Compilation of translation snippets I did about interviews published on kiss&cry magazine vol.49, all about Shoma and One Piece on Ice (also posted on twt and here as backup)
Keiji and Koshiro on Shoma:
Keiji: Shoma isn't really Luffy's type, but you can tell that he's trying his best to become Luffy, and that he's enjoying it. He is absorbing more and more and trying to overcome the "wall" of doing moves that he has never done before, moves that are unlike him. When I see that, it makes me want to work even harder.
Koshiro: at the beginning I couldn't imagine Shoma doing Luffy's "full of energy!” movements, so I was like "Do your best (laugh)”, but during rehearsals there were many scenes where I thought, "Oh, it's Luffy! (laugh). I am sure that everyone will be satisfied with Luffy. There are music, dialogue, and people other than himself, so timing is important, but he writes down the flow in his notebook and reviews it. He is taking Luffy really seriously.”
Do you feel any change in Uno since the rehearsals for "One Piece on Ice" started?
Keiji: "Yes, I feel it, he seems to be enjoying it. I think things are going to get harder from now on, but one of the things I'm looking forward to is seeing how Shoma changes as a result of that. I want to be by his side to support him, because he is under the heaviest pressure as the leader.
How did you feel when you were offered the role?
I have performed to music before, but I’ve never played a story or a character, so at first I thought, "Am I really the right person for this? I was puzzled, but I was happy that they chose me out of so many people. Now that I've been given the job, I will continue to search for what I can do to make it as great as possible, and I will give it my all.
How long did it take you from the time you were offered to the time you decided to appear in the show?
I didn't need think about it for very long. I'm relatively good at figure skating as a sport, as an athlete, and I think I'm doing a good job at it, but I think I'm far from the ideal figure skater that everyone has in their mind. Of course, figure skating is fascinating as a sport in itself, but I think one of its charms is that you focus on one skater and watch their performance and growth, which in a sense is like treating them like idols. I am not good at that part, so I don't know what kind of figure skater I will be when I leave competition someday. I hope that the experience I will gain from One Piece on Ice will give me a clue about that.
Did you get that idea from winning the World Championships for the second time?
There are many reasons, but I think that is one of them. I used to compete with my eyes fixed on the ‘top’, but now that I've achieved results, I asked myself, "What do I want to do next?”, and I thought that I wanted to embody more strongly the charm of figure skating. I have been able to do things my own way in both competitions and ice shows, and that will never change, but I've also started to think that I want to show the audience what they want to see. One Piece on Ice is a show in which I play a character that I’ve never played before, and that’s a new challenge for me. I would like to develop my ability of expression, where I feel I am lacking the most.
Do you feel more "excited" or "pressured" in anticipation of this new challenge?
I would say it's 6:4 in favor of anxiety (bitter smile). Of course I am very much looking forward to it, but I am not sure how much of my accumulated experience I will be able to put to use. I think that because fans love "ONE PIECE" so much, they will look at it more harshly than non-fans when it is adapted into something other than a manga or anime. I am a fan myself, so I understand how they feel. I know I can't satisfy all of them, but I still hope that I can show them something as good as possible.
In "ONE PIECE ON ICE", the " Alabasta Arc" will be depicted. Do you have a favorite scene?
I have read the Alabasta Arc many times. I think my favorite scene is the story of Crocodile and Bibi, and my favorite part of the story is when Bibi faces various conflicts and stands up to protect what he wants to protect with a strong heart. It makes me think about a lot of things."
Your rinkmate from Champéry, Switzerland, Koshiro Shimada, plays the role of Sanji. Have you talked to him about being cast in the show?
I was really happy he was cast. I think Koshiro likes "One Piece" the most out of all the skaters, and back when the rest of the cast had not yet been decided, I had hoped that he would be cast, so I was happy when he was chosen to play the role. He has very long legs just like Sanji. Koshiro also said, "For the first time, I appreciated the length of my legs" (Laughs). I believe that Koshiro-kun is good at playing characters, so I am not worried about anything.
What do you think you and Luffy have in common?
I am not the kind of person who can make people smile like Luffy, so our personalities are far apart. The only thing we have in common is that we both like meat (laughs).
I thought that Luffy's proactive attitude toward difficulties seems to overlap with yours.
I think that a life without difficulties would be boring. In order to get something that you think is unattainable you have to practice a lot, and then you finally get it, and that's when you feel happy and satisfied, I think. So, I am forcing myself to say this, but I would be happy if I could compare myself with Luffy in that way.
You mentioned that in your figure skating programs, you express the melody or sound itself, not the story behind the music. This time, you will be playing a character in a story with a plot, how do you approach it?
I've never really done this before... Fortunately, it's a work that I know well and love, but I'm not sure how I'll be able to express myself in it... I don't know. I think my job will be to take the intentions of the director, Ms. Kahori Kanaya, and the choreographer, Mr. Kenji Miyamoto, and see how faithfully I can reproduce them. I can't see the whole picture yet, but I will just give it my all and do my best.
Knowing there will be many people who don't usually watch figure skating, what do you want to convey to them?
"I think it is important to reproduce the ideal of Mr. Kahori and Mr. Kenji, in terms of the distinctive appeal of figure skating. I hope to be able to show no less than what they envisioned, but it's really unknown.... First of all, I would like to concentrate on the daily training in front of me.
Thank you very much. Finally, do you have a message for the fans who are going to see "One Piece on Ice"?
I don't know how I will be feeling right before the show, but I may be more nervous than at the Olympics or the World Championships (laugh). Because this is something I don't usually do, I am sure I will feel things like anxiety and impatience, but I hope that I will be able to feel a sense of accomplishment as I take on this challenge with all my might. And on top of that, I would like to polish my expressiveness. think this will be a new challenge for all the performers. I hope we can all work together to create a good show, so please come and see it."
from Kenji Miyamoto’s interview:
How do you work on the choreography?
I listen to the scene Kanaya-san [t/n: the director] wants to create, think about how to incorporate it into the skating on the spot, and improvise the choreography. If there is a difference from Kanaya's image, she will politely explain to me that she wants me to reduce the speed more, or that her image of the emotion is different, so she is very helpful.
Shoma Uno plays the main character, Luffy. What do you see as the similarities between the two of them?
"Maybe that he walks in a straight line towards the goal. He doesn't give up, doesn't compromise, keeps his eyes on one point and pushes forward. This is my impression of Shoma's usual practice, and I think the same can be said for Luffy.
He is trying his best. From the choreography on the ground (off-ice?), he is moving his body as hard as he can, almost to the point of falling down, as if he were trying to reach his limit. I also feel that his facial expressions are becoming more expressive, so I am looking forward to seeing his growth in the future.
I watched the rehearsal of the "rebel dance scene". What did you pay attention to?
“It's a choreography full of speed that conveys the sense of dynamism that is unique to skating. Also, the rebels led by Koza share the same anger, so I was particular about expressing that they seem to be moving separately, but on the other hand, they are somehow in sync with each other. We also expressed the battle scene and the emotions of the characters in the center of gravity shift and edge work of the skating.
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