It has been revealed that singer-songwriter Kenshi Yonezu will be performing the opening theme song "BOW AND ARROW" for the TV anime "Medalist," which is based on a figure skating manga that was also selected as the number one comics category in the "Next Manga Awards 2022."
"I'm simply a fan of the original work," said Yonezu. "I saw that it was going to be made into an anime, and asked if I could write a song for it, which is what led to me creating BOW AND ARROW. It's a fantastic manga, so I think everyone should read it. I'm looking forward to the anime as a viewer, too. I'm looking forward to the song as well."
"Medalist" is a manga by Tsurumai Ikada that has been serialized in the manga magazine "Monthly Afternoon" (Kodansha) since 2020. The story is about a young man, Akiura Michiji, who has failed as a skater, who meets Yuzuki Inori, a girl who aspires to the world of figure skating, and aims to become a glorious medalist as both a coach and athlete.
The anime will be directed by Yamamoto Yasutaka, who has worked on "Invasion!? Squid Girl" and other works, with series composition and scriptwriting by Hanada Jukki, who has worked on "Love Live!", and character design by Kameyama Chinatsu. It will be produced by ENGI, who has worked on "Kantai Collection: Someday at That Sea". Haruse Natsumi will play Yuzoku Inori and Otsuka Takeo will play Akiura Michiji. It will be broadcast on TV Asahi's late-night anime slot "NUMAnimation" from January 4, 2025.
