So with “Obey Your Master” she essentially was the joker in her race. The key stat was that she won 0 G1 races. Which we later learn more so has to do with turf conditions in America vs. here in Japan. So what she did that was very interesting is hide herself in training. Hide behind an upbeat persona, which big credit should be given to Shizuka Ishigami for pulling that off well. She studied both Tama & Oguri intensely.
The interesting thing is that despite all of that secrecy and that preparation, she barely held on to beat Tama. In truth, this race also demonstrates how tough Tama is to beat. Obey had to go beyond normal norms to beat Tama. Of course, Obey put on a phenomenal performance, which CyGames animated extremely well. Also, the sound direction enhances the race’s unpredictable nature. Tama is the only one who sees Obey’s true nature as she makes the promise to come as her true self. That makes the rematch intensely exciting to watch.
Oguri’s performance highlights two things. It was fine to try something different like Tama did in the cour 1 finale. The issue is the competition was much, much stronger. Being out of your comfort zone is one thing, but to also play rough with the international competition just gave her a worse start. Be curious if that affects Oguri going forward. As she hit a wall from catching up to Obey and Tama. Still, her performance is remarkable. It will be curious how Musaka goes about things coming off this race. But it was smart play to make sure Oguri stuck to her usual strategy because her confidence could have taken a much bigger hit. Still, Oguri definitely feels like she is getting more invested in winning these races.
