Respect
They say that "respect" means to hold someone in high regard with reverence, and to value them for their very existence, regardless of any perceived superiority or inferiority.
In every program he has performed so far, Hanyu-kun has incorporated his work with deep respect for the composers, lyricists, arrangers, performers, and even the original creators or actors in the case of games and stories.
He also touches upon this in his own words.
<Ashura-chan> was first unveiled at "GIFT."
He took inspiration from Ado's PV animation for the costume and choreography, and he choreographed it himself as "dance on ice," which was his chosen theme, before presenting it to the world. During "GIFT," there was a part where ELEVENPLAY performed the same choreography, and it was so wonderful that I initially thought MIKIKO-sensei had created it.
<One Summer's Day> was also a program created for "GIFT."
He told us that this was created with Wilson under the themes of "collapse" and "purification."
This comes from "Spirited Away," and it became a program like a votive dance, carefully performing to music based on the Dragon God.
<Requiem of Heaven and Earth> This was an EX program for the 2015-16 season, but its very first unveiling was at FaOI before that season began.
At that time, there were no live viewings, no full-day TV (CS) broadcasts, and since the B-tour was held in a region served by the Fuji network, it was unveiled for the first time without any TV broadcast (...or so I believe. Please tell me gently if I am wrong 🙏).
Therefore, fans who couldn't go to the show would guess from the tweets of those who witnessed it locally, letting their imaginations run wild while looking forward to the later broadcast.
I remember the costume for Requiem went through quite a few changes. It's nostalgic how the frills from the chest to the abdomen were long and green at first, leading people to call it lettuce or seaweed lol.
The choreography for this was by Kenji Miyamoto-sensei. I believe it was also Kenji-sensei who found the music. This was truly a "dance of repose."
(Details are in the link below.)
<MEGALOVANIA> A program inspired by the game "UNDERTALE." This program instantly made fans realize just how much of a hardcore gamer Hanyu-kun was.
The theme was "a program that charms with spins alone." He said that when he thought about that, he knew it had to be MEGALOVANIA. I was impressed by the idea of showing the world view just through the sound of skating at the beginning. It's a program I love.
The first unveiling was at "RE_PRAY" at the Saitama Super Arena. During the first day's worldwide stream, it spread by word of mouth to gamers through explanations from dual fans (those who are both game fans and Hanyu fans). At the same time, fans of "Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals" were also watching intently, and it captured the hearts of gamers all at once. I imagine there are quite a few Hanyu fans among gamers now (including everyone from light fans to those who have fallen deep into the swamp).
For Lufia, that ending had the strongest persuasive power.
I love the silent spin scene in Megalo. Therefore, the most ideal audience was the one on the first day at Saitama Super Arena. Because they watched in a completely blank state, only the friction sound of the skates echoed through the venue in the silence, and it was such a refreshing, beautiful, and sophisticated moment (I wish it had stayed like this afterwards...).
Similarly, <A Dream That Will End Someday> is also from a game, the highly popular FF series 10.
The ICE STORY "RE_PRAY" also had a game-based setting, and <Messenger of Destruction> from FF9 was also used. The costumes, choreography, and content were such that they gave the illusion of a game character appearing in 3D, and I am learning a lot from the very interesting interpretations of many gamers (ongoing).
Hanyu-kun is always sincere and full of respect for the things he encounters (whether they are people or objects, without discrimination).
He never treats anything carelessly.
<Danny Boy> A song that Ogen-san introduced as a "song of a lifetime" on "Ogen-san no Subsc-do," which I mentioned the other day, and which made Hanyu-kun say, "If I weren't wearing a yukata, I'd be dancing." In his head, it was "watching myself perform from the audience's perspective" (according to him). I'm sure Ogen-san himself told Hanyu-kun a lot about Keith Jarrett via email or something after this Subsc-do (because that's what he said).
However, I never dreamed that Hanyu-kun would unveil it to the world as his own program so soon.
Therefore, I think he must have researched it quite a bit himself after receiving the lecture from Ogen-san. He is a person who pursues things thoroughly.
That Danny was also a program full of great respect.
As an aside, I learned on Twitter that the hairstyle he wore when performing Danny might have followed the era, and I was very convinced that it was possible.
Triggered by a comment I received on the previous article ("From nottestellata to RE_PRAY") (thank you❣🙏❤), I also looked up Keith Jarrett, albeit belatedly.
At the end of the biography/relationship with Japan section,
He is also famous for demanding high manners from the audience, and during his 2005 Tokyo performance, there was a scene where he temporarily interrupted the concert to lecture them. He also temporarily interrupted the performance during his 2014 Osaka performance.
It said, and I googled further to know this part in more detail, which is here.
There is a rule for Keith Jarrett's live performances that anything that becomes "noise" for Keith, such as audience vocalizations, applause, or ringtones, is strictly prohibited.
In fact, there have been cases in the past where he stopped the performance due to audience coughing or whistling, and forced the concert to end right there. That stance has not changed even after he turned 60, and in 2014, there was an incident where he interrupted a performance at a concert held in Osaka.
Some people might think, "Stopping a performance just because of a cough." However, this is not arrogance; it is because of Keith Jarrett's style of "spinning out improvisational music from silence, from nothing."
That is why the audience, in order to witness Keith Jarrett creating the phenomenon of "spinning out sound from nothing,", no matter how impressed they are by the performance, must not applaud, nor should they send cheers.
"Creating a space where only Keith's performance can be heard, and creating an environment where inspiration can descend upon Keith" is the greatest manner for the audience toward Keith. In other words, in Keith Jarrett's live recordings, you can also experience a sense of unity where "the audience is also one with Keith behind the scenes, cooperating in creating the space to realize the best improvisational performance."
I trembled when I read this episode.
The comment I received also said that if <Danny Boy> at "nottestellata2024" had been a Keith Jarrett performance, it might have been forced to end the moment a single high-pitched scream was raised when Hanyu-kun approached the audience side during the performance.
In the previous article, I wrote this.
Based on the pattern so far, abnormal cheers erupt on the first day, and by the second and third days, they are calmed down by complaining about the state of the first day. Honestly, for me, I think, "
No, please learn by now."
I don't know if the breadth of Hanyu fans is a curse or not.
When an article about Hanyu-kun goes up in overseas fandoms, it is instantly translated and spread to overseas fanyu. The same goes for the movements of antis.
It is hard to believe that only the manners for when Hanyu-kun performs are not being spread under such circumstances.
After messing up, they have ears to listen to complaints. (This is a reference to fans, both domestic and international, just to be sure.)
If so, what are those out-of-place screams/strange noises?
I received an opinion that perhaps we are in a transitional period where manners for Hanyu-kun's solo ice shows are being built, and I thought that made sense. It might indeed be so.
If so, I hope that "watching the performance quietly without raising out-of-place screams/strange noises" will become the base as soon as possible.
First of all, is "RE_PRAY Miyagi Additional Performance" the one to watch?
Since the final performance will also be a live viewing and CS broadcast this time, the situation on the first day will depend on the impressions of those who went to the venue. The flow is to check it on the CS broadcast at a later date.
Therefore, as before, will the strange noises on the first day be rebuked and calmed down by the final performance on the second day, or will the severity of the first day in Yokohama be restrained at the final performance (though, from my perspective, it's still not enough)? In "nottestellata2024," the events of "RE_PRAY Yokohama" were reset, so I am quite pessimistic.
It is for no other reason than this that I mention "as soon as possible."
It is because it is certain that in the not-too-distant future, we will no longer be able to see Hanyu-kun perform.
Hanyu-kun has shown a level of success incomparable to any skater before him. How many skaters have existed until now who, as professionals, shine even brighter than they did in their amateur days?
There are many professional skaters who perform decent shows with decent recognition and decent expressive power, and who provide decent commentary during competitions.
But Hanyu-kun is walking a path completely different from theirs.
That is precisely why his genre is not "figure skating," but "Yuzuru Hanyu."
The period during which he can be active in that genre is limited.
I want to fully enjoy his performances to the absolute limit during that limited time.
This is a heartfelt wish.
People who scream or make strange noises might be satisfied with that. But most people are greatly inconvenienced by those individuals. While not many people say it out loud, I believe there are not a few who think it.
Keith Jarrett instilled in his audience the rule that "one must never cough even once during a performance" through his own actions.
In contrast, Hanyu-kun would likely never say it, even if he thought it.
Even if he were to say it, as I wrote in my previous article, he would likely say it gently or use an indirect way of speaking, paying the utmost attention not to hurt the other person.
That is why it is not like that.
Perhaps the fans who support Hanyu-kun need to be more proactive in educating others.
Some may think I am being too rigid.
Those people must be the ones who can forgive having Hanyu-kun's performance ruined, surely.
I am different.
I feel bitter, and I despise such people.
I may not say it out loud in public very often, but I do not think I will stay silent. That is just my nature.
This is my 📒, so I am writing without reservation.
I hope that, just like the audience during Keith Jarrett's performances, the same manners will be thoroughly observed by the audience when watching Hanyu-kun's performances🙏
Because we fans should respect Hanyu-kun, who never ceases to respect everything.
[ Supplement ] (4/2)
I quoted part of it above, but I am posting the link to the 📒 that led to writing this article here again. If there is anyone who felt "❓" about this article, I think you will probably understand if you read this.