umamusume: cinderella gray - season two (📺 9/10)
oguri cap versus the world (aka japan cup. and tamachan)... [9/10]
really strong second season from cinderella gray :) i find myself very attached to oguri cap, belno, and tamamo!! there is a bigger focus on ogutama rivalry and the huge japan cup race, which again is very enjoyable. i thought obey your master is cute, and the personality switch wasn't something i expected either!! i heard that obey your master doesn't really get that good of an ending in the manga though, considering her counterpart's track record :( ... when i saw the sad final panel of obey your master, it's just awful to think that everyone else got a happy ending except her. knowing how much of "herself" she had to sacrifice. but that's!! for later commentary. maybe the anime won't paint it out to be so melancholic...
it really is just a fun season. but one thing that really resonated with me was when oguri realized her reason for running: because she can.
going on a side tangent here, but yeah it's a message that REALLY clicks. especially when the world has told her that she couldn't run, oguri runs because she is fortunate enough to be able to. if that makes sense? and i guess this applies beyond running. it's my personal attitude towards making art. i love making art and i want to keep doing it as much as i can - and i don't want to look back one day when i'm old and no longer able to, wishing to myself "i wish i could have created more". to be able to do something you're passionate about, no regrets, no holding back, no fear of trying to perfect this or that... that's the stuff!! i live for that kind of message so much!! and honestly oguri is such a cute and charming protagonist... aloof and silly at times, but her determination and sportsmanship for her fellow horsies is very lovely to see as well.
tamachan is also cute!! i'm so sad she's retiring and going away :( maybe it's for a while? still, i love her so much... i like that her and oguri are two sides of the same coin - i'm sure she's experienced rejection a lot because she's also an ashen horse. i didn't think i'd love their rivalry this much when she was first teased, watching oguri's kasamatsu races. still!! now i find myself unable to see them part... maybe i teared up a little... mayhaps i am attached even...
the new girl they teased. she's alright so far! her brashness reminds me a little of tamamo cross, but i'm sure they'll find some way to make these two distinct from each other. i like her colorful kitsune aesthetic and the fact that she's from the provinces too, with a family rooting for her just like oguri... honestly i'm surprised there are more seasons incoming!! makes sense, because of the manga and all... but i am very excited!!
obligatory belno acknowledgement section she deserves the world and does so much for team oguri... i love how dedicated she is!! and very cute too!! a baby... her cheeks puff up like a hamster... uuuuu...
until the next cinderella gray!!