Morning Arrives (Japanese: 朝が来る Asa ga Kuru) is the twelfth episode of the Medalist anime.
Synopsis[]
Characters[]
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Story[]
Inori dreams of her past, digging for earthworms at a playground for Sekoma in hopes of being let into the rink. The passing children gossip about Inori, saying she probably eats the worms and calling her disgusting, leaving her in tears.
Inori wakes up to find Mika crawling into the room with her hair draped over her face, pretending to be a ghost to scare her. However, Inori is unfazed. Later, Mika helps Inori do her hair and shows her the outfit for today's free skate, which Nozomi had once again stayed up late to work on. Inori asks Mika if she thinks she's changed. Mika answers that she feels both changed and unchanged: when looking at Inori, she went from thinking "I have to work hard" to "I want to work hard," but one thing that never changes about Inori is being an incredibly hard worker, which people around her are inspired by and love her for.
At the Kago household, Tsukasa is asleep with Yoh sitting next to his bed, reading a book. Yoh climbs onto of the bed, waking him. At breakfast, Tsukasa shares that today is the big day of Inori's Level 6 badge test, which will allow her to finally compete in the All-Japan Novice if she passes.
Koichi recalls watching a Novice competition with Meiko in her hospital room, where Meiko told him that the children on the ice had already dedicated many years of their lives to skating despite their young age, all their efforts culminating in a few brief moments to shine. Tsukasa pays his respects in front of a photo of Meiko before setting off.
Inori arrives at Howa Sportsland, the same rink where she took her Prelim test and first met Hikaru. Hikaru, wearing a frilly dress, has been waiting for her all morning. As they reunite, they notice their height difference — Hikaru has already grown to 150cm. When asked if she's taking the Level 6 test, Inori tells Hikaru that she'll finally be ready to compete against her, and apologizes for taking so long. They promise to meet again at the All-Japans.
Too arriving, Tsukasa finds Jun Yodaka smoking outside. He reflects that the greatness of trailblazers can be intimidating, but resolves to achieve victory with Inori regardless of Jun's dismissal. He greets Inori and explains the test's structure, including an element test, a short program, and a free skate. Rioh Sonidori joins them as well, here for another attempt at his Level 6 test. Spotting Tsukasa, Shinichiro Sonidori rushes over and deeply bows before him, thanking him for taking care of Rioh, causing Tsukasa to panic.
Inori realizes that she is standing in the exact spot where Tsukasa helped calm her nerves before her Prelim test, and finds that this time, she is no longer trembling. For her element test, Inori executes a successful Double Axel. As the examiner grades her, she grows extremely nervous, but passes without issue. Returning rinkside, she finds that Tsukasa was even more nervous than she was.
Nozomi hands Inori her first costume for the short program. Her program incorporates both of the difficult jumps she broke through at the summer camp, as well as ballet elements.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2A2A | 3.30 |
| 2 | 3S3S + 2T2T | 5.60 |
| 3 | FSSp3FSSp3 | 2.60 |
| 4 | 2Lo2Lo | 1.70 |
| ... | ||
Next up is Rioh's short program. Though anxious about possibly failing for the sixth time, he manages to relax before beginning. He recalls his experience at camp, and channels Tsukasa's example as he skates. His first jump, a 3T3T + 2T2T, lands flawlessly, filling him, Tsukasa, and Shinichiro with pride and joy.
Only the free skate test remains. Inori changes into her second outfit and listens to her program in the changing room to prepare. When Nozomi comes to check on her, Inori thanks her, grateful for her support that allowed her to finally pursue what she loves and no longer feel ashamed of herself. Nozomi, touched, says that she should be the one thanking Inori for showing her just how strong she is. Tearing up, she bends down to embrace Inori.
Before her turn to perform, Tsukasa offers his hoodie strings for her to hold. Inori tells Tsukasa that in the beginning, it was he who helped her tie together the emotions she didn't understand. She ties his hoodie strings into a bow and promises she'll be fine, and Tsukasa reminds her that there's no going back, and that they'll continue striving to move forward after this test.
Inori takes center stage after a fist bump with Tsukasa. Her program consists of an opening Double Axel, followed by six jumps and three spins, all of which must be executed without fail. As she skates, she reflects on her past self, whom she hated but is also the reason she's come this far. To that self, she says both goodbye and thank you, as she delivers a flawless performance.
| Order | Element | Base Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2A2A | 3.30 |
| 2 | 2S2S | 1.30 |
| 3 | 2Lz2Lz | 2.10 |
| 4 | FCSp?FCSp? | ? |
| 5 | 2F2F | 1.80 |
| 6 | CoSp?CoSp? | ? |
| 7 | 2Lz2Lz + 2Lo2Lo | 3.80 |
| 8 | 2S2S + 2T2T | 2.60 |
| 9 | 2F2F + 2T2T + 2Lo2Lo | 4.80 |
| 10 | CoSp?CoSp? | ? |
It comes time for the results to be announced. A wave of nervous anticipation washes over Inori, but Rioh nudges her and reassures her that she did well. The examiner delivers the results — both Rioh and Inori have earned Level 6.
Trivia[]
- Rioh's short program in this episode is the first and only 2D-animated program in the anime.
Deviations from Source Material[]
- "Morning Comes" is the title of the 14th manga chapter, which was already fully covered in the previous episode. However, the anime repurposed the title for this episode.
- As the season finale, this episode features many anime-original scenes, including:
- The interaction between Mika and Inori
- Tsukasa spotting Jun at Howa Sportsland
- The conversation between Nozomi and Inori
- Inori tying Tsukasa's hoodie strings into a bow
- Inori's monologue during her free skate
- The flashback at the beginning of the episode is from Chapter 1 of the manga.
- The scene at the Kago household is from Volume 4's extra mini-chapter named "A Fluffy Weapon."
Gallery[]
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