The latest Umamusume: Pretty Derby is for the horsegirls (and guys)

"Previously only available in Japan, the game Umamusume: Pretty Derby came out worldwide last July, and it's essentially a management and racing sim where you play as a trainer for anime horse girls (that is, anime girls with horselike features called umamusume) who are based on real-life Japanese race horses. It kicked off an online fervor that began as ironic before quickly becoming anything but, sucking droves into a fever dream of endless Bakushins."

"While most of the movie's initial charm comes from how it handles such a bonkers premise with utter earnestness-dramatizing the real-world 2001 Japanese Classic Races through horse girls-it isn't long until skepticism transforms into a sports fan's passionate cheers."

"The deeper you dig, the more absurd it gets, because beyond the popular game, there are also multiple television shows: the mainline Pretty Derby series, which has run for three seasons, and the spin-off, Cinderella Gray, a lethally self-serious sports drama that emerges like a charging steed."

Umamusume: Pretty Derby has evolved from ultra-niche Japanese content to moderately mainstream through its worldwide release last July. The franchise centers on a management and racing simulation featuring anime girls with horse-like features based on real Japanese racehorses. Beyond the popular game, the series includes three seasons of the mainline Pretty Derby television show, the sports drama spin-off Cinderella Gray, and an animated film by CygamesPictures. The film, Beginning Of A New Era, dramatizes the 2001 Japanese Classic Races through hand-drawn animation and follows protagonist Jungle Pocket at Tracen Academy. Despite its absurd premise of horse girls competing in races, the franchise treats its subject matter with complete sincerity, transforming initial ironic interest into genuine fan enthusiasm.

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