Anyone thought they needed an anime about ponygirls? No? Me neither. And yet here we are.
Okay, that's not entirely true. For starters, these are horse girls. And they're not simply into costuming and fetish play, they are instead actually genetically horses. Or at least part horse. They've got horse ears and tails, but are otherwise visually similar to people. (A surprising number of them seem to be wearing headbands, to which ears might be attached, were you, for instance, to be interested in cosplaying them. I think that might be intentional.)
Anyway, this is the story of one particular horse girl, who has decided that she wants to be the "Best in Japan" (though she doesn't know what that means) and so is now attending a horse girl running school. (They're pretty speedy.)
Which makes this a relatively straight sports anime. The bulk of the show is very much about the running and the tactics of running (most important tactic? Run faster) with the horse aspects being mostly an aesthetic layer slapped on top. For example, all of the names. Instead of Minty or Jill or Fenella, proper horsey women names, they have names you wouldn't be surprised to see next to a jockey in the paper.
Not yet seen horse boys, which leads to some very interesting (and slightly disturbing) questions about breeding and whether they are ever put out to stud.
Perviness is a bit too prevalent in this, given it's not really designed for it. For example, their trainer, called "Trainer", is introduced feeling up Special Week's legs, and discussing how suitable they are for running. Like too many anime, you're never entirely sure how old these people are, but this is definitely wrong. As is the training session that consists entirely of Twister.
The show attempts to derive dramatic tension from the various races they partake in, but it's undercut both by the silliness of the entire premise, and the fact that the running consists of painfully repetitive sequences with too many speed lines and a weird grass animation.
The comedy aspects are mostly okay, with some fun flashbacks to Special's childhood with her foster mother, and the high drama that comes from them getting a bit chubby due to overeating. The horse elements can be fun (such as them having to nail actual horseshoes to their running shoes) but the fact that they often don't make sense can ruin the joke.
The other nonsensical element is that the horses are also idols. After every race, the winners put on a little concert, which usually turns into a rave, far better attended than any horse-related event I've ever seen.
I've watched enough of it to know I've no interest in watching any more.
Tagged: Anime Comedy Schooldays Sports Friendship Crunchyroll Subbed