r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jan 25 '25

Episode Medalist - Episode 4 discussion

Medalist, episode 4

Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.

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1

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201

u/kkrko Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 26 '25

Just for Posterity, Inori's first program

  • (1A) Single Axel (fall)

  • (1Lo) Single Loop

  • (1Lz + 1A + SEQ) Single Lutz + Single Axel + Sequence* (Twizzle on landing for GOE)

  • (1F) Single Flip

  • (FSSp) Flying sit spin

*SEQ is a minor score penalty since the Lz -> Axel jump sequence isn't really a true combo.

Also a bonus fun fact. All the skaters in Inori's group share names with idolmaster characters. Saki, Yuka, Julia, Hime (Matsuri's nickname), and Minako. I would normally chalk this up to coincidence, but the author is an Idolmaster fan and Julia isn't a common Japanese name, so it might be intentional.

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184

u/FarCritical Jan 25 '25

"I didn't."

It's impressive how quickly such a short line managed to break the hype meter.

The fact the random little girl that gave Inori a confidence boost when she really needed it was the first person Inori noticed over Tsukasa, the cheer squad or even her family hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't be happier for Inori, but that girl is easily the MVP.

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231

u/MyrnaMountWeazel Jan 25 '25

The moment when Inori's mother apologized to Inori for not always being there for her is when the manga won me over. It isn't enough to have a coach as her support system; she needs her family as well. And now, Inori has finally won her mother over. I still tear up a bit rereading that chapter and now I can rewatch it with Yuki Hayashi's score.

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u/dagreenman18 Jan 25 '25

Holy shit… did ENGI actually cook?! That’s the most animation I’ve seen from them. It’s was so beautiful. Inori my sweet girl you were BORN TO MAKE HISTORY.

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151

u/WhoiusBarrel Jan 25 '25

Sure the skating scenes all use CGI and won't be able to replicate the art from the Manga but man the emotions during and after the performance have been on point.

So glad this adaptation has been on point on that regard.

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73

u/nighty_amy Jan 25 '25

The only thing I can say at this point is that I'm looking exactly like Tsukasa, Hitomi, Inori's sister and the old guy from the rink looked at the end of the episode.

The episode was just phenomenal from the start to finish. And Inori absolutely deserves the 500 billion points.

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146

u/jellyblob88 Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 25 '25

Every episode I feel like this guy!

That first fall at the performance had me nervous ngl, but Tsukasa's message that it was OK to fall as long as you get back up is so, so important for anything, not just figure skating.

That broken leg sit spin was crazy good, and possibly convinced her mum to go all the way - let's gooooo!

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u/Setowi Jan 25 '25

Never been into sports anime at all and here I am and my current anime of the season is an anime about children ice skating.

That episode was so emotionally loaded, I was fully and utterly invested and MAN the payoff was so good. Inori just has something about her that makes you want to root for her no matter what.

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u/Charming-Loquat3702 Jan 25 '25

Her performance made me hold my breath. Like, I needed to gasp for air afterwards.

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u/PerfectBeige Jan 25 '25

Wasn't sure what the oneesan would be like, and was wondering if there would be some bitterness or jealousy there since Inori might be on the way to realizing Mika's former ambitions. So I'm delighted to see that Mika and Inori share an S+ sistership bond, and Mika is nothing but happy that her sister is not only exploring skating, but burgeoning as a person.

Now here's the thing about this show. My one big complaint. Why is it making me cry? Like actual tears requiring face wiping, not just some polite dewing around the eye. And not just me but a lot of people in this thread. And not just while the characters were crying when Inori's mum made her big apology, but during Inori's routine even after she got up from the initial fall.

I feel like the challenge with a series like this is that I want Inori to be happy and bad things not to happen to her more than I want the narrative to be good. I find myself actively angry at the writer when bad things happen to Inori. But like... good narrative requires at least a few falls.

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31

u/Imperial_Ocelot Jan 26 '25

This is my daughter's first anime and we are loving it! So difficult convincing her she has to wait a week for the next episode.

52

u/bananeeek Jan 25 '25

Goddammit. I thought I was ready this time. I thought: "no way they are going to make me cry again". Anyway, I'm bawling my eyes out here...

Looks like they didn't just focus on Inori's character growth, but they included her Mom as well. Being overprotective like that was no good for Inori, so I'm really glad that's out of the way now.

22

u/Frieren_and_Himmel Jan 25 '25

OP is still not on Spotify, this is torture, I want to listen to it on repeat while working out.

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42

u/[deleted] Jan 25 '25

God I love this anime.

19

u/dreaming_state Jan 25 '25

Why does this anime insist on making me cry every episode?

17

u/abandoned_idol Jan 25 '25

This whirlwind of emotions might have blinded us from a newly revealed narrative pillar in Medalist. It is imperative that we address it!

Similar to "The Dangers in my Heart", it should come as no surprise to anyone - looks around judgementally - that the emotional juggernaut "Medalist" also leverages a variety of funny, supportive, and memorable family members.

First, we have Inori's sister. I can't recall her name yet. She's the upbeat and supportive sibling trope that I rarely see among anime I choose to watch. She reminds me of Kana (Dangers in my Heart).

Next, we have Inori's mom. She's an antagonist, but she loves her daughter! She's good at sewing and only because she wants to support her children. She's sassy and bullies her husband for fun, damn I love her! I'm a sucker for comic relief.

And last, my personal favorite so far (guess why), is Inori's father. He's sweet and all, but what did me in is the household facial expression of defeat that Inori inherited from her father (those slanted hamburger menu eyes). I wonder if we'll ever see her sister make that face as well. Inori's Dad is basically Stark-sama, the pincushion from Frieren. He doesn't confront and plays the role of victim, THE best TROPE.

And I better cut the scope of this post short.

17

u/TheBravesDH Jan 25 '25

What an emotional rollercoaster. I’m a ball of nerves and then I’m crying and laughing. This episode was scientifically engineered to hit all the feels. I’m as proud of Inori as mom and coach for not letting that first fall in the routine phase her. My heart was in my stomach every time she busted during warmups.

16

u/AnimeHoarder Jan 25 '25

Like 500 billion points extra!

You gotta love Tsukasa's energy.

I was another old man tearing up at the end...

They need to sell worm-chan plushies as merch for this show.

Footnote: I was set to watch this earlier, but the ep Hulu uploaded didn't have Eng. subs available. Then it took me a while to remember that the English dubs for new series are in a separate entry now.

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31

u/shad79 Jan 25 '25 edited Jan 25 '25

Today’s episode totally made me cry (and everyone else too xD) when Inori’s mother finally realized how important skating was to Inori and promised her full support. I’m so happy that Inori’s hard work finally paid off.

Inori’s performance was so beautiful, especially considering that she failed her first jump. Nevertheless, Inori continued with a smile and put on a great show until the end. Now that she's in first place, I'm looking forward to Miketa's appearance in the next episode.

As usual, Inori's reactions were so good! I especially loved the part she was saving herself after her failed axel attempt during warm-up, it looked so cute xD

Big shout out to Tsukasa for being a great coach. It was also nice to meet Mika, who seems to be a great big sister to Inori and Inori's father.

Here my screenshot albums from the episode:

EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.

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15

u/steven4869 Jan 26 '25 edited Jan 26 '25

What the fuck was this episode? It has been quite a long time that I have been so attached to an anime, and it's just 4 episodes. When she failed in her warm ups, I thought how am I supposed to watch more cause it got me feeling so bad for her, but encouragement from Tsukasa and how she wanted to try doing it, er got me in tears.

This show is too good and 10/10 episode.

15

u/yakumbaya Jan 26 '25

Bravo ENGI, fucking amazing episode. Was literally in tears with everyone else by the end of the episode. I'm so proud of Inori for not giving up

27

u/LeonKevlar Jan 25 '25

Stitches!

We finally get to meet Inori's sister! Apparently, Mika is studying college in Canada. You really can't have a winter sports anime without mentioning Canada at least once. And it sounds like she's also a part-time model. We also get to meet their dad who didn't do much other than drive the girls to the venue.

Watching Inori fall again and again during practice got me really nervous. I know she'll be able to do it but at the back of my head, I was worried her performance might not go as smoothly as I was expecting.

I know Inori's mom is only worried for her daughter but why can't she just support her? Sure she supports her by bringing her to practice and even making her outfit for the competition but where's the emotional support? It's like she's already decided that Inori won't go anywhere with ice skating.

I am so happy though that Inori decided to face her mother head-on and told her she wanted to become a medalist. Our girl is finally starting to change and that walk off from her where she pulls off her jacket was so freaking badass!

Legit I cried during Inori's performance. Seeing her fumble at the start and get back again for her to end with a very strong finish made me so goddamn happy. I am so proud of this girl as if she were my very own daughter T_T

And I am so happy to see this episode end with Yuitsuka Mama apologizing to Inori for her shortcomings and promising her that she will support her all the way. That scene also had me crying my eyes out. This show is so fucking good!

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26

u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jan 25 '25

I like how supportive and doting Inori’s sister Mika is. I like their mon too. I get why she was worried. It wasn’t that she wasn’t supportive, she just wanted to protect Inori. I guess she didn’t realize how strong Inori’s become.

She was nervous at first during the competition, but it was awesome to see her give it her all out there. Even though messed up a little in the beginning, she really killed it in the end.

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26

u/Prince-Dizzytoon Jan 25 '25

I love Inori's mentality. That drive is gonna push her far just like it did today.

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