Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
AkiraTendo
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
A manga from 2020, adapted in 2025. Season 2 in 2026, and a movie in 2027.
Medalist had the fastest turnaround time I’ve ever witnessed. Studio Engi really staked everything on this project, and it seems to have paid off.
Plot:
Medalist truly shines in terms of plot. Instead of using a cliche formula, it focuses on a COACH who’s trying to make a living after his failed Ice Dancing career.
This new perspective, of a person who wants their STUDENT to flourish, makes Medalist a breath of fresh air in the stacked Sports Anime genre. Since we’re seeing the archetypal sports anime story from a new perspective, we are introduced to completely NEW challenges. How do you convince your student’s parents to let them skate? How do you soothe your student’s emotions…
Read at the sourceAan1m
Absolutely incredible and one of the best sports anime’s I have watched - the animation is absolutely fantastic and so are the soundtracks - the protagonist and the coach are absolutely lovely characters and are just so easy to back in there journey - it is also surprisingly emotional with a lot of realistic depth and heartbreaking moments - as usual with sports anime’s since this resolves a lot around children it always sucks when a character you like loses but swing inori grow so much in the space of such a short time is so incredible to watch - the performances are absolutely breathtaking and always have me at the edge of my seat - just overall a fantastic watch and one of the most underrated anime’s
Read at the sourceJxbinha
The first season was the one that truly made me fall in love with Medalist. I went into it not expecting much and ended up completely invested in Tsukasa and Inori's journey. Their relationship as coach and student is easily one of my favorite parts of the anime, because you can see how much they genuinely believe in each other.
I love stories about people chasing a dream, but Medalist does something that really works for me: it doesn't make talent feel like magic. Inori has potential, but she also has fears, insecurities and a long way ahead of her. Seeing her slowly gain confidence made every small achievement feel important.
And honestly, figure skating is a perfect setting for emotional damage. Put an inspiring soundtrack over a child finally believing in herself and suddenly I'm sitti…
Read at the sourcebo6k
Its great really. I will not go in depth for this review as you should just experience it
I went into this anime not expecting something this emotional and good. The premise is solid, and I think using figure skating as the genre makes things more special and unique. The characters are very well made. This show shows how an athlete (a young one) survives, all the thoughts involved. Not just as an athlete, but as a human, wanting to be someone with meaning is not easy, you need hard work and sacrifices. Also dealing with insecurities. It is also about making the choices and growing up. All the main characters and side characters are well written. The characters are people with actual ambition. I teared up for the first time.
Great show. Would recommend if you like sports/ philosophy/ com…
Read at the sourceOtaku_Senpai
The show starts with very strong first episode. So the first episode will probably hook you. Art and animation is nice. In particular the skating is done well. I wonder how the skating animations were done. Looked hand drawn, but is it also using CGI? I was confused, its that good.
I liked the story and the characters. Sports anime enjoyers will like it. Athletes go through training regiment and put in hard work. Of course all skating lovers will love it. I am a bit surprised the manga is categorized as a seinen, as I had thought its young girls who would love it as the lead character is a 11 year old girl. I think anime will appeal in particular to 13+ year old girls the most.
Unlike the sports anime Uma Musume Cinderella Grey, the coach here is actually useful. I mention this as this…
Read at the sourcerivaj
I know i am seriously biassed, but i cant help on myself.
Characters are charming, story is engaging, sound design is excellent, music is more than great (the opening theme is unreasonably epic) and the animation is otherworldly good.
I mean... the chartacters and their sometimes unhinged reactions are great.
More importantly, the performances on the ice is (mostly) CG, but it perfectly blended into it's enviroment.
Not just the style, textures and shading, but the framerate too. Lot of anime made that mistake, when the scene changes to full CGI, the framerate goes up from 8-12 to 25 or worst 30. Thats completely ruins the immersion.
But not here, the timing of the frames is actively changing during an intense skate scene, following the momentum of the movement and this make them more a…
Read at the sourceOlorin666
A cute and sweet anime about a little girl and her friends who dream of becoming figure skaters. In life, they have many trials and tribulations. But despite everything, they are moving towards their goal. They are helped by a kind and talented coach, who, unfortunately, cannot practice this sport professionally due to his age. The anime will feel very light and simple. The plot is typical for sports anime, but still interesting. It's one of those anime where you can just relax and chill out. The 3-D animation is not terrible, but still catches your eye. The characters are basic but easy to understand. Music is okay. Overall, a solid average sport anime.
Read at the source_yz
If Medalist is one of the highest rated sports drama on MAL, then there's no wonder Umamusume is taking the world by storm right now — it's just better.
The premise is typical: the rising of an underdog. The problem is the show repeatedly kills off the stakes before you even start to feel them. The protag is starting from zero and has to compete with kids that spent half their life skating? Seems like a proper way to build tensions — oh, nah, it's made clear right away that she's a prodigy. The protag overtrains and hurts her leg? how will she catch up... — oh, a time skip right away, and the leg is healed! Basically, the MC is a terminator that only looses when it's needed for the plot and her real enemy is only her anxiety.
The characters have their charm, but there're two problems: t…
Read at the sourceemberreviews
Medalist is an adaptation of one of my favorite manga and could not have been given to a worse studio for said adaptation, and while it managed to assuage my fears of a production collapse and come out the other end as a solid work unto itself, I still find myself constantly nitpicking many aspects of the final product. Despite the gorgeous character models and intense lighting effects and fun little character acting moments, there’s also this sense of everything not fully fitting together, like it’s missing something at its core to unify all these elements into a cohesive whole, and there were more than a few editing choices that felt a bit jarring and disorienting. Going mostly full-CG with the figure skating segments was a bit of a disappointment, as many of the movements came off a bit…
Read at the sourceTheGOF
A pretty good sports anime. You might think that's a lukewarm review, but no: from me, that's high praise. I view the average sports anime the same way I view something small and dead that the cat dragged in. I just don't see this genre as conducive to interesting story-telling. There have been only three sports anime I can say I genuinely enjoyed watching: Cross Game, Blue Lock and now Medalist. So why is this so much better than the average? For one, it's laugh out loud funny. I laughed more per episode in this than in most comedies. Still, it doesn't sacrifice emotional investment for laughs. Both the leads, Inori and Tsukasa, are charming, amusing and easy to root for. They bounce off each other well and their victories, when they inevitably come (in true sports anime fashion), are sat…
Read at the sourceuyuryazar
The way the anime presents figure skating is what truly sets it apart. Instead of watching from a distant, static viewpoint like in real competitions, the camera places you inside the rink. The angles capture motion and momentum extremely well, making each performance feel immersive and dynamic. The art direction during these scenes is especially impressive. I could say it's better than watching real figure skating.
The animation quality supports this presentation effectively. Hair details, facial expressions, and emotional nuance are handled with care, and the animation feels smooth and fluid throughout. The figure skating sequences use CGI, but it is well balanced and integrated naturally into the visuals.
The costume design is another highlight. Outfits are beautiful, varied, and well…
Read at the sourcesalwacja
This anime delivered.
A beautiful story about self-development and building your character while doing what you love. I love how the characters were shaped and how they changed and grew throughout the episodes. Inori matured so much. She grew so much under Tsukasa's guidance. I cried while watching, and by the end, Inori is truly sweet and wonderful. This little spark was so lucky to meet Tsukasa, who guided her development. Other characters, too. If I had met Rioh, I wouldn't have liked him, but the way he changed, the way his behaviour towards Inori and Tsukasu turned around. He also grew. Tsukasa is such a solid material. He's a great guy, the way he helped Inori raise her level, looking at his history with ice skating, and the way he supported her. That's a good one, literally father…
Read at the sourcePixelB
Before anything, can we just appreciate how good Medalist's 3D animation is? I complain over and over again and shudder at any mention of Japanese Anime's complete dogshit CGI, 3D animation, and 3D models. But holy shit, this anime has GREAT 3D animation. Absolutely amazing in how it blends in with the actual art style of the anime, the 2D/3D blending of the actual rigs themselves, the shaders used, and the love and care that went into the choreography. The 3D animations themselves, with the complex maneuvers that figure skaters go through is captured, and the camera panning is good as well. By far the best 3D animation done in a full cour anime. There's no competition.
Now, onto the rest of the show. Honestly, I just like how Inori's character development is a constant theme in the anime…
Read at the sourceC4bs
Just before the start of the new anime release season, while I'm choosing which ones to watch or not, I always wonder if there will be some lesser production, with little publicity and confined to an obscure streaming service, that will end up surprising me with its quality and becoming a big surprise for me. Unfortunately, such discoveries have become increasingly rare due to my coverage of Eastern entertainment industry news, almost completely robbing me of the feeling of discovering a good work, because, in most cases, I already know in advance whether it will be good or not.
On the other hand, when I come across a positive surprise these days, I end up appreciating it even more, knowing it's a rare occurrence. And for me, Medalist's anime was the big surprise of the winter season, not…
Read at the sourceRoy_Mustache
Show is great. It has some of the best character growth I've ever seen in only 13 episodes, and it's only gonna get better. Seriously, even if you can't stand "crybaby" characters like Inori, just stick through it, you'll be pleasantly surprised. The only negative things about Medalist I could mention are 1) Some awkwardly placed time skips, and 2) I'm no kid expert but I doubt 8-year-olds act like this in reality. Those things are EASILY overshadowed by how good everything else is. Skater-coach relationships, talented protagonist, skating animation, banger music, a good rivalry, likable main characters. You don't even need to know ice skating stuff, it's enjoyable anyway. I gave it a 9 cause 13 episodes understandably wasn't enough to flesh out the story, but season 2 has been already ann…
Read at the sourceanalysis1909
Every now and then, an anime comes along that doesn’t make a loud entrance but leaves a quiet, lasting impact. Medalist is one such anime.
It's not the most talked-about show right now, but it truly deserves more recognition. With each episode, you can feel the dedication of the writer, director, animators, and the entire production crew. Medalist is a rare sports anime that prioritizes emotion over spectacle, and it does so beautifully.
At first glance, Medalist may seem like a typical underdog sports story centered around figure skating. But what sets this anime apart isn’t just the sport, it’s the relationship between the coach and the player. While many sports anime focus on rivalries, competitions, or team dynamics, Medalist places its emotional weight on the bond between a passiona…
Read at the sourceAES-senpai
Set to premiere in 2025, "メダリスト" (Medalist) is a highly anticipated anime series that promises to deliver a heartwarming and inspiring tale from the competitive world of figure skating. Based on the acclaimed manga by Tsurumaikada, this adaptation is expected to capture the emotional depth, intense training, and sheer passion that define its source material. It aims to be a compelling watch for sports anime enthusiasts and anyone who loves a story of perseverance against the odds.
The Plot: A Late Bloomer's Journey to the Ice
"Medalist" centers on the unlikely duo of Tsukasa Akeuraji, a once-promising figure skater whose dreams were cut short, and Inori Yuzuki, a young girl who, despite her age (often portrayed as being in elementary school), shows immense potential but initially struggle…
Read at the sourceKikukahiko
This series portrays "Asian kid trauma" so Fucking well.
(I was tearing up from the first episode)
At first, I thought it was just your typical sports anime, but what really sets it apart are the two leads, Inori and Tsukasa. Both of them start from bottom one literally from zero, and the other with a bit of experience, but still far from the top. They constantly push and support each other. The character development is super solid, especially for Inori (honestly a top-tier contender for Female of the Year 2025)
It’s like Tsukasa’s growth gets passed down to Inori, which really reflects his role as a coach. The script, written by Hanada, is top-notch (even though I usually hesitate to hype this guy, this one’s thankfully not one of his “possessed by a ghost” moments to write is Anime scr…
Read at the sourceKirbyGrandmaOG
This anime had me genuinely invested in Inori's character growth; From episode 1 all the way to the end I was finding myself excited every time she learned a new move or came up with a game plan. One major aspect I really enjoyed was the excellent use of CGI in the animation; very good example of how it should be done. The animation was beautiful and one of the times I found myself getting a hit of dopamine watching every action/skating scenario! I would have given this a 10, but I did find the dramatization to be way over the top for the smallest of problems. Though I do get that kids tend to overthink and worry about the simplest of things, which I know all too well. Very realistic view in all honesty of what is going on in a kids mind during such stressful situations, but it felt like t…
Read at the sourceHail_Lelouch
Most underrated anime of 2025 currently, Medalist is a sports drama that centers around Inori who wishes to make it big in Figure skating. While the characters and the animation is good, the story felt a rushing piece. There were no hard lessons learned for the protagonist with no losses and the sudden time skip after Episode 9 felt a bit off.
As a fan of sports anime, I gave Medalist a try. While there were some emotional elements that made me rooted for the character, but the side characters weren't given enough spotlight in terms of backstory and story progression.
Unlike many anime, Medalist portrays a world without true antagonists; instead it is populated by earnest, hardworking characters who embody humanity's better nature. Medalist is a decent show and while it’s far away from t…
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