Medalist
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| Look at Tsukasa, being a model teacher again. He just knows the fundamentals of ice skating. Inori once again was tested in this episode just like many others. Her interaction with Rioh was priceless. Idk how to feel about Rioh yet but he seems like a confident kid of his age. I do like the character rivalry buildup already with the amount of emotions. |
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| Yeah time flies… and it literally did, I mean Inori is level 5 now! She’s collecting medals like pokemon too. I didn’t think btw, we’d see this sorta jump from last episode to this episode. As you see, like some 3-4 episodes back, the mere thought of Inori competing with Hikaru was like a pipedream, and now she’s just a level behind to be eligible.. wow. Tells a lot about her drastic development as well… yes “drastic” because, Tsukasa himself thinks that as well lol. If anything, it adds a lot to the stakes as well. Inori would be competing with those people now, who have honed their skills through and through and been doing this for years. So yeah, this has to be a coincidence that now all of a sudden that blonde glasses brat is getting transferred to Inori and Tsukasa’s place right? His dad a big and famous fellow, but this guy is always so full of himself and is the most irritating kid in this series, so yeah, can’t say there’s anything to write home about him. He acts like he carries a trauma, but nah, that is just the feeling of inferiority he feels towards Hikaru. Though again, he a kid, so I want to see him that way itself lol. Pretty sure Inori would set him straight, I mean see her fuming and pumped up towards the end xD |
| Rioh is such an arrogant little brat I just can't stand him so far. Its really nice to see how far Inori has come and how determined she is to just keep getting better and better. |
| For someone that have many nice people around, Rioh is so rude. His father feels humble, his best friend is possibly the most positive guy person in the show, Hikaru is another nice person. Which make that Yodaka Jun scene much deserved. Even with the bad first encounter, Inori tried to build bridges. But nope. |
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It's admirable how well Inori was taking Rioh's trash talk up until he pushed the Tsukasa button, but even then watching her get as red as she did while in "boiled shrimp mode" was surprising. Love what it says about her appreciation for Tsukasa as a coach though. |
| So proud of how far Inori has come since we last saw her! She didn’t let that injury discourage her at all and has been on a roll. She’s become a role model to other young skaters too which is so cool. But the higher you climb, the harder it becomes to get to that next level so introducing someone like Rioh who can push her even further is a great idea, if he wasn’t such a shitty human being. He is a fucking prick isn’t he? Dude has such a humble and kind father, a nice best friend and somehow he ends up being an asshole. Idc how much you wanna chase after Hikaru and get better, the way he interacts with adults and even others his own age like Inori is so nasty. You’re not gonna get far with an attitude like that. I’m really glad Inori stood her ground and told his ass off. That’s the first time we’ve seen her really angry. She might be nice, but you’re not gonna insult Tsukasa, the person who believed in her when no one else did, in front of her face. Also hilarious that Rioh is so obsessed with “accomplishments” when he himself has won nothing lmao. And his dad who has a silver medal clearly can’t get thru to him either so he’s just lashing out at everyone with no rhyme or reason. “Yes let’s go for it! All Japan’s Novice” I fully believe in Inori and she’s shown she can pull off the double axel now. These last few episodes are going to be great. Tsukasa might not have a big trophy cabinet, but he’s the perfect coach for her and that’s all that matters. |
Marinate1016Mar 8, 2025 11:19 AM
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| Whoa, time skip already? I feel like we missed out on a lot of potential stories... But the show seems to be holding up in this episode, so not too worried. I assume Episode 11 will cover the training camp, 12 will cover the Level 6 exam and maybe a bit of Novice A, and 13 will be the rest of Novice A and set-up for a future showdown with Hikaru. Already disappointed that the season is ending so soon... |
| great ep dad issue, hummm |
| if you hated this episode/chapter, just watch/read something else... 100k on IG (https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh) Discord (https://discord.gg/vbZrk64uH7) for anime links / news / recom etc |
| im actually not crazy about the sudden time skip, the previous episode ends on sort of a cliffhanger with Inori injured and having to take a break, and the next episode out of nowhere none of that matters anymore since nearly a year has gone by. Almost feels sort of rushed. I havent read the manga but I wouldnt be surprised if some content was skipped in between last episode and this one in order to have Inori and Hikaru compete against eachother in the final episode, thats how it feels atleast. |
| HOLY PEEAAKKKK. INORIIIIIII is very different from what we know in episode 1, I am very proud of what Inori has achieved. Finally we can see how Rioh's character is, I can't stand brats like this, but I can understand it, just look at when he gets praise from adults he is so happy that he feels he doesn't deserve the praise, really looking forward to how Rioh's character will develop in line with the story. INORIIII against what Rioh said made me scream with joy lol, really liked Inori's courage and confidence when she said that to Rioh. Rioh doesn't have the confidence of Inori and that's what makes this moment so amazing, I'm so proud of Inori's confidence. Inori again surprised us that it turns out she can already double axel on the ground, Inori also showed that she has also developed far outside the ice too. Ahh man this anime is too damn exciting, I'm really looking forward to the next episode! |
| Not really fond of time skip being used in any story to jump start progression and this is no exception. I know they want to fasten the progression so Inori could compete with Hikaru soon but I prefer natural progression through intensive training and failures along the way. And this could also help to make every single win that she gets feels earned not rushed like this. Instead they could also focusing on Hikaru's training as well in between episodes to let us feel get attached to her character, not just a rival figure from a far for Inori to chase. And this is quite a huge misopportunity for her character since I quite like her since her introduction in earlier episodes. She is the reason why Inori want to keep improving and yet we get very little of her appearances. I wonder if the anime skipping chapters or not.......... |
VivaceRexMar 8, 2025 6:21 PM
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| Woah I didn't expect a time-skip any time soon, but after watching this episode, it doesn't bother me too much. I thought glasses boy was gonna be super annoying to watch, but his internal monologues are pretty funny. Watching him panicking internally but externally responding with the most deadpan face and voice is hilarious. I could definitely relate to him there. I would love to see more interactions between him and Inori + Tsukasa, their dynamic is great. Since the level difficulty shot up for Inori's next goal, hopefully we won't get another time skip any time soon and Inori's progression will slow down a bit. I love seeing Inori growing in her confidence and her determined expression while declaring war against glasses boy was awesome, but it'd be interesting to see if she could actually pull it off. Aaaahh I'm itching to read the manga. |
  "As promised, all that you seek, all that we desire, is prepared up there. On top of the Tower." |
| I wasn't the biggest fan of the pacing of events even before this, but then we have this huge one year time skip come by fairly nonchalantly lol... |
| Too much time wasted on Tsundere-kun for my tastes......... |
| "Genki is Life, Genki is Love" |
| Inori's confidence is just beautiful to see 😭 it's like she's a different person, but still the same goofy lovable character from the first episode. I don't think Rioh is a bad kid, he just needs to spend more time with Tsukasa and open up with him |
Reply to ajw215799
Honestly, that kid Rioh deserves a hard and heavy smack right across the face. No matter who a kid’s parents are, they should never be allowed to grow up that rude and arrogant, that’s how the murder rate increases
a few more of these |
| A one year timeskip and Inori is already at level 5. I will admit that the timeskip caught me by surprise, but in that space of time from the last episode to now, her progression after her recovery has been very impressive. However, Rioh joining the same place to practice his skating was also a surprise. While it was nice to see him interact with a friend who also did skating like he does, the way he talks to both Inori and Tsukasa, as well as his own father, is disappointing. He oozes of pessimism to the point that word loses its meaning and he outright refuses to understand or acknowledge what others are trying to tell him. That led to Inori getting very angry at him after he trash talked Tsukasa's coaching skills and I do applaud her for holding her ground at Rioh while promising that she will nail difficult skating techniques which left Rioh shocked about. Later on, when she was talking with Tsukasa after things cooled down, she did prove that her declaration earlier was no bluff. She can do a double axle jump on land and, knowing her, it won't be long before she can achieve the same jump on ice. Her faith in Tsukasa is as strong as ever, so I do see her living up to her goals with the episodes that we have left. =) |
| Kinda disappointed that Inori's first gold medal was shown so fast, but I'm interested to see her learn alongside Rioh. |
| Now we have a subplot where Inori has to befriend that brat. I'll be glad once she does, but for the time being, he is annoying. Looks like vengeance is Inori's chief driver. She wants to prove her naysayers long. (cf Reiss profile) We have a time skip. Did they skip several chapters in the manga? Like a boring chapter or two on rehab? ETA: Reading the thread, looks like there is also a timeskip in the manga. |
patkarununganMar 10, 2025 4:14 AM
| 'I am the world's most selfish man.' (俺のわがまま世界１だ) — Ten'ouji Haru |
| Inori's personality went from 0 to 100 in just 1 episode. The way she got mad for her coach is a whole new level of cuteness. She has become confidently beautiful girl I am so proud. 😭😭 |
| my favorite episode so far |
| I love how Hikaru's coach is such a poorly-adjusted adult that even a child tries to chew him out LOL Also love Inori defending her coach without keeling over in cowardice. It shows a good bit of both character development and relationship development! Beautiful. She's not intimidated by Rioh anymore. |
Rioh is a little brat but I don' think he is a bad kid...Coach and Inori will get him to warm up to them as they are both so bright lmao and he is a little tsundere rain cloud. I feel kind of bad for him as it seems like he isn't used to getting compliments and I am sure he gets tired of always being compared to his Olympian father. This image just cracks me up I also want to see him and Inori becoming friends they would be so funny together especially if Rioh stays in the club (which idk if he will as I haven't read the manga) it will be nice to see her actually have someone she is close to in her actual club. |
Infinite-VoidMar 11, 2025 7:32 PM
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| Inori is so much of a sweetheart not even Rioh's immense bitterness could ruin my mood while watching the episode. Scene with her actually getting mad and confronting Rioh for his bullshit was so satisfying to watch. Peak character development moment. |
| I wasn't expecting a timeskip Inori sure looks taller |
| Right now I really can't stand Riou's character, I know I shouldn't take it seriously but omg such a stubborn, arrogant, smartass brat! And yes I'm sure at some point I'll probably like him and feel sorry for him when his background story is revealed. |
| While the argument that Rioh and Inori had was uncalled for it motivated Inori even more and maybe down the road Rioh himself will also get motivated. Also props to Coach Takamine since she put her full confidence in Tsukasa and recommended him to Rioh's dad. |
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