Medalist - Ch. 53 - Mermaid and Blade

[MangaDex]

 

[lovemonger]

hello, medalheads!

we're out of the junior nationals arc, but that doesn't mean out of stories to tell. inori's got her jgp final next! firstly, lots of gratitude, so so much, to the anonymous little bug for their redrawing efforts. very appreciated for us. secondly, thank you for your patience in waiting for our release! in addition to this chapter being extremely long compared to usual, we were all pretty preoccupied as well. but thankfully we managed to get it out before the next chapter drops.

please, if you can, buy the official manga! whether it be the japanese raws or an official translation in your region, it all helps to support the author and everyone who helps in bringing this series to life.

enjoy the chapter, and happy skating!

 

[SuperOniichan]

Inori has almost caught up with her sister in height. They grow so fast...

 

[lasercats]

Watching Inori all grown up is an surreal feeling, but more importantly, IRUKA YOU DESERVE BEST OF EVERYTHING
Months on end I kept waiting on Iruka, I'm beyond relieved to see she's fine. Such a strong girl, how can anyone not love her.

 

[J_the_Man]

Man, that was a lot for one chapter.

 

[EdenMarino]

Pg 4-5, seeing Tsukasa's internal thoughts, and then shifting perspective to Inori being troubled by his look of silent consternation... that moment wasn't just great character acting but setup for the theme and lesson of the whole chapter. Inori's a good girl, but she wants to try hard! Tsukasa knows that but he doesn't want her to get hurt! Coach Tsukasa honestly relays his experience to help Inori understand his perspective and it does eventually get through to her, but not without him tripping up first. It's so good being able to get a glimpse at what characters think, feel, and intend, and then have their intentions checked by the real reaction from the other person. This is the tough nature of communication, and learning how to get better at it in real time. I'm also glad we see how this plays out on Iruka's end and the perspective of an older skater with a totally different background, and how she and her coach overcome grindingly tough obstacles too. These moments are why I love these characters so much, why I love Medalist.

 

[GhostPanda42]

Incredible chap for really digging deep into the concept of resilience, hopefully this means there'll be a little less character drama between Tsukasa and Inori going forward (not that i'm against it, but it's getting a tad repetitive when every arc breaks down to that)
Seeing Iruka's perspective was also great with her determination to overcome her past and any obstacles that come, but most importantly

DAHLIAAAA PERFORMANCE SOOOON

 

[dghirsh]

FINALLY THE CHAPTER 😭😭😭

 

[Shengling]

i have to say i really love iruka's growth and development. really hope that inori will have her redemption at the jgp finals

 

[trixg315]

The "talk" finally happened. Good thing they already addressed Inori's mental health issues here. I was kinda worried Tsuruma Ikada would drag it out. Lol

 

[Mitsu13]

Even though it's amazing Tsukasa decides his new dream is to be a coach, I still feel sad for him having to forget his old dream. It's unfortunate that you can't do two things at once.

This manga is so amazing at describing psychology, making the characters feel more human.

 

[benshapiro]

I wanna marry Iruka, love her and hug her

 

[abridgededition]

sports psychology is one of the most overlooked components of any game. when someone builds up such a competitive drive, it can send them to the top, or off a cliff. it takes a really strong mental to keep all of it together.

 

[Renu]

IRUKAAAAAAAAA ;A;

The messages from her parents... My god, fuck them. And she was so happy that they came to see her skate even after everything they did just to go back to that once things went wrong...

 

[ReaLWorld123]

I love seeing Inori's sulking expression. Really like a teenage girl in a rebellious phase.

 

[velcrosnake]

Thank you!

 

[TakeiDaloui]

Even though it's amazing Tsukasa decides his new dream is to be a coach, I still feel sad for him having to forget his old dream. It's unfortunate that you can't do two things at once.

This manga is so amazing at describing psychology, making the characters feel more human.

Yeah, thought it does help him also fulfil this dream too. That he can prevent more people like him, and while he might envy what he lost I doubt he'd trade away what he has now for that.

 

[Excel2021]

Massive props to the author, watching Inori grow is always a pleasure, even in the regressions.

 

[katharsj]

Thank you for the chapter. This was amazing. I love Medalist.

 

[Mentholatum]

A couple of Japanese notes for extra context:

Page 8 (and 9) - the bag that Inori sent to Iruka says "Mimizu Popup Store" - Mimizu = earthworm

Page 44-45-etc - Iruka's name means dolphin, which is why they show up a few times in this chapter

@lovemonger - kudos for translating Iruka's phone screen on page 55. The text looked way too small, so I completely skipped it when reading the raw.