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メダリスト [Medalist] #11
Medalist 11
ジュニアクラスに昇格したいのりは、コーチの司と新たな練習に挑むが、成長痛とも戦わなければならない。夢であり目標でもある金メダルに向け、グランプリシリーズなどノービスとは桁違いのレベルの高さと過酷さに、さらに闘志を奮い立たせるいのりと司！ ノービスでの成長速度と懸命さが評価され強化選手に選ばれたいのりはついに初の海外試合へ！ 日本代表の証・ジャパンジャージをまとい、ジュニアグランプリシリーズ第1戦バンコク大会へ司とともに飛び立つ!!
208 pages, Paperback
First published August 22, 2024
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44 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
January 20, 2025
Medalist finally takes the show on the road, heading to Thailand for the first event of the Junior Grand Prix. This time Inori is determined to win, but she’s up against particularly stiff competition.
For a manga about figure skating, Medalist can sure lack elegance at times. This is probably another killer volume if you don’t mind the grand dramatics that crop up, but I wish they stayed confined to the ice.
What we see of the skating here, mostly centred around Inori’s performance and that of Iruka, the older teen who’s a heavy favourite and fellow teammate, is absolutely stunning. The mangaka knows when to pull out the stops and they go all out here.
Inori’s sequence is very well realized, but Iruka told her that just because you know how to do everything well it might not translate to results. We see why this is and then get it hammered home when Iruka goes on and ups the game.
Even with no knowledge of literally anything else in the story, the art immediately shows how much better Iruka’s routine is. Of course, that’s only the first of two skates that make up the competition, so the outcome remains somewhat unclear until later (but not really, there’s no other outcome than the one we get that would make any sense).
This leads to a lot of soul-searching on both Inori’s and Tsukasa’s part as they try to ascertain what to do to bridge the gaps in Inori’s ability and get her where they both want her to be.
The core of this story has always been tight. I think Tsukasa has enough to do and Inori has been really well portrayed - she’s been at this for three years and you can see that she’s grown in the literal and figurative sense of the word. I like that she’s not staying a static age - it’s subtle but clear that she’s becoming less of a child.
All this is bound up in her insecurities, her rivalry with Hikaru, and her determination. Iruka opens up a bit more and she’s got good reason for being as prickly as she gets sometimes. I especially liked their little conversation at the hotel.
The bigger this goes with its off-ice intrigues, however, the more underwhelmed I tend to get. Sometimes it hits the melodrama too hard whereas I think the competition aspect is more than enough. Then again, I’m sure these soapy parts are catnip for other readers. It’s not that I mind that sort of thing; I just think this is perfect without it.
When Tsukasa is offered a deal that is too good to be true, his reasons for rejecting it are actually well reasoned. And the way the offer is presented involves some serious mind games, which works really well to gnaw at his insecurities over Inori’s development.
It’s the last part of this, literally the end of the volume, that brings the whole thing crashing back into this tortured rivalry angle and also makes the person who made the offer to Tsukasa come off like they’re a little demented. It’s an off note to wrap up on.
Just last time I was interested in said rivalry again, but it all has to do with the presentation. There’s also some narrative cludge in this one too - one conversation seems like it is discussing the very thing it then switches over to talking about. There are also a couple of moments like that here where either the translation or the original text let things down.
Most of the work here is good and I can live with the high drama most of the time. It just needs to be lightly used, like garnish, rather than become as ostentatious as the most garish skating routine. The rink should be where that stuff is coming out.
4 stars - the skating sequences are a full-on 5 stars, but I’d put the other aspects low enough that it brings the rest of my rating down. Good, not superlative.
For a manga about figure skating, Medalist can sure lack elegance at times. This is probably another killer volume if you don’t mind the grand dramatics that crop up, but I wish they stayed confined to the ice.
What we see of the skating here, mostly centred around Inori’s performance and that of Iruka, the older teen who’s a heavy favourite and fellow teammate, is absolutely stunning. The mangaka knows when to pull out the stops and they go all out here.
Inori’s sequence is very well realized, but Iruka told her that just because you know how to do everything well it might not translate to results. We see why this is and then get it hammered home when Iruka goes on and ups the game.
Even with no knowledge of literally anything else in the story, the art immediately shows how much better Iruka’s routine is. Of course, that’s only the first of two skates that make up the competition, so the outcome remains somewhat unclear until later (but not really, there’s no other outcome than the one we get that would make any sense).
This leads to a lot of soul-searching on both Inori’s and Tsukasa’s part as they try to ascertain what to do to bridge the gaps in Inori’s ability and get her where they both want her to be.
The core of this story has always been tight. I think Tsukasa has enough to do and Inori has been really well portrayed - she’s been at this for three years and you can see that she’s grown in the literal and figurative sense of the word. I like that she’s not staying a static age - it’s subtle but clear that she’s becoming less of a child.
All this is bound up in her insecurities, her rivalry with Hikaru, and her determination. Iruka opens up a bit more and she’s got good reason for being as prickly as she gets sometimes. I especially liked their little conversation at the hotel.
The bigger this goes with its off-ice intrigues, however, the more underwhelmed I tend to get. Sometimes it hits the melodrama too hard whereas I think the competition aspect is more than enough. Then again, I’m sure these soapy parts are catnip for other readers. It’s not that I mind that sort of thing; I just think this is perfect without it.
When Tsukasa is offered a deal that is too good to be true, his reasons for rejecting it are actually well reasoned. And the way the offer is presented involves some serious mind games, which works really well to gnaw at his insecurities over Inori’s development.
It’s the last part of this, literally the end of the volume, that brings the whole thing crashing back into this tortured rivalry angle and also makes the person who made the offer to Tsukasa come off like they’re a little demented. It’s an off note to wrap up on.
Just last time I was interested in said rivalry again, but it all has to do with the presentation. There’s also some narrative cludge in this one too - one conversation seems like it is discussing the very thing it then switches over to talking about. There are also a couple of moments like that here where either the translation or the original text let things down.
Most of the work here is good and I can live with the high drama most of the time. It just needs to be lightly used, like garnish, rather than become as ostentatious as the most garish skating routine. The rink should be where that stuff is coming out.
4 stars - the skating sequences are a full-on 5 stars, but I’d put the other aspects low enough that it brings the rest of my rating down. Good, not superlative.
August 10, 2025
4.5 stars
Das war mal wieder ein richtig spannender Band. Der Wettkampf in Bangkok hat Inori um einiges weitergebracht, selbst wenn das Ergebnis nicht so war wie erhofft. Dafür hat sie jetzt ein besseres Verständnis darüber, wie es bei den Junioren abläuft. Irukas Lauf war wirklich klasse und ich mag es, wie sie INori zur Seite steht. Reilly Fox ist mir irgendwie ein Rätsel und nicht so super sympathisch. Es scheint, dass sie nur das beste aus ihren Athletinnen herausholen will, was ich verstehen kann, die Art und Weise wie sie Tsukasa angesprochen hat, ist aber einfach suspekt. Und das Ende, mit dieser Wendung, verspricht irgendwie nichts gutes. Inori wird durch diese Wendung noch mehr zum Underdog, wenn diese beiden Trainer sich zusammentun. Andererseits kann man dadurch einfach noch mehr mitfiebern. Bin schon gespannt, was der nächste Band mit sich bringt.
Das war mal wieder ein richtig spannender Band. Der Wettkampf in Bangkok hat Inori um einiges weitergebracht, selbst wenn das Ergebnis nicht so war wie erhofft. Dafür hat sie jetzt ein besseres Verständnis darüber, wie es bei den Junioren abläuft. Irukas Lauf war wirklich klasse und ich mag es, wie sie INori zur Seite steht. Reilly Fox ist mir irgendwie ein Rätsel und nicht so super sympathisch. Es scheint, dass sie nur das beste aus ihren Athletinnen herausholen will, was ich verstehen kann, die Art und Weise wie sie Tsukasa angesprochen hat, ist aber einfach suspekt. Und das Ende, mit dieser Wendung, verspricht irgendwie nichts gutes. Inori wird durch diese Wendung noch mehr zum Underdog, wenn diese beiden Trainer sich zusammentun. Andererseits kann man dadurch einfach noch mehr mitfiebern. Bin schon gespannt, was der nächste Band mit sich bringt.
November 19, 2025
This volume starts the Junior Grand Prix competitions with Inori's first event in Thailand. Also competing with her is Iruka, who shows us just what a more experienced junior skater is capable of. As always, the mangaka does a great job depicting beautiful and captivating routines. There's also remarkable character development for Iruka and Inori, whose sisterly relationship is heartwarming.
I loved this volume and eagerly await the next one!
I loved this volume and eagerly await the next one!
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May 3, 2025米津玄師に全人類読めと言われたので読みました。ずっと熱いね！
December 3, 2025
ahhhh this is so intense
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews