Ben Lindbergh

Can we talk anime for one more moment?

Because I did receive this selection from listener Pearson Irei, who writes, 2026 is the year of the horse.

So there's never been a more perfect time to watch the first of multiple fantastic horse-related anime that will be coming out this year.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby, Beginning of a New Era in North American theaters, February 27th.

That's right, nearly two years after its Japanese release in May 2024, Beginning of a New Era is finally coming to theaters stateside.

While Horse Girls Racing anime sounds a bit unhinged on paper, this movie is legitimately one of the best sports anime films I've seen.

It has no business being this good.

The film follows Jungle Pocket, a free-spirited Uma Musume who dreams of winning the Triple Crown after witnessing the legendary Fuji-Kaseki race.

What starts as a straightforward sports story becomes an incredible psychological drama when she faces off against Agnes Tachyon.

a scientifically-minded rival who's less interested in winning races and more obsessed with understanding the nature of what makes Uma Musume run.

What's particularly interesting is that the film reimagines the actual 2000 to 2001 Japanese horse racing season, taking real events and real horses and integrating them into an emotionally complex story.

The rivalry between these two characters is top-notch, and the film explores themes like imposter syndrome and the cost of pursuing perfection.

The animation from Cy Games Pictures is electric.

It has some of the best sakuga I've ever seen in a sports anime film.

I'm talking Makoto Shinkai-level visuals, but with anthropomorphic horse squirrels.

Shinkai himself said he was, quote, stunned, end quote, after watching it.

They're out there racing and breaking the budget every time they push themselves beyond their limits as they enter what can only be described as the speed force.

The sound design is great, too, from the score to the trampling of hooves to the broadcast team.

Another thing that really makes the film work is how earnest and sincere it is.

I found it to be very inspirational and emotionally resonant.