Considering the popularity of sports anime thanks to series like Haikyuu!!, as well as figure skating’s own growth in Japan thanks to the phenomenon of Yuzuru Hanyu as both an olympic-winning skater and near-idol in his own right, it’s perhaps surprising we’ve basically not had an anime focused on the sport since the success story of Yuri!!! on ICE. Even then, for all the merits of that series, it was a story more about stagnating on that journey and its industry-shifting boys-love romance, while its ice skating aspects, far from disappointing, are less-often brought up in discussions of the series 10 years later.
Medalist breaks a drought in figure skating anime to share the story of the supposedly ‘too-old’ 11-year-old Inori Yuitsuka’s dream of becoming a skater. Put down by a mother afraid of repeating her sister’s failure in achieving the dream and the fact that many in the sport start training at just 5 years old, she nonetheless gets support from a former skater in Tsukasa Akeuraji to achieve her dream after seeing the passion and potential she holds for the sport.
In Japan, the show has become one of the more popular and enduring hits of the season, no doubt uplifted by the attention given by its theme song "Bow and Arrow" from popular musician Kenshi Yonezu, but also from its source material. This is a multi-award winning series, winning plaudits from the likes of Shogakugan and Kodansha that no doubt assisted in giving the series the notoriety needed to make this adaptation a reality. Most of all, this is a series that embraces a pure love for the uplifting power of sports anime, and its message for those both young and old.
It’s easy for time to pass us by. We may have dreams, but if we fail to act upon them and make them a reality, it can be too late. It’s much harder to live with regret than to give something a chance and find satisfaction in the journey even if you fall short, even beyond sports. Such anime have always found their winning formula in blending the thrill of the action with the inspiring hope of seeing someone follow their dream, and this goes for everything from classics like Aim for the Ace! and Hajime no Ippo to modern hits like the aforementioned Haikyuu!!.
The way an audience approaches such a series depends on their age. The protagonists of these series are often young, high school kids in the throes of Japan’s school club sporting system with dreams of turning pro. For a young person on that same trajectory it can be the fuel to make that jump to the next level. For an adult, whether drowning in the stresses of a full-time job seeking inspiration to keep going or who remembers those experiences fondly, it can be equally inspiring, or nostalgic.
Medalist’s protagonist is younger than typical protagonists, placing her more in the world of youth sports than the cusps of being a pro. It’s also crushingly realistic on the remote realities of anyone becoming pro, particularly in a physically-taxing and high-skill sport like ice skating where someone of Inori’s age is years behind. Yet rather than wallowing in these low odds or giving a more typically-optimistic look that ignores reality for the thrills of success - far from a bad thing, merely a different approach - the series succeeds by embracing the hope sports can bring to the wide eyes of youth, and reminding older audiences to grasp the time they have with both hands.
Inori begins the series bereft of belief and on the cusp of aging out of a sport she loves. She can’t even trust herself enough to stand against her mother to give herself a chance. It constrains her, holding her back from involving herself with others far beyond the rink. It’s a contrast to her expressiveness as soon the moment she’s in the ring, lighting up with a passion and desire that far surpasses her rapidly-growing skills. She wants to make up for lost time and give this her biggest chance, inspired by those around her.
Aiding on this journey is Tsukasa, her coach; if Inori is Medalist’s heart, he is its core message personified. The series embodies the hope of youth sports not just for capturing the twin sides of Inori in genuinely hilarious and loving style that’s impossible not to fall in love with as she pursues her goal. It’s in how Tsukasa embodies the hopes of the animators, the audience, and his own by supporting Inori into achieving what he can’t.
Tsukasa is at a crossroads, having himself started skating late and falling short of his goal. We learn more of his specific struggles as time goes, but in the premiere he’s drifting between things when offered a job of a coach before meeting Inori. Seeing her desire, she’s a second chance to help someone do what he couldn’t.
Just as her journey is to overcome the odds of her late start with her passion to become an ice skater, Tsukasa’s journey is to no longer feel regret at trying and failing too late. He may not have reached his goal, but does that make the joy he felt any less real, or that it’s not inspiring to see others follow in the pursuit of that dream? If you can help along the way, isn’t it all worth it?
Medalist is a highlight of the season because its a pure embodiment of what sports anime can bring. Elevated by expressive characters and incredibly-animated skating sequences, the series’ strongest moments come when it blends the desires of chasing a goal when young with pridefully aiding another in that journey when mature. Both stories have merit, and while most often overlook the latter, this story diminishes neither.
Even if your paths differ or you stepped away from that same goal, it doesn’t make watching someone fight for a dream any less powerful. A coach and a student. A bow needs an arrow to fire, after all.
