Beginning of a New Era

Umamusume Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era
Kanji	ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉
Romaji	Umamusume Puritī Dābī Shin Jidai no Tobira
Anime Information
Air Date	May 24th, 2024
Director	Ken Yamamoto
Animation studio	CygamesPictures
Run time	108 minutes
Major races depicted
'95 Yayoi Sho (G2) '00 Hopeful Stakes (G3) '00 Arima Kinen (G1) '01 Yayoi Sho (G2) '01 Satsukisho (G1) '01 Japan Derby (G1) '01 Kikukasho (G1) '01 Japan Cup (G1)

Umamusume: Pretty Derby: Beginning of a New Era (ウマ娘 プリティーダービー 新時代の扉, Umamusume Puritī Dābī Shin Jidai no Tobira) is a movie focusing on Jungle Pocket, Agnes Tachyon, Manhattan Cafe and Dantsu Flame. Produced by Cygames Pictures and directed by Ken Yamamoto, it premiered on May 24th, 2024 on Japanese theaters.

Summary

After witnessing Fuji Kiseki win a race, young Jungle Pocket is inspired to become the fastest horse girl alive. Training alongside Fuji and her veteran trainer, Pocket's goal looks to be within reach—right up until she encounters Agnes Tachyon. In the face of Tachyon's impossible speed and polar opposite personality, beating Tachyon becomes an obsession. But all too soon, that obsession becomes a looming specter—the final barrier that stands between Pocket and her dream.

Cast & Creatives

• Yuri Fujimoto as Jungle Pocket
• Sumire Uesaka as Agnes Tachyon
• Yui Ogura as Manhattan Cafe
• Haruna Fukushima as Dantsu Flame
• Sora Tokui as T.M. Opera O
• Eriko Matsui as Fuji Kiseki
• Kanna Nakamura as Narita Top Road
• Misaki Watada as Meisho Doto
• Kenichi Ogata as Trainer Tanabe
• Miyuki Sakurai as Ru
• Yurie Igoma as Shima
• Saaya Hitomi as Mai
• Rina Honnizumi as Nana Izumoto

• Original Creator: Cygames
• Director: Ken Yamamoto
• Scenario Director / Story Composition: Tetsuya Kobari
• Screenplay: Kiyoko Yoshimura
• Character Designer / Chief Animation Director: Jun Yamazaki
• Art Director: Yusuke Watanabe
• Color Design: Yo Iwada
• 3D Director: Yoshinori Nakano
• Director of Photography: Akane Fushihara, Yuki Kawashita
• Editing: Kashiko Kimura
• Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
• Music Producer: Tetsuya Uchida
• Music: Masaru Yokoyama
• Contents Director: Takuma Akitsu
• Character Design Supervisor: Minami Kiyonaga
• Animation Producer: Tadashi Mizoguchi
• Animation Production: Cygames Pictures
• Distributor: TOHO

Songs

Opening Theme

Ready!! Steady!! Derby!!

Ending Theme

Umapyoi Densetsu

Insert Songs

• Beyond the Finale
• PRISMATIC SPURT!!!!

Reception

According to Kogyo Tsushinsha, the movie attracted 226,000 viewers and grossed 354 million yen in its first three days, making a second place debut at the weekend box office. The film also had an average rating of 4.14/5.0 based on 962 reviews, as reported by Filmarks' first day satisfaction ranking.

Richard Eisenbeis of Anime News Network gave the film a B+ rating and called it a "solid psychological sports drama with a truly interesting pair of leads" and a "cool reinterpretation of real world events", but felt that "certain characters seem shoehorned in because they were around in real life".