Medalist Volumes 11 and 12 Review

Inori has joined the Junior class but she’s still suffering from leg pains so coach Tsukasa approaches Miho Kanayumi, a physical therapist with a rather unique personality, to join the team. After many refusals (and enduring several judo throws which he survives because he ‘knows how to fall’) Miho relents and starts to work with Inori, using her taping skills to help her get back on the ice. It turns out that she’d already noticed Inori’s promise two years earlier but some unexpected life events had prevented her from making contact. So, with Miho’s expertise, Inori’s no longer in pain and is ready to enter the fray once more. The next event will be Inori’s first Grand Prix in Bangkok because she’s been awarded the right to skate in international competitions as a ‘designated skater’ for Japan! However, the formidable and intimidating Iruka Okazaki is also competing and she’s a ruthless competitor who has age and experience on her side. And unbeatable Hikaru… How will Inori fare?

To complicate matters, charismatic coach and Olympic gold medalist Riley Fox asks Tsukasa to join her team and bring Inori to Tokyo. This places Tsukasa in a very difficult position – and after an emotional confrontation, he tries to explain that Inori going to Tokyo might prove too much of an upheaval in leaving her family etc. And then in the middle of this  comes the news that Shinichiro, Rioh’s father and Hikaru’s official coach, has been taken ill and is in hospital!

Hikaru has decided to leave her skating club and her life with Shinichiro’s family and go to Tokyo. Rioh (who adores her) is distraught. But the charismatic Riley Fox who has brought her to Tokyo is an Olympic gold medal winner and introduces her to other Olympians at a dinner that Jun Yodaka also attends (but eats nothing). As he and Hikaru talk in the gardens afterward, he tells her, “You’re to win the gold at every event you skate in. If you stray from that path, I quit.” He leaves, being dismissive about Tsukasa and Inori, whom he labels ‘some insignificant child’ to which Hikaru has no answer. But when she later encounters Inori again, Hikaru’s first thought is: How could such a fearsome girl be “insignificant”?

And so Inori finds herself competing in the All-Japan Junior Figure Skating Championship against Iruka and Hikaru! Hikaru draws the Number 1 slot in the short programme which depresses all the other girls because “Until now, anyone who’s skated after Hikaru has pretty much gotten wrecked!” After the Bangkok competition, Inori has much to prove, especially to herself.

As Tsukasa muses while watching, ‘The ice favors no one. It’s equally cold to everybody. There are no absolutes out on the ice. That’s why we have to sharpen our blades.’ Each time a skater sets out to compete, in spite of all their skill and training, things may not go their way. And as for Inori, she’s thinking along the same lines as she sets out to perform her short programme…

If you’ve been following Season 2 of the superb Medalist anime, you’ll be keen to find out what happens after the events portrayed in the anime (there will also be a film) because these later manga volumes take Inori and Tsukasa’s stories well beyond those events. Tsurumaikada’s gift at portraying the intricacies of competitive figure skating and how it affects the young skaters in many different ways makes for very compelling reading – and the mangaka’s wonderfully vivid art captures the look as well as the way it feels for the competitors when they’re on the ice.

Fans of the wild child skating genius Hikaru will not want to miss Volume 12, which shows us some of her memories of her earlier life in a moving and revealing way. There’s also a really charming scene in which – in an attempt to make things better with Rioh before she leaves for Tokyo – she suggests they try ice dancing. As they move across the ice together, she muses about the meaning of her name ‘light’ and how she’s always been chasing the bright lights because “I’ve been scaring people, like a big bad wolf, creating nothing but shadows.” This makes Rioh say staunchly, “What I wanna be is someone who doesn’t become a shadow, even when standing next to you. That’s why I’ve always wanted to be right by your side.” In reply, Hikaru smiles and just says simply, “Thank you.” The metaphor of the ice dancing (Tsukasa’s area of expertise on the ice) perfectly represents the relationship between the two young skaters. But Hikaru is still leaving the club and all the other members are very sad to see her go. What comes as a surprise is seeing Hikaru breaking down and crying alone at having to leave the life she knows behind. And what about Riley Fox, the dynamic and unorthodox coach? Not content with poaching Hikaru, she’s now after Inori and Tsukasa and the way she’s portrayed is fascinating (and not always in a good way).

The world of figure skating is one of the main draws for readers of Medalist but what keeps us coming back is the mangaka’s gift for story-telling. Watching Inori’s determination to succeed against all the odds is inspiring – as is her relationship with coach Tsukasa. The little touches of humour sprinkled throughout are delightful – but the contrast is all the more stark and impactful when the stakes are high.

Both volumes have been ably translated by for Kodansha by Kevin Gifford with lettering by Scott O’Brien for the print edition and by Darren Smith for the original digital edition. As usual, there are several fun extras from the mangaka at the end as well as one-page previews for the next volume. A bonus at the start is the character guide for the athletes and coaches and a helpful summary ‘The story so far’. It’s a shame that there aren’t any colour images as Tsurumaikada’s colour work is so eye-catching but this tends to happen with later volumes in long-running manga series. Volume 13 is due out in April in print (the digital edition is already available) and as Japan is just up to Volume 14, we’ve almost caught up.

The events at the end of Volume 12 leave us on a cliffhanger as Inori goes out onto the ice. She’s grown, not only in age, height and experience, but also in her attitude to performing. Can she deliver a life-changing performance? I can’t wait to find out…

• Medalist © TSURUMAIKADA/KODANSHA LTD.

Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.