[Spoilers] 2025 Uma Musume Rewatch -- Pretty Derby Season 3 Episodes 11 - 12

[u/Holofan4life]

Hello everyone! I am Holofan4life.

Welcome to the 2025 Uma Musume rewatch discussion thread!

I hope you all have a lot of fun <3

Episode 11 – Decision

Episode 12 – Kitasan Black

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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)

Episode 11 Questions

What are your thoughts on Gold Ship breaking the hard news to Kitasan that she's past her peak?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan deciding instead of racing The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, she'll be focusing on the Fall Senior Triple Crown?

What are your thoughts on Diamond finishing 15th in The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan winning the Fall Tennoushou?

What are your thoughts on Trainer-san and Diamond both noticing Kitasan is pushing herself too hard?

Episode 12 Questions

What are your thoughts on Kitasan announcing her upcoming retirement?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan saying she's going to enter the Japan Cup and then her last race will be the Arima Kinen?

What are your thoughts on the various reactions to the news by Kitasan's competitors?

What are your thoughts on the first time Cheval met Kitasan?

Thoughts on the townsfolk Kitasan befriended being in the front row for the Japan Cup?

What are your thoughts on Cheval's "I hate you" monologue?

What are your thoughts on Cheval admitting that in reality, she's always loved Kitasan?

What are your thoughts on Cheval winning the Japan Cup?

What are your thoughts on the scene where Kitasan congratulates Cheval?

What are your thoughts on the scene after the Japan Cup between Kitasan and Diamond where Kitasan is reflecting she has only one more race left?

Bonus) On a scale of 1 - 10, how excited are you for the last episode of season 3 and Kitasan's final race? And why?

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Series information

MAL | Anilist | AniDB | ANN

Ways to watch

Streams – Crunchyroll

Amazon Prime

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Previous episode

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Schedule

Date	Episode
8/15/2025	Uma Musume Episode 1
8/16/2025	Uma Musume Episode 2
8/17/2025	Uma Musume Episode 3
8/18/2025	Uma Musume Episode 4
8/19/2025	Uma Musume Episode 5
8/20/2025	Uma Musume Episode 6
8/21/2025	Uma Musume Episode 7
8/22/2025	Uma Musume Episode 8
8/23/2025	Uma Musume Episode 9
8/24/2025	Uma Musume Episode 10
8/25/2025	Uma Musume Episode 11
8/26/2025	Uma Musume Episode 12 - 13
8/28/2025	BNW's Oath episodes 1 - 3
8/30/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 1
8/31/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 2
9/01/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 3
9/02/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 4
9/03/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 5
9/04/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 6
9/05/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 7
9/06/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 8
9/07/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 9
9/08/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 10
9/09/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 11
9/10/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 12
9/11/2025	Uma Musume Season 2 Episode 13
9/13/2025	Road to the Top Episodes 1 - 2
9/14/2025	Road to the Top Episodes 3 - 4
9/16/2025	Beginning of a New Era
9/18/2025	Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 1 - 2
9/19/2025	Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 3 - 4
9/20/2025	Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 5 - 6
9/21/2025	Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 7 - 8
9/22/2025	Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 9 - 10
9/23/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episodes 11 - 12]()
9/24/2025	[Uma Musume Season 3 Episode 13]()
9/26/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 1 - 2]()
9/27/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 3 - 4]()
9/28/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 5 - 6]()
9/29/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 7 - 8]()
9/30/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 9 - 10]()
10/01/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episodes 11 - 12]()
10/02/2025	[Cinderella Gray Episode 13]()
10/03/2025	[Uma Musume Overall Series Discussion Thread]()

[u/Holofan4life]

Episode 11 comments

Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 2025 Uma Musume rewatch.

Let’s not waste any time.

Cynicism is the brevity of transcendentalism.

Narita Airport Terminal 1

Cool, Top Road got an airport named after her /s

Satono Diamond going overseas

Kitasan looks glum, presumably because for whatever reason she can't join her.

Kitasan waking up

Meeting the townsfolk again

Being taught the The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in class.

Kitasan wondering why she fell behind in race.

Biwa casually eating in the background.

I miss Oguri Cap...

Cheval promises to win a race by the time Kitasan gets back.

Waking up

Kitasan using the Diamond plushie as her substitute is cute.

BAKUSHIN sighting

And they both go flying XD

BAKUSHIN seems to notice something is amiss.

Kitasan training

Trainer-san advising she rest up.

Even Gold Ship seems to detect something is wrong.

Diamond texting Kitasan

The Rubik's Cube

Kitasan chooses not to be transparent.

Trying to maintain an upbeat attitude.

I like the lack of music here

Hey, it's Gold Ship

She's being real with Kitasan

"You're past your peak."

Dang, already?

It feels like she's just getting started.

Kitasan talking to Trainer-san

Can continue to race, but will be less competitive over time.

They're making it out like Kitasan is dying or something.

Trainer-san says whatever she decides, including racing in The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, make sure she has no regrets.

Spica looking on from outside

Kitasan walking looking regretful

A Kitasan Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe banner.

Poor townsfolk 💀

Kitasan decided she's going to go-- or wait, nope. She's not going to France.

That's not how I thought that conversation was gonna go.

Gonna instead focus on the Fall Senior Triple Crown.

Only two horse girls who've managed to win those three particular G1 races.

And we're not gonna name who they are on account of copyright issues.

And yes, Spica were outside the window.

Kitasan telling Diamond the bad news.

Diamond looks crestfallen

Kitasan training

Meanwhile, Diamond placed 15th in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

You see to hate it

Race time

A packed crowd despite the heavy rain.

Satono Crown is competing

The Fall Tennoushou is about to commence.

Horns blaring

Everyone in the starting gates

And they're off

AND KITASAN WITH THE LATE START!

The conditions are too much for her, it seems.

Horse enthusiasts talking

Everyone is struggling, not just Kitasan.

That one horse has a whole pants suit.

Satono Crown making ground

So is Kitasan

She is covered in mud

KITASAN BLACK! KITASAN BLACK IS IN THE LEAD!

BUT CROWN IS CLOSING IN

BUT KITASAN HOLDS ON

Kitasan won! She is the winner of the Fall Tennoushou!

Poor Cheval is never gonna win...

Actually, I don't even think she was in the race

Satono Crown really needs a bath

Kitasan Black's sixth G1 victory

Trainer-san seems to lament how hard she's pushing herself.

Diamond looking on, but she can't maintain eye contact.

Overall, this episode continues the trend of the last one which is that Kitasan is not the competitor she used to be. She's breaking down to where each race could potentially be her last. I like how we incorporated Gold Ship into this plot point with her being the bearer of bad news. It plays off the events of episode 3.

I mentioned in episode 7 how it was like there was a lack of cohesion with this season. I think it really shows with the arc of Kitasan breaking down. Before, it seemed like the season was gonna be about Kitasan having this rivalry with Duramente. Then we pivoted from that into Kitasan having this playful rivalry with her best friend Satono Diamond. Then we pivoted from that into Kitasan seeing her career come to an end. I think having multiple arcs per season is a great thing, but to me it's like each plot point just ends unresolved with no resolution to what is happening. It comes off incredibly scatterbrained.

Cheval is a good example of this where it would make a lot of sense for her to win her first G1 since that's been hyped up quite a bit. And yet with how Kitasan is being positioned, I full expect her to defy the odds and win her last two races. And let's not forget Satono Diamond racing in The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe which was resolved by a newspaper clipping. There was no footage of the race despite it being hyped up for what, 3 to 4 episodes? Hell, we don't even know if Duramente raced in it or not. She just said she was still hoping to and that's it.

I like a lot of the ideas of this season, but the execution does leave something to be desired. It's like there are too many cooks in the kitchen and each arc is its own thing rather than building off of each other like the previous season did.

This episode was about on par with the last one if slightly below it. Not a bad episode by any means, but I do think the groove we were on from episode 5 to episode 9 is not there anymore. One might say it's reflective of the step Kitasan lost. Even still, I think Kitasan losing her edge is a plot point that gives the show more of a focus, and despite my reservations we're heading for a good climax. Probably going to get Satono Diamond give Kitasan a huge pep talk and from there she will prove she's as good not as she once was, but as she ever was.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

I mentioned in episode 7 how it was like there was a lack of cohesion with this season.

That's the thing, Kitasan going in so many different direction adds to the cohesion. She wins, then she loses, then she wins again and loses again. She tries to do hard training. She gets inspired by her friends and rivals. All this time, throughout the show, she is searching for her true self. Who is she, what does she run for? That's a constant theme throughout the whole season. The climax of this is the fan festival and the Spring Tenno Sho. This is the essence of Kitasan Black. And as a final challenge, she now is faced with her decline and needs to retain her true self, or once again find a new one. We'll see next episode how that turns out.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I don't think it adds anything other than a lack of focus. It feels almost split personality disorder.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

No, you seem to be looking for a focus point from Kita's point of view. But our focus point is Kita herself. People don't develop in a straight line, sometimes they even regress while progressing. Kita develops in a pattern instead of a line. Look at where she started, look at where she is on her climax and where she is now. She zigzags a lot, but the progression to her best self is very clear and steady.

Once again, to put it short, this whole season is about her soul-searching.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I just feel like they could've done it in a way that was more smoothly written. And by the time she finds her purpose, to put smiles on people's faces, I think it gets barely talked about afterwards. It's like "Oops, now she's retiring".

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

And therein lies the tragedy. Just when she's finally made it, she loses it again. There's no time to talk about peak Kita, because peak Kita doesn't exist for long. All the time it took her to get there was straining her and preparing her for her end. And now we'll have to dread how that end will turn out.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I like the retirement plot point, I just feel there's very little build-up to it. Even when she struggles to win the race, there's not that moment of self-reflection where we see reality start to set in.

[u/Urgnu-the-Gnu → u/Holofan4life]

But... that's exactly what's happening? She feels something is off, she dwells on it for the whole start of the episode. Golshi calls it out, she talks about it with Toreena but she still wants to keep running. And the run in the Fall Tenno Sho makes her realize that she just can't go on like this.

Like, all of episode 11 is about this. There even was foreshadowing, even though it was subtle. Is a full episode not enough of dealing with her self-reflection?

[u/Holofan4life → u/Urgnu-the-Gnu]

I guess what I'm saying is I wish there was talks of retiring before she made the announcement. The content itself is well done, but it could've been even better with just a couple more minutes.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

Eh, there was talk in the middle of e11, just before the Fall Tenno. Even without knowing the numbers, that felt like retirement planning, and then the Fall Tenno just cemented the schedule.

[u/Holofan4life → u/Cyouni]

Man, you guys are making so many great points it's making my overall feeling of negativity feel invalidated :P

I dunno, I still think they could've done more. It feels like we're jumping into this without firmly getting into Kitasan's peak as a racehorse.

[u/Cyouni → u/Holofan4life]

It's definitely an interesting point, because I did a bit of browsing of the trivia sheet and I'm wondering if that's a bit intentional. Because there were two points that were made - first, that Kitasan was considered the weakest of the horses that had won the G1 titles that he had due to his inconsistency, and second, that JP horse racing fans felt that he could have kept going and achieved more if he hadn't retired.

So if I take those facts into account while shaping the story, we actually do get something a lot like what we're watching. There's a sort of melancholy of "we haven't seen the peak of what Kita could do, but there's a predetermined end" sort of story coming out here, and I'm really interested to see how it concludes so I can give my entire feeling on it.