Medalist

Tsukasa Akeuraji always dreamed of becoming a competitive solo figure skater, but starting too late in life meant his ambitions never got off the ground. Now barely scraping by, he takes on an assistant coach job, resigned to a future far from the one he once imagined.

Before his first day, Tsukasa meets Inori Yuitsuka, a shy fifth grader sneaking into the rink to practice. Captivated by figure skating, but held back by her mother's overprotectiveness and her own self-doubt, Inori has never been encouraged to pursue her passion until she encounters Tsukasa. Beneath her personality lies great potential, waiting to be unlocked with the right guidance.

Moved by Inori's determination to change and reminded of his own struggles, Tsukasa offers to coach and help her chase the dream she has been too afraid to voice. While the road ahead is long and filled with unfamiliar challenges and rival skaters, Inori dedicates herself to the art and strives to one day reach the Olympics and become a medalist.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuitsuka, Inori Main

Haruse, Natsumi Japanese

Akeuraji, Tsukasa Main

Ootsuka, Takeo Japanese

Kamisaki, Hikaru Supporting

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Yodaka, Jun Supporting

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Miketa, Ryouka Supporting

Kino, Hina Japanese

Sonidori, Riou Supporting

Koichi, Makoto Japanese

Sonidori, Shinichirou Supporting

Ban, Taito Japanese

Sekoma, Mamoru Supporting

Muraji, Manabu Japanese

Kamoto, Suzu Supporting

Itou, Ayasa Japanese

Takamine, Hitomi Supporting

Katou, Emiri Japanese

Yamashita, Shinpei Producer

Sawada, Airi Producer

Yamato, Masae Producer

Kanbe, Kouki Producer

Reviews

Mar 5, 2025

Altazon

Recommended

Preliminary (9/13 eps)

I feel like this anime is so underrated and so unknown i felt compelled to make a review, even though it will not change much. Even if I just make 1 person watch this show, I will consider this review a total success.

Medalist is a show that revolves around ice skating, and it seems like it does a great job depicting it from what some experts and people with experience that have watched it say. I am not an ice skating fan, not at all, but I am able to enjoy so much the beauty, the delicacy and the dedication an athlete puts in their ... performances. Even if you do not care at all about the sport, trust me, Medalist is worth and by the end of a couple of episodes you will be enjoying and caring about it.

So why does this happen? Why watch an anime about something you might never cared about? Because it touches your soul. So few animes are able to make you laugh, cry, root for the characters like this one. It is not a cheap tear jerker, i have watched lots of them and at this point, it is not easy for me to get moved by a fictional work. This one is different. The direction, the shots, the camera work, the voice actors (can only speak for the original japanese ones), the plot....the PASSION in general that Medalist overflows is something that needs to be reckoned.

If you want to enjoy something beautiful and emotional, please, give this anime a shot, I beg you. The great story and characters the author of the original work have created and the dedication and love the studio of the anime adaptation has proven deserve so much more recognition.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 19, 2025

moozooh

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (3/13 eps)

Medalist is the kind of story that appears maybe once a decade. Filled with rich, memorable characters and interesting dynamics, integrating exciting plot beats with existing problems and peculiarities of figure skating, having meaningful things to say in avenues similar stories hadn't really explored yet.

I will not hesitate to call the original work behind this adaptation a masterpiece and, without any doubt, the best ongoing sports manga—at least if we don't count Real which is on an indefinite hiatus again. You don't normally see something executed at this level of craftsmanship in every respect; it's by all means an incredibly rare anomaly that, I hope, ... will in due time make Tsurumaikada a superstar author.

Which brings us to this anime—and, sadly, an anomaly it is not. It's the latest addition to the VERY long line of adaptations that don't live up to the works they are adapting. In fact, this one, in particular, seems to be doing its darnedest to aggressively diminish the impact of every scene and does not even shy away from misrepresenting their tone—and, in consequence, the characters themselves, which is a grave sin for any adaptation.

To those who don't understand what I'm referring to: please compare the scene of Hikaru's first jump in front of Inori to the same scene as it is portrayed in the manga. Medalist is a very "show, don't tell" kind of manga, and the director of this anime is either legally blind or completely lacks comprehension of visual storytelling—because you cannot possibly tell me Hikaru's emotions or the tone of the scene were conveyed remotely faithfully in the adaptation. The phenomenal storyboarding of the manga makes it abundantly clear for anyone who bothers to look.

Things like this erase much of the crucial visual storytelling. A visual representation of a formative experience for the protagonist had its impact surgically excised, a plot-important glimpse into a rival character is gone completely. Of course, it's not the only example—just the most egregious one. It takes real skill to be so average, so inept, and still hold a directorial position at a studio. Maybe he's a medalist at that, and this is what the title is about! Obviously, I didn't have any illusions about ENGI being able to deliver a quality adaptation (when do they ever?), but misrepresenting the main characters wasn't one of the downgrades I expected. That's just evil.

And it's not like it had to be this way. There have been many cases of anime adaptations elevating the original manga—or at least matching its quality where it matters. Last year's Frieren and Dungeon Meshi were fantastic recent examples. They made good, informed efforts on the part of very capable people who were passionate about doing justice to the source material. I don't see that here, and while I absolutely adore Medalist as a story and would give it glowing reviews any day, I cannot recommend it in the anime form in good conscience knowing how inferior it already is to the original work.

The sad thing is if I didn't know better, I likely wouldn't even realize what I was missing out on because this adaptation's blunders are all intentional decisions, making them look deceptive in their consistency. It means not just anime-onlies, but also those who generally prefer watching anime to reading manga may confuse one of the best-executed stories of recent times for a nice show about figure skating. This might actually be what I'm seeing in the other review praising the direction (of all things), or at least the evidence I have points me to this conclusion.

I can't go back in time and ensure this adaptation goes to a top-tier studio instead—which it deserved. I can only hope that if you're reading this, I can convince you not to make the mistake of thinking this is all Medalist has to offer. So if the anime caught your eye and you want to experience the story at its peak—which is FAR more impactful than you will see here—do yourself an enormous favor and read the manga instead.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Jan 28, 2025

DigiCat

Not Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (3/13 eps)

This had all the potential to become a great anime, full of depth, as we embark on Inori's journey to become a figure skater thru both highs and lows, on one side her love for ice skating and a diamond in the rough talent that gain both encouragement and respect from a very supportive coach, on the other her mound of anxiety and low self-esteem likely the cause of the toxic relationship with her mother

Now did this anime utilize that potential to create a compelling and heartfelt story?

...

Not. In. The. Slightest.

What we get instead is the overly melodramatic showcase of Inori's broken mind as her ... mother puts her down, dismisses and badmouths the sport she so much loves, literally (excuse my language) shits on her dreams every chance she gets. The poor coach Tsukasa is left in an exhausting neverending battle trying to compensate the absolutely vile mind poison this woman is spewing towards her own daughter with words of encouragement and the teaching of healthy coping mechanisms

The constant bombardment of belittling from this woman comes off as if we the audience is being berated along side Inori rather than a critique on her behaviour

As for the skating part, what is supposed to be the main focus of the show... it is (at least in these first episodes) nearly inexistent.
With the majority of skating scenes consisting of close-ups and stills, and opting for full CGI for the few full body skating sequences, a decision i find detrimental and hope for those who are enjoying the show it does not persist thruout the whole series, as in these scenes the skaters come off as robotic and expressionless

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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	Hikaru is this anime's Gojo Satoru Plopop - Mar 9	3 replies	by Lovesickforyuta »» 38 minutes ago
	Poll: Medalist Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 8	32 replies	by Plopop »» 2 hours ago
	Inori is a better ice skater than we give her credit for. DreamingBeats - Mar 8	4 replies	by Plopop »» 2 hours ago
	Poll: Medalist Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 1	35 replies	by Alfredo-Sauce »» Yesterday, 10:56 AM
	Poll: Medalist Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 18	59 replies	by AJpurple »» Yesterday, 7:12 AM