While the underdog-focused sports movies are cliched as hell, you can’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of joy in rooting for the bit player(s) as they rise up to victory after so many falls. After all, my favourite film series and live-action shows under this sports category include the Rocky films, the Karate Kid/Cobra Kai shows, and The Way Back.

In Umamusume: Cinderella Gray, a story about horse girls racing for glory and peak performance in a similar contemporary time period (but with horse girls), the anime series based on the manga has a lot of the tropes, but does have a few twists in store.

Spirit Untamed

Our underdog in question, Oguri Cap, is an ashen-haired horse girl who is built differently and can power run with the best of them. She comes off as aloof and naive despite her stoic personality, but she wants to make her Cinderella Story come true, racing with the best of the best and being good at it.

On the flip side, another ashen-haired umamusume named Tamamo Cross also joins in the fray and is winning races left and right, with the two girls eventually meeting on the proverbial battlefield. Of course, many obstacles and races get in the way, like qualification issues and other umamusumes ganging up on Oguri. However, you’re here to see our female fighter get through it all using nothing but skill and grit. Think the original Rocky trilogy but replace Balboa, Apollo Creed, and Clubber Lang with horse girls named after real-life racing horses. And a lot more of the racer’s quirks out in full display in anime/chibi form. Most of the drama is balanced out with some needed levity. This includes, but not limited to,Oguri’s larger-than-life appetite, the fact that she’s dubbed “The Beast” by the horse-racing media, her pal Belno Light, and the trio of Norn Ace, Rudy, and Mini who started out as bullies but ended up as fangirls for our main heroine.

If anything, this sports anime does a great job at balancing perspectives between both Oguri Cap and Tamamo Cross, as we get to see what drives them and how their life stories pan out. Though the latter has her past teased in vague flashbacks (the showrunners are probably saving the big guns this October), she does leave an impression with her attitude, her race performances, and the proverbial lightning that emanates from her racing spirit whenever she’s on. The cast and their VOs aren’t wasted one bit: even the show’s main trainer Jo Kitahara get some shine in one or two episodes that delve in his simple-yet-effective backstory and his love for the sport.

All The Pretty Horses

Umamusume: Cinderella Gray runs well with its premise and will keep you invested thanks to its charismatic leads and well-framed racing sequences. While the onboarding to the series could use a bit more work, props to the production team for trying to weave its more odd elements into the fray, like the post-race dance that is meant to be the equivalent of a mini-horse show but in the umamusume context.

Don’t think too hard on the world’s logistics; treat this first season as a great entry point to a sports anime series with full-on sprinting action. Come for the premise, stay for the entertainment marathon & drama amidst the chibi faces and outworldly premise. Also keep in mind; this is just the first cour of the Cinderella story between Oguro and Tamamo. The second cour that’s due this October will most likely put the spotlight on Tamamo and bring in a bunch of new umamusumes for the duo to compete against. It may follow all the tropes of a sports anime, but that doesn’t make this horse show any less entertaining, tense, and emotionally impactful.

Final Score: 80/100