Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Season 3

Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - 3 seasons' worth of Uma Musume content with a change of studio production in-between...what could go wrong? Well, this season. It's been 5.5 years since Uma Musume: Pretty Derby graced the small screen, giving us our first impression of CyGames's biggest IP in Japan (next to Princess Connect! Re:Dive a.k.a PriConne) and the anime equivalent to the live-action horse races, showcasing the rich history of Japan's most iconic horses, covering their rise to fame and their eventual downfall away from the spotlight. Since then, we have already had 3 seasons of the anime (Spring 2018, Winter 2021, and this Fall), 2 short series (Summer 2020's Umayon and Fall 2022's Umayuru), last year's Road to the Top ONA series, and a buttload of new manga series based on different characters, to boot. But out of all of these different showings, there's got to be a Black Sheep in the series, and it's very unfortunate that I have to say that Season 3 here is the worst of the lot. Despite Season 1 all those years ago with director Kei Oikawa's staff team and Studio Kai coming into Season 2 to help things out with the production, the story plot has literally stayed the same, which shouldn't really be a bad thing to fans of the mobage and the anime-onlies...right? Sure, you had Special Week and Silence Suzuka for Season 1, which served as a good jumping start to the anime, then Season 2 with Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen, which is Season 1 but 10 times better due to the character developments that get you invested very deeply in both main horse girls, which raises the bar for potential future seasons to come. And then Season 3 appeared after almost yet another 3-year gap...and its central characters are nowhere near the brilliance and remembrance that were its predecessor season, or even Season 1, for that matter. For reference, up until then, all horse girls are based off their real-life horse counterparts to anchor the story, and from what I can tell, the main horse girls of Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond are exactly just that, though somehow, somewhere in the process, it felt like their story elements together were too short to even make up a 13-episode series, so the producers and scriptwriters (some of whom like Shingo Nagai and Tetsuya Kobari were brought back from the Road to the Top ONA) decided to wing this season to the best of their abilities. You have Kitasan Black, who wants to follow in Tokai Teio's footsteps, and Satono Diamond, of whom the Satono "curse" deemed that none of its family members were able to secure G1 wins. I understand the story in this season that can be crafted for the latter, but for the former, it seems like someone is getting lazy trying to rehash the "tried-and-true" formula that made Tokai Teio a standout character in Season 2. Not all horse girls (and their real-life counterparts) have the same history and treatment (though sometimes they do sound the same), and in this case, you can tell that Kitasan Black is supposed to be the next generation leap forward as compared to Tokai Teio's, but the scriptwriting of her character just doesn't echo it like so, and instead, in my opinion, is an exaggerating version of Tokai Teio that is a ticking time bomb, until she becomes a frail horse girl with no redemption whatsoever, despite all the cheers and encouragement from Team Spica and its members who have done the same before her. Also, the other rivals in both girls' generations, like Duramente and Cheval Grand, I really find the former's story very intriguing, and it actually reminded me similarly to Gold Ship's plight, but it started and ended like a typical script with little to no motivation at all. As for the latter, they really want to make Cheval Grand's "win and lose" story mould together alongside the two main horse girls, but I just don't care for her that much. In context, when we look back at Season 2, both Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen's backstories were so great that it makes us the audience very focused and engrossed on their melodrama, and even the racing action on the racecourses feels like they have substantial weight to them as a sign of improvement in how far they'd come in their sacrificial journey to push beyond their limits and achieve their very best. That to think that this was all in the span of the same 13-episode series that, in my opinion at the time, I'm worried that the production committee needs an extra oomph of time to deliver what was then one of the most spectacular races in Uma Musume's anime, period, and by the grace of the anime gods, they delivered in a very tight deadline to fulfill and cement the (at the time) sequel's legacy as a great follow-up to its premiere season. Season 3 here, however, has none of that. If the story doesn't do you any favours for what's about to come for Season 3, then both the production and music will help deteriorate your watching experience. Studio Kai has done magnificently for Season 2 that's 3 years prior, and with the same 3-year gap, you would think that they'll be able to keep their consistency after a break this long. I'm sad to say that this is not the case here, as the animation has slipped to a downgrade (with the obvious tinges focusing on the race action), and while it doesn't look as bad as Season 2, you can tell that it is visibly less refined in an effort to save up on production costs, which is otherwise a mitigating factor concerning the anime overall. The music is by far the worst aspect of Season 3. I was actually okay that the producers left the Winning Stage idol portion for the finale episodes since character development is the absolute priority for Season 2, something that had existed since Season 1 (again, to give anime-onlies an idea of what the mobage is all about in anime form). And Season 3 is the sum of the marriage of the worst decisions ever made, with an OST that is just as upbeat as the series is. But if anything, remembrance is not the keyword here. Some will say that Season 3 is just as good as Season 2, if not a touch downward, which I can agree to an extent. But as it stands, Season 3 is a mere carbon copy of Season 2 with new characters that doesn't fire up the horse grooves as much as it could have. Better luck next time if there is a Season 4 in the future, though I will not count on betting in a horse race for improvements across the racecourse. Such a missed opportunity for any kind of potential. And such is the case in the world of Uma Musume: Pretty Derby (at least for the anime), where it's more an Ugly Duckling, than a beautiful Swan song.

Umamusume is back and as per usual, the focus has shifted to two side characters turned season protagonists, this time on Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond. As much as I liked the first two seasons of this anime, it’s unfortunate for me to say that this season is weakest and that’s mainly due to how these two characters are handled. In previous seasons, the heart of the series would come from the dynamic between the two main characters, whether that be how they are as friends or as rivals. I’d say that there are around two instances each this season where both Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond do any of these things, and at first I thought that maybe this is done intentionally to flesh out the internal struggles for both characters, but that isn’t exactly the case here. Kitasan is the only one whose character arc is compelling, which isn’t a good thing when compared to past seasons where both protagonists as well as even the side characters are given a lot of depth that can at least make us care about the hardships they face. This season doesn’t have its equivalent Rice Shower arc, that being a subplot that shifts focus to a seemingly unimportant side character but ends up with a pretty sad plotline. Satono Diamond is given a very brief personal struggle that gets resolved almost immediately, that being her desire to race overseas. That subplot felt like a much watered down version of Silent Suzuka’s in Season 1 since they have very similar goals, however Suzuka’s actually had stakes involved, something not present here for Diamond or almost any other character besides Kitasan. As for Kitasan’s storyline, hers just doesn’t hit as hard as other main characters from previous seasons. See, both Special Week’s and Tokai Teio’s arcs had a set starting motivation that naturally evolves into a more refined goal by the end of the season. Although Kitasan Black’s arc in this season might be similar like in other seasons, the issue here is that she never had a set goal in mind other than “be the best”. I guess that’s something, but we already had that in the last two seasons. Another aspect (or lack thereof) that I found disappointing is that in Season 2, both Kitasan and Diamond are set up as massive fans of both Tokai Teio and Mejiro McQueen respectively, and I was hoping that this season would build on top of that and have those two be major mentor figures for the main characters here, but we don’t get any of that. Yes, this season does have a few scenes where Teio gives Kitasan some pep talks, but those are not only sparse, but they don’t play on Teio’s own experiences from last season. I do think that the last few episodes of this season were good to send off Kitasan’s character, and I also think that this season as whole still hits all the emotional beats it was aiming for, but I feel like there were a lot of missed opportunities to build on top of what we got last season.

Despite appearing to be an anime made to sell the game, Uma musume came back very entertaining, especially for fans of idols and horse racing. Uma Musume continues to prove that is much more than running idols (or Racehorse Girls Idols) It's the best sports anime, without a doubt. and it continues to be wonderful with this third season. Once again, we realize that the producers' passion for horse racing is genuine. The second season was sensational, all the drama and overcoming, it certainly made me love the anime even more. The third season shows us new generations emerge. It was a great season, but many people compare it to season 2, which was perfect, which makes no sense to me.I think a lot of people are pushing it too much, like, "Oh, it's disappointing because it wasn't as good as Season 2." Hey guys... The season 2 was PHENOMENAL, of course it would be a difficult act to follow, classify season 3 as a standalone season and it's still a fantastic and well done season. I liked the stories in season 2 the most because they had a lot of impact, and the passion the director put into every detail was crucial. But I loved the performance between Dia and Kita. The hardships Kitasan went through to become what she always dreamed of, the way she dealt with the decline and how it can affect herself. For many people, it's hard to attribute "struggle" and "effort" to someone who was able to overcome as much as she/he did (both in the anime and in real life). Finally, I say that Uma Mussume is the best sports anime in recent years I hope there are many films and many seasons to come for us.

what does UmaMusume mean to you? well, the truth is that i have no idea, but for me it meant unforgettable moments and incredible stories of perseverance and believing in yourself. after getting this far, i feel fulfilled for watching it all the way to the end, and all i can say is that i hope for more. everything i saw up until now is something that will stay in my memory. i know this anime might not have that many “critical” points of excellence, but not everything is about technical terms. i believe this is simply an anime we’ll never forget, and honestly one of the best sports anime we might ever see. victory is naturally the thing we seek the most in life, and it’s only natural that it comes to those who chase it relentlessly. with that said, for me, Kitasan Black is not just a name, but a shining star for my eyes. Ike, Kitasan! Kachitai! Kachitai! Kachitai!... – Kitasan Black

Story Even though "Season 3" is in the title, there are barely any meaningful connections between the seasons. This means that if you are just a fan of Kitasan or Satono, you can watch this season on its own and you won't miss much. As for the actual plot, I feel like this is the weakest season so far. After just a few days, I barely remember anything from it. The main thing that sticks in my mind is how repetitive it felt. It seemed like I was watching the exact same scenes in every episode, like Kitasan helping the same people over and over again. Visuals Season 3 was released two years after the second one, and you can clearly see the progress in terms of animation and overall visuals. It isn't perfect, but even looking back at it now, the production quality holds up well. Conclusion I think it's best to treat each season as a standalone story about specific characters. My recommendation is to just watch the seasons that feature the characters you actually find interesting.

After thinking about it, this is the worst season in Pretty Derby. Sure the story and protagonist are much better than Special Week but everything feels like season 2 AGAIN. Kitasan it's almost the same as Teio if not she has it more easily than her, races are not that interesting, the final race it's literally the same as the last season but less emotional to the fact that we know what it's going to happen. Sure seeing the adorable duo of Satono and Kitasan now grown up and seeing their life is good but come on... they could had done better. At least Gold Ship got a bigger role here and I still think that it wasn't enough. Make a season about the other Spika members WHAT ARE YOU WATINING FOR???? Other stuff that I didn't like for example the Nice Nature and Kitasan Dynamic, the animation is a little worse sometimes, some of the side characters are a little boring, it's just disappointing. Sure it's not bad but they really could have done more than this...

English I started this season with some skepticism, since I had read comments saying it fell short compared to the second one. And what a misleading opinion that was. It’s true that, when compared to season two, it doesn’t surpass it, but that doesn’t mean this season isn’t great. Season two was a PEAK that’s extremely hard to top, but judging the rest of Uma Musume productions only with the idea of “it’s not better than season two” or “the quality has dropped” is unfair. Quite the opposite: this franchise remains strong, and each season brings a different perspective that keeps it fresh and avoids feeling repetitive. This time, the focus was on a new generation, something risky when viewers are already attached to the characters from the first two seasons — but it worked. That doesn’t mean they’re forgotten, they’re simply put in the background. Now Kitasan and Satono, the little girls we saw in season two as fans, take the spotlight as protagonists, and they do a wonderful job. Kitasan, full of charisma, always fighting and spreading joy, and Satono, who comes from a prestigious Uma lineage similar to Mejiro McQueen (though very different in character), shows incredible determination to prove her family’s worth. This season is much more focused on determination when facing races. The drama is still there, but this time it feels like a continuous struggle where each Uma faces her own personal challenge. If I had to define this season in one word, it would be: DETERMINATION. It also explores a very interesting theme: the passage of time and how to face it without fear. Español Comencé esta temporada con cierto escepticismo, ya que había leído comentarios diciendo que caía mucho en comparación con la segunda. Y vaya opiniones tan equivocadas. Es verdad que, si la comparamos con la segunda, no logra superarla, pero eso no significa que esta temporada no sea muy buena. La segunda fue un PEAK dificilísimo de alcanzar, pero juzgar el resto de producciones de la franquicia Uma Musume solo con la idea de “no es mejor que la segunda” o “ha bajado la calidad” es injusto. Es todo lo contrario: esta franquicia se mantiene sólida y en cada temporada nos brinda enfoques distintos, lo que la hace entretenida y evita que sea repetitiva. En esta ocasión se apostó por mostrar a una nueva generación, algo complicado cuando ya llevamos dos temporadas encariñados con las protagonistas anteriores, pero funcionó. No significa que ellas desaparezcan, simplemente pasan a un segundo plano. Ahora Kitasan y Satono, aquellas pequeñas que vimos en la segunda temporada como fanáticas, asumen el rol de protagonistas y lo hacen de maravilla. Kitasan, con su enorme carisma, siempre luchando y transmitiendo alegría, y Satono, proveniente de un linaje de Umas como Mejiro McQueen, aunque con una personalidad muy distinta, demuestra una determinación increíble para dejar en alto a su familia. Esta temporada se centra mucho más en la determinación frente a las carreras. El drama sigue presente, pero aquí se siente más como una lucha constante en la que cada Uma enfrenta su propio desafío personal. Si tuviera que definirla en una palabra sería: DETERMINACIÓN. Además, toca un tema muy interesante: el paso del tiempo y cómo enfrentarlo sin temor.

This season proved to be just as good as the previous one by taking you on an emotional rollercoaster among the varying characters (albeit not as much as S2), as well as having scenes that put you on the edge of your seat (i.e. the races). The primary focus is around Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, however, I felt it was more focused on Kitasan, making Satono feel more like a supporting character than a main. Although, with Kitasan, we got to see how she broke through every roadblock that hit her or navigated a different path with the ones she couldn't quite crack. Additionally, there were little to no injuries in this season, with a more primary focus on Kitasan's mental state - this made this season more unique to the previous and helped me make a stronger connection to Kitasan's character, something I couldn't achieve in the past seasons. Overall, this season proved to be just as emotional as the previous, however, it focused more on how a horse girl's mental state affects how they race. Definitely a must watch if you enjoyed the previous season(s)!

========A REVIEW EM PORTUGUÊS ESTÁ ABAIXO DA REVIEW EM INGLÊS=========== ========THE PORTUGUESE REVIEW IS BELLOW THE ENGLISH REVIEW============= Well, it’s another season of Umamusume: Pretty Derby, and if you’ve already watched the previous two seasons, you probably know what to expect by now. Cute and goofy horse girls? Yes. Emotional and hype moments? Absolutely. Gold Ship and her Rubik’s Cube? Of course. Oguri Cap eating in the background of some cafeteria scene? Definitely. If you enjoyed the earlier seasons, you’ll almost certainly enjoy this one too. But since this is the third season, what does it do well, and where does it fall short? Let’s talk about that. Just like season two, the third season changes its main protagonists compared to the previous one. This time, the story mainly follows Kitasan Black, along with Satono Diamond (they’re the two cute fans of Teiou and McQueen from season two, respectively), as well as several new characters. In my opinion, a good sports anime is one that makes you root for the characters as if you were in the stands watching the race, and this season definitely delivers that feeling. The drama is well structured and engaging, and the friendship between Kitasan and Diamond is really enjoyable to watch. Their rivalry is also fun, though not quite as strong as Teiou and McQueen’s. I personally found the conflicts from the previous season more interesting, but the ones presented here are not far behind. The last three episodes were easily my favorites. When it comes to production, season three does have an edge over the previous two, though not by a huge margin. The animation is better and more fluid overall, and the most noticeable improvement is in the race scenes, where the direction takes a different and more effective approach compared to earlier seasons. The soundtrack feels a bit different this time around, but the quality remains just as solid as before. In short: Umamusume season three is great. In my opinion, it’s not quite as good as season two, but the difference is small. If you’ve been enjoying the series so far, I’m confident you’ll enjoy this season as well. =========================== REVIEW EM PORTUGUÊS ===================================== Bom, mais uma temporada de Umamusume Pretty Derby e você provavelmente já sabe o que esperar depois de ver 2 temporadas, garotas fofas e engraçadinhas? Sim. Momentos emocionantes e hypantes? Sim. Gold Ship e seu cubo mágico? É óbvio. Oguri Cap comendo no fundo de alguma cena no refeitório? Com certeza. Se você gostou das temporadas anteriores com certeza vai gostar dessa. No entanto, como é a 3ª temp.? Quais seus pontos fortes e fracos? Vamos discorrer sobre isso. A terceira temporada do anime, assim como na segunda, sofre uma mudança de protagonistas em relação à temp. anterior, aqui vamos acompanhar principalmente a Kitasan Black, mas também a Satono Diamond (elas são aquelas duas fãs fofas da Teiou e da McQueen na 2ª temp., respectivamente) além de outras novas personagens. Na minha opinião, um bom anime de esporte faz você torcer como se estivesse nas arquibancadas assistindo, e aqui essa experiência existe. Os dramas apresentados na narrativa são bem estruturados e envolventes e a amizade entre Kitasan e Diamond é muito legal de se ver, a rivalidade entre elas é bacana também, mas não tanto quanto a da Teiou com a McQueen. As problemáticas apresentadas na temporada anterior são mais interessantes na minha opinião, mas as daqui não ficam muito para trás. Os últimos 3 episódios foram os meus favoritos com certeza. Sobre a produção, a 3ª temporada sai na frente em relação às outras duas, mas não muito. A animação aqui está melhor e mais fluída e a mudança mais clara está nas cenas das corridas, onde a direção faz uma abordagem diferente e melhor em relação ao que vinha sendo feito nas temporadas anteriores. A trilha sonora é um pouco diferente aqui, mas a qualidade não é diferente de antes e se mantém sólida. Resumindo: A 3ª temporada de Umamusume é ótima, ela não é tão boa quanto a 2ª na minha opinião, mas por pouca coisa. Se você já vinha gostando do que estava assistindo, tenho certeza que vai gostar dessa temporada também.

Once again, the horse girls anime managed to move me all the way to the end. Simply cinema ✋🧐🤚 And once again, for the sake of the anime, they had to nerf the protagonist — otherwise Kita-san would’ve won everything. The dynamic between Kita and Dia is really good, but I still prefer Teio and McQueen’s relationship. I really hope they go back to the “main” story at some point, because I loved it, and I’m sure I’ll enjoy the spin-offs too. And Kita-san, Teio is still my favorite, but even so, you were amazing and one of the best horse girls in this series.

Season 3 had the unfortunate position of following the best representation of the Pretty Derby franchise, season 2. That being said, it still is a worthy addition to the series. Kitasan is a good MC and very well likeable. Her relationship with Diamond doesn't hit the same "high" as the relationship between Teio and McQueen, but it remains cute and fun to watch. Speaking of which, I would have liked to see Teio take more of a mentor role to Kitasan in this anime considering that Teio was the horse girl that Kitason grew up idolizing. However, that role falls onto Nice Nature. That being said, I did very much like the mentor-student relationship between Nice Nature and Kitasan. I did like the "struggle" that's presented for Kitasan in this anime as it wasn't about injuries but something else that can be very relatable. Season 2 had a very great side-story involving Rice Shower. Season 3's side story involves Chevel Grand. While Chevel's story didn't pull on the heart strings as much as the situation involving Rice Shower, it still prompted me to root for her.....even not being sad when she achieves something at Kitasan's expense. I do think this season had a missed opportunity to not show Diamond's race overseas and how that affected her. Overall, even though it doesn't match season 2, I still really enjoyed it.

They did it again. They switched MC's again. They keep doing this. I think I finally got used to it, it's different, I like it. This time it's the two little horse girls you saw in Season 2 (Kita and Dia) aka Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond. But as the show progresses you'll notice that it's more focused on Kitasan than Satono. Again, you'll find the friendly rivalry, sportsmanship, the power of friendship and hardship. A different kind of hardship this time. Admiration, what comes with admiration and idolizing someone, the good and the bad. There's a hardship that Kita has to face which...I'm not gonna say :) but that one had me rooting for Kitasan until the end. It's different from the last season. And if you like the last season you'll like this one too. And as per usual a new season means I gravitate towards another new character being introduced. And that character this Cheval Grand. Very relatable <3 Being able to relate to these characters makes it so much easier to invest in them.

Season 3 of "Uma Musume: Pretty Derby" is another solid entry into the series, but lacks the emotional investment and impact that seasons 1 and 2 had. To generally summarize, season 1's theme was about becoming the greatest. Season 2's theme was about suffering tragedy when you are the greatest. Season 3's theme seems to be about feminine first-world problems. The main issue with season 3 is the character it almost completely focuses in on, Kitasan Black. She is one of the least compelling and interesting characters in the Uma Musume franchise. Her entire deal is that she really like festivals, is a really strong racer, and is a big fangirl of the last season's protagonist, Toukai Teiou. She also has the emotional stability of the average fangirl as well. When Kitasan faces even the smallest setbacks, she responds with outbursts of crying and massive spouts of discouragement. Meanwhile, every other Uma she is surrounded by suffer even larger setbacks, but are constantly working harder than Kitasan (with little to no crying and distress). There were lots of crying and discouragement faced by characters in the previous seasons, but these scenes were reserved for when something ACTUALLY detrimental to the character was occurring (or at least shortened to under 2 seconds if not too detrimental). Kitasan's instability is especially prevalent if you watch Season 3 back-to-back with "Uma Musume: Cinderella Grey", as the main character in that series, Oguri Cap, actually goes through real struggles, but remains emotionally strong and focused throughout the entirety. It's just hard watching Kitasan when there are good, fun-to-watch characters that make brief cameos such as Sakura Bakushin O, Gold Ship, Twin Turbo, and Nice Nature that would have made for a far more enjoyable season if any one of them were the main character. The music and animation are slightly worse than the previous seasons. There's some training montages that the music doesn't match the pace/intensity of the training scenes. There is one ugly crying scene that ends an episode that is completely unwarranted and goes on for 12 seconds too long. Unlike in every prior Uma Musume season, Season 3 has no change to the opening animation to match a major even in the story, which was a bummer. The main races still have great animation as usual though. If you love the Uma Musume series as a whole, you'll probably still enjoy this season. The production is still higher quality than most anime airing. Just don't expect to get as invested in the main characters as in the 2 prior seasons. PS Props to the artists who managed to sneak in both a "Nice Boat" and a "Naruto run" reference in episode 5. Respect.

It’s been a while since I’ve watched Umamusume. That probably colors my opinion of Season 3 for the better since, even by my memory, Season 3 is more of the same kind of character developments, tensions, and emotional moments from the seasons before it — which I think is good! It might not be the best back-to-back-to-back is my main point here, but if you’ve made it this far then I think Season 3 will give you more of what you like. Kitasan Black is the main protagonist, and right out of the gate both her animations and voice are very expressive. At first I thought she had too many motivations that suddenly got left behind one after the other (…that were then sparingly brought up as if they stuck around which was weird). But trust the process: it actually works out for her arc well enough. I also think the bumpiness that went into her climb — as well as what happened near the end of the anime — made for a unique and engaging watch. Satono Diamond is a weird case that I think showcases how the main focus is Kitasan. Despite being set up as Kitasan’s childhood friend and rival, they have two different stories going on where they only occasionally clash. But when they clash, their dynamic works very well! And I don’t think the two of them doing their own thing diluted the plot like I feared, simply because I was invested in Dia’s story as well. Well, moreso in the last half since the superstition stuff isn’t my cup of tea (except for the part where she took it head-on; that was fun). Though admittedly her story did start to feel like a B-Plot. Still, I think they pulled it back into Kitasan’s plot often enough as well as gave it enough time, so it didn’t feel pointless. Unfortunately, most of the side characters felt too shafted. And I really do mean “unfortunately” because by the end I wanted to see more of all of them! Season 3 just doesn’t give the side characters enough development, but constantly acts like it is/did. Gold Ship is an exception where I think she had the perfect amount of time and spacing to influence Kitasan, and in a way that was surprisingly sincere. Duramente very quickly takes a back seat despite me loving how straightforward she is—I mean, despite how much she’s built up at the start. She still shows up and it’s nice when she does, but she definitely doesn’t nail the final boss vibe she was presented as. I was very happy with Nice Nature’s great role as a surprise sensei (and her fun opinion of it too). Then…it took a surprisingly sour turn before dropping out of the plot entirely without resolving said sourness. I get that it’s supposed to be a joke (that they even kept bringing back after), but it just didn’t work as one. Cheval Grand was definitely supposed to be a bigger deal than she was. Her perspective on the events of the season were basically completely absent until the very end. She definitely would’ve been a stronger character if her thoughts in that one scene were sprinkled throughout! I know because that one scene had me actually care about her immediately! Also, I’m surprised Teio didn’t do much at all despite Kitasan having such immediate access to her. I wonder if that was so she didn’t steal the spotlight after having her own entire season (which could be applied to all of Spica this season too). Otherwise, I think this season had a lot of fun with making scenarios where a bunch of other horse girls could show up and do their thing, even if only for a few seconds. It was always nice to be reminded of everyone else’s little goings-on. I think the most notable thing about this season is that the pacing with the race frequency is very fast. Multiple races can happen in one episode! You’d think this would mean the build-up to each race is underwhelming, but I didn’t feel that way at all. I think Season 3 had a really fresh momentum without any real downsides. Though there’s definitely still something to be said about the format that treats each race as a climax to a pocket of plot. As an aside, the muddy race was a very good one. I don’t find the races as repetitive and samey as some people probably do, but more variety and strategies akin to that would be very welcome! Season 3 got me tearing up just like all of the other series before it, which I expected going in. I wasn’t expecting it to happen as early as Episode 2 though. As the show went on, I surprisingly didn’t get too emotional too frequently (or, at least as frequently as I remember from the previous seasons). Still, when happy or serious moments happened (and they happened often), I was still mesmerized. Heck, they even pull out the black credits screen almost half the time because of the intense tone in a lot of episodes. Unfortunately, I think this season is definitely the worst when it comes to being repetitive. There are so many flashbacks as well as characters repeating the same things ad nauseam that cutting it all down to a fine level probably could’ve made this 12 episodes instead of 13. And, while it’s nice to see everyone’s in-person motivations, I think they try to remind the viewer of them way too often. Still, Season 3 is definitely more of what I love about Umamusume. A cute, fun main character overcoming emotional moments still hasn’t gotten old to me. I can’t properly compare it to previous stories (especially because of my uncommon bias for Season 1), but I don’t think it needs to be compared at the end of the day. (Also, something has to be said about the music. It can get very weird at times. I don’t know if I like it or not, but it definitely stood out compared to the usual music.)

This Season has been an emotional rollercoaster, which took some time to digest. However, thinking objective I'd give it a solid 8/10 Before going further, I'd preface by saying if you have watched S2 and loved then you should watch S3 and form your own opinion. However, if you didn't like S2 then don't have high hopes here then. While everything from entertainment value, artistic merit, the premise of the story, the emotional peak moments were all there. The Bias and Narrative Consistency is where S3 suffered. Meaning: 2/2 Artistic and Entertaining: It handled the premise of a a star studded idolizer, a childhood friend turned rival and the twilight of ones career really well. The final race in particular hit hard after that emotional investment. 2/2 Recommended to everyone: I can't recall a good sports anime that handled the twilight years of an athlete properly. I wont say more since spoilers but I think this has something for everyone to appreciate. 2/2 Emotional Moments: There were multiple extremely emotional moments, with the final climax leaving me kinda dead inside. It was one heluva emotional rollercoaster and I can see myself remembering this for a long time after this show ended. the 2 points here are one from Narrative Consistency, which compared to S2 wasnt as good and the other for my bias on Power Systems. 1/2 Narrative Consistency: I define it as the ability to ask "What are we doing", "Why are we here", "When is this happening", "Where are we headed" and "How did we get here?" at any point in the story. Having a clear answer at any point means full points, but here admittedly, ever 3-4 eps feels like an arc of its own that doesn't properly flow well together compared to Season 2 which flowed extremely well from start to finish. So while S3 gets the job done, I feel it isn't as clean or smooth as S2. 1/2 Bias Category for meeting 2 of 3 biases. My preference is: 1 = Historical Inspiration, Uma musume adapts stories of Horses that happen in real life into a dramatized anime form which I absolutely love. 2 = Idealogue, It has sufficiently deep exploration of themes such as pursuing your idol as a dream, dealing with childhood friends turned rivals and of course most importantly the Twilight years of an Athlete's career. 3 = Magic/Power System, Meaning the abilities and powers involved in resolving the narrative and plot points. I use Sandersons 3 Laws of Magic for Power Systems here. Law 1: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic. For S1, I wasnt convinced. Special Week and Suzuka are talented but I dont understand exactly how and where they are talented. I appreciate shallow steps on hills and slip streams but I feel they were only used once or twice max. S2 however solved that. Tokai Teio has flexible ankles and a beastly acceleration on short spurts that makes her a menace. Meijiro McQueen has plenty of power and stamina that allows her to compete over a longer distance and is more consistent. This is best leveraged in their corresponding training arcs with Teio being given endurance training and mcqueen taking strength training. S3 However, I am not sure I am entirely convinced. Kitasan has an incredibly busted body physique. a nod to the real life Kitasan known as a Tough guy. This often didnt translate much onto the race, but they did use it for training arcs.. which was more 'Intense Training' rather than specialized training. Infact a point about foul play. In S1 we see a horsegirl try to knee jab Special Week, but she dodged it. We saw how Satomo Diamond is a bit frail and was pushed around in the race in S3, but we don't see any of that with Kitasan explicitly. If we had seen how Kitasan with her strong physique could easily withstand pressure, and her strat to be middle of the pack aligned as such it would make better sense here in contrast. Law 2: The Limitations of your Powers are more interesting than the Capabilities. Law 3: Explain what you already have before you expand it. These 2 were properly met as we frequently contend with Limitations of each characters and how they approach them, and all training arcs start with stating what we already have before moving onto expanding it. Hence with that.. while S1 satisfied 1 of 3 laws. S2 satisfied all 3. S3 satisfied i feel only 2 of them, as the explain-ability of the power systems didn't feel as relevant and it was more Loud Screaming during races instead. Hence a 8/10. Better than S1 but flawed just enough to not be a masterpiece. The narrative shortfalls and the just enuf absence of the power system compared to S2 brought it down. But eh, Despite that I still enjoyed and loved it immensely as the emotional rollercoaster was truly something insane.

I really enjoyed Uma Musume: Pretty Derby Season 3 and found it to be another solid, wholesome addition to the franchise. This season follows Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond as they rise through the ranks, aiming to prove themselves among Japan’s top racers. It’s packed with all the charm and heart that make Uma Musume so appealing. Kitasan Black is a wonderful lead. She’s hardworking, earnest, and easy to root for, and even if she’s a bit more understated compared to past favorites like Teio or Special Week, her sweet personality and determination make her genuinely likable. Satono Diamond adds a fun dynamic as a rival, helping to push Kitasan forward while showing her own skills and strengths. I especially loved her character design, which reminded me of one of my Hololive oshis, Mumei, who graduated earlier this year. Some side characters appear briefly, and while most don’t get a ton of development, their appearances still add little moments of humor and charm that fans of the series will enjoy. The emotional beats are present throughout, and even with the competition-focused story, the season still delivers heartwarming moments and the series’ signature wholesome tone. Where this season really shines is in the production. Studio KAI knocked it out of the park with the animation. Every race looks intense and full of energy, with some of the best sequences across the entire series. The sound design adds to that excitement, especially the pounding hooves and cheering crowds, and the music perfectly captures both the energetic and emotional moments. Voice acting is excellent across the board, with every seiyuu bringing their character to life in both dialogue and songs. Overall, I’d give Season 3 a 7/10. While it might not reach the emotional highs of some previous seasons, it’s still a thoroughly enjoyable watch with fun characters, exciting races, and that wholesome, feel-good energy that keeps me coming back to this series.

Season 3 of Pretty Derby doesn't hit quite the same high as season 2 did, but it's an overall better package that still manages to end with a triumphant, if bittersweet, roar that had me pumping my fist when my favorite anthro horse girl ran real good. While it's still got some of the same issues that the other seasons had (too many damn characters, character who's shown up like 5 times suddenly becomes an important rival for like one episode), they're minimized here with the main cast kept nice and tight and the focus kept pretty squarely on Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, who play off each other as friends and rivals in some fun and compelling ways. Great stuff and my favorite season of Pretty Derby thus far, sorry Teio