In an era where digital scanlation and official translations bring manga to global audiences within hours, there remains a quiet, devoted group of fans who seek out the raw—the untranslated, original Japanese chapters. For most series, this is a simple act of impatience. For Medalist, it is an act of worship.
Serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Afternoon since 2020, Tsurumaikada’s Medalist tells the story of Inori Yuitsuka, a girl who starts figure skating late, and Tsukasa Akeuraji, her disillusioned coach. On the surface, it’s a sports underdog tale. But in its raw, ink-and-tone form, Medalist transcends the genre.
For non-Japanese speakers, reading the Medalist raw is a puzzle. You lose the sharp, emotional dialogue and the technical coaching jargon. However, you gain pacing. You linger on a spread for thirty seconds because you have to decode the body language, not just the text. medalist raw manga
The raw also offers a first glimpse at Tsurumaikada’s unedited art. Before typesetting and digital cleanup, you sometimes see the ghost of a pencil line, a corrected arm position, or a finger smudge. It is a window into the creator’s frantic, passionate process—fitting for a manga about a sport measured in tenths of a point.
Caption: ⛸️ Medalist Raw Manga Check ⛸️ Expressive examination of “Medalist” (raw manga) On the
There is nothing quite like flipping through the raw Japanese pages of Medalist. The screentones, the speed lines on the ice, and the raw emotion (pun intended) of Inori’s jumps hit differently without translation layers.
Current raw status: Volume 11 is out in JP. English status: Crying while waiting for Vol. 7. Why Read the Raw
Who else reads the raws just to look at the skating choreography? 👇
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