The ice skating scene was absolutely fantastic and beautiful. I also liked the subtle sentimental moment between Decim and Chiyuki right before the performance. No words were said; it just used the piano in the background to connect the two characters.

It started with a wide shot of Chiyuki with the piano in the background. This established the piano’s placement in the scene, in relation with the ice rink and the character. The shallow focus close-up shot of Chiyuki put a bit more emphasis on the piano. Its importance was still unclear due to being out of focus but this shot served more as a build-up.

The gif showing the eyeline match between Decim and the piano is what established the piano’s significance. The camera zoomed out to finally put the piano in focus and then cut to the dummy playing. The sequence shown in the gif was important in connecting Decim and Chiyuki. The piano music was a sincere gesture of Decim’s desire to understand Chiyuki’s emotions and memories. He wanted the ice skating performance to feel as genuine as possible in order for Chiyuki to relive what she loved and to also reconnect with old emotions and memories.

The last shot is similar to the first close-up but now the piano is more in focus since its role has been established. The piano being more in focus also put more emphasis on Chiyuki’s reaction to it. She was slightly surprised by Decim’s sincerity then looks back at him with an appreciative smile.

As for the performance itself, it was mainly the gorgeous animation and good storyboarding that made it shine. The animation worked in rhythm with both music and the cuts to flashbacks. I did like how the camera didn’t always keep up with Chiyuki; sometimes it moved slower, sometimes quicker. It made her movement feel more alive and dynamic. The camera also swayed a bit as a way to accentuate Chiyuki’s graceful movement (1:17 mark).