Medalist Episode 2 Review: This Truly Deserves More Hype!!

This episode of Medalist started off on a pretty good promising note. Let’s see how this episode turned out.

Medalist Episode 2 Episode 1 Preview

The story follows Inori, a young girl with dreams of becoming a figure skater. However, she lacks the courage to share her aspirations with her mother, leading her to pursue her passion in secret. She sneaks into an ice skating rink to practice, hiding her activities from her parents. Tsukasa eventually discovers her undercover efforts.

Like Inori, Tsukasa once aspired to become a world-class figure skater. Unfortunately, starting at 14, which is far later than the ideal age of around 10, meant he couldn’t break into the international stage. Still, his undeniable talent allowed him to compete at the national level alongside other skilled skaters.

When Inori and Tsukasa cross paths, their initial encounter is far from smooth. Yet their shared love for skating sparks a connection, prompting Tsukasa to offer Inori some critical advice. If she doesn’t act on her dreams soon, the opportunity to become a professional skater may slip away forever. This moment sets the stage for their partnership as the two join forces to push each other toward their goals.

Medalist Episode 2 Review And Recap

Skating lessons have finally begun for Inori, and it is not at all easy for her to be better than everyone at her age. However, we see her trying her best even though she knows she started practicing later than her peers. In this episode, we witness her preparing for the very first badge test. Just like any other field, this is a certification test for figure skating. One starts with prelims and then begins to gain a badge the more levels one passes. Inori, being a beginner, goes for the very first level, which is supposedly very easy to pass.

But just because it is easy does not mean it is less nerve-wracking. On top of that, in the exam venue, Inori gets a lot more reality checks after meeting with more significant characters. She comes across Hikaru, who is the girl Inori admires in the very first episode. Hikaru is a figure skater of the same age, but she has already won Japan’s National Novice B contest, that too on her debut last year.

We also meet another figure skater, Rioh, but he comes off as an extremely rude and proud boy, saying very harsh things to Inori even though they meet for the first time. Thankfully, Hikaru was kind enough to take action against Rioh. She is also the one who gives birth to a very much-needed thirst for win in Inori. Inori realizes that if she wants to become a medalist, she must work extra hard as everybody is ahead of her.

This episode was really good as it finally introduces a rival for Inori to focus on. Now that she has a clear goal, she can finally work relentlessly to achieve success. But, it should be noted that her mother is going to be a big hurdle as she really does not understand Inori’s passion. Even here, we see her comment about how she will let Inori do figure skating till she reaches middle school, and after that, she will have to stop. Hopefully, that will not be the case.

Verdict

Today’s episode was pretty interesting, and I really think this has the potential to become one of the best sports anime this year. As many important shows are coming out this season, Medalist is getting less attention, which is unfortunate. So, please do not ignore this one, and just watch it as it really dives deep into the world of figure skating and entertains you thoroughly.

Also Read: Medalist Episode 1 Review: Yuri!! On Ice Fans Would Love This!