High Scores For Hi-Score Girl: The Naive, The Silence And The Rival

There is no anime that comes close to crossover games. There are a lot of anime where the main characters sucks into the game or from the game they come to life. This anime is a slice of highschool life, a boy passionate with games, a top-student girl with a secret life being a master Zangief user. You will really not know what hit you when you finally realized it was a romcom. I kind of expected that this anime is a romcom but I didn’t realize that it is indeed a romcom when I was in episode 6.

Hi-Score Girl is an anime based on video games. The naive boy with a passion for games, gets entangled with a rich, intelligent girl that has a secret life in the arcades. The character of the boy is very effective because all he cares about are the consoles, the games and how to get better. The girl is just killing the time to get by because of the pressures of her statute.

The boy is Haruo Yaguchi, he always finds a way to play, even if he is in school. He even brought a console on their field trip. His passion for games really amazes me even if it costs his money on the way home, or even costs him a bike and a shoe. The boy is just into games, nothing else. In the arcade where he meets Akira. She is very popular among the boys in school but of course Haruo doesn't pay attention to that, he only cares who plays on the other side of the arcade. At their first meeting in the arcades Haruo is oblivious to who’s playing. That single match from the arcades changes everyone’s life in the story. 

Haruo became goal oriented but of course not in his studies but rather to be better in arcade or better in any other game, he wants to beat the tactful Akira. That became his life goal. The only scene that made me forward is when I realized it is indeed a Rom-Com. The Ace Student Rich Girl Akira is going overseas. Akira never spoke, she is really a tough girl to crack and what I mean tough, I mean tough. She always punches Haruo. When they went to a very mysterious arcade and made some good time for themselves, the legendary arcade vanished which left them both nervous at some point. Akira punches Haruo all the way until they get home. Forward to the day Akira left, the girl cried in his arms, which concludes Akira has something with Haruo. She gets the ring and Season 2 begins.

Akira didn’t speak the whole series which left me dumbfounded, that is pretty convenient to the Voice Actress. A non-speaking character, are you kidding me? Anime is popular with life lessons being imparted, even Naruto has one. Long dialogues have been the signature of Anime but a non-talking girl is enough to express whatever feelings she has to the main character. Haruo, being your casual gamer boy, has no idea what is happening. Even his best friend is amazed that Haruo was able to make friends with Akira with that kind of deep understanding. That is all there is to them, they are down with each other. Haruo and Akira even went to a gamer convention while on a field trip where they have matching shirts. The writer is an absolute genius in making a not so obvious rom-com to a success. No cheesy dialogues all hidden in the history of gaming. Whenever Haruo makes a dialogue about the history of consoles and games, and about the gaming world, shows how thick the wall is for any girl with a thing with Haruo. Akira on the other hand, doesn't need any manifestation, she only beat Haruo to a game, and that is all there is. Romantic right?

Hi-Score girl is an absolute killer. He tickles your heart in a different way. Until the common girl comes along. She is the “showy” type of girl that falls on the joysticks of Haruo. She always shows what he feels about Haruo but Haruo is focused with his gaming skills. Haruo doesn’t have some teenage urges towards girls, she just want to beat Akira. She is his life’s journey or is that unconsciously falling for her as well? Being naive is really romantic in this Anime. It is still streaming on Netflix.