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High Score Girl #1
Hi Score Girl 01
Hi Score Girl , Rensuke Oshikiri's love letter to arcade gaming, finally comes to print! Read the manga that inspired the Netflix Original anime series!
The year is 1991, and the world is on the cusp of the golden age of 2-D fighting games. And on the outskirts of town, in a shady arcade that's a second home to delinquents and businessmen, one girl descends with dignity into her seat at the game cabinet...
Her name is Akira Oono, and she's about to humiliate hardcore gamer Haruo Yaguchi, who fancies himself something of an arcade king, at Street Fighter ! Will Haruo ever live down losing to a girl from his class?!
The year is 1991, and the world is on the cusp of the golden age of 2-D fighting games. And on the outskirts of town, in a shady arcade that's a second home to delinquents and businessmen, one girl descends with dignity into her seat at the game cabinet...
Her name is Akira Oono, and she's about to humiliate hardcore gamer Haruo Yaguchi, who fancies himself something of an arcade king, at Street Fighter ! Will Haruo ever live down losing to a girl from his class?!
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 25, 2012
22 people are currently reading
166 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 28, 2020
"High Score Girl" is a love letter to the golden age of arcade fighting games in the early 1990's, and at the heart of it is a love story with Street Fighter 2 as the catalyst.
There's a lot to like to this series from the get-go. Number one would have to be the extensive video game references. It will be handy to have Wikipedia on standby while reading it. The two main characters have such great chemistry going on that the surprise parting at the last chapter was set up cunningly to give you maximum feels.
This first volume is a great way to start a series.
There's a lot to like to this series from the get-go. Number one would have to be the extensive video game references. It will be handy to have Wikipedia on standby while reading it. The two main characters have such great chemistry going on that the surprise parting at the last chapter was set up cunningly to give you maximum feels.
This first volume is a great way to start a series.
December 14, 2013
It's nice to find a comic with excellent dialogue and story that relies heavily on the characters. The main characters are in the 6th grade and the story is set in the real world, focused on the world of video games. If you were growing up during the advent of the Super Nintendo/Famicom then you're the target audience. If you read the book in Japanese be aware it's aimed at adults, so the language use may prove more challenging than other popular comics geared towards kids. The art style is a little messy but it gives the comic a much more unique look, and the characters are more recognizably Japanese. This is an excellent kick-off to a series about childhood romance/friendships during the rise of gaming.
August 18, 2020
Read on the recommendation of a friend who is super into fighting games, and I appreciate how much the series delves into that. I also love how the series has this weird little magical realism plot line where they go to a ghost arcade, and it's just A Thing That Happens. The only two reasons this is three stars instead of four are that A) it relies heavily on the A Female Hitting A Man Is Funny trope and B) the kids in this elementary school class are all about the sexual harassment and it both doesn't feel real and feels very skeevy at the same time. I will be reading more, though, so they're not dealbreakers, they're just... frustrating.
March 17, 2020
Really funny title - especially if you're nostalgic for the 1980s/90s arcade experience. Looking forward to reading more!
January 17, 2021
This is one of my favourite series. Go watch it on Netflix!
February 25, 2020
1990's arcades, here I come
If you loved the arcades and want to read a romance storyline that combines both of these, then look no further. I really like the characters and all the details that bring back my own childhood. Pick up a copy of hi score girl and her addicted to the arcades once more.
If you loved the arcades and want to read a romance storyline that combines both of these, then look no further. I really like the characters and all the details that bring back my own childhood. Pick up a copy of hi score girl and her addicted to the arcades once more.
May 5, 2020
You ever play a match of Street Fighter and just think to yourself - "I wonder what it was like to discover these games back in the day"? Well, Hi Score Girl is the answer you seek, with the story being placed in the heart of these games, 90s Japan.
Hi Score Girl is a throwback to a time where technology was advancing at an insane rate and people were beginning to indulge in 'advanced' graphics, Nintendo systems, and arcades.
One thing that I always find important in every series is world-building. Since Hi Score Girl is based in our world, Rensuke gives us an idea of the scene by simply mentioning pivotal events that were happening in Japan at the time the story takes place, for example - The Gulf War. This is a good thing, trying to build an environment that is all too familiar to the reader could result in boring exposition and unnecessary reading.
The characters - Akira and Haruo are innocent kids that play video games with each other. They start off as rivals and unconsciously grow close. Ultimately they have an inseparable bond solely due to their passion for video games.
The story is innocent, nostalgic, funny at times, but very simple. It's not trying to do anything extraordinary and it doesn't need to - it works. It just never goes beyond average.
Also, I'm not the biggest fan of the art style. The characters look very unnatural, even for Manga standards, and some panels really make me think the author could have a good shot at writing a horror series. There's a contrast between the art and setting that I'm not sure works yet.
While the first volume is fairly average, it also suggests that the next one will start with a time-skip and a slightly bigger cast. My expectations are neither high or low, but I'm still interested enough to see where this all goes.
Hi Score Girl is a throwback to a time where technology was advancing at an insane rate and people were beginning to indulge in 'advanced' graphics, Nintendo systems, and arcades.
One thing that I always find important in every series is world-building. Since Hi Score Girl is based in our world, Rensuke gives us an idea of the scene by simply mentioning pivotal events that were happening in Japan at the time the story takes place, for example - The Gulf War. This is a good thing, trying to build an environment that is all too familiar to the reader could result in boring exposition and unnecessary reading.
The characters - Akira and Haruo are innocent kids that play video games with each other. They start off as rivals and unconsciously grow close. Ultimately they have an inseparable bond solely due to their passion for video games.
The story is innocent, nostalgic, funny at times, but very simple. It's not trying to do anything extraordinary and it doesn't need to - it works. It just never goes beyond average.
Also, I'm not the biggest fan of the art style. The characters look very unnatural, even for Manga standards, and some panels really make me think the author could have a good shot at writing a horror series. There's a contrast between the art and setting that I'm not sure works yet.
While the first volume is fairly average, it also suggests that the next one will start with a time-skip and a slightly bigger cast. My expectations are neither high or low, but I'm still interested enough to see where this all goes.
September 4, 2022
So back in 2020 we were forced to stay home in isolation unless we go out for essentials but as long as we look after ourselves during the difficult times of our lives by playing games listening to music play with pets streaming shows & work at home
I even continue to share peep's posts on my Instagram stories to help keep calm from my anxiety at home for 2 months as well as my content like the gamedemic photo challenge & there's someone who also shared some posts on her Insta stories like I did in 2020 from New Zealand... & that was @miss_gaminglily
Due to my posts involving games & books on Instagram she recommended Hi Score Girl both the anime & the manga. It's just it's actually hard to find the anime to watch online both sub & dub but I did managed to do an online purchase at Booktopia for the 1st volume back in late May. It arrived on early June as I got home from my comeback to work & read it all day on June 7 2020 followed by reading volume 2 on June 12 2020 & I actually enjoyed it. So this is a reread coz I didn't have a Goodreads account till I create my own Goodreads account as of late June 2020. So @miss_gaminglily if you're reading this this is for you 😊✌🏻
Hi Score Girl volume 1 sets in the early 1990's as it circles around Haruo Yaguchi who's pretty bad at everything at school but the only thing he's determined is playing video games. He was playing the original Street Fighter II arcade game till he took on a girl Akira Oono. His life just turned out worst by being followed by Akira on how good she was in video games & had an unlikely relationship
This is actually 1 of the best love stories in video game & manga history with excellent humour & the relationship between Haruo & Akira is just lovely
Whether you're into video games manga anime or romance Hi Score Girl volume 1 is a must read. Well looks like I'll be rereading volume 2 soon
4.5/5
I even continue to share peep's posts on my Instagram stories to help keep calm from my anxiety at home for 2 months as well as my content like the gamedemic photo challenge & there's someone who also shared some posts on her Insta stories like I did in 2020 from New Zealand... & that was @miss_gaminglily
Due to my posts involving games & books on Instagram she recommended Hi Score Girl both the anime & the manga. It's just it's actually hard to find the anime to watch online both sub & dub but I did managed to do an online purchase at Booktopia for the 1st volume back in late May. It arrived on early June as I got home from my comeback to work & read it all day on June 7 2020 followed by reading volume 2 on June 12 2020 & I actually enjoyed it. So this is a reread coz I didn't have a Goodreads account till I create my own Goodreads account as of late June 2020. So @miss_gaminglily if you're reading this this is for you 😊✌🏻
Hi Score Girl volume 1 sets in the early 1990's as it circles around Haruo Yaguchi who's pretty bad at everything at school but the only thing he's determined is playing video games. He was playing the original Street Fighter II arcade game till he took on a girl Akira Oono. His life just turned out worst by being followed by Akira on how good she was in video games & had an unlikely relationship
This is actually 1 of the best love stories in video game & manga history with excellent humour & the relationship between Haruo & Akira is just lovely
Whether you're into video games manga anime or romance Hi Score Girl volume 1 is a must read. Well looks like I'll be rereading volume 2 soon
4.5/5
January 10, 2023
DNF 50 percent.
Between the harsh art style and washed out character archetypes, this manga gives off the impression that there was no care put into it at all.
The art is inconsistent, anatomically... creative(?), and honestly not visually appealing at all. The character designs are nothing special either, which makes sense considering our protagonists' cookie cutter personalities.
I'm all for trope-y romances: they can be super cute if they're done right. This just wasn't.
- "Yaguchi and Oono are complete opposites" Okay, off to a good start!
- "She gets 100s on every test while he usually gets ZEROS." Alright....
- "She's good at LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE too, but NEVER TALKS!!! He's kind of a loser with no motivations." That's enough for me, I think!
I wanted to include a screenshot of the awe inspiring panel where he discovered his talent of getting hit by cars and walking away almost unscathed, but Goodreads won't let me.
Hopefully the anime is better.
Between the harsh art style and washed out character archetypes, this manga gives off the impression that there was no care put into it at all.
The art is inconsistent, anatomically... creative(?), and honestly not visually appealing at all. The character designs are nothing special either, which makes sense considering our protagonists' cookie cutter personalities.
I'm all for trope-y romances: they can be super cute if they're done right. This just wasn't.
- "Yaguchi and Oono are complete opposites" Okay, off to a good start!
- "She gets 100s on every test while he usually gets ZEROS." Alright....
- "She's good at LITERALLY EVERYTHING ELSE too, but NEVER TALKS!!! He's kind of a loser with no motivations." That's enough for me, I think!
I wanted to include a screenshot of the awe inspiring panel where he discovered his talent of getting hit by cars and walking away almost unscathed, but Goodreads won't let me.
Hopefully the anime is better.
January 3, 2022
HI SCORE GIRL is aimed straight at the hearts of '90s kids, both boys AND girls, who grew up loving arcade games and arcade culture. The NES, SNES, TurboGrafx-16, and other home gaming systems get shout-outs, too, but this is first and foremost about two 6th graders who have a love-hate thing going on as they compete against each other to prove who the best arcade gamer is.
Set in 1991 at a Japanese elementary school and in numerous neighborhood arcades, the story uses references to real-life games to move its plot along. Street Fighter II and Final Fight are probably the most prevalent (this is published by gaming giant Square Enix, by the way).
I ate up the anime version of this when it was first released on Netflix a while back. There are now two seasons, and I love them both. English translations of the manga started coming out last year, and I've been meaning to collect them for a while.
Looks like New Year 2022 will turn out to be when that happens! I've picked up the first three volumes over the past few days and plan to move through them very quickly and then get the remaining volumes.
Very highly recommended for anyone who misses the heyday of arcade culture!
P.S. From what I can tell, the differences between v.1 and the anime are minor, but there are a few details here and there that didn't make it into the anime, and even experiencing what is essentially the same story in two different formats is always going to feel a little different. Well worth it.
Set in 1991 at a Japanese elementary school and in numerous neighborhood arcades, the story uses references to real-life games to move its plot along. Street Fighter II and Final Fight are probably the most prevalent (this is published by gaming giant Square Enix, by the way).
I ate up the anime version of this when it was first released on Netflix a while back. There are now two seasons, and I love them both. English translations of the manga started coming out last year, and I've been meaning to collect them for a while.
Looks like New Year 2022 will turn out to be when that happens! I've picked up the first three volumes over the past few days and plan to move through them very quickly and then get the remaining volumes.
Very highly recommended for anyone who misses the heyday of arcade culture!
P.S. From what I can tell, the differences between v.1 and the anime are minor, but there are a few details here and there that didn't make it into the anime, and even experiencing what is essentially the same story in two different formats is always going to feel a little different. Well worth it.
May 30, 2023
Possibly the weirdest romance (okay, the weirdest within the realms of REAL EVERYDAY KIDS vs. stuff like vampires and princesses and such), an intense rivalry set in 1990s Japan, between a teenage boy obsessed with arcade games and a popular and scholarly (albeit silent) teenage girl who sneaks out to play arcade games. The style is a little eccentric, as are the characters, and there are more flagrant references to actual arcade games than in any other publication I have ever seen (Guile from the Street Fighter series is even a sort of spiritual guide for the boy, Yaguchi).
The relationship between Yaguchi and Oono is the most extreme version of "on again, off again" I have ever seen. One moment, they will be bitter rivals in the arcade, the next they will be exploring a hidden ten-yen arcade together and playing Final Fight in co-op mode (although Oono will headbutt him for ruining her secret scoring technique). My spouse has described Oono as "communicating through violence." Perhaps, because the most nonviolent affection she has shown is a shy smile while looking away.
Definitely a recommend for anyone who is a fan of '90s arcade games, as is basically a love letter to them. The anime is even better at this, taking real video of the games in action and following the manga religiously.
The relationship between Yaguchi and Oono is the most extreme version of "on again, off again" I have ever seen. One moment, they will be bitter rivals in the arcade, the next they will be exploring a hidden ten-yen arcade together and playing Final Fight in co-op mode (although Oono will headbutt him for ruining her secret scoring technique). My spouse has described Oono as "communicating through violence." Perhaps, because the most nonviolent affection she has shown is a shy smile while looking away.
Definitely a recommend for anyone who is a fan of '90s arcade games, as is basically a love letter to them. The anime is even better at this, taking real video of the games in action and following the manga religiously.
October 9, 2023
Haruo loves video games, specifically Street Fighter II. It is the one thing in life that makes him feel successful. He struggles at school and sports, but when he enters an arcade, his confidence builds. Until the day he learns that his classmate, Akira, is not only skilled at SFII, but she can destroy Haruo at it. Girls shouldn't be able to do that.
My middle school students LOVE manga. Last year I read two volumes of Blue Lock, my first ever manga. It would be generous to say I was left underwhelmed. The story lines, the artwork, meh. I decided to give it another go with Rensuke Oshikiri's Hi Score Girl.
My main challenge with manga is the hyper-sexualization of female characters. It makes the manga not appropriate for young readers. I thought Hi Score Girl, a book about 6th graders, would be perfect. It was mostly good until a Ferris wheel scene when the characters were wanting to talk about whether penises have bones. Why? This tangential conversation had nothing to do with the plot and that is why I struggle with manga. I think (or I hope) there are much better manga out there. Do not recommend.
My middle school students LOVE manga. Last year I read two volumes of Blue Lock, my first ever manga. It would be generous to say I was left underwhelmed. The story lines, the artwork, meh. I decided to give it another go with Rensuke Oshikiri's Hi Score Girl.
My main challenge with manga is the hyper-sexualization of female characters. It makes the manga not appropriate for young readers. I thought Hi Score Girl, a book about 6th graders, would be perfect. It was mostly good until a Ferris wheel scene when the characters were wanting to talk about whether penises have bones. Why? This tangential conversation had nothing to do with the plot and that is why I struggle with manga. I think (or I hope) there are much better manga out there. Do not recommend.
July 14, 2024
Honestly, it wasn't my cup of tea. The boy is obsessed with video games, which is fine, but the whole story revolves around him trying to beat a co-student from his school at video games when playing together. The entire volume was pretty much him and Oono (the girl) going to arcades.
It also got on my nerves that the girl doesn't talk at all. If she was deaf or mute, then ok, but she just doesn't talk and she's a bit odd. The art is also very different than most mangas I've read, so it was a bit difficult getting into the story as well, as the story and art didn't grip me as much.
It's not a bad series at all, but just not what I had expected. It was still an interesting manga, though, as I'd never read one about video games and arcades, so it was pleasant in that sense.
It may appeal more to gamers/arcade lovers!
I still recommend Hi Score Girl to anyone who wants to try a new series or that are looking for something new to read!
It also got on my nerves that the girl doesn't talk at all. If she was deaf or mute, then ok, but she just doesn't talk and she's a bit odd. The art is also very different than most mangas I've read, so it was a bit difficult getting into the story as well, as the story and art didn't grip me as much.
It's not a bad series at all, but just not what I had expected. It was still an interesting manga, though, as I'd never read one about video games and arcades, so it was pleasant in that sense.
It may appeal more to gamers/arcade lovers!
I still recommend Hi Score Girl to anyone who wants to try a new series or that are looking for something new to read!
April 27, 2020
Find me someone who isn’t charmed by this tale of Akria and Haruo.
It’s 1991, the third generation of gaming is in full swing. Arcades are a haven for middle-school students Haruo, who isn’t good at much else but has mad gaming skills, and Akira, who is rich, and good at everything but, has so much pressure put upon her.
At first Haruo finds Akiras presence in his “sanctuary” annoying, but as the chapters unfold, his feelings change.
I knew I’d love the manga. I already fell head over heels for the anime. It is SO good being able to revisit the story from the beginning though.
It’s 1991, the third generation of gaming is in full swing. Arcades are a haven for middle-school students Haruo, who isn’t good at much else but has mad gaming skills, and Akira, who is rich, and good at everything but, has so much pressure put upon her.
At first Haruo finds Akiras presence in his “sanctuary” annoying, but as the chapters unfold, his feelings change.
I knew I’d love the manga. I already fell head over heels for the anime. It is SO good being able to revisit the story from the beginning though.
September 28, 2021
Very interesting concept set in the Golden age of arcade machines, the early 90s. Follows a boy who oddness good at anything and is kinda good at games and his interactions with a silent rich-girl who doesn't speak. You'd think an extremely non communicative character like Oono (the girl) would be a bad move but it isn't. The art style takes some getting used to as it's pretty off putting in the first 2 chapters
June 29, 2020
I liked the anime series and bought the manga to see how they compare, it's kind of a silly story but it has many historical references about the world in the years the story is situated and particularly around the videogame culture. I guess nostalgia plays a role in the liking of this series ;-)
Read
June 30, 2021The artwork was not at all appealing (something about it is creepy and reminiscent of horror), nor were the characters likeable. It’s main attraction is the nostalgia of the old arcade games. The girl that wants to see if dicks have a bone as creepy and out of place.
July 13, 2021
I'm really enjoying this series. It's a cute romantic comedy about sixth graders that meet in an arcade. There are just enough sexual jokes that I'm reluctant to put it in my class. The jokes are pretty funny though.
13+ for some sexual humor
13+ for some sexual humor
April 5, 2025
I remember watching some of this anime a long time ago, like when it first dropped but I don’t really remember much about the story. I do remember that I enjoyed it so when I saw my library had a bunch of volumes of the manga I thought why not revisit it. And it is really fun. Everything about the time period, setting, and characters is so interesting as someone who loves video games. I know nothing about arcade fighting games but this is such an interesting medium to learn about them through. I’m also excited to see how the relationship between the two main characters develop as I can see the legs of a greatness here.
January 10, 2026
ermmm the author kinda weird with some of these lines.. whyre u having primary students talking about boobs and wieners… anyway it was kinda cute at the end and that’s where the stars came from but realistically it was just a 2.75
April 11, 2021
Really cute with a lot of good references, but the beginning could have been better
May 12, 2021
I would give it 4 stars, but I think it really started to get interesting in the second half. Not too much happened in the first half.
October 9, 2021
3.5 stars. Cute and fun with a time capsule feeling starting in 1991. Looks like the next one will be in 1993.
January 12, 2022
very interested NO ONNNNO
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2022
I didn't really like it but I might keep reading it.
December 28, 2022
Shit is fire. One of my favorite mangas 🙌
i-give-up
February 28, 2023Hated the art style. Not for me
March 16, 2023
i loved the show and i loved this its just so cute and funny
February 18, 2024
Enjoyed more from the seventh chapter, more romantic than I initially thought and the art could be better, for me.
Nice feeling of the eighties with the arcade games:)
Nice feeling of the eighties with the arcade games:)
November 9, 2024
Wow this is so endearing! I absolutely loved it. It's a love letter to gaming culture and at the same time a funny and cute love story of two kids. Feel good manga for sure!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews