Medalist Season 2

Episode 2

After spending the bulk of the premiere on setting up the stakes for the next big competition, this episode jumps right into the action as the girls all compete for the right to compete for a spot in All-Japans. With how the first season established most of its formula, I was expecting this shift away from Inori to end up focusing on the personalities or backstories of her new rivals to set the appropriate stakes for some good old-fashioned sports melodrama, so I was a little surprised when we didn't quite get that. While there's still some drama sprinkled in here, this episode is almost entirely focused on what's happening on the ice and on providing some spectacle to go along with it. For a series that largely centers itself around character drama, it's a bit of an odd choice, but considering the exact level of spectacle involved, it's one that at least manages to work out mostly.

Most of the episode is framed from the perspectives of Koichi and Yo, who know absolutely nothing about ice skating. While helping Tsukasa, Koichi developed an interest in learning more about the sport, and he held out hope that he would be able to do so alongside his wife, Meiko, only for her to pass away before that could happen. As such, it's not too hard to imagine why he's avoided taking more of an interest ever since, as doing so would have almost certainly brought up some painful memories, and the fact that he's here with Yo at all really speaks to how much he's come to view Tsukasa as family. All that's largely just implied, though, as in practice their lack of knowledge gives them (and the audience) a chance to learn about all the technical details of ice skating as a competitive sport, including how routines are structured and what kinds of jumps there are. Since I haven't read the manga, I'm willing to buy that Tsurumaikada decided to use their presence here as an excuse to cram in a few notes about the sport that they otherwise wouldn't have time to naturally squeeze in. Still, considering the explosion in popularity the series has received in Japan between the first and second seasons, I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of this was also being done to accommodate new viewers.

If so, it would certainly explain how a lot of this episode is structured, as it feels less like a sports drama and more like watching an actual live competition. Sure, we do still get some time in the headspaces of all the girls competing here, as well as getting to experience their emotional reactions whenever any of them end up falling short of a high score, but for the most part, we're just watching these girls perform. The emphasis is as much on judging their level of skill as on seeing them deal with the pressure of such a high-level event. While a lot of this episode feels as technical as its dialogue, it balances that with the quality of its presentation, making this easily the show's strongest animation showcase so far. While the first season was nothing to scoff at in the looks department, this episode really raises the bar: we get a 2D-animated sequence of various skaters going through their routines, and it manages to continually shift between them almost seamlessly. In terms of fluid movement, it still doesn't quite reach the heights of some of the best skating animation in Yuri!!! on Ice, but for what little this lacks in raw animation, it more than compensates for with polish, and its really a testament to how far Studio ENGI has managed to come given their previous reputation for rough looking productions. The two 3D-animated skating sequences we get here are just as impressive, if not more so, as they're tied to the two skaters who have placed highest in the competition thus far. One is a girl named Riina, who turns into a nervous wreck at the thought of going first, only to end up being the one to beat. At the same time, the other is a girl named Manaka, who comes off as considerably more confident but has a much harder time once she's actually on the ice. As well as the show manages to quickly get across their personalities, what's really impressive is just how well their mindsets are reflected in the animation of their skating performances.

Despite her initial nervousness, Riina's performance shows the most overall polish among the skaters we see. Since she makes only one or two visible mistakes, it's easy to see why she immediately becomes the top competitor in most competitions. In comparison, Manaka makes considerably bigger fumbles when it comes to some of her jumps. Still, with how well she nails the ones she lands successfully and the magnetic level of visible confidence that she manages to carry throughout her entire routine, it's hardly a surprise when she manages to be the first one to overtake Riina's score. It's some exceptionally good visual storytelling, and while I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't prefer getting this kind of quality alongside some bigger emotional beats, it's hard to muster up too many complaints when the execution is this effective. If nothing else, it's got me even more excited for what level of presentation we'll get when it's finally Inori's time to shine. While a lot of this episode could arguably have been skipped to get to that faster, there are certainly worse ways for this show to be self-indulgent.

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Medalist Season 2 is currently streaming on Hulu and Disney+.