Brilliant Skating Anime Medalist Gets Second Season Next January

It seems that one of the best sports anime in recent memory is set to make a prompt return, as Medalist will be back on the ice this January, roughly coinciding with the 2026 Olympics. The series follows Inori, a precious cinnamon roll with social anxiety, who finds something to strive for through figure skating. After joining the sport late, she partners up with her coach, Tsukasa, a golden retriever of a man who also has a chip on his shoulder, as the pair reach greater and greater heights. The series is based on the manga of the same name by Tsurumaikada.

ENGI studio will once again handle animation with much of the same key staff. Yasutaka Yamamoto will return as director, Jukki Hanada is still in charge of series composition and the script, and Chinatsu Kameyama remains the chief animation director and character designer. Former Olympic skater Akiko Suzuki will return to choreograph the new season’s skating scenes. The first season of the series marked a comeback for ENGI, and the show’s excellent skating performances utilized a mixture of 2D animation and 3D motion capture.