# Hi Score Girl (2018)

> A lonely sixth grader who lives for video games finds his match in a rich, popular classmate who keeps beating him at every arcade.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/69141

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 21
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy, animation, romance
- Network: TOKYO MX, BS11
- Cast: Sayumi Suzushiro, Daiki Yamashita, Satomi Arai, Cho, Chinatsu Akasaki, Shizuka Itoh, Hochu Otsuka, Yuuki Hirose
- TMDB rating: 7.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8963328/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: nostalgic, wistful, breezy, comedic, bittersweet

## What critics say

Critics and viewers broadly praise the series for its nostalgic evocation of early 1990s arcade culture and the warm, awkward bond between its two leads.

## Synopsis

Hi Score Girl (2018-2019) is a Japanese animated comedy-romance series produced by J.C.STAFF and based on the seinen manga by Rensuke Oshikiri. Set in 1991, it follows Yaguchi Haruo (voiced by Kohei Amasaki), an unpopular sixth grader whose only real skill is playing video games. His world shifts when Oono Akira (voiced by Sayumi Suzushiro), a popular and wealthy classmate, repeatedly crushes him at Street Fighter II and then follows him from arcade to arcade after school. Each episode is built around small contests, schoolyard awkwardness, and the slow formation of a strange friendship between two very different kids. Haruo's narration, delivered by Hochu Otsuka, frames the story with a wistful retrospective warmth. The series spans two seasons across twenty-one episodes, and its tone is breezy and nostalgic, balancing gentle comedy with quiet ache. Fans of Your Lie in April, Ping Pong the Animation, and The Wonder Years will find resonance in its coming-of-age sensibility, its competitive spark, and its affectionate look at childhood.

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