DESCRIPTION

CAST

SPECIAL Slice of LifeUma Musume: Pretty Derby - 1st Anniversary Special Animation
MANGA ComedyUma Musume: Peace Peace☆Supi Supi Golshi-chan

REVIEWS

• 

  veemon23

  85/100
  I Have Finished the Race

  SEASON 3!!! - I can't write spoiler free reviews lol It focuses on one of my top 3 favorite girl! One thing we both agree on, Teio is best girl! __Toukai Teio__ __Kitasan Black__ Our little horse girl from season 2 is all grown up now and racing just like both of our favorite horse girl Teio (still the best Idol Horse Girl) How do you measure greatness? It is not what one accomplishes as a individual achievement. It is the ability to inspired others. There are those who chase after others. And some that chase after dreams and goals. But the great ones, they have others chasing after them, setting the standard of what greatness is. They inspired the next generation, they leave a legacy as they tread into the unknown, because only the greats has dear to venture into the heights others cannot reach. Greatness is not measure by what you accomplished, but how you can inspire others to dream dreams. Greatness is about leading the way for others, making a path for others to follow, setting a good example. Though it is lonely at the top, you were willing to go there first, so that others may dear dream dreams of what they thought was impossible. Even the greatest have to someday stop, time catches up to us all. Our prime, our peak, it can be anytime. Some people can play forever and some with injuries and unforeseen circumstances will be cut short. We don't know when our end will be, but let us at least run this race of life without having any regrets left. It's okay not to achieve your dreams, it's better to have a dream then to have nothing to look forward too. Failure is part of growing and learning, we will fail, we won't always win. We just need to get back up and try again. At least in the end, we know, at least we gave it our all. It's not for us only, but it's for all those who has always been there cheering us on. For that one person who believes in us and for those who inspired us. We do it not for ourselves only but for all those who were before us and behind us. --- It's not fair to compare these season with one another, as we all know, season 2 is by far superior to the rest. Each season tells a different story about a different girl with their own issue. And how they learn to resolve or overcome these hardships. Season 1 is more of a setup and it just focuses more on just learning to find a place she belongs. And eventually learning to become stronger as the season went on. It was your more traditional setup. Almost like the underdog story or the new comer who defied all expectations. Season 2 focuses more on the real actual story of a horse called Tokai Teio. Though loosely base since obviously she's not a full horse but a horse girl, but you get the point. This is why it more well written, since it was really more well known and has a good source to use. Also off course best two girls! The best rival as well! Season 3 is more as I wrote above, learning to let go and move on. It's about accepting defeat and knowing that we all will hang it up one day. With that, the thought that one day someone will think about us for one last time and we may be forgotten someday. Even so, what kind of legacy do you want to leave behind when you finish your journey? Because we don't know if anyone will remember us in 100 years but what kind of impact do you want to leave behind for those who were here and now? --- I do feel bad for her this season, I feel like man she got treated so badly but that's the reality of life... you can't always win and life hurts... those who wants to succeed often taste so much defeats. We don't always win, we may suffer more defeats and some people may never even experience any victories... but it's not so much about the destination as the journey... it's about chasing that dream regardless of how hard it seems and how far it is. And it's about learning when to pass that dream onto others, not as a parent who's failed dream that force on their child. But more as a inspiration for the next person who wants to chase that dream. Be the inspiration for them. Though season 2 is the best, this one has a beautiful message in defeat. While season 2 is one in triumphant, I think both compliment each other well. Just as she longed to be like Teio and failed to be... it was a great representation of season 2 and 3. Though almost similar but so different, two side of the same coin. --- __Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond__ Vs __Toukai Teio and Mejiro McQueen__ The first pair serves more of a friendship before a rivalry. They were not like the second pair who brought the best out of each other. Where McQueen in all her effort did her best to help Teio get back into shape. Becoming the best Horse Girl again. While the first two is more of Kitasan Black inspired Satono Diamond to want to race. But Satono has always been just naturally better. So, it became more of Kitasan chasing after her while Satono having probably one of the most emotional episode... winning her one race. That was a well done episode in my opinion. Teio and McQueen serve more of a rivalry that was well done and written. Their love for each other and support as not only teammates and friends, but two people who truly respected the other. It was done far better but this is not to discredit the other two at all. Season 2 is just far superior, but this is not to say season 3 was lacking. They were just different stories but with some similarities you can't help but compared. Satono being McQueen and Kitasan being Teio 1st - Teio 2nd - McQueen 3rd - Kitasan They are my top 3 favorites... who's number 4??? I don't know... probably Symboli Rudolf (Pres) or Rice Shower, maybe Nature too --- A beautiful ending to one of the best of her generation. Finish as she started, running strong and true to herself. Giving her best and being the people's champion. A true winner is not one who wins in first but one who inspires others and touches the life of others. They inspire and motivate others, she is a prime example of that. As she loves her community and is loved by them. The last race was not to prove to herself that she can win or that she's the best. It was for the people who's always been there to cheer her on. It took a lot of growing on her part, instead of chasing after Teio, she learned to lead by setting a example of hard work and determination to the very end. Also I just have to say, her last outfit was GORGEOUS! Since it was not her own but the team (except for Special Week lol). --- Lastly - shout out to probably one of the best supporting character of this season who's presence doesn't stand out but was a great supporter. Nature (Senpai) --- "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."
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• 

  dabage

  75/100
  While not matching the dramatic highs of Season 2, the journey from gate to wire Season 3 offers is well worth it.

  A review of Season 3 from a long time Uma Musume fan!

  (spoilers ahead!)

  Uma Musume always has a message that is consistent in almost every form of media the series has:

  __Every character has a story to tell.__

  A series that is based off animals that have once lived or are living in the real world often has to meet these ideas: especially one based on thoroughbred horses. Nothing was ever perfect, some often lived a tough life, and we can only interpret how these animals felt during their highest high, lowest lows or their middling middles.

  Despite how high the expectations Season 2 of Umamusume sets, how we felt every setback and triumph Tokai Teio that led to her Cinderella ending, I felt that Umamusume Season 3 doesn't match those dramatic climaxes.
  As a fan of the series, I was disappointed by how pedestrian season 3 felt to its predecessor. I let my thoughts about the season brew before I wrote this review, through participating in discussion about the anime and even with fans who have watched Japanese horse racing and have gone to watch Kitasan Black race when the real horse was active from 2013-15.

  And through this discussion and thinking, I always come back to what this series excels at: Every character has a story to tell.

  When I think about Kitasan Black, her story in the anime, her real life background and what the horse meant to fans who witnessed his greatest moments live, I realize the story that Studio KAI has given wonderfully tailors the story of Kitasan Black. A plucky horse never meant for anything exceeding their circumstances, no matter how flawed they were.
  Uma Musume often remarks that all horsegirls run for different reasons, and it's no different here. From Duramente, a stoic and terrifyingly strong that was born to win, to Satono Diamond, a character that is hoisted by the hopes that her family has in hopes of breaking some long time superstition; its clear what each character's motivation is throughout the season. For our main heroine Kitasan Black, it's not a story that is meant to match what Tokai Teio felt, what Special Week achieved or the hardships that Narita Top Road faced. Its her story, and while Kitasan respects who came before her, each episode pieces together the motivation of Kitasan and her will to run. Through her greatest triumphs, and her harshest defeats, we learn with Kitasan what it means to run and compete, and how do we define ourselves and our legacy.

  

  It's here where I begin to understand what this media franchise stands for and why its so successful in Japan, and how Uma Musume consistently handles topics of the less talked about aspects of sports. Physical and mental decline, the acceptance of regression, and what it means to truly compete, all while being a series about anthropomorphic horse girls. It demands to be taken seriously despite its weird premise and does it wonderfully.

  Obviously there are some issues I do think is separate from this: Season 3 had a bloated cast of main characters that while help carry the overall theme of the story this season, these characters often faded in and out of the background and sometimes were thrown to the side, with some of their important events happening off screen. Covering a story that focuses on 4 main characters and spans almost 3 years (especially one where its based on real life horse races and events), is hard to fit inside a 13 episode season, where often events were rushed or skipped that felt noticeable to even anime watchers that did not know the real life events and results.

  Regardless of these shortcomings, it was still a great watch for any Uma Musume fan, but I would go in with different mindset/expectations about this season. Kitasan and her story was meant to separate herself from the rest of the main characters Uma Musume has had, and knowing this will make you appreciate what the show has to offer. While not matching the dramatic highs Season 2 delivered in spades, the journey from gate to wire Season 3 offers is well worth it.

  
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• 

  kirb5s

  70/100
  uma musume s3 review in short: messy but still decent

  another season, another great step of uma musume. this season honestly was quite messy, and really just all over the place. but its ending arc might’ve kinda redeem itself quite nicely. although there are still some parts that i still find quite odd, it was a great chapter of uma musume nonetheless.
  lets talk animation since i dont know anything else about how produce an anime (as per my last reviews, im going to watch shirobako one day i swear) but i watched enough to be a little in the know about certain specifics about how animation works and how industry has changed over the course of time. as studio kai picked up uma from the last season, season 2 has tried to impleiment some 3D to some of its scenes which werent a huge deal since it was really only to showcase multiple horses racing on the track which is i assume is harder on 2d to do (again im stupid and not qualified to talk about this lol). here they decide to pretty much do it here as well but also show 3d characteristics on 2d characters (honsetly im not sure about this one but whenever i look at dia i feel she definitely has some sort of thing going on like if you look at kitasan and dia side by side they feel like there totally different idk maybe im hallucinating). i still hope that cygames pictures picks up uma s4 since everything they touched in terms of uma stuff have been great.

  (skip this whole paragrah if you want, just summerized 2/3 of the show which i think helps contextualize on why the ending is somewhat redeemable)
  so whats next up on the uma story lines? well its pretty much a direct continuation of s2 where two best friends kitasan black and satano diamond go joined their idol’s footsteps to become fellow racehorses at tracen academy. kita and dia were in s2 briefly to showcase they were going follow the footsteps of teio and mcqueen as they were the ones that inspired them to race. kita joining immediately spica while dia on team capella. as show quickly moves to showcasing kita going the japanese derby, but is out performed quickly by duramente. satano also gets her chance to shine as she slowly tries break the satano curse in which eventually does on the kikkashou. but lets take step back a bit, ever since the loss of agaisnt duramente, its been affecting her phyiscally and mentally as she keeps going on a losing streak. theres a part where I really appericated the scene with nice nature as she here acts as the relateable level-headed friend that genuinely wants help kita help back on her feet. this display of characterization from nice nature really helps understand what kind of character she is with just one scene. even though we do not get much from her after this, its nice to have a character whos not just the trainer who can help as a peer. the whole kita training arc was a great segement not just to help get out of kita’s funk but use bourbon and rice shower in a clever way since their ways of training (showcased in s2) benefit kita’s hulk type body and strength. with that, kita is back to form and dia coming off with back-to-back wins as the curse is broken, arima kinen is here. but honsetly? the results arent important its what happens after with kita struggling to find her reason to race in the first place. its important to note this since this will help shape the ending in the way i think makes it more tolerable. eps 9-10 felt more filler though its still enjoyable to see the slice of life aspects.
  as we head to ep 11 , this is where it starts. so kita suddenly hits her “peak” condition which makes her get weaker and weaker ever race. and i was taken a bit back on why it kinda just suddenly happen? they did foreshadowed this eariler but it was more like i didnt think the reason for it was just so idk... weird? well its fine idc about how it happen really its probably for the reason that this is based on the acutal race horse's career. but how this affects the story onwards is the real kicker. what they done well is that when kita’s coming terms with her career coming to an end and trying to give a worthy send off to everyone. to see kita’s career soar and make her dreams come true which she truly wanted after the arima kinen loss. to see everyone smiling and enjoy the sport of horse racing. sure that was good. but key characters like duramente, and diamond were left out of the race which really undersells the final races by a good margin. (especially duramente like we only saw her literally race once at ep 1, such wasted potiental on a cool character).
  so in end i think even though the hiccups were clearly visble towards the end, it was still a fun watch regardless. this one is a bit longer than i thought. i had a lot more to say since i had to re-watch almost the whole season again just to understand what the hell was going on lmao. this is probably my least favorite uma anime but from here on out it gets much better. road to the top is next

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