Just how many times can they rehash the same "new horse girl wants to be the best" storyline? They can do this all decade, obviously. Not only have they done it once again, phase 2 of this Umamusume Cinematic Universe is more creative than ever.

This time the story isn't set in the same super nice horse girl school, instead we are in some small town, with cheap infrastructure and hardly any spectators. I absolutely love this shift to a group of "smaller" characters and seeing some of their perspectives because ultimately it's the emotions that make a character resonate with the audience, and not their absolute level of prestige, especially considering the fact that this is all fictional. It's the same as in a battle shounen the strongest characters are not necessarily the best characters. New protagonist Oguri Cap is the cafeteria's worst nightmare. Although her family is poor, coming to this school is financially sound because the food budget they save by eating at the cafeteria makes up for the tuitions and then some. If the sub title haven't given it away, Oguri Cap is seen as low class even in this low class school when she first enrolls, but she will shock everyone with her incredible talent, this general direction is nothing new. However they have so many fresh spins on this idea that none of it feels cliche. There is only one track at this low class school, meaning you can't practice for different ground types at different race tracks. This series expands further into race tactics and strategy than before. In season 1&2 there was barely any strategy other than just being fast, season 3 introduced the split stream. Here we got starting positions, turns, ground types, and what appears to me as legitimate representation of pacing strategy. I don't know about you but I've always wondered what the difference is between a time trial solo run, and real race. Wouldn't the one with the fastest time always win the race as well? This applies not only to fictional umamusume but also real foot race, and even real motorsports. In this season we get some good explanation on the pros and cons to being in various positions after the start, for example being in the front tires you out more but avoids the possibility of being blocked. One thing the UCU has always done great is getting you to know the horse girls that don't win the race, and how they wanted to win just as badly as the protagonist, maybe they deserve to win just as much as the protagonist. It really drives home the idea that the few winners are really standing on a pile metaphorical bodies of the dreams of other horse girls. This season does it better than all earlier entries before it because we also get to follow these characters after their losses and how it changes their character.

If everyone has dreams but only the few can achieve it, how does one deal with having one's dream crushed?

Fun world building is also essential for a umamusume show. If I remember correctly this is the first time we get official confirmation that indeed the ears are up on top of their heads, they have no ear on the side of their head. Is this potentially a retcon? I mean we've previously seen umamusume using regular sized smartphones which can't reach top ear right? The first 3 seasons have always had a second protagonist as some kind of rival character but we have a new spin here. Oguri Cap's buddy Berno Light is not race material, instead she plays support staff. She does have less importance and screentime because of this role but instead we have more focus on Oguri Cap and other umamusumes' trainer characters. Similar to the movie from 2024, the trainer is also an important character, we learn their backstory and struggles, in a way that makes me want to play the Gatcha game actually, since it's quite convincing that being a umamusume trainer is cool.

Oguri Cap's story is not over, yes there's another season and I can't wait. If only I knew this before finishing it, I wouldn't have started because I hate waiting for new seasons.