umamusume: beginning of a new era (🎥 7/10)
i first mistook this as the "agnes tachyon" movie, but this was about jungle pocket's (pokke) career as a race horse!! inspired by fuji kiseki, pokke wants to be the strongest racer ever!! she spirals, however, following her defeat to tachyon and the latter's abrupt retirement. [7/10]
yeah, i thought this was the agnes tachyon movie... but i liked pokke too!! she's so full of energy, and her expressions on certain scenes were very funny :] ... rated this 7 like top road's movie cuz i would've loved to feel more connected to the horses, but i do think this is a movie that would hit stronger for players of pretty derby!! i don't know, but i still really REALLY like it!!
right from the bat, the animations and visuals of the movie were a MASSIVE step up compared to top road, which already had a lovely style to begin with. this movie takes it to a new level though, with very atmospheric scenes... i particularly liked how the world was washed with red following tachyon's retirement... and i loved the sparkly visuals of opera's racing, and the same sparkly inspiring awesome visuals when pokke raced against the very horse who inspired her to race to begin with, fuji!! and even the little scenes were just bursting with expression and are just absolutely eye candy to watch. i love it sooosososo much, i genuinely do!!
the horses we're introduced to were neat as well. tachyon is a favorite, the weird little science horse!! i always liked her from a distance, but knowing her story made me so sad. she probably dreamt big, wanted to run (as she did say that it was an uma's nature to), and then making it big only for her dreams to be cut short. she was racing on a time limit, and she wanted to see what the limits are and surpass it, only to be stopped by her injury and forced to see other people reach her dream in the sidelines. at a distance. it's really heartbreaking seeing hints of her anguish after her retirement - the clutter in her room starting to pile up, soon being littered with trash, her fidgeting with her injured foot and the deliberate emphasis the movie would place on it sometimes, the fact that she repeatedly watches her friend's race over and over and imitating what looks to be a running motion, that same friend distancing herself from tachyon. all of these genuinely crushed me, especially in the final scene where she watches pokke win the japan cup where she runs off crying. i don't know what happens after - i'm not quite sure why tachyon was in a race and concert at the very end ? i'd like to think it's kind of a "dream" scenario (my partner only said "don't think about it too much") but in line with my interpretation, that kinda feels more tragic to imagine a stage where agnes tachyon is happily dancing alongside her friends (title debatable) in a winners concert. or whatever they call those live shows in the umamusume universe. i don't play the game!! in fact, watching top road, i was SURPRISED to learn that they were idols too!!
... oops. sorry for rambling about tachyon in what is supposedly the Jungle Pocket Movie. i love pokke too, don't get me wrong. but i also like rooting for the losers in certain scenarios too... ANYWAY back to pokke! i do think it was heartwarming that she was able to carry on fuji and tanabe's dream, and in return even inspiring fuji to race again despite her previous injury. in essence, the movie tackles regrets and what ifs. maybe if pokke could inspire those who've long given up on their dreams, maybe... she could inspire tachyon too? i think that's essentially what happens in the end, but aghh!! we don't get that much time to figure that out!! it's a movie after all, and there really is just so much time to flesh out on things. maybe that's why they have a game. but i told my partner that i do NOT like gacha games at ALL and they (the gacha games, not my beautiful partner) frustrate me sooo much!! like, i would have loved to learn more about manhattan cafe too, and about the "friend" she feels haunted by. oh and danysu flame is cute too, but i don't know much about her as well.
oh well!! it was a genuinely fun movie too, so i don't mind at all :p had such a wonderful experience watching it!