N3-N2 (Intermediate) Anime/Manga Game

A Game that transforms a racehorse into a cute girl is popular in Japan

May 4, 2022

Do you know "Uma Musume"? Uma Musume is a mobile game that is currently popular in Japan. "Uma" means horse, and "Musume" means girl in Japanese. In other words, Uma Musume means a girl like a horse. In this game, the characters appear as cute little girls with horse ears and tails, but they are modeled after actual racehorses.

For example, in Japan, there was a famous racehorse named Special Week, and within this game, this horse is represented as a young girl with cute ears and a shiny tail.

Special Week (Source: https://onl.bz/E7UKF8x)

Special Week in Uma Musume (Source: https://umamusume.jp/character/)

Such a transformed figure is called "Moe anthropomorphic(萌え擬人化:moe gijinka)" or simply "anthropomorphic(擬人化:gijinka)".
Anthropomorphism has been performed in Japanese animation for a long time, and even historical male figures have been transformed into cute girls.

Uma Musume was created by Cygames and has been downloaded more than 13 million times since the mobile game was launched in 2021. The game's main objective is to train Uma Musume and have them compete on the racetrack. It is kind of interesting to see Uma Musume running. It is not only a game but also an animated series, and a new one is being announced this month.

Japanese

ウマむすめ日本にほん大人気だいにんき

あなたはウマむすめっていますか?このゲームは実際じっさい競走きょうそうをかわいいおんな擬人化ぎじんかしたゲームで、いま日本にほん大流行だいりゅうこうちゅうです。このようになにかほかの動物どうぶつ人物じんぶつをかわいいおんなにしてしまうことは、"擬人化ぎじんか"ともばれています。そのジャンルのなかには、なんと歴史れきしじょう男性だんせい人物じんぶつまでおんなとしてえがかれることもあるのです。ウマむすめは1300まんダウンロード以上いじょうだいヒットを記録きろくし、今月こんげつにはそのアニメばん新作しんさく発表はっぴょうされました。日本語にほんごができるほうはよければてみてください。かわいいおんなたちが競馬けいばじょうはし姿すがたはシュールでおもしろいですよ。

Words

ウマむすめ;Uma Musume (Horse Girl)

競走きょうそう;racehorse

擬人化ぎじんか;personification

ジャンル;genre

歴史れきしじょうの;historical

ダウンロード;download

だいヒット;big hit

競馬けいばじょう;racecourse

シュール;surreal

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-N3-N2 (Intermediate), Anime/Manga, Game