An event for the TV anime "Medalist," based on the figure skating manga by Tsurumai Ikada, which was also chosen as the No. 1 manga in the comics category in the "Next Manga Awards 2022," was held on February 16th at the special skating rink "TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN ICE SKATING PARK 2025" on the 4th floor of Tokyo Skytree Town Sky Arena (Sumida-ku, Tokyo). Professional figure skater Akiko Suzuki, who is in charge of the figure skating choreography for the series, appeared and performed a special one-day show to the tune of the opening theme "BOW AND ARROW" by Kenshi Yonezu.
The event was held to commemorate the collaboration between the skating rink and "Medalist". Suzuki performed a show with original choreography to the song "BOW AND ARROW". The audience gave a big round of applause. Natsumi Haruse, who plays the main character Yuzuki Inori, and Takeo Otsuka, who are voice actors in the anime, also appeared. Haruse revealed that she was moved to tears when she saw Suzuki's performance.
Suzuki appeared in the costume she wore when she became a professional and performed to the song "Dance of Death." "Dance of Death" is a song that the genius girl Okami Saki Hikaru also performed in the series, and she chose her costume for the day to match the image of the opening song "BOW AND ARROW." At the event, Suzuki demonstrated the poses shown by Mikata Suzuka and Okami Saki Hikaru in the series, as well as the broken leg shown by Yuzuki Inori, thrilling the audience.
"Medalist" is a manga by Tsurumai Ikada that has been serialized in the manga magazine "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 Yasutaka Yamamoto, known for "Invasion!? Squid Girl," and produced by ENGI, known for "Kantai Collection: Someday at That Sea." It is currently airing on TV Asahi's late-night anime slot "NUMAnimation."
