Medalist – Episode 1

What’s it about? Fifth grader Yuitsuka Inori dreams of becoming a world-class figure skater but her age stands in the way. She’s “too old” to start training seriously, and her mother refuses to support her out of trauma from seeing Inori’s elder sister’s skating career end in failure. But when she meets former ice dancer Akeuraji Tsukasa, it finally feels like the path to Inori’s dreams is finally opening up.

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As a child of the 90s and an avid Yuri!!! On ICE fan, I love figure skating and ice dancing. It’s one the most magical things to witness, and while I’ve only watched from the digital screen, a part of me dreams of sitting in a cold arena, watching a skater, or perhaps a pair, dance across a glossy, freshly resurfaced plane of ice. However, until that day comes, we’ve got Medalist, an anime I was incredibly excited for. 

In many ways, I want this to fill the Katsuki Yuri-shaped hole in my heart: I sorely miss the series, miss the feeling it gave me of watching a show week to week. I miss the wellspring of emotion I felt watching each skating sequence. But honestly, I don’t think Medalist is capable of doing that: I think it’s capable of doing so much more.

Episode 1, “A Genius on the Ice,” opens with a monologue from Inori reflecting on what it means to achieve her dream and become a world-class figure skater. It’s paired alongside a young girl gliding across the ice in what is a moving performance that captures Inori’s full attention, all before shifting to the perspective of Tsukasa, a former ice dancer who’s down on his luck.

Quickly, the two are drawn together after Inori sneaks in and tries to skate for free, only to find that their lives aren’t all that different from one another. Both have a passion for skating, and both are at a disadvantage: Tsukasa because he’s aimless after a late start and crushed dreams, Inori because she’s getting her own late start. 

Yet what ensues is a premiere focused on Inori finally, finally, finally getting her chance, even with the concerns of her mother, the disadvantage of being a late skater, and all the obstacles that stand in her way. It starts the arc of healing for Tsukasa, of growth for Inori, and of a dynamic duo that’s set to be one of the most memorable set of characters this season.

There’s an emotionality that I find entrancing about sports anime. A blatant display of unfettered passion for a singular activity that characters pour their hearts into. While I haven’t watched Haikyu!!, I imagine that’s part of the appeal. So when Tsukasa says that he’ll work hard and do whatever it takes to get Inori to the top, you feel it in your gut in a way that tells you this is going to be a really good story. We may not know its end—heck, we don’t even know where Inori’s skills will go in the interim—but it has so much humanity that you just can’t help but come along for the ride.

Because of that, this premiere goes down smooth, quickly sailing by. By the time I reached the credits, I was shocked because I was so engrossed. I think that’s the magic here, that secret ingredient that sets up a strong story arc: I suspect that this ability to entrance and lock you in as the viewer will help Medalist maintain its stride over the next three months.

Ultimately, Medalist is really, really good. It’s really, really, really good. It’s easily one of the best premieres of Winter 2025, and will instantly fill you with all the warmth you need to survive the winter. The mentor-mentee pairing of Tsukasa and Inori immediately brings to mind every kindhearted adult who’s guided me in my life, echoing the immense joy of seeing an adult take a kid under their wings and encourage them to shoot for the moon. 

In the end, you can’t help but root for Inori and want to see her succeed, even if her mom has her own initial reasons and concerns for not wanting to allow her daughter to start taking figure skating lessons. It’s also the story of a twenty-six year old finding his place in the world by using his own experiences to help a child beat the odds. 

I can’t emphasize how much Medalist should be a part of your watchlist this season. Better yet, go and grab the physical or digital editions of the manga so that you can enjoy it even more. That’s my plan so I can survive until the next Skating Saturday.