“Be grateful for anything you get” is pretty much the mantra I live by when it comes to Hi Score Girl the anime. It’s pretty much the only one you can and retain your sanity about the whole process, which has been one kick in the nuts after another. CGI, streaming, delayed sub releases, episode count (presumably) – it is what it is. On the one hand it’s very easy to have that attitude, because what Hi Score Girl delivers is so consistently wonderful – it never really disappoints. But that very fact makes the realization of all that we’re missing out on that much more gut-wrenching when you let yourself think about it.
I’ve bludgeoned with the word “authenticity” over and over with HSG, but I truly believe it’s at the heart of why this is such a superb series. I don’t know how much of it is autobiographical, but given that Oshikiri Rensuke is the same age as Haruo, I think it’s safe to say a lot (certainly the gamer stuff) is. Absolutely, Hi Score Girl is one of the all-time best adolescent romances in manga for me – rarely does the experience ring so true. But it’s equally exceptional as a memoir, a sublime act of capturing a time in all its subtlety and essence. There isn’t really another series like it out there – and that’s a statement I can make about very few manga indeed.
I’m trying not to think about this series ending in three more episodes, but to say that this part of the story constitutes a sea change for Haruo’s character is no hyperbole. It’s the most exciting time in gamer history – the Sega Saturn and Playstation are coming out for the home console market, and games like Viruta Fighter are about to splash and change the arcade experience forever. Yet (as it was for Rensuke-sensei) this is also the autumn where the most critical event in a Japanese kid’s educational life (high school and college included) is taking place – high school entrance exams.
Now, one might imagine (if they had only taken a superficial view of his character) that Haruo would coast through the exams without a care in the world, but that was never going to happen. Fact is, Haruo is a serious boy – he couldn’t be as religious about gaming as he is otherwise. He makes the ultimate sacrifice – he ignores the cries of his home consoles and sets them aside, and drops out of the arcade world (mostly) to dedicate himself to preparing for the prestigious Jouran High’s entrance exam. Of course he has an ulterior motive – Oono is going there. Paradoxically she finds this turn depressing, because she doesn’t know why Haruo has stopped showing up at the game centers – only that he has. But as for Haruo’s mom (I told you she was great, and you ain’t seen nothing yet) she’s thoroughly pleased (if a bit adrift in her read of her son’s motives).
Games may be the catalyst with which Haruo and Oono’s relationship was cultured, but it’s loneliness that drives it. Oono’s genius drew him in, but Haruo almost from the beginning saw the other side to her than her throngs of admirers never did. The poor little rich girl may be a trope in anime and otherwise, but this is no romantic fantasy – even if Haruo is, in his way, as noble as any knight on a white steed. Haruo – in contrast to Oono – is an open book. He’s honest with himself, and even as he tries to convince himself there’s nothing more to this than being Oono’s protector once she gets to high school, he knows he can’t hide from the truth – he just wants to be with her.
Yeah, this really sucks for Hidaka. Especially as she ends up helping Haruo prep for the Jouran exam, along with Miyao-kun (he’s a true bro, this cat). Both of them, of course, are facilitating a relationship that runs contrary to their own heart’s desire – the difference being that Miyao has guessed the reason Haruo is doing this, and Hidaka seems not to have sussed it out yet herself. It’s rare in a roughly triangle-shaped romance series to have such empathy for all involved, but I really do here. I mean I love Hidaka, and truthfully I root for her and always have. But there’s real pathos to Oono’s story, and I find Haruo’s gallant devotion to her incredibly heart-rending. I have no ill will for any of the parties here, believe me – and that, too, is a very special quality for a romance series.
I’ve tried hard not to focus on the “what if” scenario of Hi Score Girl ending after 12 episodes (as it almost surely will, unless it’s a split cour), but the demands of the story make it impossible to ignore it any longer. Things are, in a very real sense, only just getting started here. It’s not as though we haven’t seen countless adaptations of great manga basically end with the prologue, but that’s really what would be happening if Hi Score Girl goes no further than this season. I sincerely hope anime-only viewers would then pick up the manga (which is ending soon), but I know many of them won’t. And in truth, as great as the anime is it would be a real blow to see the series completed only in manga form (as great as the manga is). I want it all, dammit – but if that sentiment was ever misguided, it’s for a fan of this series.
GC
September 14, 2018 at 8:06 amWe can only hope Hidaka and Miyao end up together. That will take some of the sting out of it for her. Based on what we saw at the end with him having 1942 and it not listed does that mean he failed to get into the same school as Oono?
Guardian Enzo
September 14, 2018 at 2:09 pmYup, no spoiler there – the number is not on the board.
Anchen
September 14, 2018 at 8:11 amI wound up catching up to what is the latest available english translations for the manga, so I knew what was coming. This episode still did a very nice job of adapting the material though, and was a nice touch to go into the ending while the episode is still going on to show the results and then just a fade to a black background to end it. Felt like it really drove home the moment. I don’t know if there will be more or not after this cour, I really wish so, but I have no idea how the show is doing in Japan.
In a side note, I also recently saw Flavors of Youth on netflix in which one of the anthology stories is a bit similar with a girl expecting to attend one of the top universities while the boy was going to be content on just going wherever but winds up motivating himself to try to get into the same one. The results are pretty different, but it was kinda interesting to see the two relatively close to one another and how the situations resulted in each.
DP
September 14, 2018 at 8:48 amI’ve adored this show so far, and wholly agree with your assessment about its authenticity. However, this was the first episode that actually felt a bit off. Whether it’s a flaw in the manga, or because they’re rushing through material too quickly (guess I’ll have to read the manga to find out!), I just thought Haruo’s transformation was too profound and sudden to be wholly credible.
Sure, the previous episode had ended with him saying he had to start getting serious about his education, but I just felt it was too jarring how quickly he threw himself into his studies. Moreover, the way he went from not-quite-acknowledging Akira as anything more than a rival to openly admitting to himself that what he wants more than anything else is just to be with her – while logically reasonable – just didn’t seem to be narratively earned, at least not from what we’ve seen.
Up until now, this show has always felt “real,” and never contrived (even when video games have been giving Haruo advice!). This episode, for the first time, felt, to me at least, like everything was a bit too convenient for the sake of moving things along more quickly. Hopefully, though, it’s just a hiccup.
Guardian Enzo
September 14, 2018 at 2:10 pmIt’s not really diverging from the manga pace much, actually. For me I thought his development was totally foreshadowed and in-character, so I had no issue with it when I read it.
MD
September 14, 2018 at 4:58 pmOnce again it was your blog that made me start this series. Though enjoyable as a whole, this one episode was a gem for me – particularly the ending, so thanks!
Guardian Enzo
September 14, 2018 at 5:04 pmThat’s why I keep doing it… Always nice to hear, that’s for sure.
GC
September 14, 2018 at 6:52 pmOn a different note… The live action adaption of the anime Bleach started on Netflix today. The battles and effects were really good but as usual the actors were the weak part of the movie. Same with Attack on Titan, Parasyte, Full Metal Alchemist, and a couple others.
Guardian Enzo
September 14, 2018 at 8:20 pmSeirei no Moribito’s live-action (also on Netflix now) was really good. As was Boku Dake, I thought.
Water Imp
September 16, 2018 at 8:12 pmI’d almost bite on SnM’s live, but just won’t. Feels like it’d be a loss of gravity to cast someone as Balsa (who is the best iteration of the Motoko Kusanagi type).
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2018 at 8:18 pmTwo thoughts on that:
1. Haruka Ayase is great as Balsa
2. It tells the whole story, more or less
Well worth it, IMO
Water Imp
September 16, 2018 at 9:20 pmKnowing your high esteem for SnM, if you really like the live, I’ll give it the go.
Guardian Enzo
September 16, 2018 at 9:25 pmI mean, it’s not as sublime as the anime, don’t get me wrong. But by Japanese dorama standards it’s quite dignified and it’s very well-made. And it fills a need, telling the story the anime didn’t.
Missingnoleader
September 15, 2018 at 8:22 pmThis has certainly been my anime of the season, after only just realizing the series had been airing late July. It’s been quite the ride, and I’ve certainly been eager for every episode. Even went to Otakon where they had a premiere and panel for the series. And trust me, the cour question was thrown at the producer who’s left it rather ambigious. Not sure if the sales are right, but the preorders seem to put this series rather high. And really the website just happens to have a character we haven’t seen yet, and with how the episodes are paced, would have no point in seeing if it was just one season….
From the fansub angle, its important to note that the /a/ threads are an interesting place because of the little quirks that developed because of the reliance on fansubbing. Most of the prior subs were done by an anon who lives in Japan who’s an office worker called “Haircut Anon” (One of the episodes was being done while he was at Comiket itself!) Haircut himself did subs over 10 years ago, so he’s very much a relic of the past. Episode 6 would bring about Bandicam-bro, literal live dubbing translations which demonstrate the better or nothing nature of this anime’s existence out of Japan. Episode 6 would eventually be done as second hand translations from a Spanish sub, which allowed for “Haircut Anon” to take that break that week. Episode 9 and beyond sees “Haircut Anon” out a computer and thus, once more a team of anons come in to save the day. The absolute state of fansubbing when its pretty much borrowing lines from the manga, but we see the evolution of subtitles for the OP and ED.
Also the raws out there really don’t capture that fluidity of the full 60fps. See the official trailers and official upload of the OP for those silky smooth camera shifts.