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

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.

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

ウマ娘むすめが日本にほんで大人気だいにんき

あなたはウマ娘むすめを知しっていますか？このゲームは実際じっさいの競走きょうそう馬ばをかわいい女おんなの子こに擬人化ぎじんかしたゲームで、今いま日本にほんで大流行だいりゅうこう中ちゅうです。このように何なにかほかの動物どうぶつや人物じんぶつをかわいい女おんなの子こにしてしまうことは、"萌もえ擬人化ぎじんか"とも呼よばれています。そのジャンルの中なかには、なんと歴史れきし上じょうの男性だんせい人物じんぶつまで女おんなの子ことして描えがかれることもあるのです。ウマ娘むすめは1300万まんダウンロード以上いじょうの大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版ばんの新作しんさくが発表はっぴょうされました。日本語にほんごができる方ほうはよければ見みてみてください。かわいい女おんなの子こたちが競馬けいば場じょうを走はしる姿すがたはシュールでおもしろいですよ。

Words

ウマ娘むすめ；Uma Musume (Horse Girl)

競走きょうそう馬ば；racehorse

擬人化ぎじんか；personification

ジャンル；genre

歴史れきし上じょうの；historical

ダウンロード；download

大だいヒット；big hit

競馬けいば場じょう；racecourse

シュール；surreal