Review of Medalist Volume 3

Inori is small in stature for her age so people frequently assume she’s younger than she is – which is a problem for the fifth-grader who’s utterly determined to succeed as a skater even though she’s a late beginner when it comes to competing. But she makes up in spirit and determination for what she’s missed out on in early training compared to the other children. She’s also the first pupil that retired ice dancer Tsukasa has taken on, so they both have a lot to learn… and to prove to the naysayers. But when they arrive at the West Japan championships, Inori realizes she’s left her skates on the train! With only a short while to go before his pupil is due to compete on the ice, Tsukasa locates the missing case by phone calls to the train company and decides the fastest way to bring the skates to the stadium is to run to the station to collect them. So Inori is left to warm up on her own without her trainer there as psychological support as he speeds away on foot – and this inevitably provokes comments. But it’s a sprained ankle – not serious in itself – that brings a more serious diagnosis from a medical practitioner at the rink: shin splints. Tsukasa, realizing the possible damage Inori could do to herself by continuing to skate, counsels her to take a break. “If you ignore shin splints for too long they could wind up causing a stress fracture.” He adds, “Resting isn’t being lazy. It’s vital repairs for your body.” Is this going to hamper Inori’s progress and will she listen to Tsukasa’s wise advice? Another intense volume of Medalist plunges us back into the fraught dressing-room atmosphere backstage of young contenders and their coaches. Yet more rivals/potential friends for Inori to meet and compete against – and, of course, their coaches who are sometimes friendly (Ema Yamato and Yudai Jakuzurai whom we first met in Volume 2) and sometimes not. Now that we’re used to seeing the jumps expertly broken down into dynamic action shots by mangaka Tsurumaikada (informative, detailed and beautifully drawn but no longer such a novelty) it’s the interactions between the competing young skaters (and their coaches) that dominate the narrative. Extras for this volume include six 4-koma strips and character sketches between chapters (the character guide at the beginning is useful as well, given the rapidly expanding cast). The final chapter (#11) is entitled “I Hate the Night” and spends time with prickly Rioh Sonidori, whose one-time Olympian father Shinichiro is also his coach. Rioh and Inori are soon rivalling and challenging each other… how will this competitive clash of strong personalities play out on the ice? The trade paperback size suits the mangaka’s detailed and dynamic artwork well and Kodansha have again treated us to six colour pages at the beginning. The translation by Kevin Gifford deals effortlessly (as before) with all the technical terms associated with competitive ice skating, and Darren Smith’s lettering vividly conveys all the different moods of the characters on and off the ice. Volume 4 is due out in paperback on September 3rd but if you’re eager to read ahead, the digital edition is already up to Volume 9, with #10 arriving on August 20th, bringing us up-to-date with Japan (at the time of writing). Medalist gives plenty of fascinating insights into ice skating, both on (and off) the ice – but it’s the central characters that hold the reader’s attention. It’s good to see warm-hearted Tsukasa growing in self-confidence as Inori’s coach and determined, unquenchable Inori growing as a skater – and wondering where her ambition will take her next. Our review copy from Kodansha was supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.