Hi Score Girl is an anime about two school kids becoming rivals in competitive arcade gaming.
It perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the gaming culture of the 90s.
The portrayal of romance and the flow of time is very organic in this show.
The mix of nostalgia and proper character development is what makes this anime interesting.
Anything can be a premise for a romance anime. Two characters can end up meeting each other under the most bizarre circumstances, and sometimes the more bizarre it is, the more believable and organic the relationship development looks like. It's not the case with Hi Score Girl (High Score Girl), though: the characters here already have something in common. It's just that the thing that is common is uncommon: they both are obsessed with arcade games.
You have to go outside to play
The year is 1991, and arcades are on the rise, but the competitive industry has not settled yet. Haruo Yaguchi, however, despite being young — he's in sixth grade — wants to make a career out of playing arcade games. He already earned respect from other regulars of the arcade joint he frequents, and that fuels his confidence and pride. But then he meets Akira Oono, his classmate, and she easily beats him in Street Fighter II.
We talked about spite being one of the most effective motivators in competitive shows, and Hi Score Girl is no exception: Haruo loathes Akra, and that fuels him. The fact that he finally found someone who can make him feel like that and fight him in something that he considers himself best in is also pretty exciting. That's the story of this rivalry that morphs into friendship and then romance.
A sprinkle of nostalgia
It was one of the sleeper hits in the Summer 2018 season, but soon it climbed the charts quite well. It's charming, and part of this charm is the careful reconstruction of the era the show is set in. You can feel this vibe of the 90s arcades that some of us probably experienced through some of the video games. The setting is crafted with so much love, and the attention to detail makes the world more tangible.
With the flow of the story, the world changes, too; the period-accurate generations of consoles are introduced, and this change also has a lot of meaning to the plot. Its portrayal of the gaming industry of the 90s is carefully entwined with social commentary. And don't forget the soundtrack, filled with chiptune beats and some modern tracks.
We grow with our games
It's not just a rom-com, it's a coming-of-age story where two characters learn about life outside of gaming through their interactions with each other. At first, it feels like a typical love story, but as it progresses, it starts exploring themes like setting your priorities straight, family issues, or general lack of your own agency and free will. And as the story unravels, the characters start understanding each other better.
The combination of the nostalgic setting and carefully crafted love story that seems unoriginal at first, but shines through the proper character development, is what makes Hi Score Girl worth watching.
Gaming without the Internet? Yes, it's possible!
Summary:
Hi Score Girl is an anime about two school kids becoming rivals in competitive arcade gaming.
It perfectly encapsulates the vibe of the gaming culture of the 90s.
The portrayal of romance and the flow of time is very organic in this show.
The mix of nostalgia and proper character development is what makes this anime interesting.
Anything can be a premise for a romance anime. Two characters can end up meeting each other under the most bizarre circumstances, and sometimes the more bizarre it is, the more believable and organic the relationship development looks like. It's not the case with Hi Score Girl (High Score Girl), though: the characters here already have something in common. It's just that the thing that is common is uncommon: they both are obsessed with arcade games.
You have to go outside to play
The year is 1991, and arcades are on the rise, but the competitive industry has not settled yet. Haruo Yaguchi, however, despite being young — he's in sixth grade — wants to make a career out of playing arcade games. He already earned respect from other regulars of the arcade joint he frequents, and that fuels his confidence and pride. But then he meets Akira Oono, his classmate, and she easily beats him in Street Fighter II.
We talked about spite being one of the most effective motivators in competitive shows, and Hi Score Girl is no exception: Haruo loathes Akra, and that fuels him. The fact that he finally found someone who can make him feel like that and fight him in something that he considers himself best in is also pretty exciting. That's the story of this rivalry that morphs into friendship and then romance.
A sprinkle of nostalgia
It was one of the sleeper hits in the Summer 2018 season, but soon it climbed the charts quite well. It's charming, and part of this charm is the careful reconstruction of the era the show is set in. You can feel this vibe of the 90s arcades that some of us probably experienced through some of the video games. The setting is crafted with so much love, and the attention to detail makes the world more tangible.
With the flow of the story, the world changes, too; the period-accurate generations of consoles are introduced, and this change also has a lot of meaning to the plot. Its portrayal of the gaming industry of the 90s is carefully entwined with social commentary. And don't forget the soundtrack, filled with chiptune beats and some modern tracks.
We grow with our games
It's not just a rom-com, it's a coming-of-age story where two characters learn about life outside of gaming through their interactions with each other. At first, it feels like a typical love story, but as it progresses, it starts exploring themes like setting your priorities straight, family issues, or general lack of your own agency and free will. And as the story unravels, the characters start understanding each other better.
The combination of the nostalgic setting and carefully crafted love story that seems unoriginal at first, but shines through the proper character development, is what makes Hi Score Girl worth watching.
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