In mid-2021, "Medalist" was featured in major guides like , where it was hailed for its focus on mental health and perseverance. This year laid the groundwork for its subsequent major accolades, including winning the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award (January 2023) and the 48th Annual Kodansha Manga Award (May 2024).

10/10 Status: Ongoing Demographic: Seinen (Monthly Afternoon)

Today, those 2021 raw chapters serve as a time capsule. They show a series finding its footing, an artist perfecting their craft, and a community desperate to connect with a story about not giving up. If you find a copy of those old 2021 raws, treat them not as a freebie, but as a blueprint for how a niche manga becomes a global sensation.

The manga, written and illustrated by Tsurumaikada, was first serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon on May 25, 2020. By 2021 , the series had established itself in Japan, leading to the announcement and start of its digital English release by Kodansha USA on May 18, 2021. Manga Overview & 2021 Milestones

Selected for Kodansha’s "Really Interesting! Highly Recommended!" curator collection.

The raw manga is compiled into volumes, which can be purchased through sites like BookWalker or Amazon Japan. The Impact of Tsurumaikada's Artistry

: After its 2020 debut, the manga's first individual tankōbon volume was released on September 23, 2020. In 2021, the series gained significant traction, winning the Next Manga Award (Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishō) in the print category.

: Inori Yuitsuka (an 11-year-old girl ignored by the skating world) and Tsukasa Akeuraji (a coach whose own skating dreams were crushed). Core Theme

Fans spent hours breaking down the technical accuracy of the skating moves drawn in the raws, from edge placements to triple axel rotations.