Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray returns for part 2 of Season 1, focusing on the journey of Oguri Cap. Who is based on the horse of the same name that dominated in many races in real life. As Part 1 of Season 1 left off, you had Tama beating Oguri. This was the moment that Oguri had the goal of beating Tama, her new rival.
This part covers the rivalry between Oguri and Tama. Even with just 10 episodes, the anime does a fantastic job at illustrating that. As Oguri many times hits some low points, which were lower than any of her low points in Part 1. Which, to be quite frank, she really didn’t have much of. Which shows how she truly has more ambition in this cour.
Though two characters stepped up big, Belno Light & Musaka. The latter we know stepped up big for Jou after he needed to step away to take the exams. Though for Musaka it is only how he coaches Oguri that is impressive, it is also how he coaches Belno. Essentially she acts as his assistant, but he is there to guide and support her. Of course, for Belno, doing everything in her power to help Oguri really shows she is Oguri’s rock through this journey.
You also have some side characters who really made their presence felt. Those being Super Creek, Obey Your Master & Dicta Striker. All had performances that impressed and really showed them as viable rivals for Oguri going forward. Of course, when the chips were down, the anime offered an outstanding conclusion to the rivalry arc with Tama.
The Uma Musume series has been a series that you would talk about having stellar animation. While the animation isn’t at the level of the films Road to the Top or Beginning of a New Era, the animation is really solid throughout. The staff knows when to crank it up for the big moments. However, the most impressive thing is the sound direction. Even when the animation wasn’t at a high level, the sound direction noticeably elevated each episode. It can really make you feel the intensity of the races and what the characters are going through.
If you enjoy Part 1 of Cinderella Gray, then I am sure you will love Part 2. Now, if you haven’t watched Part 1, I can say that this series is absolutely worth a shot. I will say that Cinderella Gray is the most sports-structured out of all the anime entries. So if you are a big sports fan and you haven’t touched the series yet, Cinderella Gray S1 is the best entry point for those types of fans. While for CGDCT’s fans, the Pretty Derby anime would be a better starting point.
With S1 completed, I do hope Cygames brings the staff back to do S2 since there is more to cover in Oguri Cap’s journey.