Umamusume: Pretty Derby Seasons 1 & 2
a review
"Umamusume. They are born to run. They inherit the names of horses from another world, whose histories were sometimes tragic and sometimes wonderful, and run ever forward. That is their fate. No one knows how the races waiting in the futures of these Umamusume will end. But they will continue to run, aiming only toward the goal in front of them." ~Umamusume: Pretty Derby opening narration
Imagine seeing a massive crowd risng to its feet in accord as they reach the final stretch. With one final push, the race ends in a photo finish. Despite all the horse-racing trappings surrounding the event, the dust settles and the two front runners, both anime girls in ornate costume, wait to see who ultimately pulled out the win.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is one of the most mystifying media experiences I have had. On one hand, the ebb and flow of the show is typical of a sports story, with the ups and downs, setbacks and comebacks, triumph and tragedy that comes with racing. As the opening narration reveals, however, this series' core conceit is that the cast are horse-girls, reincarnations of past race horses, destined to compete on the track.
Perhaps more confusing, the intro shows that the series is part of a larger media franchise, kicked off by a mobile game of the same name. Up until the end of June, 2025, you could only access the game in Japan. Shortly after releasing on Steam and western app stores, the franchise has gotten a significant uptick in public attention. I have not played the game. I am not interested in messing with gacha game monetization. Still, there is an undeniable allure to the strangeness of the premise.
I am writing after finishing season two. I watched season one around January/February of 2025, and came back to watch season two late this spring and into the summer. I had no idea the game was getting ported to Western outlets; I also felt like a crazy person for rambling about the show several months ago. It has since taken off on Tumblr, and I have seen some memes about it on non-anime subreddits as wekk, It feels incredibly strange to be ahead of the curve on this series's rise to prominence.
Season one took a while to pick up steam. The series opens following Special Week, the new girl at Tracen Academy. A fish out of water, she tries to find her way at the prestigious horse-girl school, with the ultimate goal to be the top horse-girl in all of Japan. She does not measure up when she tries out for the most stacked team in school, but finds a home on Team Spica, a group of rag-tag girls who help build each other up.
It is a bit of a slow burn coming out of the gate, but that is probably for the best. You really need to ease a general audience into the concept of the show, and the relationships between the umamusume, the teams and trainers, and the ebb and flow of the race season. Latter parts of season one, and the majority of season two, carry a sense of emotional weight that surpised me. After such a silly premise and setup, the gravitas with which these girls carry themselves through friendly rivalry, achieved and dashed dreams, injuries, and myriad other challenges, got a cry out of me shockingly frequently. I may simply be a soft touch, and I am also prone to being moved by sports stories, but I was really impressed with the way they executed on the premise.
Season 2 was a bit of a rollercoaster. While two key characters fight against numerous setbacks and try to lift each other thorugh the challenges they're facing, the story rotates through key players on other teams, fleshing out the competitive atmosphere of race days. One especially fun story revolved around a girl who was desperate for adoration and fandom, and was mortified to discover that her victories led to derision for spoiling the result the crowd had hoped for. Through the collective effort of many of her classmates, including the one she beat in her previous race, she goes on to compete and give it her all, embracing the ups and downs that come with competition.
The A-plot of Season 2 was really well done. The narrative does a great job of illustrating the mountains both girls are moving to try and compete, and the physical, mental, and emotional toll that their situations put them through. The conclusion was cliche, but still pitch perfect as far as I am concerned. I got a lot of catharsis laughing and crying with these two, and I'll be returning to this season sometime soon.
Altogether, I believe Umamusume is better than the sum of its parts, and better than it has any right to be. I came in with zero expectations, just hoping it would be silly and fun nonsense a la My Deer Friend Nokotan. I initially felt a tinge of cynicism seeing the gacha game that the series originated from, as someone who has some misgivings about how gambling mechanics and collectables separate many from their money. I was glad to (mostly) be proven wrong though, instead seeing a show with a simple story, a gonzo premise, and a ton of heart.
Your mileage may vary when it comes to the emotional beats and drama of competition. If you have ever been moved by a player retirement, a championship, an underdog or cinderella story, or anything else revolving around sports and emotions and where the two connect, you may find a surprisingly gripping show just under the outlandish veneer. If that part doesn't stick for you, but you just like cute girls doing cute things, you could certainly do worse.
Anyways, I had a great time with the show! If you have seen the game blow up in your little corners of the internet, but can't stomach a gacha horse racing game with anime horse girls, the show can give you a lot to chew on! There are three mainline season already finished, at least one OVA, and a spinoff, Umamusme: Cinderella Grey, which just finished airing. If you could use something energetic, emotional and cathartic, give it a go.
