The popular series Medalist, which features the rare sport of figure skating and saw its manga popularity soar after its anime adaptation, is getting its first theatrical film, "All-Japan Novice Competition Arc," set to premiere in Japan on February 19, 2027.
However, the official "Medalist" manga X (formerly Twitter) account announced today that the series will be going on a temporary hiatus. This break is due to production-related issues, and an apology has been issued to all supporting fans.
A statement was released on the official X account, apologizing to readers:
"Thank you all for always reading Medalist. Due to production reasons, Medalist will be going on hiatus for a period of time. The story is currently in the middle of a competition, and we are truly sorry to make everyone wait for the next developments."
"Once serialization resumes, we hope to draw continuously from where we left off, all the way until the winner of the Junior Grand Prix Final is decided, allowing everyone to enjoy this story in the best possible way."
"Therefore, we will continue our drawing work in cooperation with the editor in charge and the entire production team! We'll keep working hard on the manga so it doesn't lose momentum to the Medalist movie premiering next February! (We're really looking forward to it!) We apologize for the inconvenience and ask for your continued patience and support. Thank you very much."
Of course, manga hiatuses aren't exactly rare, but this time, the "Medalist" manga didn't specify how long the break would last. This has led many fans to speculate whether the author is assisting with the "Medalist" movie production or if they need to rest due to health issues. Regardless, everyone hopes the series can resume its serialization once everything is in order.
The first season of the "Medalist" TV anime aired from January to March 2025, with the second season following from January to March 2026. The series' first theatrical film, "Medalist," is confirmed to premiere on February 19, 2027.
With the manga now on hiatus, fans looking for new story developments will have to wait a bit longer.