Umamusume has experienced a meteoric rise with the global release of the game “Umamusume: Pretty Derby,” bringing horse racing back into popular culture.
The franchise’s feature-length film, Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era, is coming to North American theaters on February 27th. Anime Trending interviewed Director Ken Yamamoto about the film, the relationship between its lead characters, and taking the races to the big screen.
Each of the main characters, Jungle Pocket, Dantsu Flame, Manhattan Cafe, and Agnes Tachyon, is compelling enough to lead their own movie. What is it about Jungle Pocket that led to her being the focus of the movie?
Ken Yamamoto: A defining characteristic of this specific generation is that Agnes Tachyon’s racing truly shines with brilliance. When we took that overwhelming strength and translated those racehorses into the human-like existence of Umamusume, we felt that Jungle Pocket would be the one to experience the most intense internal conflict in response to it. That is what led to the decision to build the story around her as the protagonist.
Agnes Tachyon is one of Umamusume’s most memorable characters, with her subtle yet powerful expressions. What are the most important aspects to understanding Agnes Tachyon?
Ken Yamamoto: After the Japanese Derby, she has far fewer lines. From that point onward, every word she speaks carries a lot of weight and meaning.
While we put a lot of thought into how she is depicted visually, such as the atmosphere of her laboratory and the way her eyes are rendered, I believe the most important factor is the shift in how she delivers her lines.
In my view, Tachyon is the most raw, perhaps even the most uncomfortably human character in the story, especially since she lies the most.
What is the most memorable thing about Jungle Pocket, Dantsu Flame, Manhattan Cafe, and Agnes Tachyon for you?
Ken Yamamoto: The significance of Fuji Kiseki’s presence in Jungle Pocket’s life is something I absolutely could not leave out. I feel that the narrative climax between them symbolizes one of the fundamental roots of Umamusume, especially as a series modeled after real-life racehorses and the people surrounding them.
In my opinion, Dantsu Flame is the most ordinary character in the story, though her record is clearly elite, having won and competed in numerous G2 and G1 races. The lines she delivers at the Derby, where she reveals her very human, down-to-earth struggles and goals, were a last-minute addition I made while storyboarding. I felt my own life experiences pouring into those words, and it was at that moment that the film finally clicked for me. I think my storyboarding shifted up a notch from that scene onward.
Manhattan Cafe is the most fully formed character in the story. Even when she cannot race due to injury or when Agnes Tachyon announces her retirement, her perspective never wavers; she continues to gaze toward her “friend.” That consistency is something we carried over faithfully from the game’s story.
On the animation side, the foundational approach to the film’s entire visual language is heavily influenced by the existence of her and her “friend” — two figures that symbolize the bridge between the Umamusume world and our world. I view the window in Tachyon and Cafe’s room as a camera lens that reflects our world into theirs.
As I mentioned before, I believe Agnes Tachyon is the most human character. When I finished drawing the final scene where her humanity truly explodes, I felt I had captured something universal yet special — something that had nothing to do with my own personal desires as a creator.
Many of the Umamusume have unique quirks and expressions. How much influence did the real-world horses have on their Umamusume counterparts?
Ken Yamamoto: We try to incorporate real-world traits wherever we can, like Jungle Pocket’s boisterous personality or Dantsu Flame’s frequent mentions of food.
On a more trivial note, the Carrot Otchahoi dish that Dantsu Flame is so eager to eat actually comes from a restaurant in Shibata City, Niigata Prefecture, which has a very distant, roundabout connection to the real-life Jungle Pocket.
There is a particular scene in the movie where we see the race from the first-person point of view. How do you make a scene like that?
Ken Yamamoto: There was nothing particularly difficult about it. Nowadays, you can watch officially uploaded jockey cams on YouTube and such, so I used those videos as my source material. Since I produced this entire film as the world of Umamusume seen through Jungle Pocket’s eyes, it felt like a perfect fit.
The races in the movie convey a strong sense of motion and speed. How do you get that right?
Ken Yamamoto: I watched the actual racehorse footage over and over, relentlessly. Since the footage was from 2000 to 2001, it wasn’t very clear, which made it a very difficult task.
Beyond that, it was simply a matter of having the 2D/3D animators add motion, drawing some of the cuts myself, working with the art directors and color designers to create a palette that matched the drama, adjusting the timing of the cuts with the editor, and having the compositing team refine the final look… It’s a very grounded, step-by-step process.
How do you keep viewers on the edge of their seats during a race?
Ken Yamamoto: This was a significant challenge given the number of races we depict throughout the film. To keep it engaging, I approached each one with a specific narrative purpose — for example, “This is the race where we introduce the world through Jungle Pocket’s eyes,” or “This is the race where Jungle Pocket and Dantsu Flame’s emotions intersect,” and so on.
Rather than focusing solely on the mechanics of the race itself, I concentrated on whose emotions were moving and how. My hope was that by doing so, the color palette and composition of each scene would naturally start to differ from one another. Honestly, I was just working desperately to make it all come together.
What kind of tools can you access to create a race scene like that?
Ken Yamamoto: I believe 3D is incredibly effective for race scenes where a large number of characters are jostling and running together in a pack. I was also pleased to see that the 3D assets created for Beginning of a New Era were put to great use in the later production of Umamusume: Cinderella Gray.
In this film, we primarily utilized 3D to create a sense of cool dynamism through more distanced, observational camera work. But for the key scenes at the climax, I was amazed that the team produced numerous 3D background animations that pushed the emotional expression as well.
Umamusume also has a strong foundation for depicting the shifting hearts of adolescent girls. For those kinds of moments, I considered the “acting” found in hand-drawn facial expressions to be extremely important.
Which Umamusume do you relate to the most?
Ken Yamamoto: I drew every character with a mix of both empathy and admiration, but as I mentioned earlier regarding her dialogue, I feel a particularly strong connection to Dantsu Flame’s down-to-earth nature.
And if I may talk about the game for a moment, I absolutely love King Halo. She’s incredibly cute, cool, and has that gritty, down-in-the-dirt determination.
I also think the stories for Mejiro Ardan and Aston Machan are masterfully written — I’ve played through them multiple times without skipping a single line. For the sake of this film, I read all the in-game stories for every character that had been implemented at the time.
Honestly, I could go on forever, but I’ll leave it at that.
A major theme in Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era is the spirit of competition and overcoming limits. How do you relate to the Umamusume’s drive to reach that “higher level” in your own work?
Ken Yamamoto: The Umamusume series consistently portrays the struggles of the characters, which is a universal theme that extends far beyond the racetrack. The desire to run faster, especially in Jungle Pocket’s goal to “become the strongest,” certainly resonates with the mindset of those of us in the animation industry who strive to “create better work.”
I don’t see myself as someone who lives with such specific, grand ambitions like the Umamusume, but I do think being able to strive toward such a sweeping aspiration is something to feel very fortunate about. Thus, I hoped this film would serve as a sort of anthem for anyone who carries a powerful wish in their heart.
Jungle Pocket faces external pressure to improve from her races with other Umamusume, but she also needs to overcome her own internal, mental limits. Between those internal and external motivators, what inspires you to improve? Is it your inner self and past performances, or is it the work of your contemporaries?
Ken Yamamoto: I would say it’s both. However, when I watch other works, I usually view them through the lens of “what elements can I incorporate into my own work?” It’s almost like I’m searching for new material! It might sound ironic coming from someone who directed a film like this, but I’m actually not very fond of competition.
If competing over the quality of the work leads to a better experience for viewers, then I welcome it, but I have no desire to work just for the sake of one-upping each other. Fortunately, the animation industry is currently quite vibrant, and excellent works are being produced every day. As a result, I feel the need to keep up with that momentum. As for my own past work, my philosophy is: “If the audience will enjoy it, use whatever works!”
If an idea can be reused or refined, I’ll do it. I don’t really have a strong preference for where my motivation comes from.
Do you have any closing thoughts for fans who are about to watch the movie in theaters?
Ken Yamamoto: Whether you’re already a fan of Umamusume or not, I’ve done my best to work on something enjoyable for everyone. I hope you find something special in the movie that appeals directly to you.
Special thanks to GAGA America and Cygames for this interview opportunity. Anime Trending interviewed Director Ken Yamamoto via email.
Tickets for Umamusume: Pretty Derby – Beginning of a New Era are now available.
Interview article by Kwok-Wai Hanson, Petrit Baillet, and James Mizutani; edited by Isabelle Lee.
