Interview source: First part | Later part
Q: When you first heard anime s3 is going to be developed, what kind of story do you think will be unfold?
Ueda Hitomi: Due to the game’s 1st Anniversary animation video featuring Kitasan Black and Satono Diamond entering the academy, I thought it would be a story focusing on those two. I knew beforehand that in Kitasan Black’s first Arima Kinen was Gold Ship’s retirement race, but I never would have thought it would be a story told in the anime as well.
Q: Before we talk about Season 3’s 3rd episode that has been just aired, let’s hear your impression for episode 1 and 2 first.
Ueda Hitomi: Before I read my script, I knew in advance that the real Kitasan Black was a very powerful horse. That’s why when I saw that she’s losing badly in the end of episode 1, I was really surprised (lol). I thought to myself ‘How will it go from here?’
Q: Even to the people who are not familiar with the real Kitasan Black’s race results, seeing her lose streak as the opening of S3 would’ve been a huge surprise.
Ueda Hitomi: I’m sure that’s the case. Since he’s a really popular horse, I’m sure a lot of people had already heard his name beforehand in some form. That was also the case with Gold Ship, so I thought that was pretty similar to that situation, too.
Q: Truly, both of them (Gold Ship and Kitasan Black) was popular enough to have even the people who aren’t familiar with horse-racing and Uma Musume to at least have heard about them once.
Ueda Hitomi: Well, in Uma Musume, Golshi is much more received as a gag character who’s funny and always acting weird (lol). But maybe their opinion will change a little after seeing episode 3? I low-key hope so.
Q: In episode 1 and 2, Gold Ship was the same as we seen in Season 1 and Season 2, though?
Ueda Hitomi: I also thought the same, on how will they connect her behavior in early episodes with her last run on Arima Kinen (lol). The truth is, I was a bit anxious before the recording of episode 3.
Q: What kind of anxiety did you face?
Ueda Hitomi: The real horse of Gold Ship was a very strong horse who won 6 G1 races, yet the Golshi in Uma Musume have that kind of image I told you before with very little impression of being a strong horse. Since his last Arima Kinen run would be portrayed here like that, I wondered how will the audience who didn’t know much about the real horse would react.
Q: Did you only knew about how they portray the last run in the anime when you received the script?
Ueda Hitomi: Yes. After the recording of episode 2, I received the script of episode 3 with Golshi on the cover. As I skimmed through it, I realized got a lot of lines, and both the director and the sound director said ‘We’d leave it to you for episode 3’. At that point, I realized ‘they’re really going to do the last run!’.
Q: Please tell us about your first impression on the script of episode 3.
Ueda Hitomi: The real Gold Ship was a very strong horse who won two crowns in Satsukisho and Kikkasho at 3 years old, as well as winning Arima Kinen, and I’m sure the horse-racing fans had that kind of impression about Gold Ship. But since then, he had been starting to be mischievous (lol), I’m sure he had extreme ups and downs.
Q: The character ‘Gold Ship’ in Uma Musume must’ve been the unpredictable aspect played up to a notch, isn’t it?
Ueda Hitomi: Yet, in episode 3, I think they managed to portray the Gold Ship that was really strong back then. Even in the last race she’s in, she was in the position where she could’ve have win yet she’s already lacking of power and ends up in 8th place. I was feeling a pressure within my voice acting, since I’m portraying a Golshi who’s very strong and won 6 G1 but didn’t have the same strength as before to catch up, especially to express such to people who didn’t knew the records.
Q: For a little, Gold Ship was showing a pattern where she usually could’ve win, yet they portray the real result of 2015’s Arima Kinen, isn’t it?
Ueda Hitomi: When I was recording episode 3, the scenario director said “I want people who attended the real race to have ‘There was such a race, it’s nostalgic’ and ‘I see, so it’s portrayed like this in Uma Musume’. on their thoughts. I hope Gold Ship’s Arima Kinen that’s in this creation would inflict such nostalgic feelings to them.”. The animation was beautiful, and it surely have that kind of feelings put to them that I was anxious if I could portray it well with my acting. But really, even now I still anxious about it (lol).
Q: Please tell us what kind of feeling did you put in your acting during the recording.
Ueda Hitomi: Since this is probably the first and only time in the anime series I could portray the strength of Gold Ship as well as her thoughts for racing, I have to act it all out so that everyone who watched it would not regret it…. if I thought more of that, I would start to lose my way (lol). Before I went for the recording, I went to a coffee shop in my free time to read the script and look at the animation in secret, panicking as I mutter ‘What should I do… What should I do…’
Q: You felt pressure until the very day of the recording, didn’t you? Please tell us a memorable moment from the recording.
Ueda Hitomi: With the last straight line where the audiences shouts and Golshi put her last bit of power as she screams to catch up, but she couldn’t caught up and slowly is losing as she clenches her teeth. At first, my acting wasn’t able to catch on with the pictures and animation the staffs had prepared beforehand. Since I knew it was a very important scene, I challenged myself on a lot of retakes.
Q: For us, the most memorable scene was when Gold Ship and Kitasan Black had a conversation after Gold Ship announced the Arima Kinen is going to be her last race.
Ueda Hitomi: Even in that scene, I was putting too much of my personal feelings to it as I reminiscences my own past that I got told by the director to ‘Speak it more plainly, since you’re just putting your own feelings to it, Ueda’ (lol)
Q: After the airing of episode 3, did something change with your portrayal of Gold Ship?
Ueda Hitomi: At the end, I think the aspect of her that likes to have fun and wants everyone to have fun didn’t change. That reminds me of her quoting of ‘I’ll pay you guys’ ‘Twinkle Series’ back in Dream Trophy League!’ at that last run. As well, I think more of her as a kind girl. When I read in the script that even that she lost in her last run, she approached Kitasan Black to cheer her, I thought to myself ‘she’s really kind’, and put that forward in my acting of her. That’s why I think there’s no major changes in my portrayal of her. But I would be happy if more people would love Golshi and the real Gold Ship more after seeing episode 3.
Q: It would be nice if people would love both the Uma Musume Gold Ship and the real Gold Ship, isn’t it?
Ueda Hitomi: I hope people who saw the anime would look up videos of the real Gold Ship retirement race in the official YouTube channel (2015 Arima Kinen). On the contrary, I also hope people who loves horse-racing would watch the anime episode modeled after Gold Ship’s last race.
Q: What video of real Gold Ship’s race would you recommend to people who’s interested in horse-racing after ‘Uma Musume’?
Ueda Hitomi: Well, let’s see. I personally loved Gold Ship’s 2013 Takarazuka Kinen. But I’m pretty sure the trending topic among them after this would’ve been the ‘Tyrant’ (TL note: Orfevre) and the ‘Lady’ (TL note: Gentildonna), isn’t it (lol)
Q: Please tell us about episode 4 and more without spoilers.
Ueda Hitomi: This third episode would’ve been a really important turning point on not just Golshi’s character development, but also Kitasan Black’s. I hope you would re-watch it several times after this.
Q: Lastly, please give your message to Uma Musume fans reading this.
Ueda Hitomi: Thank you for reading this interview until the very end. The Golshi portrayed by me until now have the impression of ‘a funny but kind older sister’. But with the third episode of season 3, her feeling for racing had been portrayed. Her ‘Twinkle Series’ run had came to the last, but in the future she would always continue to be in the anime and in the game, so please support her even after it. And as I said before, it would be really fun if you could research and know more about the real Gold Ship and his races besides his last run. With this chance, I would be happy if more people would learn more about both Gold Ship-s.
The Naive Fangirl in her World 