The arcade is one of the few things in the video game past that I miss a great deal. Heading out with your buddies to a place that was full of video games is a feeling that most people will never get to experience. Netflix feels this pain and has brought an anime dedicated solely to the arcade and the nineties. Hi Score Girl is about the arcade and what happens when one gamer meets his match.
Round 2
Haruo is not mad because he was beaten by Akira at Street Fighter II. He is not mad because Akira happens to be a girl. He is mad because video games is the one aspect of his life where he is the best and now the most popular person has made him feel second best. From this first meeting, a strange friendship/rivalry forms, with the arcade games of the nineties along for the ride.
Haruo and Akira’s relationship might seem at first to be a staple of anime. Boy hates girl at first, but eventually his feelings change, but Hi Score Girl shifts the ground after a few episodes. Akira is suddenly taken away to study abroad and a time jump occurs. Now entering high school, Haruo has found another female gamer to spend his time named Hidaka. But what happens when Akira returns? Will Haruo have to choose who he spends his time with?
Round 3
You would be forgiven if you think that the games in the arcade might take a back seat to this strange love triangle. The truth is that the games are front and center, moving the plot along. They are the real games of the period, no knockoffs here. Everything from Street Fighter to Virtual Cop. The creators of the show know their games and the culture. When Akira beats Haruo with Zangief in Street Fighter II, you know why Haruo is mortified. If you don’t know, ask one of your gamer friends.
The changing times also reflect the different attitudes towards the arcade. The arcade begins to be seen as a place where kids should not go. Luckily for our heroes, home gaming systems arrive to the rescue. If you are interested in arcade culture, give Hi Score Girl a whirl. If you are a nineties kid, it is a must watch.