Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray Second Cour Premiere Review

The second cour of Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray is here, and it opens in a slightly surprising way. Rather than putting the beloved Oguri Cap front and center, the premiere shifts focus to another ash gray racer, Fujimasa March.

That choice turns out to be a full adaptation of The Mermaid Left Behind, a spinoff short about Oguri’s first rival back in Gifu. March still has her heart set on facing Oguri, even as she is nudged toward finding a new rival of her own.

Even without much Oguri, the episode is a real return to form. Its racing is high octane and fierce, putting the raw adrenaline of competition right at the center, exactly what this series does best.

When Oguri does appear, she is mostly comic relief, deadpan reaction faces and all, while a colorful pack of rivals strut their stuff, from the combative Dicta Striker to the comeback minded Sakura Chiyono O.

Even characters who barely appear, like Oguri’s great rival Tamamo Cross, cast a long shadow over the proceedings. Uma Musume: Cinderella Gray is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

My take: Opening on a rival rather than the star was a bold move, but it paid off with a thrilling, race focused premiere. This show simply gets the drama of competition, and I am thrilled to have it back.