Director Makoto Shinkai praises the movie “Uma Musume” after watching it without any prior knowledge: “Amazing visuals” and “I was confused as to why there was a live concert here all of a sudden”

On the 29th, animation director Makoto Shinkai updated his X and gave high praise to the anime film “Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Door into a New Era.”

X commented, “I went to see the movie 'Uma Musume: Pretty Derby – Door into a New Era' without knowing anything about it, but it was overwhelming.”

He praised the film, saying, “The screen is truly stunning, exactly how cel animation should be. The sound, direction, and script are all done with a confident touch. What impressed me most was the color design.”

“I was thrilled by the light and shadows in the underground horse tunnel scene at the beginning, the race scene where your visibility was narrowed and it was hard to breathe, and so on. I was confused as to why there was a live performance here all of a sudden, but it was also fun, as it felt like I was experiencing a different culture, haha. I'm so glad I saw it!”

The first movie in the series tells the new story of Jungle Pocket, a group of boys aiming to become the strongest in the Twinkle Series, as they compete with their rivals of the same generation.

“Uma Musume” is a cross-media content that has gained popularity through a wide range of developments, including games, manga, and anime, and features characters based on real racehorses such as Special Week, Silence Suzuka, and Tokai Teio.

The first season of the TV anime aired from April to June 2018, the second season from January to March 2021, and the third season from October to December 2023. The manga “Uma Musume Cinderella Gray” with Oguri Cap as the main character is currently being serialized in Weekly Young Jump. The voice actor who voiced the character also appears on music programs and has been described as “a social phenomenon.”