Umamusume Pretty Derby: ROAD TO THE TOP (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー ROAD TO THE TOP, umamusume puritii daabii roodo tuu za toppu) is an ONA focusing on Narita Top Road, Admire Vega and T.M. Opera O. It premiered on the PAKA TUBE! Youtube Channel on April 2023, with CyPic (formerly known as CygamesPictures) as its producer, and Chengzhi Liao as its director.
| Umamusume Pretty Derby: ROAD TO THE TOP | ||||
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| Kanji | ウマ娘 プリティーダービー ROAD TO THE TOP | |||
| Romaji | umamusume puritii daabii roodo tuu za toppu | |||
| English | Umamusume Pretty Derby: ROAD TO THE TOP | |||
| Anime Information | ||||
| Air Date | April 16th, 2023 - May 7th, 2023 | |||
| Episodes | 4 | |||
| Director | Chengzhi Liao | |||
| Animation studio | CyPic (Formerly CygamesPictures) | |||
| Run time | 24 minutes/episode | |||
| Major Races Depicted | ||||
| '99 Yayoi Sho (G2) '99 Satsuki Sho (G1) '99 Japanese Derby (G1) '99 Kyoto Shimbun Hai (G2) '99 Kikuka Sho (G1) |
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| Production Order | ||||
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Summary
Three top-tier horse girls seek to prove themselves in the Japanese triple crown. Narita Top Road has her classmates and coach holding onto their hopes for her. Admire Vega has the memory of her sister whom she wishes to honor. And T.M. Opera O? She simply knows she was destined for greatness and is looking for the biggest opportunity to prove it. Each of them has their own story, but as they run up against each other, will they all arrive at that chance to stand at the top?[1]
Plot
This page contains spoilers. Proceed with caution! |
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Narita Top Road (Top Road) makes preparations to run in the Satsuki Sho to "repay the favor" to everyone who believed in her, joined by her long-time inspiration and rival Admire Vega (Ayabe). Her trainer reflects on her childhood, where she was a much more shy and anxious racer. T.M. Opera O (Opera O), who has also been training for the Satsuki Sho, wins the race. While Top Road doesn't let her loss get her down, Ayabe isn't so pleased, wrapping her injured left leg up and concluding that her physical condition was too poor for her to run optimally.
Top Road and her trainer debrief about the problem areas she needs to work on, and Opera O is swamped with fans and news coverage following her victory. Ayabe explains her backstory, which is that when she was younger, each time she won a race, her feelings of victory would immediately be overcome by a sadness that seemed to originate from someone else. She had eventually learned that the reason for this is that she had a younger twin sister who, by pure chance, had to be sacrificed so that Ayabe could be born. Trying to make it up to that sister is Ayabe's sole purpose for running. Top Road is unable to hide her disappointment about the Satsuki Sho from her friends, but her resolve is renewed when her classmates give her some charms to root with her with.
The evening before the Nippon Derby, Top Road and Opera O attempt to make a friendly handshake with Ayabe, who rejects them and leaves. Top Road runs as hard as she can for all of her supporters, but in the last moment, Ayabe fiercly overtakes her and Top Road breaks down crying. Ayabe, however, is unable to celebrate her victory as a vision of her sister appears before her and accuses Ayabe of having forgotten about her, and only grows more and more hostile to others.
Top Road tries to mask her utter devastation at her second loss and focus her energy into trying to get better as more and more of her friends and classmates persist in pledging their support to her. Outwardly, she enjoys herself at her summer training camp, but when the sun falls, she tearfully admits to her trainer that she is afraid to lose again and disappoint all of the people cheering her on. Her trainer cheers her up by affirming her and taking her to the summer festival. Ayabe, meanwhile, is swallowed up by her own guilt as more visions of her sister appear to tell her that her leg won't make it past the Kikuka Sho.
In anticipation for the Kikuka Sho, Top Road receives encouraging words from Opera O. Top Road attempts to give encouraging words to Ayabe as well, who rejects her once more, but not before Top Road insists that she is telling Ayabe what she needs to hear. During the race, Ayabe falls behind, and is pulled into her own mind. Her sister is running with her. She stops to tell Ayabe that, while she had a lot of fun, she wants Ayabe to run for only her own sake and enjoy the rivalry she has with Top Road and Opera O from now on. Ayabe can not stop her sister from disappearing, but when she suddenly recalls the words Top Road had to say to her before the race, her faith in her own running is renewed. Top Road, trying her absolute best to live up to the expectations to everyone she owes her racing career to, makes a climactic victory at last, and is joined to celebrate by Ayabe and Opera O as the story comes to a close.
Cast and Characters
Songs
Opening Theme
Insert Song
Ichibanboshi ga Kakeru Sora (ep 4)
Ending Theme
Glorious Moment! (Instrumental, ep 1-3)
Umapyoi Densetsu (ep 4)
| Umamusume Pretty Derby: ROAD TO THE TOP | |
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| Kanji | 劇場用再編集版『ウマ娘 プリティーダービー ROAD TO THE TOP』 |
| Romaji | gekijoyō sai henshuban umamusume puritii daabii roodo tuu za toppu |
| English | Umamusume Pretty Derby: ROAD TO THE TOP |
| Anime Information | |
| Air Date | May 10th, 2024 (theatrical release) January 22nd, 2025 (home release) |
| Director | Chengzhi Liao |
| Animation studio | CygamesPictures |
| Run time | 99 minutes |
Episodes
| Nº Episode | Title | Air Date |
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| 1 | A Dream's Starting Gate (夢のはじまり, yume no hajimari) | April 16, 2023 |
| 2 | A Glorious Stage (栄光の舞台, eiko no butai) | April 23, 2023 |
| 3 | Reason to Run (走る理由, hashiru riyu) | April 30, 2023 |
| 4 | One Dream (想いはひとつ, omoi wa hitotsu) | May 7, 2023 |
Compilation movie
A compilation movie, which added new scenes to the episodes previously released, was announced at 5th EVENT ARENA TOUR GO BEYOND, with a run time of 98 minutes. It premiered on May 10th, 2024 in a limited number of theaters for two weeks, until the release of Beginning of a New Era. It was announced that it would get a Blu-ray release on January 22nd, 2025.
It debuted sixth at the Japanese box office on its opening weekend.[2]