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. A DVD and Blu-ray of the show was released on July 19, 2024. 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 Kosé, Ajinomoto, and Nishikawa, with the Yokohama shows receiving special sponsorship by 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
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]
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 December5 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]
A full recording of the final show in Yokohama as well as behind-the-scenes footage and a digital photo book was released on DVD and Blu-ray on the second anniversary of Hanyu's professional career on July 19, 2024.[24] It sold more than 11,000 copies in the first week ranking second on Oricon's Blu-ray weekly chart and fourth on the DVD weekly chart.[25] The event was organized by Hanyu's management company Team Sirius in partnership with TV Asahi and CIC Co., Ltd.[21][26] It was sponsored by Kosé, Ajinomoto, and Nishikawa Co., Ltd. The shows in Yokohama received special sponsorship from Tōwa Pharmaceutical.[21]
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. ID 3410. 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. ID 3475.
^ abTanaka, 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. Archived from the original on October 19, 2023.
^ abShinozuka, 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. Archived from the original on December 2, 2022.
Matsubara, Takaomi (January 23, 2023). Yuzuru Hanyu's collaboration with sound designer Keiichi Yano for Prologue. Number article series (in Japanese). Chiyoda, Tokyo: Bungeishunjū.
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