Header from this Game Watch post.
Happy 100th post!
To celebrate the ocassion I was wondering what to do, what curiosity to bring up, and I decided originally on talking about this pamphlet.
This pamphlet was one of those usually put out for promotional reasons, normal affair (sadly I cannot pinpoint where it was distributed but I assume it was a very general thing) but here’s a curiosity…
Look closely…
Early screenshots! From when the game was always horizontal.
It promotes the anime, though. So it’s safe to say it’s from late 2017 or early 2018 given how it says it will come out on April.
That gave me the idea of hey, I should see if it has the old profiles, because that’s a thing that I always bring up so I might as well highlight it.
But here’s where some EXTRA curiosity seeps in: So these profiles aren’t fully the old ones but also not fully the new ones. They seem to be versions redacted down from the original versions but also the order in which the characters are shown (as you’ll see later) isn’t the one you see in the current iteration of the website.
Not only that but despite THAT the key art is the modern one as seen for example with Teio’s compared to this earlier iteration. Which means the pamphlet was made in some very specific transitory period that will be even odder by the end of this.
But okay, let me explain what the fuck I mean with “old profiles”.
Just like the designs, the character profiles themselves evolved, giving glimpses into early characterization ideas.
And we’re going to go through all of them here and now, as much for fun as for future reference whenever I decide to reference them later. Also, for my sanity and your time I will only be pointing out the most noteworthy differences.
By the way, I will be using Archive.org’s capture of the website. It’s worth mentioning that their first snapshot was in August 2016 at which point only 18 girls were announced (18 is a full gate in a race so the number might’ve been intentional). They will, of course, be compared with the current iteration of the website.
Special Week
Her old profile puts emphasis on being raised by her mom and “uncles” while her new profile only mentions her mom and the fact that it’s a human mom.
Her old profile also has a tone of “she’s a hard worker that’s cheerful and caring” while her new profile puts an emphasis on her promise to be “Japan’s number 1” and how she’s going to achieve it with her “natural guts”.
Most notably, her old profile suggests she reverts to her Hokkaido dialect when distressed, something that has never actually happened even in Starting Gate that I’m aware of.
Silence Suzuka
Both profiles state her love for running. But her old profile points out that her dedication to training makes her look like a tragic heroine, while her newer profile just points out she’s a bit airheaded.
Toukai Teio
Her old profile paints her as being passionate for racing and quick to anger. Her new profile, meanwhile, puts more emphasis on her charisma and energy.
Worth noting also that her old profile talks about how she wants to win the triple crown. Both put emphasis on her admiration for Rudolf.
I’m gonna stop here briefly to point out three curious details worth mentioning.
The first is that as mentioned briefly earlier, the key art is very VERY different and I’d encourage you to check the differences yourself if you’re curious on the links provided. I’m here just to point out the characterization differences but it was worth mentioning. The quotes behind the girls tend to also be different.
The second is that the old profiles have a LOT more info about careers that I assume got redacted out because that’s now part of the game.
And finally the third is that, interestingly, the old website changes the order in which the girls are sorted by default so the order will be shifted acccordingly. For example, normally, Uma Musume Number 4 is Maruzensky, but here instead we have…
Vodka
Her old profile painted her as more of a rebel that hated adults, while her newer profile paints her more as a girl with a reckless streak and a love for motorcycles that she shares with her dad.
Interestingly, the “adults are filthy” element is still present in her training campaign because at one point she mentions how she looked down on office workers for bending down to do the same thing every day only to instead admire how consistent they are.
Air Groove
Her old profile paints her as… she’s basically a proto-Ramone. Beautiful, smart, outstanding in everything, arrogant in her pursuit for racing perfection, with only those that have earned her favor getting more of her gentleness.
Meanwhile, her new profile puts more emphasis in how she’s following on the steps of her mom and wants to live up to those expectations.
Her new profile emphasizes her love for flowers and trust in Rudolf while her old profile points out she’s a germophobe that hates men and “something traumatic” happened during a race (I don’t have time to tell that story right now).
El Condor Pasa
Her old profile talks about how people don’t think she’s actually American given that her English sounds fake, which suggest they didn’t decide on her peppering in SPANISH instead until later which… now that I think about it, she doesn’t really use Spanish in the anime, not that I can remember and I tend to remember those things pretty well. Her old profile also points out that she keeps “a condor” as a pet which annoys “her roommate”.
Meanwhile her new profile puts emphasis on her mask and proving herself AND explicitly calls Grass Wonder her best friend.
Oguri Cap
Her old profile describes her as “climbing up” from the countryside and being one of the most popular girls while being unapproachable due to her “passion for running”.
Her new profile, meanwhile, says that she comes from the countryside carrying the hopes of her hometown and describes her as an airhead rather than unapproachable.
Grass Wonder
Both profiles point out how she doesn’t feel like a foreigner, but her new profile points out that this is because her parents were fans of Japanese culture.
Her new profile puts emphasis on her steely determination, but her old profile actually paints her as being deceptively calm. It also puts emphasis on being a good listener.
Gold Ship
Her old profile paints the image of a beautiful girl with bad attitude that loves to play pranks. Her new profile meanwhile calls her a free spirit from which you can’t really determine how much love or hate she feels towards anyone because she’s equally mischievous to everyone.
Symboli Rudolf
Her old profile paints her as the sort of self-serious Student Council President that is actually anxious but keeps a strict exterior. Which is interesting because while anxiety is one of the elements in Rudolf’s story she’s the opposite of the strict self-serious image the profile paints.
Her new profile actually puts more emphasis in how she just wants everyone’s student life to be easier and better.
Taiki Shuttle
Her old profile paints her as having a short attention span and being one of those types that “can do anything if they focus on it”.
Notably her new profile focuses instead on her being friendly and getting lonely easy which makes her organize parties all the time.
Even more notably, her old profile states that her hair color is rare. Which to be fair, it IS in real horses but the list so far has had one redhead and one girl with white hair without much mention of that.
Daiwa Scarlet
Both profiles emphasize how she’s both an honor student and a very competitive girl, though her new profile paints that as her “having the exterior of” an honor student instead.
The more noteworthy difference is that her old profile paint her as being a class primadonna of sorts while her new profile points out Vodka tends to be the center of attention instead.
TM Opera O
Her old profile paints her more as a narcissist that can back up her big talk. But interestingly her new profile points out how over the top she is, how outright comical she can be and how this is clearly on purpose.
Her new profile also makes a point that she believes you should see the beauty in yourself and that she’s both leading by example and hoping to teach others about it.
Basically the difference between narcissism and self love and I don’t wanna get derailed, we’re making a good pace dammit.
Narita Brian
Shockingly, it’s the old profile that points out that the lone wolf image hides a softie that’s scared of ghosts. Her new profile is very concise about her being very asocial.
Hishi Amazon
Her old profile says she’s a 女傑 (Joketsu) which means brave woman (“heroine” tends to have more of a connotation of Main Love Interest in Japan) but also means… Amazon. Basically her old profile paints her as the rough kind that ultimately fights for justice.
Her new profile, meanwhile,describes her in slightly less charitable terms, more as the kind that will be fierce but honorable.
Her new profile says she’s weak to ghosts, while her old profile suggested at a lonely side to her.
Fuji Kiseki
So her new profile puts emphasis on the fact that while she might have fun charming other girls she knows to keep her distance, while her old profile paints her as more of a playboy, almost like a proto-Sirius.
Notably, however, her old profile outright states that she’s the head of the “SS Dynasty”, the “most powerful clan in the Uma Musume world”. The “SS Dynasty” is not a thing in current Uma Musume aside from Cafe’s friends, by the way.
Maruzensky
Her speaking in an “old fashioned” way seems to be a thing only in her new profile, interestingly. Her old profile does point out that she comes from a “prestigious British Uma Musume clan”.
So basically there’s a timeline where instead of time-displaced Bubble Heroine Maruzensky we got Teaboo Maruzensky and I’m gonna be honest that’s not a timeline I wanna live in.
You know, her old illustration does remind me a bit of Chiyo-chan…
Mejiro McQueen
Very few differences. Her new profile points out she’s humble (which her old profile doesn’t say) and that she enjoys having tea with her family. Meanwhile, her old profile talks about how Teio is… basically what Turbo is to Teio in season 2.
Seiun Sky
While both profiles paint her as carefree and lazy, her old profile paints this as “oh but just you see when she puts in the effort” while her new profile points out instead this is to lull others into a false sense of security.
Yukino Bujin
Both profiles are ostentibly the same, but her old profile puts emphasis on how she still speaks Nanbu dialect, while her new profile points out how she wanted to be one of them dazzlin’ city girls.
Her new profile also trades the “she’s honest and hardworking” language for “she has the guts of someone raised in the far north”. Note how Special Week also makes mention of natural guts, by the way.
Winning Ticket
Her new profile points out that she likes all sports in general, while her old profile points out she’s constantly worried about the hives she gets when she’s nervous (a plot point that remains, actually).
The old profile also says how she wants to win the Nihon Derby with her trainer while her new profile points out she’s friends with Taishin and Hayahide.
Tamamo Cross
Her old profile paints her as being more of prone to fighting while her new profile points out her manzai dynamic with Oguri but both profiles concur in her being fueled by a “hungry spirit”.
Here’s a fun bit though: Her new profile just talks about her thick kansai accent, while her old profile instead talks about her being a 浪花節娘. 浪花節 (Naniwabushi) is a form of storytelling sung with a shamisen and I’m so glad they decided to make her a manzai girl instead because the term is so obscure that looking up “浪花節娘” LITERALLY BRINGS UP TAMAMO’S OLD PROFILE.
Seeking The Pearl
This is one of my favorite differences. Her old profile paints her as someone with big aspirations that doesn’t want to just stay in Japan (her profile also makes mention of her “nice body” which is something the game avoids as a whole to point at, incidentally) while her new profile points out that she’s just someone that wants to live everything life has to offer, she’s a pearl and the world is her oyster.
Also, her old profile explicitly calls her billingual while her new profile says “she cannot speak english to save her life but makes up for it with body language”.
Manhattan Cafe
So old Cafe is dangerously devoted to her trainer, is an actress, and says that if she wasn’t a horse girl she would’ve been a delinquent because life is so boring otherwise.
New Cafe points out how she’s always with her “friend” even if she’s alone and how she loves coffee but drinks it slowly because it gives her a stomachache otherwise.
There’s small differences here and there with the other characters, but Cafe’s differences are basically making her into a whole different character. And I’ve always found that fascinating.
Tosen Jordan
Basically old Jordan is painted as someone that looks frivolous but is willing to get down and dirty to win. New Jordan is instead painted as someone that hates wasting her energy unnecessarily.
There’s also a difference where new Jordan is depicted as being very social while old Jordan is said to have a bad attitude. Her old profile also makes a point that she’s seemingly rude to her trianer because she treats them as an equal.
Haru Urara
Her origin story changes. In her old profile she got in because of “some error” while in her new profile she failed every exam but everyone fell in love with her during the interview and that’s how she got in.
I love the latter one because it’s more in line with her character.
Kawakami Princess
Both profiles point to Kawakami wanting to find her “prince” but where her old profile says she wants a knight in shining armor, her new profile explains she wants a prince that will fight alongside her.
Her old profile also paints her as someone that came from her hometown explicitly to become a princess and seeks to improve herself, while the new profile points that she wants to be a princess for the common folk and how she got this idea after a certain anime inspired her.
Mejiro Ryan
The profiles are shockingly similar: Down-to-earth despite being a Mejiro, having a bit of a complex comparing herself to McQueen…
Her new profile does indicate that she has a delicate heart (not literal heart mind you), while the old profile says she’s embarassed to wear dresses which she is nowadays most decidedly NOT.
Machikane Fukukitaru
Interestingly her old profile suggests that she believes luck is everything in a race while her new profile instead says that the paths will open up if you just keep running.
Her old profile also implies that her being obsessed with fortune-telling makes her susceptible to scams and solicitors.
Fine Motion
Disclaimer: The archive page didn’t load for me so I took the text from elsewhere but the differences are minimal. Her old profile is the one that specifies she recently got obsessed with Ramen while her new profile instead says she wants to make many memories in the academy.
Smart Falcon
Her old profile emphasizes how her cheerfulness comes across as forced, while her new profile instead talks about how she has a very grassroot approach to the whole idol thing.
Notably it’s her new profile that explains that while she excels in dirt racing she’s worried about how messy the mud makes her look.
Narita Taishin
Her old profile saw fit to point out how her relationship with her trainer is more about her making space because she doesn’t like to get so much attention. Meanwhile in her new profile this is replaced by pointing out how everyone mocked her for being short so she took that personally and decided to become Demon Leg Taishin (I’ve editorialized, but the point is the same).
Air Shakur
Both point out how she’s obsessed with data to get over the “7cm barrier” that keeps her away from a triple crown, but her old profile sees fit to make a point that she’s rebellious with her trainer.
In general the old one is more about Data while the new is all about Logic.
Gold City
Her old profile points out how she’s a “once-in-a-century beauty” as her new profile, but her new profile points out how she saw her true calling in racing and how she wants to be respected for something else other than her looks.
Her old profile also mentions her hair color being rare which, again, it is in real horses but not so much in the cast.
Super Creek
Her old profile makes mention of “helping promising trainers become independent trainers” but her new profile instead phrases this as “she enjoys helping others grow more than she does growing herself”.
Funnily enough, her old profile is the one to point out how despite her demeanor she overwhelms others in races with her stamina.
Inari One
Inari famously changed from Gyaru in uniform to wearing a sarashi in a more traditional attire and it kinda shows in her profiles. Her old profile describes her as being a “downtown superstar” from the countryside but her new profile instead says she comes from downtown Tokyo where she grew up in a rough n’ tumble enviroment arguing with old men and eating cheap snacks which doesn’t sound too superstar to me.
Curiously, her old profile describes her as an “Edokko” which is… her archetype basically, but I bring it up because it’s like the designers wanted to take it a step further and make her truly Edokko when they changed her outfit.
Nishino Flower
Her old profile puts the emphasis on her being a genius that skipped grades, while her new profile puts emphais in how she’s doing her best to become her best self (“blooming into a beautiful flower”).
Biko Pegasus
Biko’s old profile is more generalized in how she likes anime and Tokusatsu and wants to give her fans hopes and dreams like a hero. Her new profile meanwhile puts more emphasis on Carrotman specifically and how Carrotman running inspired her to get into races.
Her old profile also makes note of her friendship with Hishi Akebono while her new profile mentions if she enters a toy store she won’t go out for a long while.
Hishi Akebono
Her love for food is a constant on both, though her old profile says that trainers in charge of her are warned that they’ll gian 10kg, while her new profile rephrases it as her loving eating as much as she loves feeding others.
Bamboo Memory
In her old profile Bamboo is more serious, with even mentions of her considering Oguri her “lifelong nemesis”. Meanwhile her new profile points out that she just wants to have a good rival and also that she got into the Disciplinary committee because she though the TV Drama-like image of being in that while swinging a bamboo sword was cool as hell.
Marvelous Sunday
Her old profile merely paints her as being very cheerful, almost idol-like; while her new profile expounds on the merits of The Way of Marvelous. She seeks the Marvelous, spreads the Marvelous lives and breathes Marvelous. One day Monday Tuesday Muteki na Hypermind Someday Holiday everyday ✩✩✩✩IT’S MARVELOUS SUNDAY TIME✩✩✩✩
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
Mihono Bourbon
Her old profile calls her a genius.
No.
Jokes aside, both profiles point out she’s a hard worker, but her old profile gives more the impression of her Season 2 counterpart while her new profile stresses that she’s not actually as emotionless as she looks.
Sweep Toushou
In her old profile, her predilection for calling herself a witch is because of her favorite anime being “Magical Girl Sweepy”, while in her new profile it’s because her grandma, who raised her, called herself a witch and she’s following her example.
Her old profile also points out how she’ll throw 30-minute long tantrums and how her trainer is her familiar. While both of these are fact the new profile instead just says it’s hard to stop her once she starts crying.
Ines Fujin
Both profiles point out how she’s working to support her family, but her profile paints her as the main breadwinner while her new profile just says she’s supporting her family.
Her old profile also mentions a love for snacks and eating, and the fact that she can “do everything”.
Biwa Hayahide
This one is interesting. While both profiles point out that she’s more of a strategist, her old profile just adds “also she’s Narita Brian’s sister and polar opposite” while her new profile goes on to specify that she became such a strategist to keep up with Brian’s Natural Talent.
Her old profile also indicates how she’s sensitive about having a big head while her new profile sees it fitting instead to point out how she’s friends with Taishin and Ticket.
Sakura Bakushin O
Interestingly, her role as class representative seems to be a latter addition because her old profile just describes her as an unwitting troublemaker that gets involved with people a lot.
Both profiles point out her impatience, but her new profile is the one to point out how she only wants to be relied upon.
Her old profile also calls her “one of the most talented sprinters of all time”.
Shinkou Windy
Her old profile just points out that she bites and even bites during races and also that she likes to play pranks on trainers. Her new profile characterizes her instead as not realizing she pulls all that mischief because she wants attention.
Her old profile also points out how she puts a lot of effort in her training while the new profile sees it fit instead to point out her “noda!” verbal tic.
Agnes Tachyon
Her old profile paints her as the sort of genius that puts very little effort because she’s never been pushed to needing to put said effort in. It also says “she’s eccentric but not malicious, just playful”.
Meanwhile her new profile goes “she’s an amoral researcher that does not wait for consenting test subjects but also she obviously needs support from those around her to do anything”.
Zenno Rob Roy
Both profiles are very similar, quiet girl that loves reading and wants to be a hero like the Rob Roy she’s named after, but her old profile paints this as “a wish for the future” while her new profile paints it as a “burning desire”.
Meisho Dotou
Both agree on how she has talent but a pessimistic attitude, but interestingly her new profile points out how she admires Opera O’s confidence (and Opera O’s new profile namedrops Dotou too) while her old profile just says how she keeps being defeated by a classmate that calls herself the strongest. So basically old Dotou is hopeless Dotou.
Also her old profile says her physique is “worthy of the name Dotou”. Not Meishou like a Symboli, no, Dotou. The only words I can find are 怒涛 which means “Surging Waves”.
This is the part where I reveal to you that Dotou has the biggest bust size in the cast. She’s tied with Hishi Akebono but she’s also like 20cm shorter than Bono.
Rice Shower
Very simple, her old profile puts more emphasis on the perceived “hitman” “trophy stealer” fame while pointing out that she’s actually very sweet. Meanwhile her new profile comments that she blames herself for things that are just bad timing and her love for picture books.
Her old profile, however, points out how she calls her trainer Onii-sama (locking the gender of her trainer) which is interesting because (and I forgot to point this out) she never calls Team Sirius’ trainer that ever.
Admire Vega
Both profiles are roughly the same, pointing out she’s very rude and stoic and how it might be because of something when she was growing up. But her old profile makes the latter point more of an end-of-paragraph twist while her new profile opens up by saying she has a cloud looming over her. Her new profile also points out that despite her demeanor there’s something that makes it hard to leave her alone.
I always forget that Ayabe is from the first batch for some reason…
Curren Chan
Her old profile paints her as being cute and mischievous. It’s her new profile that points out she’s an influencer with millions of followers and an obsession with being the cutest.
Her old profile is also the one pointing out how she calls her trainer “Oniichan” (again, locking the potential trainer gender). It also calls her “Flash Maiden” which is supposed to be a reference to her being a sprinter but I swear to God if that’s why they made her into an influencer later I’m gonna scream.
Agnes Digital
Her old profile, interestingly, paints her all-rounder skill as being more like her just having a bunch of unusual hobbies. Her new profile is the one that gives her the “She’s obsessed with other horsegirls so running in both kinds of terrain means she’s close to as many girls as possible” angle.
Her old profile also describes her as cheerful? Which… manic sure, but dunno about cheerful.
Eishin Flash
Both profiles follow the same general template of “she’s punctual and precise”. Her old profile does go into extra detail about how she loves cooking recipes exactly, while her new profile instead focuses on how this way of being means she’s not good at dealing with unexpected things.
Nakayama Festa
Basically both profiles agree that she’s a gambler by nature, but her old profile paints her as a more cold and distant person while her new profile basically goes “she’s kind and ameniable, just a thrill seeker also”.
Curiously her old profile mentions she loves growing violets which is still a thing. Her new profile also puts emphasis on how she learned her love for running from her old mentor.
Mayano Top Gun
While both profiles agree in her being a genius, her new profile paints this more as an instinctual thing. Both also concur in how she wants to be more mature, but her new profile says this shows as “admiration for older girls” and her old profile points out she expresses this blowing kisses at her trainer.
Small sidenote, there’s always been an implication that some of the victory poses in the game are from the trainer’s POV or meant for the trainer, and this is a fun confirmation of that.
Mejiro Dober
Her new profile puts less emphasis on her coldness and whatnot, but her old profile adds that she has a complex about her name and thus she doesn’t think she’s that cute which… isn’t much of a thing in the end product compared to her being anxious in general.
Nice Nature
Both profiles point out how she comes from downtown and doesn’t have the highest expectations, but her old profile paints her as being very cynical on the matter while her new profile just says she sees herself as a supporting character.
Her new profile also points out that she’s so good with house chores she’s really liked by the elders. Meanwhile her old profile finishes by saying she’s always looking for a handsome boyfriend with lots of money.
You might think we’re done here, but there is one more girl to talk about!
Yes, Tazuna.
So here’s where the last curiosity kicks in. King Halo is actually the 60th Uma Musume announced in that initial batch, but her addition feels infamously last minute. In fact the website capture I used doesn’t have her and the next capture is from 2018 presumably after the anime came out (note also the change in the website’s design).
I do bring Tazuna for more than just my recurrent “King Halo was done so dirty man” bit. The first is that you don’t see her three sizes nowadays. You don’t really get that for NPC, unless your name is Light Hello in which case they did and they tried to retract it but we know.
The other is that you don’t really see that concept art for Tazuna much around at all. The NPCs don’t get that, which is a bit of a shame.
Her profile text also changed, the old one points out she there to “help you as a new trainer” which isn’t WRONG but her new profile emphasizes she does that in general not just with you or new people. Her new profile also points out she’s managed to catch curfew-breakers, many of which are award-winning runners with seemingly no issue.
Ok NOW let’s bring up my girl.
King Halo
Her old profile mentions that she will do anything to win and how she’s willing to subjugate others to achieve that and THAT’S NOT MY KING THAT’S DISC REGENT DO NOT BELIEVE DISC REGENT’S LIES.
Her new profile points out instead how she’s obsessed with being “First class”, how she harbors a mix of admiration and resentment for her mother, and how she’s always surrounded by fans calling her name.
There’s not really much I can say here I haven’t said plenty of times in the past in this blog, this is more putting on the table why I’ve said those things. But let me summarize the impressions I’ve come out of after writing this in less than 24 cumulative hours.
The first thing that sticks out to me isn’t the focus on trainers, but actually how much was trimmed by virtue of the game existing. They don’t need to tell you Teio wants to win the Triple Crown, you can just… play the game and see that for yourself.
But yeah, there’s a certain focus on trainers which is weird, very Gijinka-adjacent Master-y. It doesn’t just feel like an awkward pandering to a hypothetical potential crowd, but the current iteration of the franchise doesn’t even care about trainers that much. They’re there, they’re important, but they’re not the focal point just a vehicle to frame the story.
It’s interesting to see how bits and pieces of the characters have been reshuffled or even turned into new characters. This goes beyond these profiles though. Cheval Grand is very different between anime and game but Win Variation feels like they’re continuing what Cheval Grand was in the anime.
The things emphasized in the profiles are also interesting to see, they’ve gone from “recognizable historical nod mixed with anime archetype” into just a fully developed character that happens to have historical nods and fall in the vicinity of a character archetype.
The language used is also weird to see early on. I’m a sicko and a sinner and a pervert and I’m not gonna hide it, but even I found the way Dotou’s profile makes an indirect pass at her body very weird.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it as many times as needed: Thank God they decided to put the whole thing in ice and retool it. when they did