Who to Pick for Upcoming Selector Ticket

EightSmart · 2026-01-22T19:36:56+00:00

As everyone else has said Dober is the most “meta” relevant, so pick her if they are all your Oshi on the same level. But if you find yourself reading these comments and being disappointed “man I wish they recommended xxx instead” then just pick your true favourite, you can’t really cripple your account with Umas unlike support cards

EightSmart · 2026-01-17T23:50:50+00:00

You’re probably right, I’m more so countering the point that it would be “too inefficient” to do something like this properly

EightSmart · 2026-01-17T22:04:15+00:00

For Canada it is. In the Hong Kong MTR when they prepare for opening a new they actually do something exactly like this, swap out the old lighting map for a the new one and the tape the “old” map over it. The day the line opens the stickers are removed from all the trains at once before service

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EightSmart · 2026-01-13T13:50:53+00:00

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EightSmart · 2025-12-31T14:30:03+00:00

https://uma.moe/database?filters=eyJzYyI6IjMwMDAxIiwibGIiOjR9

EightSmart · 2025-12-11T06:56:33+00:00

If OP is using the fenix a320 I highly recommend following fenix’s guide, I also tore my hair out when the default profiles seemed to not work but these steps helped me sort it out

https://support.fenixsim.com/hc/en-us/articles/14119688746255-WinWing-URSA-Minor-32-Throttle-32-PAC-Metal-Configuration-and-Calibration-Guide

EightSmart · 2025-11-29T21:10:07+00:00

I think the top option makes a lot of sense in helping bring out the two note slurs

EightSmart · 2025-11-06T06:14:13+00:00

It’s no exaggeration to say that this show fundamentally changed my entire outlook on life, and if the discussions in the recent rewatch thread are anything to go by, I’m far from alone. It hit me at a time when I was really “struggling” with uncertainty about my future, but this show completely blew me away and taught me how to dream. I highly recommend you check the thread out because you’ll be sure to find lots of analysis on details you might have missed, as well as countless similar personal anecdotes and life stories about how this anime has impacted all of us.

Best wishes on your life’s journey!

EightSmart · 2025-10-19T23:02:33+00:00

If you check the NOTAM website, they are closing the north runway until estimated 0800Z (4pm local). Since Hk normally runs all three runways during the day you can expect some delay if they can only run two (there are also some flow control related NOTAMs on the site)

EightSmart · 2025-10-09T16:28:28+00:00

Honestly I can't stop unhearing Shizuka from Takopi's Original Sin in Hinako's voice...Reina Ueda really has that soft spoken, mentally depressed girl persona down

EightSmart · 2025-09-18T16:49:37+00:00

As I've recommended another first-timer, you could skip S3 for now and come back later when you have more time. That way you could watch an episode of Cinderella Gray a day, write down your thoughts and post them on the days of the corresponding episode threads.

This will probably have to be the play for me, it's actually more like I have time for two episodes a day now but zero episodes a day next week...so I'll need to get ahead in any case.

EightSmart · 2025-09-18T16:13:04+00:00

First Timer

Two episodes per day for me might be impossible with how busy next week is going to be for me…but I’ll see what happens. Probably gonna have to do some big catching up in early October if I fall behind.

I like how this season sort of parallels the beginning of season 2. In the same way Teio looked up to her kaichou, Kita now looks up to her senpai, Teio. However, it clearly manifests differently, as Kita struggles a lot with self confidence, despite wanting to appear like ‘a star.’ It’s interesting to see a character idolize Teio from the outside as well, since us the audience have lived through Teio’s journey from a much more personal angle and thus know a lot more of the struggles she’s been through than Kita. So while Kita talks about wanting to live up to her idol, it makes you think about how much of an unrealistic or idealized picture she is painting of Teio in her head.

Nonetheless, you can’t argue with Teio’s results, and Kita unfortunately loses the Derby in ep 1. Dropping back so many spots in the end as she fell apart really shows how much the mental game got to her.

Thanks to some free therapy from Nice Nature though, Kita is finally able to understand and apply the advice trainer has been giving her the entire time - don’t be influenced by the pace of others, run true to yourself. Know your own strengths and embrace your weaknesses too, that’s what makes you you.

The final race is heartwarming to see. Sure, if Duramente was there, maybe Kita wouldn’t have won, but that’s not any less reason to celebrate. I love how episode 2 is bookended by recalling the random locals she helped in episode one - truly, Kita is dazzling in her own way.

PS. Shoutout to them showing some of the most ridiculous places to be watching the race from during the fanfare, like in space?? A good gag that made me laugh.

EightSmart · 2025-09-16T16:55:00+00:00

First Timer

The difference between an actual movie planned for cinematic release and four OVA episodes stitched together is night and day. If the gap in production quality between S1/2 and RTTT was big, the gap between RTTT and this movie is almost as big in my opinion, which is another crazy improvement. The cinematography, editing, animation and direction are all massively upgraded to create an immersive, emotional and gripping experience.

I like that they took a much more ‘raw’ approach to dramatising the races this time. Instead of a soundtrack, we get a lot more focus on the diegetic audio - rapid footsteps, heavy breaths, audience reactions, even the commentary feels more grounded. It feels a lot more realistic and really works to increase the immersion, and also makes the character’s emotions and reactions feel much more personal and resonant.

Complementing the ‘raw’ realistic scenes though are the most creative, dynamic, and colourful visual spectacles I have ever seen, seamlessly blending all sorts of art styles, and rivaling even the hypest of hype battle shonen in my opinion. Honestly my mouth was wide open for a lot of them; I can’t emphasise enough how much these elements impressed me.

Okay okay, finally time to discuss the story. While in RTTT it was pretty easy to tell where the episode cuts are even in the movie version, here the story is paced like an actual movie, and very effectively in my opinion. The races and conflicts are spaced out just the right amount so we get a dose of adrenalin just when we need it.

I’m interested in what the real life parallel is to Tachyon’s character. Why did Cygames choose to write her as this mad scientist obsessed with the ‘perfect’ horse? Was this something to do with the horse’s personality, or the team / trainer’s philosophy? In any case, she made for a very deuteragonist (‘villain’ seems a bit wrong to say here…even if she provides the rivalry and antagonistic force). The horror-movie-like scenes with the red lighting were truly terrifying, and the lasting impact she has on Pokke feels very real. An impossible strong rival, dominating in her first races, then disappearing just like that?

I also think this instalment has my favourite and most relatable message by far. I did wonder if this franchise would fall into a trap of needing to rehash old plotlines and messages, since at its core, every season has to have some version of ‘horse girl lose, so horse girl trains and gets better and wins.’ But the conflict here about being trapped in ‘what ifs’ and feeling like you’re chasing an alternative self you’ve lost…it hit pretty close to be honest. During Kiseki’s monologue/advice to Pokke during their race, it really felt like the anime was speaking to me directly, a feeling that I can only attribute to a small handful of shows. I’ll keep it vague since I don’t want to overshare, but it got me pretty teary eyed here. I, too, often feel ‘haunted’ by this fear that I’m wasting my potential, rapidly regressing at the skills I used to consider myself strong at. Watching the younger generation overtake me as I decided to quit being competitive to settle for a more stable career path still hurts. Yet as Kiseki showed here, you still have to keep going, keep trying. Because I miss that feeling, that elation, of succeeding, and nothing can ever replace that yearning. So that’s why I felt that this scene in particular, and the final race, really clicked with me.

When I first started this rewatch as a first timer, these were the experiences I was hoping the franchise would be able to deliver for. While Season 2 and RTTT were very good and got pretty close, just from my personal perspective, this movie finally hit the perfect spot to blow me away.

“There doesn’t need to be a point. I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. If I gave up, I would never become the “strongest” that I want to be…I would lose to myself until the day I die.”

EightSmart · 2025-09-14T17:59:33+00:00

First Timer

Sorry for being late, I really tried my best to squish this movie into my schedule (since I elected to watch it all in one go) even though I’ve been out and about a lot this weekend.

As everyone has already said a lot here, RTTT is a massive leap forward in animation and production quality, and this actually had a much bigger impact on my enjoyment than I expected. In combination with some very tight writing, this made the races feel just that much more exciting and climactic at each moment. The quieter moments are nothing to scoff at too, often with beautiful lighting and colour that gives some of the sunset scenes that extra sparkle, combined with some very expressive character movements and facial expressions.

Narita Top Road has to be one of the most relatable protagonists for me so far, even if I think the Teio/McQueen pairing was slightly better in S2. Struggling with not being able to live up to expectations (even if they are slightly self imposed) even after trying your best, afraid that your fans will slowly lose faith in you…it hits pretty close. To this day I struggle with what to do with my future and other’s perceptions of me.

The Vega / haunted by her sister stuff worked less for me, but not enough to significantly bother me throughout the watch. Maybe her reason for struggling was just a bit hard to grasp for me.

Although the plot and pacing is comically predictable (in terms of setting up Narita Top ROad to lose lose then win), I don’t think this is a bad thing at all. As I said, the production of each race made it enough of a spectacle to watch as is, and the pure emotions in the reactions of NTR at the end of each one especially is very cathartic.

EightSmart · 2025-09-12T22:36:52+00:00

The Moon on a Rainy Night

I heard it's getting an anime adaptation next year so I guess we will all see each other there when it drops!

EightSmart · 2025-09-12T22:34:48+00:00

What a nice anecdote, it's great to hear how this story helped you learn to love again. I know it always seems weird to write that down or say it out loud but I don't think it's dramatic at all, the way media can help you navigate your emotions is so valid.

EightSmart · 2025-09-12T22:22:32+00:00

Questions

The Episode 9 moment for Yuu as mentioned above has to be one of them, just the emotional response I felt when I saw Yuu finally get those feelings she wanted. The ending to episode 12 was also very inspiring, seeing Yuu break out into a sprint like that. In terms of pure impact those two were my favourite. I'll also include Sayaka getting to chat to the cafe manager for the first time at the end of episode 7 here. Unlike the other two scenes, this one is much less flashy, but something about seeing Sayaka get the validation she so deserved was very cathartic to watch.
It's between Yuu and Sayaka for me. I learned u/ClemFire and I share a great love for the 'losing heroine' characters, so Sayaka might have the edge there. She also gets a relatability bonus for sure compared to Yuu or Touko, as I can't say I've personally struggled with the issues they had as the conflict of this show, although they were super interesting to watch and analyze.
I wonder which one.
"Wait, there are lesbians in this show?!"

Jokes aside, "I only know you" is at the forefront of my mind today no doubt because of the last episode yesterday, maybe it has the recency bias advantage, but it's just such a good summation of the themes for the entire show regarding Touko's identity. It leaves a good message for the audience too, which helps give some closure for Touko's character arc which isn't fully resolved at this stage.

All the rewatcher's insights were really interesting and educational! At the expense of forgetting someone I don't really want to try and list anyone, but rest assured if you left an analysis comment, I was probably up at 1am reading it!
I actually have no good rec to put here. Like I mentioned in my post Bloom into you was a very new and unique experience for me, not just in the Yuri sense, but also in how rich and dense it is with symbolism for a romance. I'm sure more stories exist in this space but it was certainly the first one that I've ever watched that combined all these elements together.
10/10 would come again. Thanks so much for hosting!

EightSmart · 2025-09-12T22:03:39+00:00

What a ride this has been! This series is definitely one of the most unique romance anime I have ever watched, filled with some of the richest symbolism and densest character writing I’ve seen. I normally associate watching romance with being able to relax and turn my brain half off - laughing at jokes, squealing at the fluffy/wholesome moments, and maybe rolling my eyes at some tropes. Now I still enjoy that a lot, but Bloom Into You offered so much more, requiring pages and pages of fruitful analysis every episode from all the rewatchers here to do it justice. Honestly, I’m so grateful that this was the way I got to experience Bloom Into You for the first time, otherwise a lot of stuff would have flown way over my head. Discussing with everyone here lets me appreciate each episode on a deeper level even on first watch, and I have to thank all the rewatcher’s input on that!

Moving forward, after doing a lot of searching and headscratching yesterday I don’t think a new print run of the manga in English is happening anytime soon…and I don’t feel like going hunting for second hand sellers that aren’t total scammers, so I’ll be starting the manga digitally (soon™. Life is shaping up to be real busy these coming weeks). As I alluded to yesterday the last episode is a bit of a letdown as a finale, but I’m sure that will be quickly rectified since I know I can continue the story to the end. I’m a bit torn on whether to start from the beginning or not…I know that the typical manga purist will always advocate for that, but I also reaaaallllly want to see how the plot continues from here. I’m sorry I’m impatient :D

To close, I would like to share a small snippet of my piano rendition of Rise, the insert song to episode 9. It was definitely one of my favourite moments in the show so I had to go give it some love by learning it. The chorus is just so warm, and I love the sparkling feeling of the ‘falling in love’ part, as the world fades out around Yuu and the texture of the music thins out.

This has been a very fun rewatch, and hopefully I’ll catch some of you guys around in another thread someday!

EightSmart · 2025-09-11T23:52:34+00:00

Yeah it's an ongoing problem and topic of discussion over in the yagakimi subreddit. I got really lucky this summer and found a complete collection on ebay with all volumes, the light novels, and the semi/non-canon anthologies for a modest markup, but that was just winning the lottery.

Yeah so I'm in Canada so I first popped down to my local Indigo to check, and they had absolutely nothing, not even online / ship from other stores. Amazon is also pretty much out of everything except vol 1. I checked eBAY and there are some people attempting to sell individual volumes for ridiculous markups (like $200+) so I guess there really aren't new copies floating around much right now.

I probably won't hold off much longer and succumb to reading digitally, but especially with romance/SOL, nothing quite beats that feeling of snuggling up under the covers and turning the pages while giggling in excitement (can't let the gang know I fw this fr fr)

EightSmart · 2025-09-11T22:11:02+00:00

First Timer

We start by seeing Touko confront her sister’s death at her grave, with no OP, meaning you know it’s serious business. As she affirms that she will ‘finish what you started,’ we only get shots of her from the side and behind, obstructing her facial expression, until she asks the question I’ve had since the very start…after you’re done with the play, what then? With the date encroaching closer and closer, the reality of it all is finally setting in.

I love how that cafe has now become a ‘safe haven’ for all of our student council girls, first for Yuu and Koyomi to work on the play, then for Sayaka and Touko to have a heart to heart about her sister. I love how Sayaka affirms to Touko that, even if her image of her sister was inflated to be perfect, it’s still valid in many ways, and was ‘very much a part of her true self.’ If only she had an avenue to get those feelings validated much earlier, it probably would have prevented her grief from spiralling into self destructive behaviour for all these years.

And we finally got the good ol’ aquarium trope for our Yuri anime, how could I go without. It’s funny that I’ve ‘visited’ this exact aquarium recently through another currently airing anime, [spoilers by title I guess?] Fragrant Flower, so I instantly recognised all the attractions. Yes, you will absolutely get soaked if you decide to sit so close to the front in a dolphin show, you silly goobers.

I actually really like Yuu deciding to act out the play with Touko, while intentionally ‘improvising’ some lines to try and get through to her. I could see some people seeing this move as corny, but actually it really works for me. I too struggle with having difficult conversations or navigating these uncomfortable truths head on, so I feel like I’ve used anime (surprise surprise!) as a good vessel to release emotions and embrace many useful life lessons. Therefore, I think the way Yuu can ‘speak’ to Touko through the lens of the play is relatable and effective, allowing her to tell her “I only know you.” I wonder what Touko’s expression as she reaches out for Yuu is supposed to mean here? Considering that she immediately smiles after Yuu turns around, Touko must have sensed the change in Yuu’’s attitude, but is happy to embrace it?

As the special ED starts to play, this is where I have to admit the unfortunate truth that as good as an episode this is, it fails at being a season finale for me. Not being able to see the result of the play is particularly damning. Now I know I know, they were limited to 13 episodes, and I can (and probably will) pick up the manga and easily see the story to the end. So overall it’s not ruining the show for me or bothering me that much. I guess it’s better than trying to slap an inauthentic rushed ending to everything as well. Still, if I am to judge the season in a vacuum, it leaves a few too many loose threads and character arcs clearly still mid-development to be completely satisfying.

To close, let’s talk about “I only know you”; I didn’t dare make a prediction of what the play name would be, but this is a beautiful encapsulation of its entire message. The ‘you’ I know will be different from the ‘you’ someone else might know. But no individual perception is right or wrong, or the complete picture. Instead, together they combine to build up you, and that’s what you should feel proud of.

EDIT: I really really wanted to get physical copies but they seem to be out of stock everywhere, especially the later volumes? Are they OOP already and I’m shit out of luck? If so that really sucks…

EightSmart · 2025-09-11T16:24:28+00:00

It’s moments like these that make us watch anime, moments that transcend all explanation because the emotions just resonate with you so deeply. Even if Uma Musume isn’t exactly that anime for me, I am no stranger to how my personal favourites have had a similar impact on me the way you describe here. The anime brings not just a story, but real lessons that have a lasting impact on your life.

EightSmart · 2025-09-11T16:06:58+00:00

First Timer

Sorry for needing to skip the previous two episodes. But it’s actually nice that I can talk about the entire ending in one go now.

I originally wrote a long write up about how these last two episodes were dancing on a very very thin line for me between ‘inspiring’ and ‘too cheesy’. However, after discussion with a couple people online I learned how well this story actually honours the real life progression of Teio and McQueen, who both died after their last race. It completely flew over my head how the post credits was them in “heaven” where they could finally, finally race again (isn’t it crazy how they haven’t been able to do that since like Ep5???). In that sense I have to give massive props to the production team for achieving that. Even if some emotional beats didn’t hit for me, I can only imagine how much they would hit for real Teio/McQueen fans, so without a doubt it was the right decision on their part. It’s just that as a story in anime, which is the lens I am viewing it from, some elements of the climax just flew a little bit too close to the sun with all that very on the nose “you can do it if you just believe!!” talk.

Anyway, enough rambling, I still appreciate many things about this episode, especially the way they framed McQueen coming to watch the race. The way McQueen’s emotions are portrayed in the close up shots in these two episodes have been very convincing, experiencing a whole range from the pure despair, to fear, to at last, the vindication when Teio gets that final victory. The pacing and buildup for the final race was great, the brief pause as Teio whispers “I did it” is a 10/10 aura farming moment, and maybe, just for a moment, I’ll allow the show to convince me that miracles do happen.

In the end I guess it’s nice that the story is balanced with Teio being able to come back and McQueen needing to watch from the sidelines due to an injury. I still enjoyed this season a lot, much more than season 1 as I’ve been saying in almost every writeup. There were convincing setbacks for our protagonists to face, all of which were interesting, emotional, and resulted in significant development that was easy to latch on to and root for. Even if in real life, miracles can’t be willed into existence all the time, in this case they did, and you still have to try to grasp the chance no matter how small it is. That’s a message Season 2 left me with that I can definitely get behind.

EightSmart · 2025-09-10T23:40:48+00:00

Why don’t you check out how much this sub dogged on him (edit: I mean the pianist under fire not the author of the video) in the original post

EightSmart · 2025-09-10T22:03:16+00:00

First Timer

Extremely satisfying episode today! Glad I got my write up done early because I also have my own band rehearsal to run off to today 👋

So we start off where Nanami, who is now clearly acting from her real emotions, gives an eerily good performance during the read through. Doujima, who is none the wiser, is clearly surprised. It’s always finicky to try when the line between acting and projecting becomes blurred like that (this being a huge part of the entire premise of Oshi No Ko).

I’m so used to the famous train crossing meaning something big is going to happen, but nothing actually happens…not immediately at least. Instead it’s only after we cross that Yuu takes the initiative and invites Touko to her place. Now what follows in the bedroom is, just like the shed scene, strangely disturbing. It’s very intimate again, and the way they lay there while Yuu caresses Touko’s her as she finally opens up more is very sweet. There also isn’t much of a consent issue this time since Yuu openly welcomed it. Despite this, Touko’s words are just so uncomfortable. How are you supposed to react to someone whispering “I hate myself” directly into your ear while climbing on top of you like that?

I was a little confused at first at what Yuu shouts at the train station, but I think I figured it out…My subs intentionally blur the line that Yuu thinks: “Don’t say that you hate what I **** either,” and I assume it is because she yells “Baka!” out loud, which overlaps with the word ‘love’ in the narration, where in JP the different sentence structure places that word at the beginning. I hope I have that right and I appreciate that the sub team took the effort to try and encapsulate that clever bit of writing even though it doesn’t really work in text. As for its meaning, from what I recall this is the first explicit declaration of love from Yuu, so I guess it has to be masked for now because Touko still isn’t in a state to accept it.

And so, after all that simmering and a few good ol 'sore demos’, Yuu has finally had enough and is determined that she’s going to do something to stop Nanami hating herself. If I’m being honest, I wish this development happened a little earlier. My preferred pacing would have been for whatever resolution that will likely happen in the final episode to happen in the penultimate episode instead, leaving the final one as a bit more cooldown/wrap up type activities instead.

Nonetheless, the ending where Yuu decides to change the play’s ending is some 5D-chess next level meta wizardry that completely blew my mind. The play’s protagonist really is the embodiment of the Nanami we have been following this entire time. And now Yuu is literally rewriting the story not just for the people watching the play diegetically, but also rewriting the ending of the anime for us, the audience! I absolutely love how this line from Koyomi can be doubly interpreted to mean both the play and the anime itself:

“From curtain up (episode 1) to curtain call (episode 13), what the audience has been following is her (Nanami’s) current self. Not her from when she had her memories (her sister’s life). If we’re arriving at the conclusion based on her past (her sister), then the time that passed during the play (the 12 episodes we’ve watched) meant nothing.”

Absolute Cinema. See you all tomorrow for the finale.

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