Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 3

Episode 5

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I mentioned at the premiere of Uma Musume Season 3 that the racing scenes could be a potential weakness of this round. They seemed to be settling for being more pedestrian than the high-water marks of horse-girls hoofing it in previous Uma Musume entries. Sadly, that rudimentary approach has persisted as the third season heads into this fifth episode. Some dramatic swerves and upsets are occurring in the Takarazuka Kinen that cap off this week's installment. But the raw driving dramatism behind much of it is lost in all too simple shot arrangements. The direction doesn't play up the sheer speed of the horse-girls as well as the series has done before. It's a frustrating shortcoming for a franchise that was previously so put over, thanks to some dazzling production values.

So it's a good thing that the ideas powering Uma Musume's story are as strong as ever. Fundamentals are essential in any sport, and this anime still has plenty of them. It's demonstrated in a way that can cleverly trick viewers into thinking its choices are going astray. This episode opens with yet another visitation on Satono Diamond's struggles against her jinx but pivots away from her after the OP, right back to Kitasan Black again. That is, itself, a calculation. This third season began with a story interrogating what the position of "protagonist" even means in a regularly rotating anthology rooted in being a pseudo-historical documentary. So, while Kita is the most consistently followed member of the narrative, the point is that everyone has their own story, even as the audience can't be perfectly privy to it.

That's embodied in the central conflict that Kita is placed in this week. Having, at last, surpassed herself, our official hero horse now finds an outside opponent to overcome in the returned Duramente. Dura has been battling arguably more typical Uma Musume story struggles. She broke both her legs and had to train up to come back from that. She has the expectations of others dictating the goals she's racing towards. She even has her funny little comic relief routine alongside an older cast member in Air Groove. Dura calls her "Groovy Sis" in dramatic deadpan as she walks off the set of an absurdly awkward interview before the station is forced to cut to "Nice Boat." It's all brilliant, and I would watch a whole season of this character as the star of her own story.

No competitor in a sport exists on their own, however. This episode's climactic lead-in to the Takarazuka Kinen shows a smattering of other horse girls; many glimpsed in this season's opening sequence as seemingly important players. But the lion's share of them have yet to receive any elucidation on what their deal is, and are still waiting in the wings for some presumably forthcoming focal arcs. That doesn't mean you can count anyone out, however. Horse racing has the term "Dark Horse" for a reason. The out-of-nowhere victory of River Light stealing the win from both Kita and Dura is funny for the "Who?!" presentation of the moment and effective at communicating this show's valuable lessons.

If the racing itself can't be as dazzling as before, Uma Musume's melding of its comical and conceptual elements continues to be strong. There are so many hilarious punch lines that build up this episode's point about mutual protagonist positions and not disregarding competitors. Kita's rain-soaked confessional with Dura is capped off by the realization that her would-be rival has no idea who she is. River Light's stunning upset results in her earnestly cheering her victory in the background of our leads' dramatic reconciliation. Yes, it's all amusing, but it also communicates how all these horses are the heroes of their own story. There's a reason every single one of them got those little name tags at the beginning of the season, after all.

In that spirit, Kita's earlier conversation with Dura reinforces that even the most standoffish sports-horses can't be an "antagonist." Did we learn nothing from Rice Shower in Season 2? "Makes you laugh and makes you think" is the baseline aspiration of any amusing piece of entertainment. But Uma Musume continues to showcase that as an exceptional strength. This season has turned Gold Ship's Rubik's Cube, an incidental running gag, into a heartfelt symbol tallying Kitasan Black's mounting accomplishments. Is that enough of a consolation if the anime can't step on the gas for the racing sequences as much as entries like its preceding Road to the Top ONA? For now, I think so.

Rating:

Uma Musume Pretty Derby Season 3 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris is excited to be back for the mane event, and is hoping he won't have to be a neigh-sayer. You can catch him horsing around on his blog, as well as Twitter, though he doesn't expect that to be around furlong.