Midori no Makibao

Can you guess what kind of animal it is with white coat, dumpy body, two big nose holes, and sparingly-haired tail? Would you believe that this creature is a horse, by the name of Makibao. Last year I chanced upon this anime through my school-aged cousin; I was passing by his house then I’ve heard “Hashire Makibao,” its soundtrack.

Ever since I enter the threshold of adulthood, I rarely watch anime; but the child in me is so much persuaded by his odd look (there must be something special about him) that I asked the airing schedule.

Because Makibaoh (the way it is spelled in the Philippines) was shown several times on TV5, I was able to watch the entire episodes. And sometimes I watch even replays for reasons you too will find out once you see the peewee, odd horse in action—eating and sleeping are some of his habits you’ll have a great deal of laughter, but wait till you see him sing and dance. Kidding aside, you might be surprised if you started cheering for this unique horse when he’s doing what he is bound to do since birth—racing.

Summary:

Midori is a horse champion in physique and in achievements. It came as a surprise to Midori when she gave birth to Makibaoh, a little, odd horse resembling none of her traits or at least the appearance of a typical horse. Their peaceful lives together were thwarted by a debt causing separation. Makibaoh transformed the longing and the vast distance between them into inspiration.

Every time he race on the race track competing with towering horses, he aims to be on top to make her mother proud and to prove that he has the blood of a champion. Apart from the trophies and medals, he delights on saving the prize money to pay the debt and to reunite once again with Midori.

But just as every champion horse which endured hard training, Makibaoh experienced the same, perhaps, even harder—pushing his self to the limit. As young as he is, his determination at times wasn’t enough to keep him going but his trainer, family, and friends are always there to back him up inside and outside the race track, in victory and in loss.

I also shouldn’t forget Cascade and Peter the Great, Makibaoh’s archrivals to the top, have their own inspiration and ever-improving skills; thus, the horse wonder strives harder and courageously faces difficulty, every time he competes with them,. On the course of the critical race, he discovers tricks or solution (with the help of friends) that amaze the audience, even his competitors are caught up in awe—as they watch Makibaoh cross the finish line ahead of all.

Photo credit: official website in Japanese