×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
This Week in Anime - Hi Score Girl is a Heartfelt Nostalgia Trip for Arcade Lovers


Goto page 1, 2  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
MesousaGaby



Joined: 16 Oct 2018
Posts: 71
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:31 pm Reply with quote
As soon as I saw that hte main girl will be mute, this destroyed any interest I had with this show. Not just that, but it means a crap-ton of inner monologue...from someone else on her.

Yes, great job overshadowing your sort of title character...total great marketing there.

Actually, if said girl did the inner monologues, I'd actually give it a chance, but otherwise...I'm staying the heck away.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
pharmboy23



Joined: 05 Oct 2018
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:41 pm Reply with quote
Great article and completely agree. This is my era of arcade comsumption and so much of this hits very close to home, minus the fact that I never knew any girls that cool back in the day. I love that Ono never says a thing but is SO expressive in other ways, it really does make for something unique and she’s really memorable as a character.

Elevator Action! Cadash! Ah the nostalgia.

And that theme song’s great too. The whole intro is a thing of beauty; I love how much they convey with the shots at the spinning arcade machine at the end.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 2:42 pm Reply with quote
Playing the Neo Geo CD was an exercise in hedonic trading. For the benefit of Red Book audio came the cost of those loading times, an exchange that was seldom zero-sum.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:14 pm Reply with quote
I'm already on my second viewing of this show. Normally, I don't give anime much re-viewing but Hi Score Girl is a definite exception to the rule just for how incredibly good it really is.

I'm an old-school gamer (20th century era) through and through and everything in this show tugs at my heartstrings while putting together a beautiful romance story.

And one other thing...

If that loading screen scene wasn't one of the funniest things you've ever seen in anime, you have NO soul!

P.S. Haruo's mom is awesome! Smile
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
CatSword



Joined: 01 Jul 2014
Posts: 1489
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:27 pm Reply with quote
Hi Score Girl was one of the best anime of 2018, and it's disappointing more people didn't/haven't seen it yet because of Netflix sitting on it until Christmas Eve.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
pharmboy23



Joined: 05 Oct 2018
Posts: 196
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:31 pm Reply with quote
The mom’s head moving up and down in the doorway was absolutely hysterical. She is an MVP candidate for the series for sure.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
SlamMan



Joined: 02 Dec 2015
Posts: 61
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:09 pm Reply with quote
The sequel would be Hi Score Girl 2: Netflix Turbo Hyper Fighting. It's based of SF2 Turbo HF which has it written the same way but is read in that order. Though, the picture just says NETFLIX II: TURBO HYPER FIGHTING. Sorry to nitpick but I grew up with that game and, though it is unbalanced (I'm looking at you E. Honda!), it is still a game I love.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
miteethor



Joined: 05 Sep 2017
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:00 pm Reply with quote
I don’t know how many hours I spent in the arcade in the 90s playing Guile and Zangief. They really nailed it! Even the gameplay footage is spectacular - I had read that they used EVO players to get the footage and it shows. The on-screen gameplay is definitely representative of someone who spends every moment possible in the arcades honing their skill.

Can’t wait for the sequel!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:06 pm Reply with quote
Been noticing criticisms of Akira Ono being a mute and how it is detrimental to the series. I humbly disagree as Ono's muteness adds a sense of mystique to the character that would otherwise be lost if she were to actually talk and I think that was what Rensuke Oshikiri was also going for when he made her for the series.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
Takizawa-Shinzou



Joined: 28 Jul 2006
Posts: 102
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 6:35 pm Reply with quote
Her being mute was very important to what made her character who she is. People blasting the show for that reason without watching it are doing themselves a disservice. Honestly one of the best anime of 2018. Shame on Netflix for not airing it weekly. Shame on them further for waiting literally another 3 months after it finished airing (all of Oct, Nov, and nearly all of Dec) to add it, while still having subtitle issues here and there. It really deserved better than Netflix. It also deserved better animation but it wasn't awful at least. Amazing show with a lot of heart. Can't wait for the OVA
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
Silver Kirin



Joined: 09 Aug 2018
Posts: 1105
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:04 pm Reply with quote
I really enjoyed Hi Score Girl, I cannot wait for a new season, maybe I should read the manga.
One thing I didn't understand was the fact that they used the amercian names for the consoles like Turbografx 16 and Super Nintendo instead of PC-Engine and Super Famicom even though the story takes place in Japan, also M. Bison instead of Vega.
I also didn't expect a reference to Mortal Kombat because I thought American arcade games weren't popular in Japan.
Finally, I think the CGI animation in this show was one of the better uses I've seen so far, even compared with shows like Aijin, ID-0, among others.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
BodaciousSpacePirate
Subscriber



Joined: 17 Apr 2015
Posts: 3017
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:42 pm Reply with quote
KabaKabaFruit wrote:
Been noticing criticisms of Akira Ono being a mute and how it is detrimental to the series. I humbly disagree as Ono's muteness adds a sense of mystique to the character that would otherwise be lost if she were to actually talk and I think that was what Rensuke Oshikiri was also going for when he made her for the series.


While I agree with what you're saying, one of the hosts of the We Still Don't Know the Name of that Anime We Saw on that Day podcast did a really good job explaining how she was less turned off by the fact that Ono was mute than by the fact that so much of what we know about this girl gamer's personality, desires, and motivations are articulated by a boy gamer who just never seems to shut up. It's hard to emotionally connect with the core romance of the show when the guy reminds you of dudes who pissed you off back in high school, after all.

That being said, as someone who has run into my fair share of Haruo-likes, I wonder how much of my own lack of a problem with Haruo "speaking for" Ono was the result of me picking up the manga around the same time that I had finished A Silent Voice.

(Edited because apparently I can't type well tonight.)


Last edited by BodaciousSpacePirate on Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:02 pm; edited 4 times in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
lossthief
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 14 Dec 2012
Posts: 1380
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 7:44 pm Reply with quote
Silver Kirin wrote:

One thing I didn't understand was the fact that they used the amercian names for the consoles like Turbografx 16 and Super Nintendo instead of PC-Engine and Super Famicom even though the story takes place in Japan, also M. Bison instead of Vega.


In the Japanese dialogue they use the Japanese names - along with the various titles for the games. The subtitles (and presumably the dub, I didn't check) localized those, presumably because your average english-speaking viewer would more likely recognize those.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 8:22 pm Reply with quote
KabaKabaFruit wrote:
Been noticing criticisms of Akira Ono being a mute and how it is detrimental to the series. I humbly disagree as Ono's muteness adds a sense of mystique to the character that would otherwise be lost if she were to actually talk and I think that was what Rensuke Oshikiri was also going for when he made her for the series.


I saw Hi Score Girl and there are problems with this but I don't know how far people are willing to go down the "anime rabbit hole" to explain where the character came from. But... "Mute, romantic female lead with purple hair and purple eyes and same tsundere personality? Fujino, is that you?"

Different hair styles, different... genres.... and the show could have just ended any idea of a connection if they gave Ono a voice but no, the writer thought it was too cute. I watched the series holding back laughter for all the wrong reasons.

The gaming was nice if very "brand specific" but the rest of it was frustrating. And I didn't like the CG animation, subdued as it was.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:44 pm Reply with quote
BodaciousSpacePirate wrote:
While I agree with what you're saying, one of the hosts of the We Still Don't Know the Name of that Anime We Saw on that Day podcast did a really good job explaining how she was less turned off by the fact that Ono was mute than by the fact that so much of what we know about this girl gamer's personality, desires, and motivations are articulated by a boy gamer who just never seems to shut up. It's hard to emotionally connect with the core romance of the show when the guy reminds you of dudes who pissed you off back in high school, after all.

That being said, as someone who has run into my fair share of Haruo-likes, I wonder how much of my own lack of a problem with Haruo "speaking for" Ono was the result of me picking up the manga around the same time that I had finished A Silent Voice.

Except that a lot of gaming obsessed guys like me back in the day were just like Haruo. We were overconfident and couldn't stop yapping about the latest games and our skills. Besides, Haruo's annoying behaviour only lessens as the series progresses to reflect upon his own maturity, not just as a student, but as a supporter for Ono, which I honestly think is a great touch.
Animegomaniac wrote:
I saw Hi Score Girl and there are problems with this but I don't know how far people are willing to go down the "anime rabbit hole" to explain where the character came from. But... "Mute, romantic female lead with purple hair and purple eyes and same tsundere personality? Fujino, is that you?"

Different hair styles, different... genres.... and the show could have just ended any idea of a connection if they gave Ono a voice but no, the writer thought it was too cute. I watched the series holding back laughter for all the wrong reasons.

The gaming was nice if very "brand specific" but the rest of it was frustrating. And I didn't like the CG animation, subdued as it was.

I don't really see the problem here as Ono is supposed to be a mystery that only gets further revealed by the episode. It leaves viewers guessing and I like that unraveling aspect to the series which helps it be more than just a trip down memory lane for nostalgic arcade gamers. I'm also not understanding what else about the series that you found frustrating.

The CG was okay for me and was honestly handled better to at least make it look like the characters and locales seem hand drawn unlike other attempts at CGing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group