A manga author learned to skate just to bring this Olympic dream to life
In short: Tsurumaikada had zero experience with figure skating before creating Medalist, a celebrated manga about a young girl chasing Olympic gold. To ensure authenticity, the author enrolled in a month-long skating course in Nagoya. The result is a critically acclaimed series that has already inspired two seasons of anime.
Medalist follows Inori Yuitsuka, an 11-year-old fifth grader who harbors a secret ambition to become a world-class figure skater. In the competitive world of skating, Inori is already considered too old to begin serious training, and her mother remains wary of the sport after her older sister’s career ended in failure. Her path changes when she meets Tsukasa Akeuraji, a former ice dancer who has nearly abandoned his own competitive dreams. Recognizing her immense natural talent, Tsukasa becomes her coach, and together they embark on a journey toward the ultimate prize: an Olympic gold medal.
The series, written and illustrated by Tsurumaikada, debuted in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon magazine in May 2020. It serves as Tsurumaikada’s first commercial work. Despite the author's initial lack of knowledge regarding the sport, the production team prioritized technical accuracy. The anime adaptation, produced by ENGI and aired in 2025 and 2026, featured choreography by retired skaters Akiko Suzuki and Yuhana Yokoi, alongside active skater Hinano Isobe. The series has garnered significant recognition, winning the Next Manga Award in 2022, the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2023, and the 48th Kodansha Manga Award in 2024.
The project is deeply personal for Tsurumaikada, who even predicted the casting of voice actress Natsumi Haruse as the lead in a 2018 social media post. While the manga has seen immense success, including a print release in North America by Kodansha USA, its future remains uncertain. In September 2026, the author announced that the series would enter an indefinite hiatus due to production circumstances. Despite this pause, the franchise continues to expand, with an anime film currently scheduled to premiere in Japan in February 2027.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Medalist (manga)
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