A real cold shower has just hit fans waiting to see their favorite horse girls live outside Japanese territory. The Umamusume: Pretty Derby franchise issued an urgent statement warning that the concerts of its international tour in Los Angeles are about to derail due to a purely bureaucratic problem: the cast’s entry visas to the United States have not yet been approved.

The presentations of the 7th EVENT WORLD TOUR “THE STAGE” event were scheduled for October 22 and 23 at the renowned Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, marking the first major stop of the tour outside Japan after its stop in Tokyo in June. However, despite organizers initiating legal procedures over six months ago with the support of local lawyers and promoters in the United States, the necessary work permit for the group has not arrived on time.

The situation is truly critical considering the huge logistics involved. The show features 17 voice actresses on stage, including Machico (Tokai Teio), Tomoyo Takayanagi (Oguri Cap), Rena Maeda (Grass Wonder), Minami Takahashi (El Condor Pasa), Yui Ogura (Manhattan Cafe), Hitomi Sasaki (Admire Vega), Yukina Shuto (Haru Urara), Misaki Watada (Meisho Doto), Kaori Maeda (Nice Nature), Hikaru Tono (Matikanetannhauser), Hina Tachibana (Satono Diamond), Hinaki Yano (Kitasan Black), Kanna Nakamura (Narita Top Road), Yuko Natsuyoshi (Cheval Grand), Haruna Fukushima (Dantsu Flame), Yuri Fujimoto (Jungle Pocket) and Sayaka Kikuchi (Hokko Tarumae).

For now, the organizing team is exhausting all possible avenues to secure a last-minute approval before it’s too late. To prevent further uncertainty among fans who already have tickets and flights booked, the franchise confirmed it will make a final decision before 14:00 hours on October 20 in Japan’s time zone. They also offered a sincere apology for the distress and inconvenience caused by such sudden notice.

Umamusume: Pretty Derby is a successful multimedia project developed by Cygames that turns real-life legendary racehorses into anime girls with super speed and singing abilities. Since its launch, the franchise has become a massive phenomenon inside and outside Japan through its mobile game, various anime releases, manga, and massive concerts that fill entire stadiums.

Do you think they’ll resolve the paperwork in time or end up canceling the Los Angeles performance?