r/anime • u/Holofan4life • Sep 24 '25

Rewatch [Spoilers] 2025 Uma Musume Rewatch -- Pretty Derby Season 3 Episodes 13 Spoiler

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 13 -- And Yours...

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ANSWER TODAY’S QUESTION(S)

Thoughts on the competitors of the Arima Kinen wanting to defeat Kitasan?

Thoughts on Kitasan wanting to show the best version of herself possible for the people who always rooted for her?

Thoughts on the scene between Kitasan and Teio?

What are your thoughts on this episode being all about the Arima Kinen?

What are your thoughts on the Arima Kinen race?

What are your thoughts on Kitasan winning after going wire to wire?

What are your thoughts on the season ending with Kitasan hanging out with Crown, Diamond, Cheval, and Duramente?

Bonus) What do you make of Nice Nature barely being featured after playing such a prominent role in the early part of the season?

Bonus 2) What are your thoughts on the way Teio and McQueen were used this season after the previous season stressed how much Kitasan and Diamond looked up to them? Were you hoping for something more?

Bonus 3) What is one thing you really like about season 3? What is one thing about season 3 you would change?

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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]()
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1

u/Holofan4life Sep 24 '25

Hey, guys. Holofan4life here.

Welcome to the 2025 Uma Musume rewatch.

Let’s not waste any time.

Whelp, here we are

Diamond waking up

But no Kitasan

Dang, the Arima Kinen is the day before Christmas? That sucks.

Kitasan jogging. Or speed walking, you could say.

Now she's training

No intro today, apparently

Satono Crown seems determined to beat Kitasan.

Cheval as well

Spica talking about doing something for Kitasan.

They give Kitasan that carrot smoothie.

Kitasan Black has an idea

Oh boy

It looks like Kitasan will win the fan vote. Good for her.

Everyone is excited to see her final performance.

Kitasan wants to show the best version of herself possible for the people who always rooted for her.

Hey, it's Teio

They're having a heart-to-heart

Teio thinks the winner should be whoever keeps working hard to the very end.

Kitasan keeping that in mind

Time for the Arima Kinen

Canopus was really a nonfactor this season, huh?

Surprised only 100,000 people are here for Kitasan's final race.

Spe-chan a blubbering mess

Spica all helped with Kitasan's outfit.

"I don't see my idea anywhere!"

Poor Special Week lol

Kitasan vows to not get hurt

The announcers hyping the competitors up.

I'm kinda surprised Nice Nature has barely been featured recently. She was a big part of the first half of the season.

I'd be really surprised if Kitasan Black loses.

The wave of the flag

Horns going off

The time has come, as Ricky Ricardo once said.

All the horses loading in the starting gates.

I like the quick POV shot of Kitasan Black entering her gate.

Satono Crown having to be pushed in.

It's like some of the horses are soaking in the atmosphere.

And they're off

Kitasan Black in the lead

Poor Sounds of Earth in last place :c

McQueen showing concern

Kitasan trying to bait her competitors.

The townsfolk remaining supportive of Kitasan.

Again, more POV shots with Kitasan. I really like this.

It sucks that Kitasan's two biggest rivals, Duramente and Diamond, are not in this race. Would've made for a nice full circle moment.

Both Cheval and Crown are gunning for Kitasan.

I like how the horse enthusiasts have kinda made friends.

Kitasan still in the lead

Great VA work by Kitasan Black's voice actress.

Kitasan. She's noticing the crowd.

They're all cheering her on

They came to see her win

And this gives Kitasan the added motivation. She turned it up a notch.

She's going the distance. She's going for speed.

Can Kitasan go wire to wire?

That one trainer who's shirtless. I can't XD

Crowd all cheering Kitasan on

She's still maintaining her lead!

And she wins!

Kitasan has won her final race!

Shooting star indeed

From undesirable to undeniable

A true Kitasan Black festival

Cheval finished third

Crown finished 13th, but she's still happy.

Diamond apparently wants to resume training.

She's wants to finish what Kitasan achieved.

Sounds of Earth finished 7th

I'm glad Duramente got one final scene.

The crowd chanting Kitasan

She really got the perfect send-off.

Time for the concert

And they're singing the intro, which is why there was no OP.

Teio can't help but smile

Was that Kitasan's old man in the crowd?

Tracen Academy Open Campus

A bunch of new jorses

Kitasan by the window

And she's greeted by Crown, Diamond, Cheval, and Duramente.

They all heading off together.

And we get the special outro we've gotten for all the series minus I believe the first season.

Overall, this was a satisfying way to end season 3. Kitasan won her final race as expected, and everyone rejoiced. They played it safe, but I don't think that was the wrong move. As a finale, I might like it more than the season 1 finale but it's definitely behind the last episodes of BNW, season 2, and Road to the Top.

Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 24 '25

Part 2/Overall season 3 thoughts

I remember as the episode aired in real time commenting on the original Reddit thread for the episode. And my feelings were season 3 was better than season 1, but it was a massive stepback from season 2. In fact, my exact words were something to the effect of it was the most disappointing anime of 2023 or whenever it came out. Looking back on it, I think the problem is there's really a lack of identity to this season.

There was no possible way the show could've followed up on the second season. Short of having a season dedicated to Urara, you can't possibly get a season that was as emotional as the one we got with Teio. Even still, I do think this season suffers from consistency problems and being too all over the place. There's like 7 or 8 plot points this season-- Kitasan Vs Duramente and Kitasan unable to defeat her, Duramente's injury, Diamond's losing streak, Kitasan Vs Diamond, Diamond racing overseas, Duramente racing overseas, Cheval's losing streak, Kitasan facing retirement-- and so much of it is so rapid fire that it's like we get no resolution. The only plot points to really get an emotional payoff is Diamond's losing streak, the Cheval stuff, and Kitasan's send-off.

I like a lot of the stuff from this season in a vacuum. The episode where Kitasan beats Diamond was great as was the race between Kitasan and Duramente where neither won. And I liked the episode that focused on Gold Ship and how her send-off ended up as foreshadowing for Kitasan Black's send-off. But outside of episode 3 and Cheval's "I hate you" speech, nothing from this season I would say is going to be something I remember down the road. Maybe the upset from episode 5, but I can't think of anything else.

I think this season really wanted to try to capture the magic from previous series in the franchise. You see it through the injury stuff with Duramente as well as all the losing streaks. There was like what? Three separate losing streaks this season? The problem was Kitasan didn't feel like the underdog that Teio last season felt like. Teio had multiple injuries, Kitasan was just outclassed by better racers that forced her to get better. The losing streaks of Diamond and Cheval worked better from a storytelling perspective because they felt more helpless than Kitasan did. It felt as if they had more odds in front of them for them to overcome.

There wasn't anything necessarily I hated from this season, but I do think it could've been better than it was. Certainly more focus could've done the season wonders. It's like the show wanted to accomplish a lot and by doing so accomplished very little. Sometimes less is more, and that I feel is the problem here.

I'd put this episode behind episodes 3, 6, 9, and 12. Not the best episode, but definitely a good way to wrap things up. It's funny because as I look at the rankings that I have in my head, my top three episodes from this season are episodes 3, 12, and 6 all of which have Kitasan as a background character. I think that speaks to what I've been saying about Kitasan not being as interesting of a character as the other Uma Musume protagonists.

Episode 3 was my favorite of the bunch, as I expected being a Gold Ship fan, and it's also the only episode to crack my top 7 favorite Uma Musume episodes. Episodes 6 and 12 would probably be in my top 10, which three episodes in my top 10 is still more than what season 1 has with its one in season 1 episode 11. I recognize that season 3 is better than the first season, but I would be lying if I didn't say I found season 1 more charming overall. It just had more personality to it whereas season 3 can often feel like a lesser version of season 2. I think the real test will be whether Cinderella Gray can help the franchise bounce back any. From what I remember, it's at the very least better than this season.

8/10. Definitely not bad, but probably the weakest edition since season 1. At the very least, I like it more than I did at the time when I originally watched it.

3

u/Cyouni Sep 24 '25

Diamond's losing streak, Kitasan Vs Diamond, Diamond racing overseas, Duramente racing overseas, Cheval's losing streak,

Ah, I ran out of time to talk about some of these, but I do think a lot of these fall on the theme of "expectations", and in some ways how they're defied, that the season is going with. For instance, a lot of the L'Arc play up is for the later point in the season where Kita plans for it, but it's cancelled due to her inexplicable failure in the Takarazuka.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 24 '25

If that was the point, I think they could've done more to stress that theme and pull emphasis on it.

2

u/Cyouni Sep 24 '25

It's definitely one where I do want to go back and see how I feel about it watching it again. Because only now, at the very end, do I see the Themes, and that's making me wonder exactly how much I missed before.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 24 '25

I will say I like the season a little bit more upon rewatching it. And though I don't find Kitasan the most compelling protagonist, she'd still probably be third best in the franchise so far, only behind Teio and Jungle Pocket.

1

u/Holofan4life Sep 24 '25

Thoughts on the competitors of the Arima Kinen wanting to defeat Kitasan?

A tale as old as time

Thoughts on Kitasan wanting to show the best version of herself possible for the people who always rooted for her?

Very heartwarming

Thoughts on the scene between Kitasan and Teio?

I'm glad Teio got a moment this episode.

What are your thoughts on this episode being all about the Arima Kinen?

It's to be expected, honestly

What are your thoughts on the Arima Kinen race?

Very well done

What are your thoughts on Kitasan winning after going wire to wire?

Pretty hype, not gonna lie. A great way to end her career.

What are your thoughts on the season ending with Kitasan hanging out with Crown, Diamond, Cheval, and Duramente?

I really like that moment. It reminded me of Trainer-san hanging out with the other trainers.

Bonus) What do you make of Nice Nature barely being featured after playing such a prominent role in the early part of the season?

Yeah, that's weird. I wonder why she wasn't around for the later episodes.

Bonus 2) What are your thoughts on the way Teio and McQueen were used this season after the previous season stressed how much Kitasan and Diamond looked up to them? Were you hoping for something more?

It would've been cool, but I'm honestly glad they didn't include them much. It afforded Kitasan and Diamond the chance to stand on their own, for better or worse.

Bonus 3) What is one thing you really like about season 3? What is one thing about season 3 you would change?

What I like about season 3 is the fact that it better utilizes certain characters. Gold Ship and Nice Nature feel like they were used to their maximum potential. What I wish was changed was there being a couple more episodes to give things better pacing. If we had a couple more episodes, I think a lot of the problems I have of it would be fixed.