Winter 2025 Anime: Medalist

Synopsis

Starting early is good, but in the world of professional figure skating, starting early is a must. Young skaters start training as early as the age of five, which means it is already quite late for children like Inori Yuitsuka, who only just started her figure skating journey at fifth grade in elementary school. After entering the ice rink without paying the entry fee using money, she is chased away by former professional ice dancer Tsukasa Akeuraji. Growing sympathy after learning more about her situation, he takes her in as his apprentice, determined to coach her into a skater qualified for the All-Japan Championship.

Comments

Shayna Agasthya (The Indonesian Anime Times)

Right at the start of the 2025 winter release schedule, this work focuses on Japan’s well-beloved winter sport. We finally have another figure skating anime; this time we have a source material to follow alongside the adaptation. To compare with prior figure skating anime releases, both the 2016 series Yuri!!! on ICE  and the 2021 series Skate-Leading☆Stars are original works, sadly with no other continuation following their final episodes. (Well, we used to have a continuation planned for one of them.)

Medalist starts its first episode by showing us a glimpse of the 2D-3D mixed animation work used for the skating programs in this series. Skipping the opening sequence and immediately diving into the plot, we are then introduced to the leading characters and their hilarious first meet. One of my favorite aspects in the manga is the intense facial expressions when the characters undergo heavy emotions, and I think the anime portrays them in movement perfectly during comedic scenes like this.

Tsurumaikada’s art style for the Medalist manga comes off to me as having a somewhat rough touch to it, which also elevates the emotional aspect of the story in certain scenes or panels. To see the anime in bright colors serves a different vibe to the work, making it feel more hopeful despite the conflicts the characters are shown to go through. I also love moments when the lineart suddenly shifts to become more dynamic with varying line thickness, albeit subtly. The voice acting also wonderfully portrays the characters. I especially love how Inori sounds, especially during her outburst towards the end of the episode. It was just painful to listen to, and I couldn’t help but get carried away by the emotional scene. 

Through the characters’ background stories, we also get to see how fierce the competitive field of this winter sport is. Even as someone who has heard some anecdotes regarding the training programs of professional figure skaters, it’s still painful for me to see how rough the environment can be for the athletes. As told by the episode’s introductory narration, Medalist offers both a harsh reflection of the reality behind competitive figure skating and barely a preview of the huge price young and aspiring talents have to pay, which doesn’t even guarantee them a path to success. Starting early is good, but even starting early doesn’t always bring you to places you want to.

For that reason, I find it a pity that the majority of Tsukasa’s background story in the manga is chopped off in the episode, alongside the mean comments and mistreatments Inori receives from people around her. They share their experience of being told that they won’t make it due to their late starts, but their respective problems also add more depth to their desperate attempts to reach their figure skating dreams. I hope the anime will show more of their conflicts as the series goes on, but in case it won’t, I highly recommend you give the manga a chance as well.

Even if you are not interested in figure skating, Medalist is still worth watching for its relatable personal problems. I always admire people’s sheer determination to reach their dreams, and I can’t wait to see the characters walk (or skate, to be more precise) towards their goals together.

Facts and Figures

Screenshots and Trailers

The Indonesian Anime Times