stamina."^[9]: 1–2

Global concept and structure

 

Hanyu performing to Romeo + Juliet in 2011

The show was produced and directed by Hanyu.^[10]: 2 Tsugaru-shamisen player Kōki Nakamura co-starred as a guest artist and performed live with Hanyu to the song "Change [ja]" from Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers.^[11]: 3 The title Prologue was selected by Hanyu, marking the beginning of his professional career.^[11]

According to Hanyu, the priority at Prologue was to adapt to the new show format and get through the planned content without injuries or overstrain.^[2][12] He performed eight to ten programs on one day,^[6][12] some of them being trimmed in length and technical content to match his physical capacity.^[11]: 2 His free skate program Romeo + Juliet was arranged as a split performance, with the first half being screened as a recording from the 2011–12 Grand Prix Final and the second half skated live in the arena.^[3][5]: 2 Another challenge was the limited number of breaks for recovery.^[5][12] He bridged the time between his programs with a "talk corner", answering selected questions from fans, and a live voting round, with the audience choosing a program for Hanyu to skate on each day.^[10][7] In addition, a series of video segments were shown on screen, featuring scenes of Hanyu's childhood and competitive career.^[11][6]

Unlike most ice shows where skaters perform in a dimly lit arena,^[10] Hanyu opened Prologue at full lighting with an unconventional six-minute warm-up session and a four-minute version of his Olympic free skate program Seimei, reproducing the setting and atmosphere of a competition.^[13][14] Despite the physical strain of a 90-minute solo show, the program featured two quadruple jumps and three triple Axels, a technical merit that exceeded the difficulty of a common exhibition performance.^[3][15]: 2 The show setting allowed Hanyu to circumvent the repetition rules of figure skating competitions and include more than two triple Axel jumps in his program.^{[11]: 2 [15]: 2} Also notable was the implementation of projection mapping in two programs,^[16] directed by Japanese choreographer Mikiko, who had previously worked with the Japanese pop trio Perfume among others. The skating was filmed from a distant, aerial perspective, being captured together with the projected text elements and images.^[13] Hanyu used this technology in his performances to "Haru yo, koi [ja]" and his new, self-choreographed program to "Itsuka owaru yume" (lit. 'A dream that ends one day') from the soundtrack of the video game Final Fantasy X.^{[11]: 5 [14]} The choreography was motivated by Hanyu's practice cool-down routines, which enjoy great popularity among fans.^{[11]: 4 [13]}

Critical reception

The show received universal praise among Japanese media,^[5][17] who pointed out Hanyu's ability to skate full shows at high quality and technical difficulty, making no major mistakes on multiple days,^[11]: 5 which earned him standing ovations from the audience.^[16][14] Writer Takaomi Matsubara from the magazine Sports Graphic Number named Prologue a new milestone in professional skating.^[5] In June 2023, the broadcast of the Hachinohe show was awarded the Grand Prize in the category "relay broadcast" at the 13th JSBA Original Programs Awards [ja].^[18]

Attendance and accessibility

 

Front view of the ice rink at the Prologue show in Yokohama

The show was sold out on all five days,^[19][20] with prices ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 yen ($107–178 as of 2022) and tickets being distributed by lottery sale.^[21] The Pia Arena MM in Yokohama accommodated 7,900 viewers, the Flat Hachinohe 3,000.^[14][22] Due to the small venue capacity and high ticket demand for the Hachinohe shows, an additional third show on December 5 was added to the initial schedule.^[19][23] The final days of the two stops were screened live in movie theaters nationwide,^[19][20] with 81 participating cinemas for the Hachinohe show. In addition, they were aired live on CS TV Asahi, leading to a significant increase in subscribers on the Japanese television channel.^[21][17] The event was sponsored by Kosé, Nishikawa Co., Ltd. as well as the food and biotechnology corporation Ajinomoto. The show in Yokohama received special sponsorship from Towa Pharmaceutical.^[21]

Set list

For the program details, see List of figure skating programs of Yuzuru Hanyu.

Main show ^[24]

1. Seimei
   (from Onmyōji I and II by Shigeru Umebayashi)
2. "Change [ja]"
   (by Monkey Majik and the Yoshida Brothers)
3. Fans' program choice 1: Live arena voting
4. Fans' program choice 2: YouTube voting
5. Romeo + Juliet
   (by Craig Armstrong)
6. "A Fleeting Dream"
   (from Final Fantasy X by Nobuo Uematsu and Masashi Hamauzu)
7. "Haru yo, koi [ja]"
   (by Yumi Matsutoya, piano version by Shinya Kiyozuka [ja])

Encore ^[7][24]

8. "Parisienne Walkways"
   (by Gary Moore; step sequence)
9. From Russia with Love
   (by John Barry; Hachinohe, day 3)

Live arena voting ^[7][24][25]

• "Let's Go Crazy"
  (by Prince; Yokohama, day 1 & 2)
• "Hana ni nare"
  (by Fumiya Sashida; Yokohama, day 2)
• "Otoñal"
  (by Raúl di Blasio; Hachinohe, day 1 & 3)
• Étude in D-sharp minor
  (by Alexander Scriabin; Hachinohe, day 2 & 3)

YouTube voting ^[7][24][25]

• Spartacus
  (by Aram Kachaturian; Yokohama, day 1)
• "Hello, I Love You"
  (by The Doors, remix by Adam Freeland; Yokohama, day 2)
• Mission: Impossible II
  (by Hans Zimmer; Hachinohe, day 1)
• "Somebody to Love"
  (by Justin Bieber; Hachinohe, day 2)
• "Sing, Sing, Sing"
  (by Louis Prima; Hachinohe, day 3)

Notes and References

Official guide and documentary books

• Prologue official (November 1, 2022a). 「プロローグ」オフィシャルガイドブック [Prologue – official guidebook] (in Japanese). Shibuya, Tokyo: Axel Entermedia Co., Ltd. . 64 p.
• Prologue official (December 2, 2022b). 「プロローグ」愛蔵版ブック [Prologue – collector's edition book] (in Japanese). Shibuya, Tokyo: Axel Entermedia Co., Ltd. .

Citations

1. "Figure skating hero Hanyu Yuzuru to start gaming-inspired 'RE_PRAY' solo ice tour in Saitama". International Olympic Committee. Lausanne. September 4, 2023. from the original on September 4, 2023.
2. Tanaka, Yukifumi (December 6, 2022). 羽生結弦さん、アイスショー「プロローグ」終幕...新章「GIFT」はスケーター史上初の東京ドーム単独公演 [Yuzuru Hanyu's ice show "Prologue" comes to an end ... New chapter "GIFT" is the first solo performance at Tokyo Dome in the skater's history]. International Olympic Committee (in Japanese). Lausanne. from the original on December 16, 2022.
3. Matsubara, Takaomi (January 12, 2023). "Going Pro: Hanyū Yuzuru Reinvents What It Means to Be a Figure Skater". Nippon Communications Foundation. Minato, Tokyo. from the original on January 12, 2023.
4. Hamilton, Scott. "Figure skating – Ice shows". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago, Illinois. from the original on December 19, 2022.
5. Matsubara, Takaomi (April 19, 2018). 「1番、羽生結弦さん」"企画もプロデュースも出演も" 羽生結弦...記者が驚いたプロ初のアイスショーの中身「まさか90分を1人で...」 [No. 1, Yuzuru Hanyu: "I planned, produced, and performed." Yuzuru Hanyu ... reporters were amazed at the contents of his first professional ice show, "I didn't expect 90 minutes by himself ..."]. Number (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Bungeishunjū. pp. 1–3. from the original on November 8, 2022.
6. 羽生結弦さん、語るプロローグ編(2)「フィギュアスケートの限界を超えていけるように」 [Yuzuru Hanyu, Prologue interview (2) "I hope, I can push the limits of figure skating"]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. November 4, 2022. from the original on November 10, 2022.
7. Matsubara, Takaomi (December 6, 2022). 羽生結弦は涙を浮かべていた...アイスショー八戸公演で見せた"魂とクオリティの90分間"に、記者は再び驚いた「28歳はプロだけの自分になる」 [Yuzuru Hanyu had tears in his eyes ... The reporter was once again surprised by the "90 minutes of soul and quality" shown at the ice show performance in Hachinohe, "At 28-year-old, I will have become a pure professional"]. Number (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Bungeishunjū. pp. 1–3. from the original on December 6, 2022.
8. Kano, Shintaro (November 4, 2022). "Hanyu Yuzuru opens the 'Prologue' - a new chapter to an illustrious career". International Olympic Committee. Lausanne. from the original on November 12, 2022.
9. 羽生結弦の"ライバル"たちの今 パトリック・チャンは不動産エージェントに [Yuzuru Hanyu's rivals today: Patrick Chan becomes a real estate agent]. AERA (in Japanese). Kita-ku, Osaka: Asahi Shimbun. March 7, 2023. pp. 1–3. from the original on March 7, 2023.
10. Sakagami, Takeshi (November 18, 2022). 羽生結弦の単独アイスショー「プロローグ」「リアルタイムで羽生結弦というドキュメントを見ていただきたい」 [Yuzuru Hanyu's solo ice show "Prologue": "I would like you to see the document of Yuzuru Hanyu in real time"]. AERA (in Japanese). Kita-ku, Osaka: Asahi Shimbun. pp. 1–3. from the original on November 18, 2022.
11. Oriyama, Toshimi (November 6, 2022). 羽生結弦「僕の人生史上でも初めてのこと」に直面。アイスショーで模索する新たな自分 [Yuzuru Hanyu faces "a first in the story of my life". The new self he is searching for at the ice show]. Sportiva (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Shueisha. pp. 1–5. from the original on November 12, 2022.
12. 羽生結弦さん、語る プロローグ千秋楽(1)「スケーター冥利に尽きる」 [Yuzuru Hanyu talking about Prologue conclusion (1) "It's a skater's dream"]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. December 5, 2022. from the original on December 5, 2022.
13. 羽生結弦さん、語るプロローグ編(1)夢への一歩、経験を「共有しながら次のステップに」 [Yuzuru Hanyu, Prologue interview (1) One step towards his dream, "Sharing experiences, taking the next step"]. Sports Nippon (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. November 4, 2022. from the original on November 4, 2022.
14. "2-time Olympic champ Yuzuru Hanyu premieres own new ice show". Kyodo News. Minato, Tokyo. November 4, 2022. from the original on November 4, 2022.
15. Tanaka, Mitsuru (October 19, 2023). 単独公演ツアー初開催へ プロ２年目、羽生結弦の進化 [First solo show tour – Yuzuru Hanyu's evolution in his second year as a professional]. Wedge (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo. pp. 1–4. from the original on October 19, 2023.
16. "2-time Olympic champ Hanyu stages first solo ice show after turning professional". NHK World News. Shibuya, Tokyo. November 4, 2022. from the original on November 7, 2022.
17. Shinozuka, Hiroshi (November 29, 2022). 篠塚浩社長 社長会見(11月29日)要旨 [President Hiroshi Shinozuka's Press Conference (November 29)]. TV Asahi (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. from the original on December 2, 2022.
18. "Yuzuru Hanyu Ice Show "Prologue in Hachinohe" Best Program Award". Japan Satellite Broadcasting Association (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. June 2023. from the original on June 18, 2023.
19. Kano, Shintaro (November 2, 2022). "How to watch Hanyu Yuzuru at 'Prologue' in Yokohama". International Olympic Committee. Lausanne. from the original on November 3, 2022.
20. Kano, Shintaro (December 1, 2022). "How to watch Hanyu Yuzuru at 'Prologue' in Hachinohe". International Olympic Committee. Lausanne. from the original on December 1, 2022.
21. "Prologue Official". 'Prologue' executive committee (in Japanese). Tokyo. 2022. from the original on December 5, 2022.
22. 羽生結弦さん、来年2月に東京ドーム公演 「プロローグ」八戸公演で表明 [Yuzuru Hanyu announced at "Prologue" in Hachinohe next show at Tokyo Dome in February]. Kahoku Shimpō (in Japanese). Sendai. December 5, 2022. from the original on December 6, 2022.
23. Kano, Shintaro (September 30, 2022). "Hanyu Yuzuru announces 1st professional ice show – makes debut on Instagram and Twitter". International Olympic Committee. Lausanne. from the original on September 30, 2022.
24. 羽生結弦さん、初の単独アイスショー「プロローグ」へ込めた思い「みなさんと共有しながら、次のステップにつながるように」 [Yuzuru Hanyu's thoughts on his first solo ice show Prologue: "Sharing with everyone so that we can lead to the next step"]. Sports Hochi (in Japanese). Minato, Tokyo. November 4, 2022. from the original on November 8, 2022.
25. Prologue official 2022b.

Further reading

• Matsubara, Takaomi (January 23, 2023). Yuzuru Hanyu's collaboration with sound designer Keiichi Yano for Prologue. Number article series (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Bungeishunjū.
  • Part 1: 羽生結弦「僕が表現したいものだけ、つなぎました」アイスショー前、音響デザイナーが羽生本人から相談されたこと「編集も本当にうまくなった」 [Yuzuru Hanyu: "I connected only what I wanted to express." Before the ice show, the sound designer was consulted by Hanyu himself: "The editing has become really good"]. from the original on January 23, 2023.
  • Part 2: 羽生結弦の"気遣い"に音響スタッフも驚いた...アイスショーも担当した矢野桂一に"羽生が掛けた一言"「そういう風に思ってくれてたんだな」 [Yuzuru Hanyu's "care" surprised the sound staff ... "A word from Hanyu" to Keiichi Yano, who was in charge of the ice show: "I'm glad you felt that way"]. from the original on January 23, 2023.
  • Part 3: 「たぶん、彼はずっと挑戦し続ける」羽生結弦と関係の深い音響デザイナー・矢野桂一が、「羽生の演技には絶対的なものがある」と語る理由 ["Maybe he'll keep trying," says sound designer Keiichi Yano, who is closely related to Yuzuru Hanyu, "There is something absolute in Hanyu's performance"]. from the original on January 23, 2023.

External links

• Prologue official website (in Japanese)
• Prologue at IMDb