Umamusume: Cinderella Gray Part 2

ONE OF THE BEST, IF NOT THE BEST, SPORTS ANIME OF THE LAST DECADE! IT IS UMAZING! If you enjoyed the first cour of Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray, you’ll likely enjoy this one as well. If the first one didn't fully convince you, I still think you have to watch this one as it not only complements the first cour it goes much more in depth in intensity and emotions. The 2nd cour focuses mainly on the growing rivalry between Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, known as the Battle of the Gray Monsters. While slightly shorter than the first, this cour delivers more intense races at agood pace, with the occasional slice-of-life and comedic moments sprinkled in that is always a nice touch between the high-stakes competitions. For manga readers, this is a crucial part of the story and one of its most emotional parts, and here, it closes an era in Japanese horse racing. Plot & Storytelling: -Oguri Cap no longer stands alone as the main character, as Tamamo Cross takes a much larger role, and her development here is satisfying, setting up important future events. -The pacing can be too fast for some people if you're seeing this from the perspective of a slice of life mixed with sports. Cinderella Gray, even compared to the Pretty Derby series, is much more focused on the sports aspect than other sports anime out there. (You have to keep in mind that they adapt every real-life race). Even with all this, the pacing is steady, maintaining strong consistency throughout, and it's fairly easy to keep track of everything. -New themes emerge that give the story a more mature and grounded tone, marking a clear evolution from the first cour’s lighter atmosphere. Characters: -The foreign Uma Musume get brief introductions, but they’re distinct enough to leave an impression, especially one who’s poised to play a major role this season. -Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross share the spotlight beautifully as both rivals and best friends, with Belno and the Tracen School girls still present often, with some of them being extremely important characters in key moments of the later episodes. Art & Animation: -Visually, it’s as stunning as ever. I really have to give huge credit to everyone who worked on it, as it's really a visual masterpiece, from races to even the idol concert (yes, there will be one), despite the idol aspect being much less present compared to other entries in the Uma Musume franchise. The art style fits the more seinen tone just like the first cour, creating a mature atmosphere distinct from Pretty Derby, and it fits perfectly. -The opening contains subtle spoilers if you know what to look for, a nice touch for fans who pay attention. Sound & Voice Acting: -It's a 10/10 still, every VA is super distinct, you can know most of the time who's talking even without the need to look at who's talking, and you'll know who it is, and I appreciate how unique everyone sounds, every soundtrack fits perfectly and only enhances the experience of the moment, and it's nothing but professional quality as expected. The ending theme is nothing but adorable, with Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross having a duet singing an emotional and heartfelt song. (I recommend finding the lyrics for it, as it gives good information about the closing of this 2nd cour). TL;DR: The 2nd cour of Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray maintains the strong storytelling of the first while turning up the intensity and the emotions. The pacing is very good and consistent throughout this cour, the races are even more exhilarating with much higher stakes on the line, and the visuals remain stunning. Fans of the manga and the franchise overall will find this cour a faithful and emotionally rewarding adaptation, and it is a total emotional rollercoaster if you end up getting attached to the characters. It is 100% worth continuing watching, and it will only get better from here. I really can't recommend enough this anime enough. People see horse girls running around and don't think much of it, but this is an absolute 10/10 anime that the Sports genre hasn't had for a good while. Personally, I think the story only gets better from here, and this cour proves why Cinderella Gray is one of the most underrated gems in recent anime, and I wish everyone could give this gem a try. I also would like to thank Cygames and every VA, animators and other staff who worked on this anime, they really nailed it on.

I think it’s crazy how I discovered Uma Musume and how this franchise made me fall in love with it. Seriously, what an incredible and amazing anime — I still can’t believe how an anime about horse girls managed to move me this much. The level of quality here is unreal, especially if you compare it to big anime that came out recently, like the new season of One Punch Man. There’s just no comparison. Even when you compare it to the main anime, Cinderella Gray is far superior. And every time I think, “there’s nothing left they can come up with about horse racing,” theygo and surprise me with this masterpiece. Holy shit, 10/10. What am I supposed to do without Uma Musume to watch on my Sundays? Please announce a new season soon 😭😭😭

I don't think I've ever been as enthralled with a franchise as much as I am with Umamusume. It's been my obsession for quite a long time now, and part of that is due to how unbelievably good Cinderella Gray is. It is undoubtedly the best animated work connected to the franchise that has released (until Star Blossom is released though, my personal favorite of all Umamusume series). I can't speak on other sports anime, as it's typically not a genre I'm that interested in... but Umamusume as a more sports focused anime holds its own incredibly well compared to the Pretty Derby series, andthe movies-- which also lean more heavily on the races (similar to Cinderella Gray) rather than the daily lives of the characters. The animation is incredible- comparable if not better at times than the movies, the character development is leagues above the other series-- especially due to the fact that it focuses on one of the most interesting characters in the franchise... And something that people don't talk about enough that REALLY makes this series incredible-- is the soundtrack. It's honestly one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard, especially that last spurt theme which always gets me locked in. Everything that a sports anime needs, Cinderella Gray accomplishes it very well. Cin Gray also has Chiyono O in it. Pretty Derby and the movies don't, so it's automatically the better series👍 10/10

Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray easily lands in my top 3 anime of the year (honestly, I’d even argue it’s the best.) I wasn’t expecting such a compelling story from a spin-off, but it absolutely blew me away; every episode flew by, and I enjoyed them so much that I found myself counting down the days until Sunday just to watch the next one. The overarching plot is fantastic, and the best part is that you don’t need to be a hardcore fan of the franchise to dive in, It serves as a perfect prequel, setting everything up brilliantly; of course, being familiar with the world makesyou appreciate the nuances and references even more, so I’d personally recommend watching at least the first two seasons of Pretty Derby beforehand. Technically speaking, I loved it, the visuals are stunning; Cygames Pictures is building a reputation for top-tier quality, and they’re proving exactly why with this project, the soundtrack keeps you hooked, with tracks that deliver hype exactly where it’s needed, complemented by excellent openings and endings: while the characters might seem simple at first, they actually have multiple layers that make them feel remarkably "human”; even though there’s a bit of well-placed comedy, it never undermines the weight of the story, the interactions feel organic, concise, and meaningful. This review might be fueled by pure fandom, but that’s exactly what this anime did to me: it turned me into a true fan. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a story about growth, hard work, and, above all else, pure tenacity.