Kurz vor dem gemeinsamen Trainingslager fliegen zwischen Inori und Rio die Fetzen. Rio stellt Tsukasas Trainingsmethoden infrage: Wie soll ein Eistänzer in der Lage sein, ihnen Sprünge beizubringen, die er selbst nicht beherrscht? Um ihren Trainer zu verteidigen, schwört Inori, dass sie vor Rio die Kombination aus Dreifach- und Doppelsprung schafft. Aber Tsukasa hat seine ganz eigenen Methoden, seine Schüler von sich zu überzeugen …
For our pair of unconventional figure skating team of teacher-duo Tsukasa and Inori, some unconventional training will be needed to develop a winning program and stand out at the Japan Figure Skating Championships.
This manga continues to be an engaging and well-drawn series depicting the figure skating scene and an uncommon sports manga choice in a genre filled with baseball, basketball, and soccer.
God I love this story so much. Just the pure fire in these kids hearts to be the best at what they do. Gives me inspiration to push forward. On top of that, the art is just so gorgeous. Love how can tell what's happening even with the amazing action scenes. A easy 4.5 out of 5.
As her second summer approaches, Inori needs to master some complicated moves if she wants to get her next badge and enter competition. Tsukasa is intent on getting her there, but can he help her do the things he himself is incapable of?
Medalist is the best sports manga going right now, for my money. It knows how to generate thrilling moments, character drama, and all sorts of interesting scenarios without resorting to over the top antics or special powers or anything else.
Following from last volume, we spend a lot of time on Rioh and his utter disdain for Tsukasa’s coaching ability and his belief that, since he never earned any of these badges himself, Tsukasa is completely unequipped to help Inori do anything.
Of course, being a snotty little punk, Rioh gets set straight by Inori, though his antics really burrow underneath Tsukasa’s skin. This volume is really focused on Tsukasa and it’s great seeing his super-cheerful coach facade get broken once in a while.
As befits a strong story like this, Rioh’s got his reasons and his training with Inori’s frenemy Hikaru is part of it. Once Tsukasa gets to the real source of all this, he really teaches Rioh a lesson (not like that!) in a stunner of a sequence that’s the absolute highlight of this volume.
That puts Inori a little bit less in the spotlight this time, but she’s still the lead and no mistake. The way this story has conveyed her growth has been wonderfully done and it isn’t neglecting the passage of time either - she’s clearly growing up as the story progresses and that’s a fantastic touch.
Coming up to her competition, she is still learning as much as she can and trying her best to work on her weak spots. Her drive and determination have always been strong, but with so much lost time to make up for and her self-imposed deadlines she’s even more focused than usual.
Mix in some fun ballet digressions and the always silly Inori-Mittens dynamic, plus the portrayal of how hard training camps are for both teacher and student? Along with the actual exam itself? It’s a full, delicious meal of sporting goodness that has been consistently strong for every volume.
5 stars - a great series remains great. I was impressed with the way the Rioh situation resolved especially. It might not have been an unexpected outcome, but it’s a real showstopper. The rest of it was the same excellent business as usual and an easy recommend for just about anybody.
God I love this story so much. Just the pure fire in these kids hearts to be the best at what they do. Gives me inspiration to push forward. On top of that, the art is just so gorgeous. Love how can tell what's happening even with the amazing action scenes. A easy 4.5 out of 5.
The emotion in this art sends me to tears, happy and sad. I love the way Inori and Rioh are growing, and Coach Tsukasa cheering them on and giving them great advice is just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
Great balance of emotion, sports, and gorgeous artwork
I love Inori, and all the art is lovely. Makes me want to take up ice skating like I did after Yuri on Ice. (I didn't really enjoy skating, but maybe if I stuck with it... it's great exercise. ) I almost can't believe one person does all of the work,it's very impressive.
I think my favorite thing about this series is that its primary relationship is an athlete-coach one, so there's no risk of a romance overtaking the plot, and that means it has to put the majority of its focus on the actual sport. Which. THANK YOU. It's insanely hard to find skating-related media that aren't romance first-skating second, so I love that about this one.
I can feel everyone inching closer and closer to their goals. I loved to watch Rioh confront his own desires and understand his dreams better. Tsukasa is my favorite character, so I really loved getting to see the effect that Rioh's words had on him. Tsukasa is someone who is so amazing and capable but he still struggles so much with his past and his insecurity, and I really appreciate watching him grapple with that. Both Tsukasa and Inori turn their insecurities and fears into pure determination and I find that so beautiful! It was such a treat to watch him skate, too!!
I really loved getting to see new sides to Rioh's father too. He seems like a really nice guy even though he has a stern demeanor. And at this point I'm seriously dying to know more about Jun and Hikaru. There's got to be more to their dynamic than what we're seeing. It's almost like they're the protagonists in their own story that we're just not getting to see, besides in that side story about their meeting from a few volumes ago. I must know the answers to all my questions!! CAN'T WAIT TO READ MORE!!
Volume 4 of Medalist brings Inori and Tsukasa to summer camp, where they focus on getting Inori ready to compete against Hikaru. At summer camp, Rioh continues to be a little brat, and Tsukasa works on getting Rioh to be less of a brat. To round out the brattiness, Mittens also joins the camp.
Jokes about kids being brats aside, seeing Tsukasa battle Rioh's pessimism with optimism and energy is fun to watch. Seeing Tsukasa inspire Rioh not to give up on himself feels like therapy for my own inner child. It doesn't feel like a cliche "never give up" moment, because Tsukasa is up front about his own shortcomings and struggles. He doesn't talk down to any of the kids, and it shows how much he wants to see them succeed on their own terms.
Artistically, this volume feels like a cut above the previous ones. There were a lot of spins, jumps, and performances, and they were all drawn beautifully.
Overall, this was a fantastic volume, and I can't wait to read the next one!
Questo volume mi ha davvero emozionato. L'arte dell'insegnamento è un dono e Tsukasa questo dono ce l'ha. Grazie ai suoi consigli e al suo supporto costante, non solo Inori, ma anche lo scontroso Rio riesce a tirare fuori il meglio di sé durante il ritiro del club.
Adesso che Inori è riuscita ad arrivare al livello 6 del Badge Test, la sua strada si fa ancora più ripida e al contempo ancora più stimolante. Il suo idolo e rivale Hikaru non è più così lontana.
Fino ad ora Medalist rimane un seinen sportivo eccellente, non si riesce a non empatizzare con tutti i giovani pattinatori sul ghiaccio.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. In this fourth book, most of the action is limited to the training camp. This felt like the book centred on Rioh and his character development arc from little brat to hopeful student. I was a bit disappointed with the lack of long skating scenes. I hope there is more action in the next book as it will have a competition aspect and probably more focus on our future Medalist.
No one messes with Tsukasa and his credibility! Rioh was an annoying little brat, until he saw the same passion and desperation in Tsukasa skating.
I really enjoyed this volume that included summer campus and test moments. Alot of training and pushing to the limit. My fit reached for the sky for every victory!
4.5 stars Super Band! Ich bin richtig stolz auf alle und ihre Entwicklung, wodurch das Ende ein i-Tüpfelchen ist. In dem Band geht es so viel darum, ergeizig zu sein, aus Fehlern zu lernen und das Selbstbewusstsein zu haben, trotz Niederlagen weiterzumachen. Freue mich schon, wenn ich den 5. Band lesen kann
Rioh is great and I love him, he is unpleasant but it's trauma baybeeeee!!!!! we are supportive of his journey!!!! also yay for ice dance edges and skills
don't think too hard about how these kids are progressing and how a human being can skate for years and not get anywhere close, don't think about it!! (they are skating every single day, etc)