Shinichiro, Age 24 (Japanese: 慎一郎24歳 Shinichirou 24-sai) is the eighth Short Program chapter of the Medalist manga.
Characters[]
Story[]
Shinichiro and Jun both represented Japan at the Olympics when they were 20 years old. Shinichiro finished 16th, while Jun won his gold medal and soon retired despite calls for him to stay. For the next four years, Shinichiro had no knowledge of Jun's whereabouts.
At age 24, Shinichiro fails to make the Olympic team due to an injury, and is left wondering if he should retire. He is taking care of his newborn son Rioh at home when his wife Eva calls, having encountered Jun at Nagoya Station. Eva brings him home and leaves Jun and Shinichiro to catch up, but not without first flaunting her affection with Shinichiro in front of Jun.
While Rioh sleeps in Jun's lap, Shinichiro expresses regret over failing to match up to Jun and become a father Rioh would be proud of. Jun shares that he once despised the platitude "just being alive is wonderful," but has finally come to understand it upon seeing Rioh. He acknowledges Shinichiro's choice of sacrificing skating for his fatherhood, saying that he's glad to have come.
Shinichiro contemplates his choices, recognizing that it was not as painful to step off the ice because he did not place skating above all else, yet he also feels a sense of regret that he's not as broken as Jun. After weighing his options, he tells Jun that he won't give up anything, declaring his plan to take the Olympic gold in four years. He requests that Jun be there to witness his triumph, wanting to show Jun how he strives for the gold embracing both his role as a father and the fact that he's dedicated my life to skating.
Jun agrees, and four years later, Shinichiro returns to the Olympic ice.
Trivia[]
- The timeline established in this chapter revealed an error in Episode 5 of the anime adaptation, which showed Shinichiro and Jun standing on the podium together when Shinichiro won his Olympic silver.
