Score: A

There’s no question that this is a pretty darn late look at the Road to the Top movie. This was a last year kind of thing. But I just never got around to watching it until now. Partly due to anime movies always slipping under my radar until months after they came out. But I also just wasn’t in the mood to jump into another fresh story at that moment. But this wonderfully showed why it’s always worth giving Uma Musume a shot. Not every season will resonate, but sometimes the right story is told that just floors you. And that was the case here. I got right into it and knew I had to talk about this one.

All about that journey

This movie honestly reminded me why I do love the Uma Musume series so much. It truly captures all the best parts of sports drama. That they are working off history can of course make it interesting for those who know exactly what’s going to happen. But whether or not you know the outcome, it’s something to really see it unfold and how the characters handle it.

There was no doubt that Top Road was going to win the Kikuka Sho. There was no way the main character of this movie was not going to get a big win. But it was still a beautiful journey to actually see that happen. It speaks to the voice actors, the animation, and the writing that you just get pulled into the moment. The characters pull the audience into their race and you are left cheering them on all the same.

Just pure heartbreak

There was so much going on. Top Road’s heartbreaking loss at the Derby just landed so well. This was her race. The distance, terrain, course layout…all of it lined up to Top Road’s skills and strengths. And she didn’t make a major mistake. She just…couldn’t win. And that is the kind of gut wrenching loss that hurts. There were no excuses she could make. Her best simply wasn’t enough that day to win. She left it all out there on the track and could do nothing but break down in tears. Defeat at the Satsuki Sho hurt, but there was logic there. It wasn’t her best race, she got boxed in at one point, and the terrain wasn’t ideal. Even if she didn’t make excuses, there were reasons that made sense. But the Derby was one where she had nothing left to give.

That made her journey to rebound all the more endearing. It wasn’t easy. The stress, fear, the pressure was beating down on her and she did need a lot of time before she found her answers. Her trainer supported her, as did her friends, classmates, etc. People were on her side and did whatever they could for her. She did break down and cry everything out, but even then it wasn’t that simple. She still had to face her doubts and further dedicate herself to her style. Even if changing styles might have made tactical sense…Top Road wanted to run her race and win her way. And she did. The answer in some ways…is that sometimes your opponent won’t be at their best. Admire Vega didn’t run her best race. And sometimes that’s the difference. Top Road earned it by being in top form and believing in herself.

This girl had a journey

Speaking of Admire Vega. Oh man, that girl was haunted. I’d like to think her sister wasn’t actually speaking to her all the time since otherwise her character would come into question. Either way it is rough though. Either Vega was being tormented by her sister that flip flopped between being supportive of her sister and hating her enjoying the races. Or…Vega was torturing herself mentally and using her sister as an excuse to do that. In the latter case…that’s also kind of sad. Vega basically turned her sister into a demon that wanted her to suffer. All because Vega couldn’t forgive herself for racing, enjoying her rivalries, and maybe even being alive at all.

Vega’s story is tragic. A sibling that basically died before she was born. Twins where only one could live and she ended up being the one that did. That would obviously have a massive impact on someone’s mentality. She has to run and win for the sake of the sister that can’t. That can be a beautiful sentiment in a way. She runs for her sister and dedicates her victories to her. Carrying along her sister to victory and the top isn’t a bad thing at all. But it crossed the line of becoming toxic as the movie went along. Vega enjoyed the race so much, the challenge, and the ecstasy of victory and then immediately hated herself for it. Because in the heat of the moment all that mattered was the race, her rivals, and Vega herself. Not a crime to enjoy herself, but Vega felt like it was.

And the crowd goes wild!

T.M. Opera O…what is there to say there? I won’t hide that she isn’t my favourite characters. That kind of personality is either loved or not. But I do think she played a fantastic role in the story. It was obvious that she was going to bust up the 1v1 rivalry that Top Road and Admire Vega had going into the triple crown races. But that allowed both of them to get hit hard by reality and have to re-assess everything heading into the Derby. And credit to Opera. That’s a character that didn’t lose faith, pushed herself incredibly hard to achieve what she did, and was a motivator for her rivals. This wasn’t her story, but she played her part in it extremely well.

Darn good trainer

Back to Top Road for a moment. I think her overall story was well told. There was good focus on her childhood, her relationship to her dad, the bond with her trainer, and her incredible drive. I do wish we’d seen a bit of trainer presence for Admire Vega (especially her) or even Opera. But in the end Narita Top Road was the girl of this story and the focus was used well on her. I love how she really wanted those other wins for her trainer. The person that supported her, believed in her, and helped her reach that level. But she just falling short and feeling terrible about it. But while I’m sure her trainer always wanted her to win, he never stopped believing in her. And their combined efforts bore fruit when it mattered.

The strength of this franchise is that history

This was just such a strong film. I enjoyed the third season of Uma Musume and the Oguri stuff has been solid. But I think this was the first time since Teio’s miracle run in S2 that I really got pulled into the story. There’s so much drama and good stories to tell. There’s a rich history of horse racing in Japan alone and they continue to make good use of it. The beautiful thing is that the story never truly ends. Racing continues even now and there will always be more stories to tell. So long as someone wants to keep making shows, movies, or keeping the mobile game running.