A Genius on the Ice (Japanese: 氷上の天才 Hyoujou no Tensai) is the first episode of the Medalist anime.
Synopsis[]
Characters[]
(flashback)
Story[]
The episode opens with Inori Yuitsuka in a dark room, wrapped in a blanket in front of her TV, admiring a figure skating routine performed by Hikaru Kamisaki.
In the next scene, Tsukasa Akeuraji skates by himself at Nagoya Sports Center. He pauses to check the time when he notices a large number of young children on the ice. Their presence makes him reflect on his own late start in skating at the age of 14 and the discouragement he faced.
After kids repeatedly crash into him, Tsukasa decides to leave for the day. He is frustrated, having come all the way from Yokohama to inquire about a skating job yet finding no chance to speak with anyone. In the locker room, he spots Inori sneaking in from behind the rental counter. Finding her suspicious and feeling unfair — since he has to work to afford rink fees while she appears to be getting in for free — Tsukasa confronts the girl, asking if she has paid for admission.
Intimidated, Inori flees, and Tsukasa gives chase. They pass by the old receptionist, who attempts to explain something to Tsukasa, but Inori leaps onto the stair railing outside and slides down to escape, leaving him no time to listen.
Eventually, Tsukasa finds Inori in a secluded alley, having somehow climbed on top of a ventilation unit. As he approaches, she loses her footing and falls. Tsukasa dashes to catch her, only to be struck in the face by her backpack. Blacking out for a moment, he wakes up to Inori sobbing and pouring tea onto his face, begging for him to not die.
At a park, Inori explains the situation to Tsukasa: she has been bringing worms to the old receptionist for his pet birds, in exchange for free entry into the rink. To prove it, she pulls out a massive bag of worms from her backpack, startling Tsukasa, who is greatly afraid of worms. After telling her what she's doing is wrong, Tsukasa notices a book on figure skating inside her backpack. Flipping through it, he finds pages filled with detailed notes. Inori admits that she's been trying to teach herself how to skate.
Tsukasa writes down a list of local figure skating clubs for the girl, telling her to talk to her mother about her dream and have her reach out to the clubs. Mistaking him for a coach, Inori says she'd rather join his club, forcing Tsukasa to break it to her that he's not a coach, and that she wouldn't want him anyway. Before leaving, he asks what grade she's in. Upon learning that she is in fifth grade, he warns Inori that she's right at the cutoff age for going pro and urges her to hurry.
When Inori returns home, she tries to speak to her mother, but is told to finish her homework first. Later at school, Inori is seen excluded by her peers and left feeling alone.
Some time later, back at the skating rink, Tsukasa is speaking to Hitomi Takamine, his former ice dance partner. They competed at nationals together, and now she's the head coach at Lux Higashiyama. She presents Tsukasa with the opportunity to become an assistant coach at the club. However, Tsukasa is doubtful of himself, feeling that he could only make it to nationals because of Hitomi.
A mother then arrives for an appointment with Coach Takamine, bringing with her none other than Inori. Both Tsukasa and Inori are surprised to see each other. Noticing their familiarity, Hitomi invites Tsukasa to sit in on the meeting. As their conversation starts, Inori appears to be a bit down. Her mother soon explains the true purpose of their visit — her eldest daughter, Mika Yuitsuka, started figure skating at age five but had to quit after an accident. To prevent Inori from going through the same experience, she has been visiting clubs, asking the coaches to turn her daughter down.
Hitomi awkwardly tries to offer alternatives, but Inori's mother insists that it's impossible for Inori to catch up at her age. To drive the point home, she points towards the younger skaters already practicing jumps, making Inori imagine how out of place she'd feel among them. Unable to bear this, Tsukasa interrupts and suggests they see what Inori can do first.
Hitomi, impressed, calls him aside and compliments his quick thinking, assuming he's trying to smooth-talk another student into the club. She tells him he'd make a great assistant coach but also warns him to be careful with his words, afraid that parents might accuse them of playing favorites. She then brings up the financial burden that figure skating places on families who fully commit, reminding him to keep that in mind as well.
In the locker room, Inori is extremely down. She apologizes, regretting that she hadn't told her mother much earlier and instead wasted so much time, a frustration that resonates with Tsukasa. He briefly shares his own similar experience and offers words of encouragement.
Tsukasa sends Inori onto the ice, only to realize that they forgot to give her a helmet. However, Inori is already skating with impressive speeds and grace, as if she's turned into a different person. Tsukasa tests Inori on a series of basic techniques: forward swizzles, backward swizzles, a T-stop, two-foot slalom, and forward crossovers. Watching as Inori performs them without trouble, Tsukasa's excitement gets the better of him, and he loudly praises her talent. Hitomi frantically reminds him to keep it down, while Inori's mother admits that she's impressed too.
Tsukasa moves on to teaching Inori the fundamentals of figure skating. He explains how to use the inside and outside edges of the blade, demonstrating the steps for pushing off, raising the free leg, and switching legs. Inori falls on her initial attempt and sinks into despair, but makes rapid improvements after Tsukasa's reassurances. Her mother is amazed and praises her, but when Inori eagerly asks if she will finally support her dream, she immediately shuts her down again, much to everyone's shock. Recounting how her eldest daughter devoted herself to skating only to quit without seeing results, Inori's mother argues that she simply hasn't found another dream yet and questions whether the time and money they invest will be rewarded.
Calming down, Tsukasa internally acknowledges that the mother has a point. However, Inori, tearing up, expresses her dissatisfaction with her current state and her strong desire to skate — Though she is aware that skating is hard and that she is causing trouble for her family, it is the one thing that helps her escape the struggles she faces at school and find her place in the world. Through skating, she hopes to find something she loves and excels at for which nobody can belittle her, and to become someone she is not ashamed of.
Hearing this, Tsukasa turns to Inori's mother and bluntly tells her to let Inori start already. He asserts that although there is no guarantee that she will become an Olympic athlete, Inori has the talent and passion to continue skating. He emphasizes the importance of a strong will to overcome the demanding and expensive training, and when Inori's mother once again brings up the age issue, he counters that few children of extremely young ages are able to train seriously.
Recalling his own past struggles and knowing how Inori feels, Tsukasa boldly declares that he will be her coach, aggressively pleading for the mother's permission. He is convinced that with Inori's fearlessness, core strength, ability to listen, and ambition, she will surely succeed with her mother's support. He goes as far as to promise taking her to the All Japan Championships, bowing deeply in front of her.
Tsukasa's loud declaration draws the attention of parents and children all around the rink, much to Hitomi's dismay. Inori's mother, caught completely off-guard, hesitantly stammers her consent. Overjoyed, Tsukasa turns to the crying Inori and asks for her name, and praises the name after being told.
The post-credit scene takes place about a week later. Inori bursts out of her classroom the moment school ends, while her classmates comment on how much happier she seems recently. At the rink, Hitomi complains to Tsukasa about what he has put her through — the parents have been giving her quite the earful after Tsukasa's "preferential treatment" towards Inori. Tsukasa casually assures her that he understands, but the moment a beaming Inori arrives, he loudly praises her glowing smile, much to Hitomi's frustration.
Trivia[]
Deviations from Source Material[]
- In the manga, the identity of the skater Inori watches on TV is unclear. In the anime, she is explicitly shown to be Hikaru Kamisaki.[1]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Chapter 1: Genius on Ice
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