Medalist is such a good and different kind of sports manga! I had high hopes when I noticed that this is seinen, even though the cover isn't the best possible. Tsukasa's dream of becoming one of the best Japanese ice skaters doesn't happen and his self esteem is low perhaps even due to his personality. If you want to become a top in Japan, you have to start early, since the country excels in ice skating. Tsukasa is already 26 years old. He happens to meet Inori, a 11-year-old girl, who wants to skate, but her mother doesn't support that dream and the girl has practiced by herself. Tsukasa sees the potential and becomes her new coach. The series is truly a sports series where you learn about skating and it's full of info and nothing like Yuri on Ice. This makes the series very interesting and finally we have kids doing sports too, which is so different.

The art looks great and works well with the series. Perhaps the panels are a bit stuffed, but I like the vividness and expressions. I loved the warmth of the story and the characters are well built. We need more sports series and especially those that do things differently and still put the highlight on sports. I'm a fan of sports series, I do admit that, but my bar is high and this surely made it.

I loved this book . It was super super fun , I enjoyed reading about all the different techniques one must master to be a champion at figure skating . All the characters in this book are super friendly and relatable . The little girl in this story is so focused and determined . I also love how hard the coach works on trainung this girl and ensuring that her dreams are fulfilled .Highly reconmend to anyone who wants a short fun , easy read .

WOW! That last page (before the bonus chapters) though! What a way to drive all the emotion of this story into that final page. SO good!

This was quite the adventure…and would say one of the most stressful manga I've read.

What I mean is that there is a real sense of pressure when reading these pages. I don't know how the mangaka did it but I felt myself anxious on the behalf of Inori. I honestly couldn't imagine being in her shoes, but I could imagine this is why her story is all the more compelling. We are hearing and seeing the things spoken to her that are just SO degrading. And if not that, then far from encouraging.

The crazy thing is this is not just from other parents, but children her age too. While some of their talk is only on a few pages, there is no denying the hurtful words from other skaters who don't even see her worth the time of a day.

Truly, this is an underdog story and it's hard not to want to root for Inori and her success.

Tsukasa is AMAZING! I absolutely love love LOVE his energy and him as a character overall. He is a phenomenal coach and while I already found myself cheering for Inori before his excitement, I couldn't help but cheer for her even more because of him. He's amazing! <3

The art was superb! The sense of movement really reminded me of figure skating because it's bold, graceful, and enchanting. The mangaka really brought to life the beauty of this sport through art and would have not thought that possible before reading this.

Overall, this is an excellent sports manga that is memorable in many ways! It is intense, beautiful, and exciting. Highly recommend!

*(I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are my own.)*

This was such a cute read! I loved the plot and was rooting for Tsukasa and Inori all the while. I can't wait to see that happens next!

4.5/5 stars

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for this review)

Medalist is much more than a manga about skating, it is a story of overcoming, of evolution and chasing dreams.

The first volume begins with Tsukasa, a boy who left professional skating because he thought he was not enough and believed that he was being a drag on his dance partner. Now he is looking for various jobs and is offered one as a coach of a skating club. There he meets Inori, a slow learner who finds it hard to make friends since she suffers bullying at her school. Everyone laughs at her, even her mum doesn't have any faith in her (moreover when she is compared with her sister), and thinks she's inferior for it. The only thing that helps her cope with the day to day is skating, she learns on her own thanks to videos and rehearses alone on the track. Everything begins in that meeting. Tsukasa sees potential in Inori and wants to train her to a higher level.

This manga has made me fall in love with its characters, I am looking forward to seeing the evolution of Inori as a skater, but also as a person, just like Tsukasa. I hope that in future volumes they help each other and come to trust themselves more. I also liked the secondary characters, other skaters who have only appeared a little so far but will surely compete against Inori later. The character design has also been a plus, I like the drawing style.

And I do not want to forget to comment on the help that all the information they give about skating, competitions, lower levels, pirouettes, etc. It is especially appreciated for people who do not know how this sport works.

If you like manga and ice skating, I recommend Medalist.

I was Immediately drawn to this title because it's about Ice skating, and It was such a wholesome read!
Tsukasa and Inori both have a drive to be great on the Ice, Tsukasa is a former Ice champion and new Coach at the Ice rink where Inori aspires to become a great ice skater despite her peers and mother doubting her ability. Together they work hard to prepare Inori for competitions to prove that she can be a successful skater.

#Medalist1 #NetGalley

This book had a couple strikes against it in the beginning. Sports manga are hit or me for me, and the female protagonist was on the younger side (not my favorite.) That being said, this manga was charming. I really enjoyed it, and highly recommend it. .

This is such an unassuming title, but oh boy! does it pack a punch! An instant 5 star read for me!

Medalist volume 1 by Tsurumaikada promises great art from the front cover and insert colour art and delivers throughout! The colour pieces are intriguing, well designed, smart, and beautiful, full of energy, and I couldn't get enough of it. Then the manga actually starts and Tsurumaikada's genius is laid bare. This mangaka *knows* manga. Knows the different genres, and styles, and utilises them for effect, whether it is for comedic effect, action, emotions, every panel screams competence within this medium. But even more so, this manga art has a style of its own, something unique and different and was reminicent of another great Kodansha Sports manga series: Okiku Furikabutte. I would also suggest that this work is worthy of similar prize-winning accolades.

Medalist is at its core a sports manga, a genre that has grown in popularity in the West in recent years. Sports manga are always engaging, uplifting, and most importantly, inspiring. Medalist has all of those traits in spades. I felt energised after reading it, and can't wait to read more.

Medalist is a feel good sports manga for non-traditional sport. It follows 26 year old Tsukasa, a jaded almost professional ice skater as he negotiates this new stage in his life as he contemplates retirement from competition. At the same time he encounters a cinnamon-roll of a child, a 10 year old girl, Inori, who exudes natural talent and burning desire to skate. Tsukasa recognises all of their shared similarities and struggles and decides to become her coach to help her achieve her dreams. Their relationship is pure and beautiful and it is clear that they will be good for each other. The side characters are a joy, especially the future rivals - sports rivals are *chef's kiss*. The comedy is also gold - I cackled!

Medalist has been made for me, it is the kind of story that I absolutely love and end up following for years. It has vibes of other amazing Kodansha sports series such as, Chihayafuru or Welcome to the Ballroom, both of which I love. I highly recommend that you check this out - I love it! I will wait impatiently for volume 2!

Medalist was really great. I, in general, have no real interest in ice skating but have consumed the occaisional story involving it. Medalist is about a man who took up ice skating late and is having trouble landing a job doing anything involved with it and winds up getting a coaching position. It is not only about him but also an eleven year old girl who would love nothing more than to be the best skater in the world. They just happen to cross paths and he gets to coach her. Their enthusiasm alone is wonderful but together is terribly contagious. Not much happened besides their background and meet up in this first volume. I'm excited for the next to see how much they improve together.

There is a full length review forthcoming on my site, MangaLibrarian.com and on my YouTube Channel! I go in depth on my analysis there.

I overall enjoyed the story. I thought the artwork captured nicely the fluidity of movement in figure skating, which is hard to do when not dealing with a moving image. I review this Manga in my video this week.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this book in return for an honest review.

This manga was actually really nice to read. The friendship between the two main characters is so wholesome and I liked learning about the sport of skating. I wish I read this physically and not as an eARC just so I could appreciate the art a little more.

Rating: 3.5⭐
Would I Read It Again? Yes
Would I Recommend it? Yes

Absolutely a delight! Love the pacing and the art. I can't wait to see where the story goes, I see great potential.

I'm really digging this trend in sports media to focus on the pressure to start young and invest your entire life into a sport for success. I also like that our mains not only fall outside of that culture but also aren't typical of the sport. I am a pretty unfeminine femme but I loved watching figure skating when I was a kid. I suspect, had I grown up somewhere near a rink, I would have been Inori digging up worms to pay for ice time.

This was so so so sweet. I didn't expect to love this one as much as I did. I definitely recommend this to people who love sports mangas, but I also think anyone can enjoy the story and characters!

<i> arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

DNF

I like the premise of this one but ultimately, it just wasn’t the manga for me. I love sports and figure skating so I thought I’d really like this but the story just has a lot of negativity throughout and it was sapping my enjoyment.

Don’t let this deter you from picking it up though! It might not be the read for me but it could be perfect for you.

I really like figure skating so when I saw this on netgalley, I couldn´t help myself, and I don´t regret reading this manga.
This manga kind of starts of with a depressing note. Tsukasa keeps on beating himself down, bevause he wasn´t able to achieve his dreams and Inori has no confidence, which is completely understandable since everybody in her life keeps on beating har down with their words. But through reading this first volume, you see the confidence that their hard work and perseverance gives them.
Because that is what this manga teaches you, when you work hard, then you´ll be able to achieve things you didn´t believe was possible.

I gave to say that Inori is so adorable, I adore her smile and her crying face is honestly so cute! Tsukasa is honestly the best coach ever! I love how supportive he is of Inori!

The art is really well done! Great art, with a great story! I´m looking forward to reading more!

'Medalist, Vol. 1' by Tsurumaikada is a sports manga about competitive figure skating.

Tsukasa is a good skater, but at the end of his competitive years. That leads to coaching. One day while hanging out at the ice rink, he sees young Inori, who bribes her way in to skate by paying the rink owner with worms for his bird collection. Inori has started late in her drive to compete, but Tsukasa sees some incredible raw talent. He has to convince Inori she is good because her self-esteem is the target of everyone around her, but with her coach's help, Inori takes her first strides to competition.

I'm a particular fan of sports manga and this one, in particular, was especially good. I liked learning more about the sport and what the badge system is comprised of. The characters are appealing on different levels and the art shines.

I received a review copy of this manga from Kodansha and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this manga.

5/5 Absolutely amazing!!!

I loved this manga so much! I was so sad when I finished this volume and I can not wait to get my hands on a physical copy one day. This manga is now one of my new favorites and it reminds me so much of Spy x Family which I absolutely love! I love our main characters and their relationship its so sweet and they're so adorable. This manga is about overcoming ones odds and obviously ice skating or to be more specific figure skating. I'll be honest I am not a sports fan but figure skating is so beautiful and this manga was able to capture it so well! This volume started out with a lot of reading and the action was confusing at times but boy it improved and grabbed my attention to the max! I recommend this to any and everyone who likes manga, especially if you like sports/dance and enjoyed spy x family.

Disclaimer I received early online access to this on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Medalist is an adorable manga but more than that, it actually has solid technical notes and best of all the most expressive assortment of faces I've seen in manga in a while. It covers both realistic and idealistic portrayals of figure skating (learning and coaching) as a sport and as a career. I think there's also an undiagnosed learning disorder lurking in the wings. I look forward to seeing seeing how our young skater develops and learning more about the coach in the next volume. I should probably note in case anyone gets grossed out, but there are earthworms in the beginning of the story. (I received a free ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.)