is a

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

manga Manga ( Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is use ...

series written and illustrated by Rensuke Oshikiri that ran from October 2010 to September 2018. The story revolves around the life of

gamer A gamer is a proactive hobbyist who plays interactive games, especially video games, tabletop role-playing games, and skill-based card games, and who plays for usually long periods of time. Some gamers are competitive, meaning they routinely ...

Haruo Yaguchi, the co-op gaming setting (most notably

fighting game A fighting game, also known as a versus fighting game, is a genre of video game that involves combat between two or more players. Fighting game combat often features mechanics such as blocking, grappling, counter-attacking, and chaining atta ...

s), his relationship with quiet gamer Akira Ono, and the changes that develop within both over time. Known as a 1990s arcade

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

, the series is notable for its unique art style, and accurate depictions of the multitude of gaming software, hardware, and even culture that are featured. An

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

television series adaptation by J.C.Staff and SMDE aired from July to September 2018. A second season aired from October to December 2019.

Characters

;/ : (Japanese);

Johnny Yong Bosch Johnny Yong Bosch (born January 6, 1976) is an American actor, musician, singer, and martial artist. His first major role was the portrayal of Adam Park, the second Black Power Ranger and later, the Green Zeo Ranger and first Green Turbo Ranger i ...

(English) :A young man with an affinity for gaming, nicknamed "Beastly Fingers Haruo". He met his match during a fateful encounter with Akira Ono while playing ''

Street Fighter II is a fighting game developed by Capcom and originally released for arcades in 1991. It is the second installment in the '' Street Fighter'' series and the sequel to 1987's '' Street Fighter''. It is Capcom's fourteenth game to use the CP Sys ...

''. Undeterred after losing, he still sees her as an opponent he must challenge and eventually beat. While he starts as a snarky brat with an ego, he eventually grows out of it. However, he never abandons his dedication and love for gaming, which almost borders on unhealthy obsession. On the bright side, this pure passion for gaming is what leads him to find some of his closest friends. : ; : (Japanese);

Christine Marie Cabanos Christine Marie Cabanos is an American voice actress of Filipino descent. Some of her roles include Azusa Nakano in ''K-On!'', the titular characters in ''Squid Girl'' and '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Mako Mankanshoku in '' Kill la Kill'', ...

(English) :The daughter of the Ono

Zaibatsu is a Japanese term referring to industrial and financial vertically integrated business conglomerates in the Empire of Japan, whose influence and size allowed control over significant parts of the Japanese economy from the Meiji period unt ...

, Akira is rich, popular, and multi-talented – the polar opposite of Haruo. To escape the strict educational regimen she faces at home, she sneaks away every so often to play in arcades where she showcases her exceptional gaming ability. She initially encounters Haruo during a match of ''Street Fighter II'', and from then on, she bonds with him over their love for gaming. She never talks and communicates solely through gestures and facial expressions. She also appears as a guest support character in '' Million Arthur: Arcana Blood''. : ; : (Japanese);

Erika Harlacher Erika Lynn Harlacher-Stone (; born August 29, 1990) is an American voice actress based in the Los Angeles area who has provided voices for English dubbed Japanese anime shows and video games. Some of her major roles in anime include: Yugo in W ...

(English) :A girl who was introduced as a junior high classmate of Haruo's before attending an all-girls high school with Onizuka, initially introverted and spent much of her time studying alone before spending time with Haruo after her family store acquired a Neo Geo MVS. She became a more sociable person with an interest in gaming after spending time, her natural instinct for fighting games making her a force to be reckoned with. After a fateful showdown at her and Haruo was usual stomping grounds and her jealous nature, she developed a bit of a sadistic side whenever Haruo's around. Eventually, Nikotama, head of the "Mizonokuchi Force," took notice of Koharu and her skills and did everything he could to reawaken Koharu's passion for fighting games. In Hi Score Girl DASH, a spinoff series, she takes a job teaching middle school. ; :Hidaka Shop's operators. ; : (Japanese);

Lucien Dodge Lucien Dodge (born June 24, 1984) is an American voice actor who does work in animation, anime and video games. He is mostly known for his characters in anime such as Waver Velvet in '' Fate/Zero'', Maron and Chili in ''Pokémon'', K1-B0 in '' Da ...

(English) :One of Haruo's classmates during junior high and high school who is his best friend. He also enjoys arcades, though not to the same degree as Haruo. He has a knack for attracting the ladies, and is quick to pick up on the bizarre love triangle formed by his classmates. ; :Haruo's middle school years 2-3 teacher. ; : (Japanese);

Kyle McCarley Kyle McCarley (born December 5Birthday tweets: * ) is an American voice actor known for his work in video games and anime. In anime, he is known as the voice of Shigeo Kageyama from ''Mob Psycho 100'', Mikazuki Augus from '' Mobile Suit Gundam: ...

(English) :Haruo's classmate in 6-2 and again in high school. A snobby kid who tries to come off as cultured and suave, his attempts to woo Akira are met with failure. During high school, he begins to hang around Haruo and Miyao. : ; : (Japanese);

Cherami Leigh Cherami Leigh (born July 19, 1988) is an American actress. She has provided voices for a number of English-language versions of anime series and video games with Funimation, Bang Zoom! Entertainment, NYAV Post, Studiopolis and Viz Media. Some of ...

(English) :The bespectacled official instructor of the Ono household. A totalitarian authoritarian who will stop at nothing to make sure Akira is nothing short of perfect and worthy as an heir to the Ono family name, she is absolutely against any kind of fun within the Ono household, which creates friction amongst its inhabitants. After seeing the effect Haruo's had on Akira and the error of her ways, she begins to relent a little, with emphasis on the word "little". If one doesn't work hard enough, she piles on more work. If one works too hard, she rewards them by piling on more work. : ; : (Japanese);

Cristina Vee Cristina Danielle Valenzuela (born July 11, 1987), known by her stage name Cristina Vee, is an American voice actress and voice director. She provides voices for English dubs of anime, animation, and video games. Vee's roles in anime include ...

(English) :A girl who went to school with Haruo from elementary to junior high, then seen at the same all-girl high school with Koharu. She is grotesque in appearance and crass in demeanor, though she apparently isn't self aware of that. She also has a noticeable

lisp A lisp is a speech impairment in which a person misarticulates sibilants (, , , , , , , ). These misarticulations often result in unclear speech. Types * A frontal lisp occurs when the tongue is placed anterior to the target. Interdental lispi ...

. : ; : (Japanese);

Cindy Robinson Cindy Robinson is an American voice actress who voices in animations and video games. Some of her major roles are Makoto Nanaya and Gii from the ''Blazblue'' series, Betty Boop in commercials, Queen Beryl in ''Sailor Moon'', Chitose Nanbu in ...

(English) :The energetic mother of Haruo. (The disposition of Yagouchi's father is unknown and deliberately never mentioned in the show or anime; he may be deceased, divorced or perhaps simply absent due to work.) Despite his shortcomings, she's very supportive of her son in her own quirky and loving manner. Whenever there's company, she's quick to offer her special stack of "Hotcakes Straight From a Manga". : ; : (Japanese);

Joe Ochman Joe Ochman is an American actor who is most active in voice over roles in various animation shows, films, and video games. He is the fourth and current voice of Jiminy Cricket since 2014. Filmography Live-action * '' Adventures in Voice Acting' ...

(English) :An elderly man that works as Akira's chauffeur. He is a self-proclaimed pachinko addict, and has a nasty habit of running over Haruo with the family limousine. : ; : (Japanese);

(English) :Akira's defiant older sister gave up her claim to the Ono empire to her younger sibling. She secretly regretted doing so, having seen the wringer Moemi put her sister through over several years. She has since lightened up knowing that Akira's found a friend in Haruo through her formerly secret passion for gaming. Makoto has extremely similar features to her younger sister Akira, but none of the discipline and fortitude. Having grown tired of the Spartan upbringing brought upon her by her family name, she now tries to enjoy the wonders of the "outside world" much to the ire of the family tutor, Moemi. As such, she frequently runs into Haruo and his friends after her introduction. She's also on good terms with Haruo's mother and has become yet another frequent guest of the Yaguchi household. : ; : (Japanese);

(English) :A guidance counselor at Haruo's middle school, and likes to play video games as well. He resembles Lau Chan from ''

Virtua Fighter is a series of fighting games created by Sega-AM2 and designer Yu Suzuki. The original ''Virtua Fighter (video game), Virtua Fighter'' was released in October 1993 and has received four main sequels and several spin-offs. The highly influential ...

'' series. : ; : :Daughter of an arcade proprietor, Felicia is the head of the "Mizonokuchi Force", a band of gamers who operate in Kawasaki City. She takes Koharu under her wing after witnessing her skill. : ;Aulbath Ōimachi : : ;Sagat Takdanobaba : : ;Blanka Kuhombutsu : : ;Sasquatch Tamagawagakuenmae :

Video game characters

Various video game characters were credited for redubbing for the television series, except for Phobos/Huitzil, Driver, Hell Chaos, EDI.E, Holmes, Watson, Geese.

''Street Fighter''

; :An USA fighter introduced in '' Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. The voices 'Sonic Boom' and 'Faneffu' were dubbed for the television series. ; :A Soviet Union fighter introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior'', and Akira's favourite character. ;/Akuma :A hidden character from Thailand, introduced in ''

Super Street Fighter II Turbo ''Super Street Fighter II Turbo'' is a fighting game released for the arcades by Capcom in Japan on February 23, 1994, in North America on February 23 and March 26, 1994 (beta) and in Europe in March 1994 (beta). It is the fifth installment in ...

''. ; :A Japan fighter introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. ; :A India fighter introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. ; :A Brazil fighter introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. ; :A China fighter introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. ;/M.Bison :A fighter from Thailand stage, introduced in ''Street Fighter II: The World Warrior''. ;/Charlie :An USA fighter introduced in '' Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams''.

''Final Fight''

; :A ''

Final Fight ''Final Fight'' is a series of beat 'em up video games by Capcom, which began with the arcade release of '' Final Fight'' in 1989. Set in the fictional Metro City, the games focus on a group of heroic vigilantes who fights against the control ...

'' Round 1 boss. ; :A ''

'' Round 3 boss. ; :A ''

'' playable character.

''Darkstalkers''

;/Huitzil :A '' Darkstalkers'' fighter, and Koharu's favourite character. ; :A '' Darkstalkers'' fighter.

''Ghosts 'n Goblins''

; :The player character from ''

Ghosts 'n Goblins ''Ghosts 'n Goblins'', known in Japan as , is a run-and-gun platform video game series created by Tokuro Fujiwara and developed by Capcom. The first entry in the series was '' Ghosts 'n Goblins'', released in arcades on July 7, 1985. The se ...

''.

''Out Run''

; :The driver from ''

Out Run (also stylized as ''OutRun'') is an arcade driving video game released by Sega in September 1986. It is known for its pioneering hardware and graphics, nonlinear gameplay, a selectable soundtrack with music composed by Hiroshi Kawaguchi, and ...

''.

''Puzzle & Action: Tant-R''

; :A detective from '' Puzzle & Action: Tant-R'', resembles Sherlock Holmes. ; :A detective from '' Puzzle & Action: Tant-R'', resembles

Dr. Watson John H. Watson, known as Dr. Watson, is a fictional character in the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Along with Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson first appeared in the novel ''A Study in Scarlet'' (1887). The last work by Doyle f ...

''Genpei Tōma Den''

; :A '' Genpei Tōma Den'' character. ; :A '' Genpei Tōma Den'' stage 46 (

Kamakura is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. Kamakura has an estimated population of 172,929 (1 September 2020) and a population density of 4,359 persons per km² over the total area of . Kamakura was designated as a city on 3 November 1939. Kama ...

) boss.

''Puzzle Bobble''

;/Bub :The green dinosaur player character in ''

Puzzle Bobble internationally known as ''Bust-a-Move'', is a 1994 tile-matching puzzle arcade game developed and published by Taito. It is based on the 1986 arcade game '' Bubble Bobble'', featuring characters and themes from that game. Its characteristicall ...

''.

''Fatal Fury''

; :A ''

Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. Games Canon * '' Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terry ...

'' fighter.

''Splatterhouse''

; :The ''

Splatterhouse is a beat 'em up arcade game developed and published by Namco. It was the first in a series of games released in home console and personal computer formats. This cult classic would later spawn the parody '' Splatterhouse: Wanpaku Graffiti'', the ...

'' stage 7 final boss.

''Hammerin' Harry''

;/Harry :The player character from '' Hammerin' Harry''.

Gaming machines

; ; ; :Haruo's video game devices.

Media

Manga

Oshikiri launched the manga in Square Enix's ''Monthly Big Gangan'' on October 25, 2010, and ended its serialization on September 25, 2018 in the tenth 2018 issue of the magazine. The series has been published in ten ''

tankōbon is the Japanese term for a book that is not part of an anthology or corpus. In modern Japanese, the term is most often used in reference to individual volumes of a manga series: most series first appear as individual chapters in a weekly or m ...

'' volumes, with the first volume released on February 25, 2012, and the tenth and final volume released on March 25, 2019. Square Enix Manga & Books licensed the manga in English, with the first volume released on February 25, 2020. The December 2019 issue of ''Monthly Big Gangan'' announced that a spinoff manga titled ''Hi Score Girl DASH'' focusing on Koharu Hidaka, now a middle school teacher, would be in the magazine's next issue on December 25.

Anime

''Monthly Big Gangan'' announced in December 2013 that an anime adaptation was green-lit. In March 2018, the anime adaptation was confirmed to be a television series animated by SMDE, with production by J.C. Staff. It aired from July 13 to September 28, 2018. It is directed by Yoshiki Yamakawa and written by Tatsuhiko Urahata, featuring character designs by Michiru Kuwabata, and music by

Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese composer and pianist primarily known for her work in video games. She graduated from the Osaka College of Music in 1988 and began working in the video game industry by joining Capcom the same year. She wrote music for several game ...

. The series' opening theme song "New Stranger" was performed by Sora tob sakana, while the series' ending theme song "Hōkago Distraction" was performed by

Etsuko Yakushimaru is a Japanese singer, producer, composer, lyricist, arranger and artist. She is broadly active, from pop music to experimental music and art. Her output has also included drawing, installation art, media art, poetry and other literature, and reci ...

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

streamed the anime on December 24, 2018, with an English dub. The series received 3 OVA episodes titled ''Extra Stage'' that premiered on March 20, 2019. A second, nine episode long season aired from October 25 to December 20, 2019, with the staff and cast reprising their roles. The second season's opening theme song "Flash" was performed by Sora tob sakana, while the second season's ending theme song "Unknown World Map" was performed by Etsuko Yakushimaru. Season 2 premiered on Netflix on April 9, 2020 outside of Japan and China.

Reception

It was number two on the 2013

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

's ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi!'' Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was also nominated for the 6th

Manga Taishō The is a Japanese comics award recognizing achievement in manga. It is awarded annually to a manga series published in the previous calendar year of eight or fewer collected volumes in length. The Manga Taishō was founded with the aim of re ...

and the 17th

Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize Named after Osamu Tezuka, the is a yearly manga prize awarded to manga artists or their works that follow the Osamu Tezuka manga approach founded and sponsored by Asahi Shimbun. The prize has been awarded since 1997, in Tokyo, Japan. Curren ...

. It was number nine in the 2013

Comic Natalie is a Japanese entertainment news website that debuted on February 1, 2007. It is operated by Natasha, Inc. The website is named after the song of the same name by Julio Iglesias. ''Natalie'' has been providing news for such leading Japanese p ...

Grand Prize. As of December 30, 2012, volume 3 has sold 59,016 copies and as of July 7, 2013, volume 4 has sold 103,734 copies.

Legal issues

On August 5, 2014, Osaka District Police searched the offices of Square Enix, the publishers of ''Hi Score Girl'', acting on an IP violation claim by

SNK Playmore is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. It is the successor to the company Shin Nihon Kikaku and presently owns the SNK video game brand and the Neo Geo video game platform. SNK's predecessor Shin Nihon Kikaku was founded in 1978 ...

stating that the manga allegedly features over 100 instances of characters from ''

The King of Fighters ''The King of Fighters'' (''KOF'') is a series of fighting games by SNK that began with the release of '' The King of Fighters '94'' in 1994. The series was developed originally for SNK's Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware. This served as the main ...

'', ''

Samurai Shodown ''Samurai Shodown'', known in Japan as is a fighting game series by SNK. The series began in 1993 and is known for being one of the earliest in the genre with a primary focus on weapon-based combat. Plot The stories in the series take place ...

'', and other fighting games. In response, Square Enix voluntarily recalled all printed volumes and temporarily suspended publication of future volumes and digital sales. However, the manga continued its run in ''Monthly Big Gangan''. In August 2015, it was reported that Square Enix and SNK Playmore had reached a settlement, cancelling the lawsuit and enabling the manga to be sold again in different formats.

References

External links

*
Hi Score Girl
' on

''High Score Girl''
at

Square Enix is a Japanese multinational holding company, production enterprise and entertainment conglomerate, best known for its ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', '' Star Ocean'' and ''Kingdom Hearts'' role-playing video game franchises, among numerou ...

Big Gangan *Square Enix Manga and Books page
Hi Score Girl
*J.C.STAFF page
''Hi Score Girl''
Anime Official Site * {{Street Fighter series Comics set in the 1990s Gangan Comics manga J.C.Staff Netflix original anime Romantic comedy anime and manga Seinen manga Shogakukan franchises Square Enix franchises Works about video games