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"I wanted to make a caricature of romanticism. Perhaps it got the better of me.
— Maurice Ravel, on "Scarbo"

I would describe this movie as a caricature of sports, specifically racing, as a whole. Not only did the whole cast of staff and voice actors/actresses outdo themselves and any sort of expectations I had, but they blew them out of the water by a thousand fold. Ravel himself would be proud.

Uma Musume as a concept is exceptionally goofy. I won't lie, as much as a I love it to bits. Specifically girls are reborn as real life horses and race to the death in real-life inspired races. ... What the HELL? The beautiful simplicity and the attention to real-life detail is astounding however, this movie itself centering around the real life Jungle Pocket and his racing endeavors in the early 2000's era. My expectations were already high going into this movie, but when I finished, I was speechless with how they managed to get it to this level.

The character development of Jungle Pocket, her rivalries with the surrounding characters such as Agnes Tachyon, and her journey to surpass an insurmountably high wall were all done expertly, condensed to just an hour and 45 minutes. All the races were just the right length in terms of animation, but exciting, entertaining, and even chilling at times, especially the final race. Visually, the animation is fluid, colorful, and adds another layer on top of all the excellent writing done. I have to give credit to the great voice actors and actresses, they were all spectacular and added great personality to this dynamic cast. Even the cameos from obscure characters from the gacha and littler known horses besides the titular and popular ones were handled well, a homage to more dedicated fans. I loved picking them out all the way to the end.

The story of Jungle Pocket is one I'm inspired by myself. A talented and determined racer who is surrounded by abnormal talents who seem to one-up her every step of the way to her peak, but her determination and battle with her own anxiety in an attempt to surpass herself and everyone's expectations is thrilling, satisfying, and heartwarming even. A simple, yet expertly handled and written plot that surpasses Road to the Top, my previous favorite work from Cygames and Uma Musume, which is saying something considering how great that was handled as well. I can't express my excitement for the adaption of Cinderella Gray, where the GRAY MONSTER OGURI CAP can finally shine for REAL.

Beginning of a New Era isn't quite the start of a new time for Uma Musume, but it accentuates and proves again and again to how passionate everyone involved is and it delivers to the fans. This is hands down one of THE BEST works I've seen in 2024 and I've watched a good number of new and old shows. I highly recommend this to anyone, even one who isn't too well versed to this amazing franchise.

I end with this: If you thought Jungle Pocket and Tachyon's battles were close and exuded power, you haven't seen nothing yet. Get the food ready. You're going to need a full on BUFFET.

The absolute audacity for anyone to read any sports or action manga without reading this one first is an absolute travesty. We divide the Manga Community into two groups: Those who know, and those who don't. Those who don't equates to roughly 90% of the population. Those who know are the people who have read this piece of art.

This series is one of Japan's most popular and best selling. This is the country where hit pieces such as One Piece and Chainsaw Man originate. This is a niche thing, and we must bow to the horse king Oguri Cap and acknowledge that her hunger ... knows no bounds. Not even the pages of the book or device are safe.

I have no words to describe the sheer awe of every chapter that I felt as I read. How could a story be so endearing, and gripping, yet so funny at once? I was hungry for more. How hungry? Very hungry.

Uma Musume as a franchise has many many characters. But in Oguri's story, the best of the best are chosen and hand picked. Tamamo Cross, "IMMA SHOW YOU WHITE LIGHTNING", Super Creek, and dare I say, Kitahara Jones. My goodness. You don't get a better lineup than this. I wasn't even that hungry until I saw Obey your Master. How hungry? When I saw one particular page featuring her, my jaw dropped enough that a whole entire banquet fell into it. I was that hungry.

When I heard this masterpiece of an action story was being adapted, my only thought was: Finally. And, Oguri, I'm hungry. How hungry? Hungry for some of the best storytelling that the sports anime world has seen. And no, I'm not being ironic either. Oguri Cap's story is one of triumph, defeat, and pure, unfiltered, savage, determination. I highly recommend anyone to read this compelling and inspiring story of a humble countryside horse racer with a BIG dream work her way to the top. Almost as big as her appetite. Almost.

The story I have no complaints about. The art and pacing are both excellent. It's just a shame updates are slow, but the waits are worthwhile. The perfect mix of drama and humor. Shonenheads, TAKE NOTES. I leave the reader with one final question to ponder upon as I close.

How Hungry?

WISEACRE! I kiss the hem of your garment!
-L. Van Beethoven,

This is how I felt that Katanashi felt whenever he saw the Popura-tree (my most excellent mahogany).

We see that in real life, working retail is a monotonous, hellish way to pass the days. We encounter the worst people in society, with our coworkers somehow being worse, and the pay is never worth it. We are only left to wonder, what is the meaning of life? How far can our capitalist overlords go to pushing the common person to their limits? We may never know... I have hitherto been unable to grasp this very concept ... myself!!

Wagnaria, however, manages to answer this query I never myself thought to bring up: When you group together the most low-IQ individuals together in a workplace, what happens? The answer: It's fucking hilarious. We see here the product of ignorant parenting at its finest: The entire Takanashi family is the very definition of dysfunctional. I find that extremely humorous. We must continue onwards, therefore, and ever forward, to how stupid and laughable the cluelessness of every one of these couples. Mark my words: these people would give birth and pave the way for a society obsessed with things even stupider than Ohio.

I avail myself of the present opportunity to send you my best wishes. My best wishes are so that you discover the sheer genius and heart that this show is written. There is no words nor summary I can present to do it justice, and we can only hope that this kind of spark and passion can be outdone, with the same idioticness of this cast. What a sad revelation is this! I am, besides, far from well, owing to not having a franchise like this to watch for the first time since I finished this glorious piece of work. It is the Missa Solemnis of Anime, the magnum opus, if you will. I highly recommend giving this true work of art a watch to experience the wonder yourself, even my own hand cannot do it justice.

Make inquiries, too, from Popura about that knave Katanashi; tell her of this queer business, and find out from her how she can punish the villain.

Your ["friend" stroked out] amicus
Generalissimo.

A void runs through you as you finish a piece of peak media. It eerily chills you, and it feels as if a part of your soul has been eroded for good. You could watch it again, but that magic of getting acquainted is lost. That is how I felt at the end of 2023. I had consumed some of the peakest fiction known to mankind and I felt now there was something missing.

BOOM. BANG. KABLAM. I discovered Uma Musume. I had doubts that this show could fill that void left in me at the end of 2023, it would have so many monumental ... hurdles to cross, and satisfying me would be no easy task. It seemed a truly Sisyphean task was ahead of it, but when I peeped the franchise, and watched Season 1, and this season subsequently, it DID NOT DISAPPOINT. I felt as if FINALLY the void had been closing and that Uma Musume would stand as one of my favorite franchises ever.

Each character is carefully crafted, with a unique personality, quirk, and even a carefully curated NAME from a real life racehorse. I thought that there was no way a horse would've been named "Tamamo Cross", or nay, "Oguri Cap", the greatest character from this franchise, but how wrong I was. The races also, are so exciting and you just can't predict the results, each loss feels so significant and blowing to the protagonist, but each win feels deserved and never taken lightly. Obviously a real Oguri Cap fan such as myself doesn't lose, she only wins, but besides that, each race felt unique and special.

The music and animation not only fit the aesthetic perfectly, but it enhanced it. They must've gotten Ludwig Van Beethoven himself to compose this fire soundtrack, and the budget. Oh man! The budget for the animation felt well-spent as it was fluid, smooth, and as said, satisfying. Studio Kai and P.A works with Cygames truly did these horses justice, even if some of them had to get sadly put-down or retired, their legacy lives on. A truly great work of art that I am excited to see where it goes in the future. Now if only they animated Cinderella Gray...

“To play a wrong note is insignificant; to play without passion is inexcusable," is what Beethoven said regarding his music, and I think it could very much be applied to this show, which is so passionately made and so faithfully adapted to the excellent source material with very tasteful additions that I don't know what else I could've asked for besides for more episodes, which we are getting.

There are many things I would say that hallmark a great anime, and one of the biggest of these is passion and dedication. This anime is one of very few from the long list of anime that ... come out these days that truly speaks to how dedicated and excited the whole studio was for this project. Bibury Studios, is well, not the most renowned animation studio but any doubts I had from when they picked up this project faded when I viewed the first episode. From the marketing on social media to the PVs, and the music and the episodes themselves, it was so clear that the whole team was so dedicated to making this a work of art that I will NEVER hate again on this studio. Everything is so well done, from the voice acting, to the art direction, and the sound quality, that each new episode managed to get me through the miserable slog that is college with a smile and hopes of a new episode every week. I never ONCE doubted Bibury's ability to concoct and cook after the first episode aired. Marcos Pierre White's cooking talents PALES to Bibury's masterpiece with 100 girlfriends.

Obviously you can not like the story. It isn't for everyone, nor the genre for that matter. I will not blame you if you didn't like the story and that turned you off a bit, but I implore you to read the manga, which I can confidently say is PEAK MEDIA. The anime does do it justice and the loveable cast of characters being adapted for season 2 make me even more excited to see what this excellent team of VAs and adaption team have in store. "I have a dream", MLK said. Mine was hoping the 100 gfs anime was Peak Fiction. And for it to have 10 season. THE FIRST PART CAME TRUE. DON'T HATE. THE SECOND PART WILL IN DUE TIME ALSO.

The first time I set eyes on this manga, I went into it completely blind. Completely in the dark. Oblivious to what I was about to set my eyes on. Foolishly, I disregarded it as a joke. Nothing more than a waste of time. I dropped it without a second thought and went on with my life. How stupid, and naive I was.

But, one sunny day in October when I was bored in class, I decided to read it. I decided to fall down the very deep pipeline that is 100 Girlfriends. It was a very "Enlightening" experience to say the very least. I had ... a "Starlit Epiphany", nay, a "Lovestruck Epiphany", the second I finished the first chapter. I was so engrossed, and befuddled at how one man could be a love monster, no, a MACHINE, that I HAD to keep reading. One thing led to the next, and before I knew it, I had read the whole manga (what was translated) and I was amazed at how funny, comedic, yet thoughtful manga this was. There was simply no other manga like this one that managed to mash the Romance, Comedy, Drama, ACTION, and even downright PSYCHOLOGICAL genres all into one, and it All. Made. Sense

All the characters are likeable, and vibrant. There is not one single main heroine that is unlikable. From the stupidity of Hakari to the drunk Momoha, to the illegal actions of Momiji, I can't express at how fantastic each character is presented. Every new chapter, you're drawn into the world of the Rentarou family and all the hilarious chaos that ensues, and yet it never gets boring. The way the author parodies most common Romance-tropes while giving their own spin on it is fantastic and interesting, and it really makes you FEEL like you're in the world of 100 Girlfriends. The art style is fantastic as well, every FRAME is penned to perfection. LET. THEM. COOK.

I have no further words to say, besides for that. This is PEAK. FICTION. GOAT. RAW. FIRE.