We're pretty sure everyone's familiar with Japanese figure skating sensation Yuzuru Hanyu. Since his international debut, he's not only racked up an impressive list of achievements but also charmed countless fans with his elegant demeanor. While he announced his transition to professional athlete in 2022, retiring from competitive skating, and even had a whirlwind marriage and divorce in 2023 that lasted less than four months, his popularity hasn't waned one bit.
Recently, in an official YouTube member-exclusive video, Hanyu revealed he'd watched the figure skating anime "Medalist" (メダリスト). He shared his thoughts and even gushed, "I absolutely bawled during the mom scene!" This sparked a lively discussion among netizens.
"Medalist" (メダリスト) is a manga series by TSURUMAIKADA (つるまいかだ), with its TV anime adaptation set to premiere in January 2025.
The story follows Tsukasa Akeuraji, a former national championship competitor who can't find work after failing his ice show audition. One day, his former ice dance partner, Hitomi Takamine, asks him to coach at a skating club. There, he meets fifth-grader Inori Yuitsuka, brought in by her mother. With Tsukasa's support, Inori defies her mother's objections and begins figure skating, as her coach discovers her talent and guides her toward her dream.
A Japanese X (formerly Twitter) user shared that in Hanyu's YouTube member video, he mentioned watching the "Medalist" anime. He admitted to shedding tears during the scenes with the mother and protagonist Inori, deeply relating to them as someone who started skating at a young age.
However, he also couldn't help but quip: "The learning speed is way too fast! It's ridiculous, jumps aren't that easy!" and "No way that would happen!" But then, ever the meticulous one, he added, "B-but, actually, kids who start practicing at that age sometimes really do pick up jumps quickly..."
(Yuzuru Hanyu's official YouTube does not prohibit sharing member-exclusive content, so no worries there.)
While Hanyu might have scoffed at the anime's realism, he himself once revealed that when performing his free program "SEIMEI," he had to adapt to rule changes, shortening the program from 4 minutes 30 seconds to 4 minutes. His approach wasn't just a simple cut; instead, he:
1. Changed the types of spins.
2. Completely eliminated jump run-ups.
3. Accelerated the choreography's tempo.
Fans, upon hearing this, retorted: "No way that would happen...!"
Fans also pointed out that when Hanyu critiques anime plots, he seems to forget that he himself is far more exaggerated than any fictional work. As the first and only male single skater in history to achieve a Super Slam across junior and senior major competitions, his championship count is practically endless.
Even when he was a fifth-grader, just like the protagonist in the show, he won gold at his very first national competition, the Japan Junior Figure Skating Championships. If this were a manga, he'd be dubbed a "figure skating prodigy"... (Which, of course, he is in real life, too, lol.)
Netizens also commented that after watching the "Medalist" anime and then looking back at Yuzuru Hanyu's achievements and experiences, they realized he's simply too unreal. His story is a plot beyond two-dimensional imagination, a setting even manga artists wouldn't dare to use! lol.
"Medalist" anime is currently airing its fourth episode, and the manga has 12 tankōbon volumes. The editor highly recommends this work—it's a figure skating story full of emotion and passion. If you're curious, why not check out the series that even brought Yuzuru Hanyu to tears?
via： togetter