This Week in Anime

Hi Score Girl is a Heartfelt Nostalgia Trip for Arcade Lovers

In the year 2019, I assume the phrase "transforms your house into an arcade" means your house has been closed for over a decade and turned into a Starbucks.

I never saw Pupipō!, but I may be obligated to check it out after this. On the subject of the past, I wish I had taken the time to watch this before the New Year, because I can honestly say that it would've ended up on my best of 2018 list. Hi Score Girl is a show for a very specific audience, and it turns out that audience is me!

Mind you, this isn't Ready Player One style nostalgia. This is a show that recognizes your inner nerd-gremlin who grew up playing video games and learned to appreciate other people by playing games together with them.

I can't believe I just watched a show where the main dude spends 90% of his screen time babbling about video games and I don't hate him. We see his life from elementary to high school, and he does manage to grow up emotionally in a relatable and endearing way while still maintaining his passion.

It's something I'd probably call out as a gimmick in a lesser show, but the way Hi Score Girl uses her actions while playing games to communicate her feelings and moods is wonderful. It's delightful how her intentions are clear to the audience while Haruo completely misreads them.

How they play, their character choices, and even where and why they're playing certain games is all thematic—from the one-on-one bouts in various fighting games to co-op brawlers. It's especially heartening when Hidaka prefers to simply watch Haruo play.

It definitely lacks in some aspects, but I thought the mixing of real video game footage and pixel art with that simple style ended up working, even though it initially felt like a terrible visual clash.

I'm gonna nerd out a bit because I really want to talk about those character choices. The biggest interactions in the show are based on them, and I have an unhealthy love of fighting games so I might as well embrace this opportunity. Ono's primary is Zangief and other large grapple characters. These all have to play conservatively and look for small opportunities to finally make their move. They feature moves that are really hard to execute, but when the opportunity arises, any single thing they do can end up completely overwhelming their foe. This puts opponents under constant pressure to be perfect, for fear of what happens if they make a mistake. Hidaka plays highly technical characters that specialize in mix-ups and mind games. It takes a lot of constant precise inputs to get the flow of the game in your favor, so much of the match is spent trying to manipulate your opponent into doing what you want them to do. Finally, Haruo plays charge characters like Guile. Their special moves literally require them to hold back for a set amount of time before they'll work, so they may lead to players being seen as too defensive or resorting to cheap tactics to win, but it's more about learning patience to grind out a win.

They hold on to the qualities that originally drew them together, while also growing into the spaces the other needs from them. It's one of the reasons that every time Hidaka tries to force herself into the mix, things don't work out for her. While video games may have come naturally to her, she doesn't have the same emotional chemistry that Haruo and Ono share. It's a little funny and a little sad, but overall it'll turn out alright, since she has found a personal passion. She just needs to be able to separate it from Haruo.

Thankfully, the show has taken great pains to show us that game skill isn't what makes you equals, which the cliffhanger in the last episode is setting up in a big way.