@makiizushii@QuiltstarCo I was surprised because I thought “horse girl” always referred to Uma Musume. But overseas, it mainly means a real-life girl who grew up around horses.
I guess I’d been thinking too much in anime terms, haha.
@AmaltheaGlass It probably just means horses are closer to daily life there. For us, they aren’t as familiar as dogs or cats. Until fairly recently, most people only ever saw them at horse races.
@Knox32450036@DrMethos In Japan, horse meat is also eaten, so horses can be seen as livestock to some extent. It may sound cold, but they are often treated as economic animals. Some are even raised specifically for meat.
It’s just a cultural difference.
@QuiltstarCo We Japanese have horse culture too, but most of us rarely get close to horses.
For many people, they’re mostly associated with gambling through horse racing.
Uma Musume changed that by showing their athletic side, especially to younger generations.