Hello everyone and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I thought we’d go to the racetrack and see how Japan’s most accomplished young riding girls are doing in training. Yes, it’s time for more of the hilariously ridiculous “Horse Girls,” in which young female equestrians compete to the brink of self-destruction for gold medals, but then turn in goddamn idol performances. If we’re heading towards the intersection of all fandom fascinations, then Umamusume is clearly a crucial step along the way; combining gacha obsessiveness with mecha girl database dynamics and idol music, the production seems like an absolute fever dream for the modern anime economy, the latest bizarre innovation in the media’s hybrid commercialism.
It’s also a very good drama! While I certainly have my misgivings about what Umamusume represents, this season has thus far provided quite compelling personal drama, delving into the painful anxieties of an athletic career derailed by a personal injury. By refusing to play up to its heroine Teio’s troubles, the show is able to effectively sell the painfully complicated feelings of cheering from the sidelines and watching your opponents realize the dreams their bodies refuse to fulfill. It’s been a tough journey for Teio, so let’s support her as we return to Umamusume!
Episode 3
We first see Teio’s unmarked December calendar, a shot that emphasizes how all her hard-working plans have come to naught. After carefully planning her recovery, she still failed to recover in time to compete; now her future was an empty canvas and her lack of a training plan marked her failure
We then immediately cut to her crossing out the “Triple Crown” part of her goal, another nasty gut punch
Then, before the sun rose, she was out in the fields, her breath misting in the cold air, training to make up for all the time she’d lost
The sound design here is great and her “horse hooves” sound is very impactful
I reluctantly came to appreciate the ridiculous variety of their various racing “liveries.” It certainly makes for a colorful display as they charge down the track; true runner apparel is meant for speed, but in a universe where aerodynamics are decidedly unreal, this is a very rich choice
It’s still interesting to me that the OP had to scramble to fit in every relevant horse girl from beginning to end
We cut down on the clues hanging out at the New Year festival
“This is going to be my year!” The seams holding this world together are razor-thin; indeed, any direct reference to the passage of time raises the question of how these girls continually resurface as racers, essentially trapped in a perpetual liminal high school that also encompasses their careers.
I don’t think this is unusual for a gacha adaptation though. One of the many reasons I’m not interested in gacha games is that their world-building is often complex but unconvincing, to the point where I can’t really see their characters as human beings reacting to human circumstances. The foundation is too shaky to guarantee my emotional investment
Teio serves himself a Misato Drink Chug, one of the smaller additions to the Neon Genesis Evangelion cultural canon
Apparently, McQueen maintained some parity with her rival Teio by finishing second in the Autumn Contest
She lifted their coach above her head for mentioning it. I love the jokes that emphasize that these horse girls are actually just as strong as horses
Theo has clearly returned to her old self, so quickly that it makes me worry about what kind of crisis she will encounter next
Apparently Teio and McQueen have been selected for the “URA Award”. Some funny Maltese characters sniping at each other on stage
The assembled media were surprised to learn that the two award-winning athletes had ambitious future goals. There are still a lot of disconnects in the show’s world-building; the media here is framed as awed idol fans rather than reporters grilling professional athletes
Twin Turbo and Nice Nature’s Canopus teams watched the awards ceremony from their dressing rooms. The production team did a great job honing these special characters as Spica’s rival team
“It’s time to declare war on Spica!” The styling of Twin Turbo really suits her personality!
“Trainers! They shot alphabet arrows at us!” That’s some great crap
Teio announced that she wanted to compete in the Spring Kings, which meant she would compete directly with McQueen. McQueen’s eyes sparkle when she hears this competitive intent
The framing here is great, as she says her desire to be undefeated doesn’t mean much if she’s not competing against a strong opponent. This is both a declaration of her continued commitment to meeting tough challenges and an internal affirmation of McQueen’s own strength.
It’s kind of interesting how the dramatic needs of anime adaptations drive the structure of gacha games; by having Teio as the protagonist, this adaptation necessarily creates a sort of “Teio world” interpretation of the game material, creating a prioritized timeline among dozens or hundreds of timelines by choosing whichever game character one chooses to follow. Likewise, the story is designed to be a kind of perpetual, replayable stasis, which naturally causes friction when utilizing traditional narrative and its need for clear, transformative personal arcs
Very interesting animation, Twin Turbo was dying in her previous confrontation with McQueen, draining all her energy on the first lap
“I would analyze every aspect of her game and find ways to beat her.” In a sport where everyone competes individually, the glasses-pushing archetype feels a little out of place. Although I think since you’re playing against your competitor, issues like controlling the paint or drafting behind your opponent do lend themselves to true competitive interaction
The sunset showed some lovely colors as Teio and McQueen came home from training
It was obvious that Theo had been the most promising student from the moment she entered the school. It makes sense that she would eventually be attracted to McQueen, who was also somewhat isolated due to her apparent family heritage
Theo’s early impression of McQueen was that she was trying too hard to impress her idol, Rudolph. A natural reaction to McQueen’s exaggerated elegance
The two pushed each other to greater heights from the start. This could be a source of nasty drama, and McQueen might blame himself for allowing Theo to overwork and get injured
We jump from “The cherry blossoms are about to bloom” to the downpour of McQueen’s next game, immediately undermining any hope of rebirth.
Her competitors’ complete lack of elaborate outfits or hairstyles was a clear sign that they were doomed from the start
OMG, the team’s Maltese raincoats. Also, why is there a piece of cake on Special Week? I think this is some kind of reference to season 1
Another funny equestrian joke, Theo effortlessly jumps over the barricade that separates them from the track
McQueen started the race in third place
“They all marked her.” We yes It ran into one of my initial concerns – it would be difficult to present an analyzable, grounded conflict within the dramatic confines of a race. There are no clear internal challenges to overcome, we just have to hope McQueen is fastest. It’s an embarrassing weakness for a sports show that tends to be inherently good at mechanical conflict
Oh, what a nice cut of McQueen’s breakout. That’s basically the only solution: use visual spectacle to make up for what’s lacking in tactical drama
Finish
Thus, McQueen won the first race of the new year, setting a benchmark and challenging his recovering opponents. This is definitely a more standard sports drama episode compared to the previous episode’s unique treatment of professional disappointment, but there’s still fun to be found in the occasional quirks of life in the world of Ponygirl, and our two leads prove to be a solidly balanced pair who understandably bring out the best in each other. Making the games visually and dramatically interesting remains a challenge, but “Umamusume” remains overall perfectly watchable, a finely detailed take on a decidedly unserious premise.
This article is crazyReader support is possible. Thank you everyone for everything.