High Score Girl II

High Score Girl II (2019)

Well, what can be said about this but it for me is a 10/10.

The show picks up right after the 'Extra Stage' and the story is just spectacular. It may not seem so since it is about video gaming in one sense. But this is really just a sideline matter since it really is a coming of age romance.

The show has Haruo and Akira going through what can be only seen as the pivotal moment in their lives. They live in completely different worlds with the responsibility she holds and his immaturity. They go through some pretty intense situations ... that bring many emotions forward. Koharu also brings out her feelings openly towards Haruo. The story has a spectacular finale that really pulls the strings of the heart. You are on the edge of your seat waiting for the pivot of the episode that you hope ends as you want it too.

The show is a CGI show that many would complain about. This however actually fits really well with the show. The crazy on-screen situations occurring because of the video games makes this work. It wouldn't also be right if it didn't because games like 'Street Fighter' are not done in the way of traditional anime but in a more CGI format look.

The OP for the show is great. The ED is spectacular, 'Unknown World Map by Etsuko Yakushimaru' really is so fitting for the show. It is a great song too now on my personal playlist. I hope that she continues to do anime.

Characters are pretty much as before but that is perfect. They are growing though, they change in as many ways as they don't. It is more you can just begin to see the more honest side of them.

Akira is the most outstanding of the characters in that for a girl that doesn't speak you start to feel like Haruo in that you can almost hear her speaking like he does to understand her. Her emotions are just laid bare. Thankfully we have Koharu to keep reminding Haruo of a girl's feelings that he misunderstands.

The show is just so enjoyable. Each episode had something new and unexpected and was tense and emotional. The show did not disappoint and is a triumph.

Since this catches up the Manga it is the end. There is a new one 'High Score Girl Dash' that is about Koharu when she is a middle school teacher in the future. Hopefully, we get closure on Akira and Haruo in this.

An OVA would be welcomed that shows the finale a few years later with its ultimate conclusion. That said I did wish for that with 'Toradora!' yet I still wait.

The high hats of the journeys of both Haruo Yaguchi and Akira Oono in Season 1, now include love-game rival Koharu Hidaka, that have been riled up in the Extra Stage moments, that all in all, have descended onto the continuation that is Season 2. Going through their torment of first-year high school which has concluded most of their misunderstandings and such in Season 1, here they are in the mid-90s 32-bit console era (of the PlayStation and Saturn), where the stakes have went higher, both in game and in real life. As both Oono and Hidaka fight it out for the right to be ... the naive boy's girlfriend, Haruo is beginning to wonder that more than his gamer skills to pit against Oono, could he still possibly notice the battle of love between both girls and take charge before all hell goes loose.

And I'd have to say that the romance aspect really takes up a notch here as the three kids age, so do their dreams and ambitions that could change within the short span of time. Most particularly for Oono, her family situation hasn't been the best from Season 1's build-up that slowly saw her getting more spoiled, and then forcing her to follow family protocol like she doesn't have a choice of rebuttal to conform to. Coming from Season 1, she has been pretty much quiet for the most part, but when with either Haruo or Hidaka, only does she respond like a human in her robot state. Haruo is always playing his gamer face as usual following Season 1, as games get more bigger and complex that turns his heads 360 degrees around for the latest trends. Same for Hidaka, as her love for Haruo grows stronger, so does the objective to defeat Oono with her much improved skillsets, and understanding the bond between the inseparable duo. This love triangle sure burns brighter than the sun....and the hotter it gets, the love shines forth.

As for the other aspects, for veterans of the previous season, the CGI isn't too daunting this time, and I've just gotta give a shout-out to the animators over at Shogakukan Music & Digital Entertainment (or SMDE for short) managed to do a great job knowing how Season 1 turned out, and refined the missing pointers for improvement towards the sequel for a better experience, especially the arcade games and such. J.C.Staff's production standards still stands on par with Season 1, so it isn't a big surprise to see it withstand pretty greatly.

What is a change though, is the music department. Obviously being a new season and such, the relevant music artists came back with another new song in their catalogue, and I'm afraid to say that while group artist sora tob sakana's 2nd OP is good, the 1st OP is infinitely better IMO, while Etsuko Yakushimaru this time, managed to top her own 1st ED song with the 2nd ED that are both great.

This journey overall has been a fabulous one, and to think that this series spanned 1.5 years from start to finish really shows a lot about the dedication to a fast-dying genre, while keeping it modern. This show truly is a blessing not just as nostalgia but also to people who'd wanna see the replicas of the time of the 90s in anime form (that sadly no longer hooks). Instant recommendation for a binge if you're finally wanting to watch this all the way through.

You know I would've at least liked some upgraded aesthetics and not an awkward length of 9 episodes, J.C. Staff, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Story:

Acting as a follow-up to Season 1 (and the three OVA episodes I think are actually important), High Score Girl II acts as the finale arc to the story of Yaguchi Haruo and his unconditional love for fighting games.  Now starting their first year of high school, things like growing up and past rivalries flare up in this era of adolescence in order to finally put a cap on his long-standing rivalry with the girl that he's known from his ... youth, Akira Oono.

High Score Girl is a series I describe as being several parts video game history, several parts character growth, one part romance, and a scarily large part physical abuse for comedic effect.  The brunt of the story really is a focus on Haruo and his feelings on both life and the people around him now that he's in high school with more things to think about aside from just games.  It's because of this that I find his sections of the story to be both rewarding and enjoyable to watch, as it's time dedicated to detailing and showing the audience the maturity and growth he's had over the course of his life, while sticking true to his roots as a Guile main.

However the main selling point of High Score Girl is (apparently) its romantic story which unfortunately is a part of the series that misses a few beats with me.  The story is good at building romantic tension.  The rivalry between the two girls had motivations that felt like it had weight with Koharu especially feeling like she had something genuine to gain or lose by 'winning the guy'.  While I'm not particularly a fan of these kinds of setups outside of generic harems, there were enough stakes for that subplot to come to fruition.  Haruo also having agency in his decisions also make the romance a bit sweeter, especially after about a season and a half's worth of indecision (though that one's not really through any fault of his own.)  Despite those positives, the romance is still not as great as I think a lot of people believe.

For one thing, the season spends only the last third focused on the idea of Haruo having agency over his love life, whereas prior, both girls sent numerous mixed messages that really made me question whether or not this was supposed to be 'romantic'.  With the punchline of the series being "Everyone beat up Haruo every time he does something stupid", that problem was only exacerbated with time.  This problem is furthered by the show sporting a plot mcguffin at the end to achieve a kind of 'satisfying' conclusion that feels neither earned nor necessary.  It feels like the creators wanted to add something to make the ending more dramatic, but really it just feels like a detail that comes out of nowhere in order to build tension that wasn't there to begin with.

Regardless, the story of High Score Girl remains as a time capsule for a time long gone for veterans of the fighting game genre with a splash of romance added to the series for color.  While I'm still of the opinion that the romance could've been way better than how it was portrayed, I'm at least still satisfied with the growth of (most) of its main cast and glad that Haruo is no longer that snot-nosed brat from the beginning of the series.

Characters:

I've praised Haruo's improvement as a character due to his agency in the latter halves of the season as well as the overall growth of his character from an annoying kid who finds everyone else around him just as annoying.  His demeanor and attitude towards the rest of the cast is what sells him for me as a character, since his love of video games remains as a core part of his character, but mostly as a stool to step off of and slowly branch off into other avenues and interests as other things in his life start to become more important to him.  It's nice, and I'm glad he developed the way he did.

Oono though is a different story.  So much of her character is aided by the use of side characters and Haruo that she almost feels like a non-factor to the series.  Most of her interactions with the rest of the cast rely heavily on everyone else acknowledging her presence, and (towards Haruo only) physical violence.  It gets to a point that the ending feels unearned because it makes it seem like, without saying a word, she gets everything she wanted and doesn't nearly do so much as struggle when comparatively, Haruo does whatever he can to better himself and defiantly decides what he wants out of life and who is the one that fulfills him in the end.  Things just happen around Akira, and it irks me how this is considered 'romance' when at the end of the day, only one party is speaking.

And then there's Koharu, the unfortunate heroine of the main trio who unceremoniously gets booted out of the series and barely shows her face in the last third of the season.  Inverse to Akira, Koharu's presence and actions in the series are driven by her own desires and agency to get the things that she wants.  Her struggle with coming to terms with her own feelings and the change that went along with it is one of the best arcs the series has made.  And it's a shame that the show ends up doing her dirty the way it did.  It feels like a slap in the face because the series basically asserts its authority by saying "You are not the ending" and cuts out what little significance she had left by not giving her so much as a consolation prize for her impact to the series.

Side characters are surprisingly common this time around with a majority of the side cast having prominent roles in the lives of the main trio, and unnecessary characters were cut out to the series's benefit.  Mainstays like the Oono family driver and Haruo's mom keep up prominent appearances while newer characters like Akira's older sister REALLY make a splash to make up for any lost time when they weren't in the series prior.  My favorite supporting character however is Guile, Haruo's SF main, who acts as his spiritual advisor for all situations.  Which is kind of amusing, since it makes it seem like Haruo's losing his mind from playing too many games.

Aesthetics:

As much as I had hoped, the aesthetics for High Score Girl have not changed, and J.C. Staff still sticking with the low budget 3-D model animation for the series still leaves something to be desired.  Granted while it does reflect Oshikiri Rensuke's artstyle, the movement and overall budget of High Score Girl aren't really anything to note.  It doesn't take away from the experience all that much, but I would've hoped they could've at least made some improvements from to make help the characters not move so...unnatural.

The video game graphics are still good, and really help push for that nostalgic factor since the series is littered with pixel sprites and various fighting games from the 1990's that eventually bleed into the real world as Guile and similar characters make more and more cameos in the real world around Haruo.

The OST was never something that I paid much attention to when I was watching the first season, which unfortunately spells for a similar story for Season 2.  Flash sung by sora tob sakana is remarkably similar to the OP of Season 1 that I did a double take to make sure that they were two completely different songs.  Personally I don't find it that memorable, but the retro sounds throughout the piece are at least a nice detail that I want mention.

Yakushimaru Etsuko's "Unknown World Map" by comparison is better than its OP counterpart, sporting a quieter singer and a calmer, steady tempo that I personally find to be more pleasant.  I still don't find this song to be all that memorable, but it's at least a nice song to listen to.

Personal Enjoyment:

I may have forgotten to watch the three OVA episodes before writing this review, but surprisingly enough, I don't think it's all that necessary?  Yeah you miss on Makoto's introduction to the series, but she makes enough of a splash in S2 to negate needing to know who she is prior.

High Score Girl is a series that I've seen being praised for being a great series with a great romance story that deserves all of the praise that it's gotten.  Honestly...it's not.  Maybe most of it, but in my opinion, it's a series that succeeds in some aspects, but falters in others.  The history and progression of arcade cabinets and fighting games posing as the series's backdrop is one of the more interesting aspects of the series that I found myself weirdly engrossed in despite never delving into that genre of games.  This, combined with Haruo and Koharu's characters being given time to develop made for the blueprints of a show with a lot of potential.  Unfortunately due to some questionable plot choices and committing to the trope of the 'first girl', the High Score Girl ends up shooting itself in the foot as it stumbles to the end with a well executed, but unearned ending that feels satisfying, but hollow.

High Score Girl still has my recommendation of being something that's worth watching.  But that recommendation comes with the caveat with sections that I feel should've been different and/or the plot wasn't allowed to change from the rigid structure that it set itself in.  Oono not saying anything up till the end is a narrative choice that I feel hurt the series more than helped, and I would've liked to see at least something, anything to make her more than just this mysterious, silent girl who just so happens to be an incredible Zangief main.

Video games, a cultural phenomenon with a rich history. I look back into my early days of gaming and the very first console I got was a boyhood memory. Hi Score Girl II celebrates the video game culture in an old school fashioned style through personal experiences. With the final season here, we embark on an emotional journey between an avid gamer and a young girl in her youth.

Haruo and Akira are the iconic duo and poster characters of this sensational rom-com. I call this a romantic comedy because this season has been a roller-coaster of plot about their relationship. Beyond the game competitions, the ... two face personal obstacles. But at the same time, Hi Score Girl still flirts with their relationship. With just 9 episodes, it had to make room for us to get invested into what it’s trying to sell.

Luckily, it managed to do just that.

If you remember the previous season and the extra episodes, Hi Score Girl had established Haruo as an avid gamer while Akira Oono is the silent game prodigy. Existing as polar opposites, the show bonds them together through their mutual passion of video games. Regardless how you think about them, it’s undeniable that the two share a close chemistry that began as video gamers but begins to transform into a genuine relationship. This type of bond isn’t uncommon in our world either considering how gamers become friends from the Internet to real life. In fact, Haru himself has made real friends because of his love of video gaming. On a realistic level, Hi Score Girl connects its themes together to formulate the video game culture and tell its story. It does add rom-com elements because of the core relationship between the two main characters. But if you’ve been following this anime closely, it’s where the show really shines.

Somewhere in the middle, there’s also Koharu Hidaka, a classmate of Haruo. Unlike either character, she is more outgoing and in general more sociable as a main character. There’s a love triangle between her, Haruo, and Koharu and the series doesn’t waste much time showing that. Similar to the previous season, Koharu adds a breath of fresh air as it gives a chance for Haru to be more of himself. In respect, Koharu’s love for video games are amplified when she’s near Haru. She always wants to impress him and prove herself, especially when it comes to fighting games. It’s a genre that has been a mainstay of the show and this season raises the stakes. I’m not just talking about prize money either. It’s more about who can show how much they’ve changed or improved as a person. When you have a show a devoted to characters telling their story, it makes it that much more fascinating about the characters themselves. From a storytelling perspective, there’s drama, light comedy, emotions, and most of all, development. Without a shadow of a doubt, Haruo and Akira’s relationship is a key component that holds this season together.

But if that wasn’t enough, this sequel does also add in an adequate amount of popcorn entertainment content. Thanks to additions such as Makoto Ono (Akira’s older sister) and Haruo’s friends, they make room for moments of sarcastic humor. Hi Score Girl has been a lighthearted show despite some of its heavy drama. I confess that I probably laughed more unintentionally than I should have thanks to the personality of the characters. In particular, Makoto exist as an almost complete opposite of her sister. With a rebellious attitude and sociable personality, she’s more of an outdoors girl. When interacting with Haruo, she displays a commanding presence that puts him to shame. On the other hand, Haruo’s friends are goofballs who gets made fun like nerds at school. The show uses its sarcastic humor and pokes fun of the game culture through these characters. In later episodes, there are also creative imaginations told through video game narratives. But yet, this humor never runs dry on its course. It uses just enough time to entertain us but not overextend itself.

Hi Score Girl II is more than just a sequel. From this rom-com exists a character pair that made us see how important gaming is by bringing two people together. Gaming in modern years has been ubiquitous with battle royales, gacha, and long running sequels. Fighting games has been a niche field that spells nostalgia and this sequel brings that sensation back. With Haruo and Akira back for another season, it’s time to experience it one more time.

"Most love comes from lust, but true love comes from the heart..." - Miyao.

I didn't reckon this when starting watching High Score Girl. I didn't expect to remember my first bittersweet love with all the joy and despair comes along with it. Hiding behind a layer of already captivating story about arcade game is an outstanding and emotional coming of age romance. What a wonderful ride High Score Girl has been for me.

Picking up right from where it left off, once again we witness the life of the arcade game maniac Yaguchi as he enters his high school year. Such troublesome time for ... him since he doesn't seem to enjoy all the game like he used to be. Confused by his feelings toward his long time rival - Oono, Yaguchi struggles to find his own happy ending.

With a rather short amount of time in the span of 9 episodes, I figured the anime did a very good job of portraying the insecurities of many characters, especially Yaguchi, Oono and Hidaka. Because of the character driven nature of the story, they feel so natural and relatable. I can see a part of Yaguchi in me, the way love made him anxious and encourage him to change himself. I bet some of you see Oono and Hidaka in you as well. As they learnt that many time you can't have what you want even if you gave it their all...

Beside the great main cast, I'm surprised that the supporting managed their roles very well. The fun eccentric sister Makoto delivered some of the funniest moments in the show, her caring nature also blow a warm breeze and put a smile on my face. Yaguchi's friends are also amusing to watch, they played such a big part in Yaguchi's growth as a character.

The animation remains the same from the first season. To be honest, I found it kinda weird watching at first with faces shaped with straight line but it kinda grows on me and now I found it pretty cute. The Osts imo are cool, sound nostalgic and beautiful along with catchy op.

Coming of age truly is a mysterious and weird experience. Some of my favorite coming of age stories have, more than I’d like to admit, reflected so much of what I’ve felt as I’ve learned more about myself. That's why I felt watching them so compelling. And amongst them, High Score Girl took a very high place and surely have my highest recommendation.

Simply put, this anime is 'surprisingly' well made. It's not plot twist, but a great turn of events and character development.
I finished watching this and I can say that this anime is worth watching, 10/10
It caught me by surprise by reading the synopsis. I thought it's kinda like Karakai Jouzo no Takagi-san, Uzaki-chan wa asobitai, or other fun and chill anime.

It is fun. Then, there's drama, romance, and a mix of everything along with its childish animation. When I checked the genre, it has "romance", and "seinen". So now it all makes sense :)

I recommend to watch this. I got immersed in the anime that ... I now feel a little lost after the anime ending. There's a lot of FEELS and EXCITEMENT. FUN AND INFORMATION. There's a lot to say but I'll keep this short cause I'm a lazy typer. This is a good one and it'd be a shame if you are not able to watch this.

Review could be biased because I am very partial to anime with good soundtracks.

Summary: Overall, High Score Girl II is one of the series that leaves you in pain because there are no more episodes left. It's like one of those Korean dramas that are too good that it leaves you feeling empty inside because you've reached the end. Just like in season 1, this series makes me want to play retro arcade games even though I've never played any nor had any urges prior. The writer is clearly passionate about arcade games, and you can feel it seeping out into the story. High Score ... Girl II is super enjoyable and easily binge-watchable.

Character development, like in season 1, is phenomenal. All the characters make decisions, feel emotions, have thoughts that are easily understandable as the viewer. There are really no discrepancies from season 1. I was never distracted from the story by strange or off-putting character development.

Music/soundtrack is really good. The 8-bit synth timbre of the OP/ED definitely fits right into High Score Girl II and sounds good enough to listen separately. BGM instrumentals are really well executed as well. Never once distracted.

Story flows very well. No weird jumps or loopholes. All the time jumps are convincing and solid within their contexts. I was afraid of a cliched repeat of season 1's storyline, but I ended up forgetting about it while watching.

Animation/art usually doesn't make a huge impact on my watching experience unless it's conspicuously good so I don't have much to say. Season 2 retains that same vector-based 2D art with 3D animation style. Doesn't necessarily evoke a wow factor, but consistency with season 1 feels nice and reassuring.

I would say High Score Girl II is flawlessly executed. Every aspect of the anime is a job well done and harmonizes with each other without one standing out. An easy/natural watching experience and 10/10 would watch multiple times.

If you told me i'd enjoy a romance anime that involves fighting games this much, i wouldn't believe it. But High Score Girl II got what the first season did well and enhanced it. Still longing for a anime that focuses a lot about the FGC and how growing up in the community feels, but this anime partly fills that gap.

Story:
It catches up after Extra Stage. This time, while the Haruo vs Akira theme is still prevalent, the focus goes to the love triangle and Haruo finally acknowledging his feelings. The romance, while it can be seen as cliché (like most romance, it will always ... fall in cliché), is well done even if THAT rule is there to stay. I usually don't like romance plots in anime because they tend to be cliché and there's so much that can go wrong with them, but while High Score Girl II doesn't completely avoid those pitfalls, it doesn't fall in a way that completely breaks the story. It's a pity that the ending is too open even when the manga is over at that point and the only thing left so far is a spin-off.

Art:
While CGI is still controversial, High Score Girl II does it really well. It doesn't feel off-putting, it's expresive when it needs to and the effects on important scenes are done correctly. The sprites being there as the triangle's supporters are well made too.

Sound:
While the OST isn't legendary, it ain't bad by any means. You can see they took a cue from Guile's theme on the pre-fight music and Ken's theme on the final scene, but the piano music that accompanies romance scenes goes so well with them it nails its job perfectly. Not much to say about the OP and ED, they are fine. Yoko Shimomura is still showing why she is one of, if not, the best composer in videogames.

Character:
You thought there would be not much development? Well, guess again because development is as good as ever. Haruo's development is as great as Hidaka's development on the first season, as he matured a lot since the first season, Hidaka gets a higher protagonism both as part of the love triangle and as a great emotional support for Haruo. Akira is as always more static but that doesn't mean she didn't get good development. The side characters were also more prevalent and made the scenes more interesting.

Enjoyment:
I enjoyed this a lot from start to finish. My favourite scenes are the crew battle, the tournament mini-arc and that final episode. The crew battle was short but it left some interactions between Haruo and Hidaka. The tournament mini-arc made me a bit nostalgic for locals and longing for more animes that tackle similar scenarios. The final scene, while a bit cliché (because what isn't nowadays), was really well made and the sprites supporting him all the way through made it even better.

Conclusions:
High Score Girl might be the closest to an anime about the FGC that we'll ever get but on its own it's a fantastic anime. I usually don't like romance animes because of the reasons mentioned above and i must confess that the only reason i ever started watching it is because it's an anime about fighting games (and thankfully the writers still remember that), but even with the romance plot gaining more and more traction, i still enjoyed it through and through.

One of the better Romance animes I've ever watched, which surprises me. I didn't expect to like this anime much, but everything about this anime is what warrants is a 10 on my list. The anime picks up from season 1 extremely well, which is quite surprising, since you tend not to see such a smooth transition in some other animes. This was a hallmark final season that wraps up the LN/Manga to perfection, and was created even better than the first.

Story: 10/10

May come as a surprise, but the story was AMAZING. The throwbacks of old Street Fighter games gives a sense of nostalgia, the ... story is an emotional rollercoaster, and everything about it is perfect.

The competitiveness between characters in this game is amazing and rather realistic, the strong use of arcades matches the mid-90s to perfection, it's one of those animes that I enjoy for the nostalgia, and the romance at the same time.

Art: 9/10

I love the art in this anime. The facial and bodily styles gives me Mob Psycho vibes which isn't my favorite, but it matches the style of the anime extremely well. The slow change in how they look as they age is accurate, the scenery is beautiful, just about everything art-wise here i love.

Sound: 9/10

The sound is really good. I wasn't a huge fan of the OP and EDs, but that's okay. The sound of the arcades, the sounds of the games themselves, the absolute amazing feeling of nostalgia once again that comes from the sound in this anime is unbelievable.

Characters: 10/10

The characters in this anime were nailed to perfection. Onou doesn't speak, but that's ok as the studio nails the ability to let Haruo know what she means. Haruo's Personality and plot progression is up there with many seriously well known anime, and in season two, just shines even brighter.

Onou slowly changes her personality as the series progresses as well. They're rivals at first, but the romance that comes later, is a slow boil until you hit the second season, where it really begins to speed up. Onou and Haruo are probably top 5 in my favorite anime MCs.

Enjoyment: 10/10

Loved every second of this anime. I was dedicated to Street Fighter on the N64 as a kid, and this anime brings back a surprising amount of memories that help me remember those days. If you played any sort of arcade style game in the early to late 2000s, you're going to love this anime.

Overall: 10/10.

First time to write a review on an anime that I have watched.

This is an anime that will be most appreciated by those who lived and played the arcade games and saw the rise of of home consoles in that era.

What compiled me to write a short review is that the nostalgia factor is so great.
For someone who has been playing arcade games since the time of Galaga, 1942, etc, the arcade golden years for me was when SF2 World Warrior was released in 1991 and it was the best and the king of fighting games at that time.

I like the character emotional development of ... the 3 main characters and also how all the supporting character helped the main character grow.

Haruo's emotional character development is very good. From someone, who just loves games and aims to be the best at what he loves (playing video games), eventually matured and acknowledged that all is not about the video games.
Oblivious also, to the point of being stupid, as he was not able to feel what the girls around her feels about her, until he emotionally mature.
I guess boys at that age really mature at different rates as seen how Miyao was seeing things that Haruo isn't able to see.

Akira Ono's innate skills in using the hardest players to use for vs battles shows her character and attitude.
It's insane and cute to see a character able to express her feelings without words.
She's tenacious in her own way and shows that she will not give up what she loves as well (Kidnapped Haruo, tried to find Haruo in Shibuya alone, faced Hidaka 1-on-1).

Hidaka is my most favorite character. While she did not win her love, she is the most mature character in the series and even delivered the most important scene which is to knock sense to Haruo in the final moments.
Mature in a sense that 1. She did everything she could to express her love. 2. She fought for it as well 3. She is matured enough to accept that fact that Haruo and Ono was already able to forge a sort of an unbreakable bond, even before she noticed and fell in love with Haruo.

I love how the history of arcade games and home based console development was also infused in the story - circa 1991-1996.
If you have played arcade games from mid 1980's to late 1990's, you will love this series.
You even be able relate to the emotional story of the 3 main characters.

Animation and CGI: 9/10 (I also enjoyed the snipets after the ending credits on Season 1)
Character development: 9/10
Nostalgia factor: 10/10
History: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Overall fun factor: 9/10

Must-watch for anyone who enjoyed season 1.
High Score Girl is extremely simple when it comes to the storyline settings and character's traits but everything is so well done that it's overly satisfying to follow.

If you watched season 1, you know how simple the story is: it portrays how Haruo deals with two girls who likes him, making tons of analogies with his feelings and his passion for videogames. The love story does not escape from the "having guts to confess your feelings" and "harshness of separation" clichés we're all familiar with, but thats not what makes this anime special. It is actually how well ... this scenario develops around the main theme of the series, which are videogames.

As it happened on season 1, season 2 also shows us very with lots of details how the videogame scene grew in Japan among teenagers on the mid 90's. You can tell everything is pretty reliable... that are tons of references that alone makes this anime worth-watching if you like videogames. The insertion of pixelated game characters to represent Haruo's thoughts and the analogies he makes with videogames and his feelings also are very enjoyable. But again, the most interesting aspect of this is to observe how characters play, because it reflects their own personality and feelings. For instance, Ono always chooses buffed characters, specially Zangief on Street Fighter, which shows a deep contrast between her apparent fragile, introspective and docile looks to something as violent and full of rage, implying she has those kind of feelings supressed and uses videogames to relief herself from them. There are lots of other nuances that I wasn't expecting as well.

Ono's sister is a new character that was very welcomed on this season. She's main function is to intermediate Haruo's and Ono's interaction and she serves as Ono's "translator" once she's still very introspective. She's also funny, specially around Haruo's mom when both of them get to disturb him with these matters. Again, characters are as simple as they should be, leaving the anime with this slice of life atmosphere which helps us relate with what's happening.

animation and voice acting doesn't let down at all. The OP and ED aren't as catchy as they were in last season (specially the ED) but they're also nice. OSTs are great as well.

In the end, season 2 is a direct improvement of season 1 in most aspects and everything feels as simple and enjoyable as before. Must watch.

It's a very simple anime, but is so solid and enjoyable that it broke all of my expectations, and the second season wasn't any different. Even that is mainly focus in that nostalgia feeling of the arcades era, what really shines here is the characters and theirs relationships, making this very whatchable for the people who didn't experience the golden age of arcade video games. Talking about them, the series manages to capture the development of the video game industry with accuracy but without leaving its own charm built in the first season.
In general, the animation, even it is kind strange by a first look, ... gave the series its own personality so is really good that they didnt change that. The story didn't disappointed me, even that I still prefer the first season ones, and the characters are still the best part of the series.

If you can put aside the fact that Ono literally never says a word yet still manages to form a relationship, this is a really good anime. Even if you can't ignore that fact, it's a good anime. Because High Score Girl II speaks in themes and actions rather than words. Well there is a lot of extrapolating and interpreting wtf Ono is thinking, but Haruo's internal dialogue, symbolic themes, music, etc. all come together to create a unifying romantic buildup.

If High Score Girl I was about character and personality development, building a romantic and dramatic foundation, and most importantly maturity and budding adolescence, ... High Score Girl II is the payoff of all the prep fulfilled through romance and drama. The sharp contrast in Haruo's shitty behavior as a kid is apparent throughout the series and it really pays off to see him mature and even form a loving relationship with someone he thought he hated as a kid.

Yes there are still classic anime tropes and over-utilization of internal monologue, but the romance is still nevertheless present and one of strongest I've seen. When I first started watching, I thought it was bolognese that arcade games could cause romance, but after finishing, I'm almost believing it lol. The romance formation seems surreal and as ridiculous of a notion the plot may seem, this anime still captivates you and convinces you that arcade romance can happen. That's how good I think it is.

I still believe people are put off by the animation and I don't blame them, that shi look wack lol, but it didn't take away from how enjoyable of a story it was. Very solid anime.

HIGH SCORE GIRL (both seasons) has become one of those CGI anime, that i can gladly recommend to anyone.
Fans often complain about CGI anime, which affects the anime rating on MAL. Though, there are few exceptions like HIGH SCORE GIRL, which despite their CGI animation & somehow similar story manages to entertain the fans.

STORY (8) -- There are many similar Anime, with almost the same story. If it were unique, might have rated higher.

ART (8) -- Personally, as long as the art doesn't fail to illustrate the story, i don't care whether its CGI or not. Anyway, i rate it 8.

SOUND ... (9) -- OP & ED songs are good, just as in the prequel season. I like the unknown random background music that plays sometime, so i'm gonna search for it.

CHARACTER (10) -- I, personally like the characters. The PROTAGONIST "Haruo" is a dedicated guy & i like that he does not waver when deciding that he Loves Oono. He understands her, even though she is quiet (as shown in the anime). As for "Oono", the female lead, i like her QUIET (SILENT) nature. And i like that she accepts whatever she gets & doesn't make a big deal out of it, but she still strives for better.

ENJOYMENT (10) -- I enjoyed this sequel just as its prequels, which might have been clear from the above review.

OVERALL (9) -- Its a great anime, but i give it 9 out of 10.

High Score Girl II is a very fun and cute show that continues to follow the rivalry of the protagonist. This season focused on the development of the protagonists relationships and built upon the previous season very well. There's not much to say besides it was an enjoyable experience as we see each character grow and develop while doing their best in tough situations. The art is as weird as ever but the soundtrack and humor of the show definitely was enough for me to be invested. The show also does a very nice job incorporating many references from arcade classics and shows just how ... much these games influence the protagonist by being an outlet for him to have the mindset of "What would ___ do in this situation?!" which touched me personally since I can relate to times where my favorite game characters have motivated me to do my best as well. Overall the show is a good watch, it isn't anything too crazy but its a show that has a lot of relatable scenes and feel good moments. Hoping for another season!

In a world of Video game arcade fighters, High school, and young love... Comes a tale as old as the 90s...
Trying to balance school, work, and games in order to satiate your need for fun!

Join Haruo Yaguchi as he tries to understand the complexity, the fun, the drama, and the love between man and fighting games! Watch as he returns to his roots in order to master Street Fighter 2.

He is joined by Akira Oono. A Mute with a strong man complex. She will Grab, Grapple, and Suplex her way into getting what she wants.

Also there is Koharu Hidaka. A blonde gaming genius ... who has the mentality of a traffic light on yellow! While she has great dynamics and a well written character, watch as she decides to be indecisive!

These three must face the biggest challenge yet, in a 9 episode second season finale... Wondering what the hell is up with Shibuya Fashion?

There will be laughs, love, drama and of course... FIGHTING... GAMES!
Fighting games.

Art: 8. Same Bat Art. Same Bat Score!
Sound: 10. Can this soundtrack get better? Yes.
Character: 10. A large improvement of character and growth over season 1.
Enjoyment: Hella.
Overall: 9. If this bad movie trailer review doesn't make you understand just how fun this show was. Then just watch it. It is fantastic.

I came for the nostalgic games and references but stayed for the story. At first I thought that this was gonna be your typical coming of age story, but it was actually more than that. My longing for the feeling of nostalgia was quenched by this show, and not just because of the 90's arcade games that they showcased but also how we could somehow relate to some of the characters at that phase of our teenage life.

Story (8/10)
The plot in this second season was what I was looking for at Extra Stage. The conflict was a actually a problem to solve for our ... main character this time around. The set-up of scenarios and bits were cleverly thought in my opinion. The comedy was there, just not powerful enough. The comedy was centered around sexual jokes and zany reactions which was just and okay thing for me. The romance is actually building up somehow within this season which is really great.They are going all in on implying sex which is also natural when talking about adolescence and puberty. They did a great job keeping it SFW. The expositions were also smooth and not forced at all. All in all, starting from the premise to the conclusion, I think they executed what they wanted to portray remarkably.

Art (7/10)
Not really a fan of CGI but I don't mind them using it for this one. I think they did well in animating some of the key moments. The animation of the gameplay of the showcased games were really real to me. The characters' faces looks like they might've been created with a template to me, but I don't really mind at all. Hidaka really looks cute as hell. There wasn't a sloppy use of the CGI. There were just moments were I wished they animated that scene without using CGI.

Sound (9/10)
They OP was a banger as usual. And oh boy, I never thought they could top the ED for the first season, and boy was I wrong. Yakushimaru Etsuko always deliver what we deserve. The Original Soundtracks were amazing. The VAs also did a great job portraying their character, especially for Akira Oono.

Character (9/10)
Personally, I don't think Akira Oono is an interesting character individually. She needed the conflicts and relationships around her to build up her own character. Mainly because for the reason she doesn't talk which make her somewhat a boring character alone. But this is where Haruo Yaguchi shines brightly. He makes up for Akira's missing personality. Koharu Hidaka is another great addition to Akira's lack of self growth. They both see Oono as a far more superior being than them that's why they strive for greater in order to someday finally stand beside her. The character development on both Yaguchi and Hidaka's character was just great. Their frustrations and determination is the reason why they're a lovable character. The supporting characters were great too. Setting up comedic bits, driving expositions, they were all enjoyable to watch. Oono was just really lacking that other characters have to translate her silence. Still gave it a 9 because the other characters compensated for her.

Enjoyment (10/10)
Good plot, great music, amazing character designs, lovable characters. I find this show really enjoyable.

Ovarall (9/10)

I would make a joke about this show as the opening of my review but it seems the 9 episode runtime of this season of High Score Girl is enough of a joke. High Score Girl 2 is the hyped(?) second season to the sleeper hit first season anime that mixed video games and romance in a way that felt new and fresh... well at least enough to make an enjoyable binge. Did the second season live up to the bar that High Score Girl 1 set or did this fun little gamer romance run out of lives?

The positive parts of this new season ... can best be seen in the animation. The biggest issue season one had was how spotty the animation quality happened to be scene to scene. The 3D CGI of the second season feels more smoothed out and consistent, never leaving you with hideous looking shots like the first season had from time to time. My next positive might come as a surprise but the 9 episode runtime felt perfect for the story. The pacing was never halted and nothing this season felt like filler in the way that some of the Hidaka episodes in the first season felt. It's hard to make a show feel natural with fewer episodes then a normal seasonal show, but High Score Girl 2 did it perfectly.

A lot of the issues I find with this show however come down to the simple fact that this season doesn't make an effort to change the dynamics of or characters. The vast majority of romance anime fall into this trap of showing our characters just dip a toe into the world of being a relationship and sadly this second season of High Score Girl spends all of the runtime just teasing you with the possibility of our main characters becoming a couple. When you reach the end and finally get the conclusion to the two season arcs for our characters all you're left with is...oh? I guess that's it. For most younger audiences i'm sure this isn't an issue, but for anyone who's older or have seen more romance anime it just feels like a waste of time and if you're a romance show that fails at being a compelling romance what do you have left? Maybe I'm just cynical though.

High score girl isn't bad. It's worth watching and if you can, you should binge the show because I think that's the best way to watch it. This show won't stay on your mind for more then a month though. It's just a simple, easy, average little anime, but sometimes those are all you really need.

High Score Girl is a romantic drama (with a little bit of comedy) about a young guy who's obsessed with arcade games who meets a quiet girl and forms an unlikely friendship with her.

The story takes place in the 90's and gives a history lesson on the arcade scene and video games of the era. It's also an interesting era for the anime to be situated in. It's a simpler time without smart phones and other stuff like that.

(Some spoilers)

The characters are what make this anime shine. I especially like how Oono is basically nonverbal. She doesn't talk to anyone, the only time you hear ... her is when she bawls her eyes out or laughs. Her being totally mute really helps amplify the emotion when she cries. You rely more on reading her facial expressions to figure out what she's thinking. I'm kind of a sucker for the victim girl trope (you know, the rich girl with strict parents who neglect her or don't let her have a normal childhood life) so I guess that's partially why I thought Oono was a well written character. She comes from an overbearing family and as a result she's not a normal girl, which makes for interesting drama and plot progression.

I feel like Haruo's character is a tad inconsistent. Haruo knows that he loves Oono. There are many scenes where his internal monologue (carried out by video game characters in his head) reveals what he thinks of Oono. Compare this to how he approaches Koharu and it's disappointing. He acts like he's totally romantically inept around Koharu. He's incapable of picking up that she's attracted to him. Why is it that he is so perceptive with Oono and admits to himself that he loves her but stone cold stupid when it comes to Koharu? The only conclusion you can really draw is that he has no feelings for Koharu. He doesn't even bother treating her with basic decency and rejecting her properly. She is strung along for the entire second season as well, and on the final episode breaks down crying as the MC finally runs off to confess his love to Oono. Definitely one of the saddest (and most frustrating) character arcs.

I also think that the ending of this season felt a bit rushed. They could have probably done another episode and properly tied off the loose ends in the plot (mainly Koharu's predicament). But instead it cuts short at 9 episodes and abruptly ends with a bang.

The animation for this show is a mix of CGI, normally drawn art and some retro pixel art mixed in. Despite the CGI feeling a bit clunky, I feel that they put a lot of effort into making the characters expressive. Ultimately some viewers might find it a bit ugly, it depends on personal taste. The music and sound are fine in my opinion.

High Score Girl mixes 90's retro gaming with romance, drama and a bit of comedy and the end result is a wholesome love story with an interesting setting. I found the comedy to be a bit sparse but the love story and 90's setting and videogame lore more than makes up for that. While I think the first season did a lot of things better than this season, I still think this season deserves a solid 8 out of 10.

Now, I'm not going to sit here and say I didn't enjoy this series as a whole, because I did. I was initially going to rate this title an 8, however I found that ending to be absolutely trash. And it's not just the anime. Supposedly the anime covers the entire source material, which means we'll never see what happens after the ending. Without spoiling, most people would say that's normal for the ending of a show, but there was so much we never got to see, which means even though we're never told about it, this story likely has the bad ending that ... the story tells you will happen, the thing you want to be a fluke, but is never dealt with.

Now, there is said to be a spin-off series still being written that may have us see the two main characters again, but that's never guaranteed. I enjoyed this series, so I'm a little upset with that ending. You should check it out for yourself