Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - 1st Anniversary Special Animation

ウマ娘プリティーダービー 1st Anniversary Special Animation

6.9(3,453)

MAL Score

Ranked #4851

Popularity #7775

Comedy
Sports
Anthropomorphic

Episodes: 1
Status: Finished Airing

Synopsis

Celebrating the milestone of its first anniversary, the special animation features a heartfelt glimpse into the lives of Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond as they embark on their journeys at Tracen Academy. Set against the vibrant backdrop of spring, the entrance ceremony marks the beginning of their aspirations. Kitasan Black, still discovering her true ambitions, approaches this new chapter with a sense of optimism, while Satono Diamond is determined to achieve victory in the prestigious GI race, motivated by her family's longstanding dreams.

As they train and compete, both characters face the uncertainties of their paths, but their shared passion for racing fuels their determination. With hope in their hearts, Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond navigate the challenges ahead, each step bringing them closer to their goals and the bonds they will forge along the way.

Otaku Consensus

Otaku Consensus: As a one-episode anniversary piece, Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - 1st Anniversary Special Animation succeeds as polished franchise connective tissue, with Kei Oikawa and Studio KAI keeping the pacing brisk while leaning on the series’ proven strengths: expressive racing bodies, cute character design, and school-sports camaraderie. Its reception sits in the respectable-but-minor tier, reflected by a 6.94 MAL score and 70/100 AniList score, because the most common criticism is not craft but weight: it feels like a pleasant promotional checkpoint rather than an essential sports-anime arc.

Why You Should Watch

Watch this if you want Uma Musume’s sports-school charm without the time commitment of a full cour. The special works best for viewers who already like the franchise’s blend of athletic sincerity, kemonomimi character appeal, and light comedy, but want a compact piece centered on Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond rather than the larger ensemble machinery. It scratches the same itch as a polished character PV or bonus OVA: clean designs, quick emotional beats, and enough racing energy to remind you why the series’ crowd scenes and stride animation have drawn praise. If you want dense tournament strategy, skip it; if you want a concise anniversary snapshot that positions two fan-favorite leads with Studio KAI polish, it delivers exactly that.

Key Characters

K
Kitasan Black(VA: Hinaki Yano)
Kitasan Black’s appeal comes from her open-ended ambition, making her feel less like a pre-crowned ace and more like a racer fans can watch grow into her own legend.
S
Satono Diamond(VA: Hina Tachibana)
Satono Diamond brings a sharper sense of inherited expectation, giving the special its contrast between sunny school energy and the pressure of a prestigious racing goal.

What Makes It Stand Out

1
Studio KAI handles the animation production, with Kei Oikawa directing and Ayumu Takahashi credited for editing, which helps explain the special’s brisk, compressed rhythm as a single-episode anniversary release.
2
The special deliberately restricts its main-character focus to Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond, a tighter framing than the broader ensemble approach associated with much of Uma Musume’s TV presence.
3
The production credits include Masanari Kira as CG Producer, a notable role for a franchise where racing movement, track staging, and crowd-scale presentation are part of the visual identity reviewers repeatedly single out.
4
Yousuke Kabashima and Tomoko Tsuji share character design credit, while Tsuji also serves as chief animation director, tying the special’s polished character consistency directly to a named animation supervisor.
5
AniList’s Advertisement tag at 50% reflects the special’s unusual function: it is not just an episode but a first-anniversary franchise marker built with full anime-series craft credits.

Fun Facts & Trivia

Fun fact 1: Cygames is credited as the original creator, making this part of a multimedia-original franchise rather than a straightforward manga or light-novel adaptation.
Fun fact 2: The special’s audience footprint is niche compared with mainline TV anime: MyAnimeList lists 3,453 votes, a 6.94 score, rank #4851, and popularity #7775, while AniList records a 70/100 score and 94 favourites.
Fun fact 3: Tomoko Tsuji has two major visual responsibilities on this special: character design and chief animation direction, alongside co-character designer Yousuke Kabashima.
Fun fact 4: The sound side is split across specialized credits, with Yuuichi Morita as sound director and Tetsuya Uchida as music producer rather than a single catch-all audio credit.
Fun fact 5: Reviewers of Uma Musume’s broader anime presentation have noted that the racing outfits draw on the colors of the real-life racehorses’ counterparts, a design habit that helps the franchise turn horse-racing reference into character iconography.