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Medalist (TV).




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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
Posts: 11467
Location: Frisco, TX
PostPosted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 1:20 pm Reply with quote


Medalist (TV)

Source: Manga (ongoing @ 11 volumes by Tsurumaikada)

Demographic: Seinen

Animation Studio: ENGI

Genres: comedy, drama

Themes: coming-of-age, figure skating, Olympics, performing arts, sports

Plot Summary: Tsukasa, whose dreams were crushed. Inori, left to fend for herself. These two share a dream and their tenacity may be the only thing that sees them through. Their destination is the ice...on the world's stage.

Air Date & Platform:
January 4, 2025 (Saturday)
Available on: Hulu

Episode Count / Runtime: Pending


Last edited by Tony K. on Mon Jan 13, 2025 1:19 am; edited 2 times in total
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24407
PostPosted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 8:53 pm Reply with quote
Episode 1

Here's another show I wasn't planning on sampling given it's a sports anime and all. But the high grades it got from the previewers sparked my curiosity and so I checked it out. And liked it. Protag is kind of adorable and I get a kick out out of her coach. Again, not committing myself to the full run but let's see how far I get.
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smurky turkey



Joined: 30 Jan 2022
Posts: 2868
PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 6:01 am Reply with quote
It has a lot of promise. The coach can be a bit of a doofus at times but seeing both of them work hard to make a shared dream come true will probably make for some great moments. Given how harsh the world of sports can be I am expecting a lot of obstacles. Also, kudos for a child actually looking like a child for once.
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Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 24407
PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:14 am Reply with quote
Episode 2

Well, this one wormed a little closer to my heart. Not to the point where I can confidently predict it as a keeper, but it strengthened its hand. Tsukasa is adorable and the episode introduced a couple of jerks and jerks can always make things interesting. Tsukasa also made a cool new friend, so that's nice.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4173
PostPosted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 10:17 pm Reply with quote
Episode 1 was a stand alone short film about a girl who wanted to skate, fine overall, but it's the second episode where there's an actual goal that can be made into a series. And that goal... win gold at the Olympics. Wow.

This really puts every "let's make it to the Nationals" sports anime in their place. The dream itself isn't unrealistic, how it's framed as a series is. Inori has had three lessons and won the level 1 placement for preschoolers. Her rival friend, a reoccurring character in the series presumably, is the same age but is beyond that ranking system and genuinely in the running to make the Olympic team.

Here's the real problem I have: Inori becoming that good is more possible, more believable, than the show can realistically portray.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 13, 2025 6:14 am Reply with quote
@ Animegomaniac - I agree with you on the unrealistic front, but it depends on how far she actually gets. Wanting to win a gold medal at the Olympics is an unrealistic dream, imo, but let's see how far she actually gets in the show before we call the show unrealistic. It has already been stipulated that she's a prodigy so likely she'll be accomplishing things along the way that aren't particularly realistic, but I have to say that unless they push this too much, it won't be a problem for my enjoyment.
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doomrider7



Joined: 17 Sep 2006
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Tue Jan 14, 2025 12:25 pm Reply with quote
Don't understand what people find unrealistic about the goal since Johnny Weir ALSO had a late career start and made it to the Olympics and while he didn't win, he did very well and medaled several times in World Championships. And that was YEARS ago. Science and training methods have very much advanced since then.

That this is viewed as an unrealistic dreams is...weird to put it mildly given the plethora of even more unrealistic things that crop up in sports anime.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4173
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 1:28 am Reply with quote
"The dream itself isn't unrealistic."

To put this show into high school sports anime terms, Inori wants to compete with someone of her own age in the Nationals after having only started the sport... while her competitor is already in the Nationals.

But on top of this, the show then adds that Inori has to accomplish all this before reaching middle school. Inori has six months or so to "git gud" and that's just to impress her mother because of her yet unknown sister. Inori has to go through all the rankings, impress the right people and then be in the right spots just to share the ice with the other girl on the series image.

After only three easy lessons... I'd like to say that the show is going to reframe the scenario so that being like her rival is the goal but it is called the Medalist, not the Competitor.
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doomrider7



Joined: 17 Sep 2006
Posts: 132
PostPosted: Wed Jan 15, 2025 11:06 am Reply with quote
Animegomaniac wrote:
"The dream itself isn't unrealistic."

To put this show into high school sports anime terms, Inori wants to compete with someone of her own age in the Nationals after having only started the sport... while her competitor is already in the Nationals.

But on top of this, the show then adds that Inori has to accomplish all this before reaching middle school. Inori has six months or so to "git gud" and that's just to impress her mother because of her yet unknown sister. Inori has to go through all the rankings, impress the right people and then be in the right spots just to share the ice with the other girl on the series image.

After only three easy lessons... I'd like to say that the show is going to reframe the scenario so that being like her rival is the goal but it is called the Medalist, not the Competitor.

I keep forgetting that I'm a source reader and nobody on this site even knew this series existed until about a week and a half ago.
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