English Dub Season Review: Medalist Second Season
Overview:
Ever since the novice coach Tsukasa Akeuraji took Inori Yuitsuka under his mentorship, she has improved her figure skating at a fast pace. After passing a qualifying badge test, she earns a spot to compete in the upcoming Chubu Block Tournament, where only five of the 15 competitors can move forward to the next stage—the prestigious All-Japan Novice Tournament. However, earning a slot will not be easy for Inori: most of her rivals have already tried their luck in the competition.
Our Take(Spoilers):
Whenever it comes to an anime that’s on Hulu or Disney+, it seems like we’re always way behind here in the States. This show was airing a long time ago, but we were the only region that wasn’t getting it. I was also surprised that when we did finally get it, we got the whole season all at once. I can’t decide if I would have liked a weekly schedule or what we got. On one hand, I’m glad I didn’t have to wait, but on the other hand, I wish I could have enjoyed it a little longer.
As for the show itself, it’s still a fantastic sports anime. I don’t know what it is about anime that somehow gets me interested in pretty much anything. I’ve never been interested in ice skating, but this show makes me want to watch it the next opportunity I get. The other thing sports anime does to me is, for some reason, make me cry. Whether be out of the joy of victory or the feeling that you tried your best, I always shed a few tears.
If you hate cliffhanger endings, then you’re going to be upset with this show. I researched it a bit, but it seems that the next thing we’re going to get is a movie. That will cover the upcoming competition where Inori and Hikaru are going to face off.
One thing about this season that I enjoyed was that Tsukasa got a bit of focus in an episode or two. He spends some time with Jun Yodaka, Hikaru’s coach, and to my surprise, Jun thinks that Tsukasa has talent and should be competing himself. Maybe he could be, but I also think he’s a fantastic coach.
With how important the rivalry between Inori and Hikaru is, you’d think we’d see Hikaru a lot. She was barely in this season, though we did see a bit of her backstory, and I have to admit it’s intriguing. She behaved almost like a wild beast, which is a huge contrast to how she has to be on the ice. Hikaru and Inori had only one interaction this season, two if you count the final scene. It was odd. Inori fell while skating, and Hikaru looked at her like trash, which isn’t how I remembered Hikaru treating her before.
I still loved this show, and the characters are a big reason why. I’m not usually a fan of CGI in anime, but it’s only used during the skating scenes, and it isn’t bad at all. From what I’ve heard, there’s enough material even after the movie, so I hope we get more of this in a series format. Either way, Medalist is well worth a watch for any anime fan, but especially for sports anime fans.
