Look, the show has a live orchestra, band, dancers, stage direction and coordination by experts in the field, etc, so it looks and sounds gorgeous. It's already worth watching for this alone. But.
Above all else, it's Yuzuru Hanyu delivering his signature quality skates-beyond that, each program connects together in a stream of consciousness that transports you into his world and guides you gently through it.
It made me realize that the Yuzuru we saw in competition was such a small glimpse of his talents.
Of course he can skate and he skates beautifully as ever. He brings a competition level program just before the midway point and it's as heart-pounding as ever to watch it live not knowing how it'd go and praying for the best. He's insane for doing this, by the way.
But he's also an excellent artist, storyteller, narrator, and none of this could ever hope to be judged or presented properly in any of the years we've seen him. Here, I think we finally get the true inkling of what he's capable of.
All of these talents for his skating, to take the presentation of his skating to greater heights by weaving a beautiful and haunting narrative of his journey, struggles, and redemption. And through it all, his joy for skating is the most evident. Maybe he even lost sight of it once, on the journey to get here, but he reclaims it anew. The dome packed full is a beautiful sea of lights and the ice loves him back.
GIFT is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It's got the spectacle and grandeur of Tokyo Dome and the terrifying ephemeralness of a top athlete in his prime whose presence shines brighter than any flashy lighting you could cast on him, and it's truly made for this place and this one night.
Although there were regrets in the past, although he learned that regrets may be inevitable, he keeps moving forward everyday.
I never imagined an ice show could be like this and I still think he's insane. I also haven't moved on from this show since it happened almost a week ago, so maybe I'm becoming a bit insane, too.
