Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era (2024)

The racers in this movie are anime girls with horse ears and tails, modeled on real Japanese racehorses, and somehow you’ll still end up caring a lot. The problems are real. Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame feel shoehorned in because their real-life counterparts raced that season, and if you’ve never touched the franchise, the races can get confusing fast. The core is great. Jungle Pocket is a rowdy delinquent who watches Fuji Kiseki win and decides on the spot she’s doing that too, then runs straight into Agnes Tachyon, an eccentric genius who treats racing like a lab experiment. Their rivalry has real psychological bite, and the way Jungle Pocket handles losing, over and over, is more honest than plenty of live-action sports movies. The races, animated with real jockey-cam footage as a guide, are thrilling. It made $10 million worldwide. A 7.6 because the rivalry hits like a real sports movie. $83.32 says you catch yourself yelling at a horse race on TV this year, for a horse you met five minutes ago.

What works: The Jungle Pocket and Agnes Tachyon rivalry is genuinely moving, and the races are thrilling to watch.

What doesn’t: Side characters like Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame feel thin, and the races can be confusing if you’re new to the franchise.

Who it’s for: Sports movie fans willing to roll with the horse girl concept, and every Umamusume player, obviously.