Bungeishunju Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Yoshito Chubu)’s general sports magazine “Sports Graphic Number” will be released on October 20 (metropolitan area standards) in issue 1061. Collaboration with media content “Uma Musume Pretty Derby” (herefollowing Uma Musume).
This special feature on horse racing is titled “Doubt common sense,” and it approaches the individualists who have made autumn horse racing shine. On the cover is Orfevre, who won the classic triple crown in 2011 and fascinated fans with his wild and powerful driving. In addition to looking back on the unconventional run in an interview with Kenichi Ikezoe, the main jockey of the same horse, we will take up exceptional horses such as the “1989 Oguri Cap” who fought through an unusual rotation. In addition, as a preview of autumn horse racing, an interview with Yutaka Take of Dou Deuce, the main character of this autumn, and Kazuo Yokoyama, the title holder, who will proceed to the next step from the previous Arc de Triomphe, is also posted.
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And this issue will be the first collaboration with “Uma Musume”. The back cover (Table 4) is a newly drawn illustration of Uma Musume’s Mr. CB, Seiun Sky, and Kitasan Black. It consists of an unusual “double cover” with the “Number” logo on it. In addition, from the back cover, a total of 16 pages of Uma Musume features will be posted. In addition to “non-fiction” articles interviewing Seiun Sky and Kitasan Black, there are plenty of contents such as “Triple Crown Uma Musume Roundtable” and “Uma Musume Correlation Diagram” linked to historical facts.
It should be noted that this is the first time for Number, which celebrated its 42nd anniversary this year, to start the regular feature from the cover side and the second feature from the back cover.
■ Comments from Tsuyoshi Nakamura, editor-in-chief of “Sports Graphic Number”
“Uma Musume” uses famous horses as a motif, and the story is interspersed with depictions reminiscent of historical episodes. In addition, there is also the aspect of answering “if”, such as “If this horse won that race…”, which is attractive even for core horse racing fans.
On the other hand, the number of people who do not know anything regarding horse racing but become fans of “Uma Musume” and want to know the historical facts is definitely increasing. This collaboration is not just an introduction to Uma Musume. From the perspective of what if “Number” were in the world of “Uma Musume”, we aimed for a special feature full of realism. I would like you to feel the same amount of heat as the conventional horse racing feature. And I hope that fans of “Number” and “Uma Musume” will be able to enjoy each content more.
* The wording on the cover page etc. is subject to change.