[Qoo Otaku] Feminist: Uma Musume is female slavery

Personified female racing horse reduces women to just animals and slaves, they said.

Uma Musume is one of the most anitpated mobile game and anime this year. After moeifying weapons and battleships, Japan somehow comes up with moeifying racing horses.

As a franchise under Cygames – the maker of Shadowverse and Granblue Fantasy, it of course gets huge exposure nationwide – which also more criticisms from more “concerned parties”.

Common complaints revolves around how these good looking racing horses encourage young men to gamble. Some people, and even some woman magazine, take the issue to a feminist level. Their main points are:

■ Putting bets on horse girls is just like enslaving women (a reference to ancient slavery in which slaves were put in bids and bets);
■ The idea diminishes women to just animals.

Gameplay Screenshot

The people who think otherwise are not exactly manists who dump down women. In fact, they are just usual anime lovers who think the feminists take it way too far.

First of all, they believe the feminists are just offended by how the characters are uma “musume” instead of uma “danshi”. If personifying racing horse is wrong to begin with, their arguments shouldn’t be so gender-oriented.

Second, Uma Musume is never about racing horses for gambling. The girls are just horses who race, or run – if you prefer this term. No one ever places bets on them.

Anime Screenshot

Most importantly, personifying racing horse is not meant to dumb down or reduce any human beings. Ancient Japanese believe everything on earth is a living spirit. Horses, wolves, and even katana are also the subjects of such forklores. The idea inspired many in the old time and it still does in present days, which is why we have Touken Ranbu (about Tsukumogami living as swords) and Uma Musume.

Special Week, the male horse that becomes the female protagonist in Uma Musume
(Source: Wikipedia)

The only thing offensive about Uma Musume is, perhaps, the decision to make the horses girls. Have women become a taboo in anime now?

Uma Musume Pretty Derby mobile game is yet to be released. The anime series is already running.

▍Japanese netizen comments

“けものフレンズの時に言えよ”
“Go say these things about Kemono Friends too.”

“むしろ男性蔑視やろ
歴史的な牡馬とかまで全部女にされとるんやで”
“This is discrimination against men. All those great male horses have become girls.”
(Uma Musume make references to real male horses.)

“正統派競馬ファンの怒りの方が酷そう”
“I think true horse racing fans should be even madder.”

“ウマ娘って完全に奴隷的ななにかだよね”
“Uma Musume is totally slavery.”

“馬はどちらかというと、家畜だし、血統のイメージから女性差別に近そうなテーマだと思ったんですが、擬人化して大丈夫ですかね？”
“Horses are animals, and they have very little differences between male and female on the outside. Is it really ok to personify them?”

“ウマ娘、女の子を徒競走させて人間競馬みたいな事をしてるので人権団体に目をつけられないか不安ですね〜”
“Uma Musume is a game about girl racing – just like horse racing in our society. I think it will be investigated by human right organizations~”

Official Site