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Medalist Season 2 Finale Review: The Secret Behind its Emotion and Direction Surpassing the Original WorkThe final episode of the second season of the figure skating anime 'Medalist' captivated viewers with direction that surpassed the original's emotional impact and deep character portrayals. Miku and Inori's contrasting choices, along with the emergence of new strong competitors, have heightened anticipation for the upcoming movie, bringing great satisfaction to fans of the original work.
1. ⛸️ Ahiru Miku's Choice and Differences from the Original
· Ahiru Miku successfully landed a triple lutz, scoring over 90 points, placing her 2nd overall in the block competition.
· Coach Uhobuchi presented Miku with a choice: master the quadruple toe loop or refine her triple lutz.
· In the original, the choice was made during a lesson, but in the anime, it was depicted as a post-lesson deliberation, creating a plot hole regarding Coach Uhobuchi's overseas travel schedule.
· Unlike Inori, Miku didn't make the choice herself but entrusted the decision to her coach, Kohei, who opted to refine her current skills instead of attempting a quadruple jump.
· This contrasts with protagonist Inori's philosophy that 'the skater must choose for themselves,' but it also shows that Miku and Kohei's choice can be a valid one.
· Coach Uhobuchi presented Miku with a choice: master the quadruple toe loop or refine her triple lutz.
· In the original, the choice was made during a lesson, but in the anime, it was depicted as a post-lesson deliberation, creating a plot hole regarding Coach Uhobuchi's overseas travel schedule.
· Unlike Inori, Miku didn't make the choice herself but entrusted the decision to her coach, Kohei, who opted to refine her current skills instead of attempting a quadruple jump.
· This contrasts with protagonist Inori's philosophy that 'the skater must choose for themselves,' but it also shows that Miku and Kohei's choice can be a valid one.
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Ahiru Miku's Score | Over 90 points in Block Competition (2nd overall) |
| Inori's Score | 13th in Block Competition |
| Miku's Choice | Entrusted decision to Coach Kohei (Improve existing technique) |
| Inori's Philosophy | Skater must choose for themselves (Prefers challenging choices) |
00:00 - 02:52
1. ⛸️ Ahiru Miku's Choice and Differences from the Original
· Ahiru Miku successfully landed a triple lutz, scoring over 90 points, placing her 2nd overall in the block competition.
· Coach Uhobuchi presented Miku with a choice: master the quadruple toe loop or refine her triple lutz.
· In the original, the choice was made during a lesson, but in the anime, it was depicted as a post-lesson deliberation, creating a plot hole regarding Coach Uhobuchi's overseas travel schedule.
· Unlike Inori, Miku didn't make the choice herself but entrusted the decision to her coach, Kohei, who opted to refine her current skills instead of attempting a quadruple jump.
· This contrasts with protagonist Inori's philosophy that 'the skater must choose for themselves,' but it also shows that Miku and Kohei's choice can be a valid one.
· Coach Uhobuchi presented Miku with a choice: master the quadruple toe loop or refine her triple lutz.
· In the original, the choice was made during a lesson, but in the anime, it was depicted as a post-lesson deliberation, creating a plot hole regarding Coach Uhobuchi's overseas travel schedule.
· Unlike Inori, Miku didn't make the choice herself but entrusted the decision to her coach, Kohei, who opted to refine her current skills instead of attempting a quadruple jump.
· This contrasts with protagonist Inori's philosophy that 'the skater must choose for themselves,' but it also shows that Miku and Kohei's choice can be a valid one.
| Category | Content |
|---|---|
| Ahiru Miku's Score | Over 90 points in Block Competition (2nd overall) |
| Inori's Score | 13th in Block Competition |
| Miku's Choice | Entrusted decision to Coach Kohei (Improve existing technique) |
| Inori's Philosophy | Skater must choose for themselves (Prefers challenging choices) |
02:53 - 05:31
2. 🤝 Coaches' Past and Miku's Realistic Goals
· There was a mistake by the anime production team in the scene where Tsukasa and Kohei meet and talk; they were depicted as meeting for the first time despite having met in a previous episode.
· Junna, the third member of Miku's team, appears. She was originally a figure skater who later became a successful entertainer.
· Tsukasa, Kohei, and Junna were all ice dance skaters from the same club and were friends.
· Inori learns that Miku's goal for this competition is not to win or medal, but to place in the top ranks of Novice to qualify for the All-Japan Junior competition.
· Miku has to quit skating because her current rink is closing due to financial difficulties, and she cannot afford to use another rink.
· Miku is a character who shows the various facets of the figure skating world, where talent and passion are constrained by realistic limitations.
· Miku's practice scenes beautifully depict her excellent skills not only in jumps but also in skating, surpassing Inori's.
· Kohei, a former ice dancer, pursues a strategy of winning with high completion rather than jump difficulty.
· Junna, the third member of Miku's team, appears. She was originally a figure skater who later became a successful entertainer.
· Tsukasa, Kohei, and Junna were all ice dance skaters from the same club and were friends.
· Inori learns that Miku's goal for this competition is not to win or medal, but to place in the top ranks of Novice to qualify for the All-Japan Junior competition.
· Miku has to quit skating because her current rink is closing due to financial difficulties, and she cannot afford to use another rink.
· Miku is a character who shows the various facets of the figure skating world, where talent and passion are constrained by realistic limitations.
· Miku's practice scenes beautifully depict her excellent skills not only in jumps but also in skating, surpassing Inori's.
· Kohei, a former ice dancer, pursues a strategy of winning with high completion rather than jump difficulty.
05:32 - 09:20
3. 🔥 Inori's Quad Jump Challenge and Block Competition Results
· Tsukasa, Kohei, and Junna deliberate whether to include Inori's quadruple Salchow jump in her program.
· Kohei proposes a safety-oriented condition: it must be successfully landed three times in a row to be included in the program, but Tsukasa responds that guiding her to land the quad jump is his task.
· Tsukasa's flashback reveals his past experience of betting all his money on Hitomi's retirement competition and failing, explaining the background of his current challenging choices.
· News of Inori practicing the quadruple Salchow after returning to Nagoya stirs up everyone around her.
· Inori believes that those who can withstand the spotlight become medalists, and she deliberately chose the quadruple jump.
· All block competitions conclude, and a large number of new strong competitors emerge, heightening the tension.
· In particular, the Tokyo Block sees the appearance of Riley Fox, a coach who is a former Olympic gold medalist, raising expectations.
· In the Kinki Block, Yamato Ema is eliminated in 7th place despite a high score of over 80 points, showcasing the fierce competition.
· The anime's portrayal of Coach Yudai's emotions was somewhat disappointing compared to the original.
· Suzu, the 1st place finisher in the Kinki Block, proves her monstrous skill by being the only one to score over 100 points across all blocks.
· Kohei proposes a safety-oriented condition: it must be successfully landed three times in a row to be included in the program, but Tsukasa responds that guiding her to land the quad jump is his task.
· Tsukasa's flashback reveals his past experience of betting all his money on Hitomi's retirement competition and failing, explaining the background of his current challenging choices.
· News of Inori practicing the quadruple Salchow after returning to Nagoya stirs up everyone around her.
· Inori believes that those who can withstand the spotlight become medalists, and she deliberately chose the quadruple jump.
· All block competitions conclude, and a large number of new strong competitors emerge, heightening the tension.
· In particular, the Tokyo Block sees the appearance of Riley Fox, a coach who is a former Olympic gold medalist, raising expectations.
· In the Kinki Block, Yamato Ema is eliminated in 7th place despite a high score of over 80 points, showcasing the fierce competition.
· The anime's portrayal of Coach Yudai's emotions was somewhat disappointing compared to the original.
· Suzu, the 1st place finisher in the Kinki Block, proves her monstrous skill by being the only one to score over 100 points across all blocks.
09:21 - 12:05
4. 🎬 Anime Direction Changes and Anticipation for the Movie
· The head coach states that he will decide the composition after watching the official practice of the seeded players, creating a difference in plot progression between the original and the anime.
· In the original, Miku was referred to as the 'golden egg of revival,' highlighting her as a dark horse, but in the anime, Miku is mentioned first, and Hikaru is placed in the most important position, raising expectations for Hikaru.
· This seems to be a directorial choice to maximize anticipation for Hikaru's performance in the Medalist movie, which will be released next year.
· On the day of the competition, the scene where Inori and Hikaru meet shows differences in detail between the original and the anime, portraying Hikaru's character differently.
· In the original, Hikaru taking off her shoes emphasizes her wildness and queen-like demeanor, but in the anime, her wearing shoes is interpreted as a portrayal of her acknowledging Inori as an equal rival.
· These directorial changes effectively build anticipation for Inori's and Hikaru's respective performances.
· 'Medalist' Season 2 is praised as the best anime adaptation of the original work, not only for its improved animation quality and faithful reproduction of the original but also for perfectly incorporating original elements desired by fans of the original.
· The anime production team also conveyed the original's message of 'the courage to choose for oneself' and 'the courage to pioneer the unknown' through its direction.
· In the original, Miku was referred to as the 'golden egg of revival,' highlighting her as a dark horse, but in the anime, Miku is mentioned first, and Hikaru is placed in the most important position, raising expectations for Hikaru.
· This seems to be a directorial choice to maximize anticipation for Hikaru's performance in the Medalist movie, which will be released next year.
· On the day of the competition, the scene where Inori and Hikaru meet shows differences in detail between the original and the anime, portraying Hikaru's character differently.
· In the original, Hikaru taking off her shoes emphasizes her wildness and queen-like demeanor, but in the anime, her wearing shoes is interpreted as a portrayal of her acknowledging Inori as an equal rival.
· These directorial changes effectively build anticipation for Inori's and Hikaru's respective performances.
· 'Medalist' Season 2 is praised as the best anime adaptation of the original work, not only for its improved animation quality and faithful reproduction of the original but also for perfectly incorporating original elements desired by fans of the original.
· The anime production team also conveyed the original's message of 'the courage to choose for oneself' and 'the courage to pioneer the unknown' through its direction.