| Hi Score Girl | |
Cover of the first tankōbon volume of Hi Score Girl, featuring Haruo Yaguchi (left) and Akira Ono (right) | |
| ハイスコアガール (Hai Sukoa Gāru) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Rensuke Oshikiri |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| English publisher |
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| Magazine | Monthly Big Gangan |
| Original run | October 25, 2010 – September 25, 2018 |
| Volumes | 10 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Yoshiki Yamakawa |
| Written by | Tatsuhiko Urahata |
| Music by | Yoko Shimomura |
| Studio |
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| Licensed by | Netflix |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, MBS, BS11 |
| Original run | July 13, 2018 – December 20, 2019 |
| Episodes | 21 + 3 OVAs |
| Manga | |
| Hi Score Girl Dash | |
| Written by | Rensuke Oshikiri |
| Published by | Square Enix |
| Magazine | Monthly Big Gangan |
| Original run | December 25, 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 8 |
Hi Score Girl (ハイスコアガール, Hai Sukoa Gāru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rensuke Oshikiri that ran from October 2010 to September 2018. The story revolves around the life of gamer Haruo Yaguchi, the arcade game scene of the 1990s (particularly fighting games), and his relationship with quiet gamer Akira Ono, as we follow the characters from about age 12 to about age 17. Known as a 1990s arcade romantic comedy, the series is notable for its unique art style, and very precise depictions of the multitude of gaming software and hardware featured. An anime television series adaptation by J.C.Staff and SMDE aired from July to September 2018. A second season aired from October to December 2019.
Haruo Yaguchi, a loner elementary school student in 1991, finds refuge in video games, particularly arcade games. Having no friends in school, he barely has relationships with anyone. This begins to change when, one day, he sees his classmate Akira Ono playing Street Fighter II at an arcade. Having only known Akira as a rich girl of few words, he is shocked to see her not only playing games but also being good at them. After challenging her to multiple games of Street Fighter, where she wins 30 times, he vows to beat her one day. However, after the incident, the two polar opposites find themselves becoming close friends, with the two finding a shared interest in gaming despite their differences.
Various video game characters were credited for redubbing for the television series, except for Phobos/Huitzil, Driver, Hell Chaos, EDI.E, Holmes, Watson, and Geese.
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 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, and the last on January 17, 2023.
A spin-off, titled Hi Score Girl Dash, focusing on Koharu Hidaka, now a middle school teacher, started in Monthly Big Gangan on December 25, 2019.
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | February 25, 2012 | 978-4-7575-3512-1 978-4-7575-5039-1 (Cont.) | February 25, 2020 | 978-1-64609-016-7 | |
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| 2 | June 25, 2012 | 978-4-7575-3642-5 978-4-7575-5040-7 (Cont.) | March 24, 2020 | 978-1-64609-017-4 | |
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| 3 | December 25, 2012 | 978-4-7575-3841-2 978-4-7575-5041-4 (Cont.) | July 28, 2020 | 978-1-64609-018-1 | |
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| 4 | June 25, 2013 | 978-4-7575-3956-3 978-4-7575-5042-1 (Cont.) 978-4-7575-3959-4 (LE) | October 27, 2020 | 978-1-64609-019-8 | |
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| 5 | December 25, 2013 | 978-4-7575-4188-7 978-4-7575-5043-8 (Cont.) 978-4-7575-4161-0 (LE) | January 5, 2021 | 978-1-64609-020-4 | |
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| 6 | July 25, 2016 | 978-4-7575-5044-5 | April 27, 2021 | 978-1-64609-021-1 | |
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| 7 | January 25, 2017 | 978-4-7575-5227-2 | August 10, 2021 | 978-1-64609-022-8 | |
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| 8 | March 24, 2018 | 978-4-7575-5679-9 | December 7, 2021 | 978-1-64609-023-5 | |
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| 9 | June 25, 2018 | 978-4-7575-5768-0 | October 11, 2022 | 978-1-64609-024-2 | |
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| 10 | March 25, 2019 | 978-4-7575-6076-5 | January 17, 2023 | 978-1-64609-025-9 | |
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| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 25, 2021 | 978-4-7575-7021-4 |
| 2 | September 25, 2021 | 978-4-7575-7398-7 |
| 3 | June 23, 2022 | 978-4-7575-7941-5 |
| 4 | March 25, 2023 | 978-4-7575-8429-7 |
| 5 | December 25, 2023 | 978-4-7575-8926-1 |
| 6 | September 25, 2024 | 978-4-7575-9442-5 |
| 7 | June 25, 2025 | 978-4-7575-9916-1 |
| 8 | April 24, 2026 | 978-4-301-00480-6 |
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. The series runs at 60fps (mainly for the game footage, due to having a 60hz rate) in selected scenes, as opposed to 24fps (although it was encoded at 30fps). 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. Netflix streamed the anime on December 24, 2018, with an English dub. The series received three 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.
Hi Score Girl won the Tokyo News Services' TV Bros magazine Bros. Comic Award 2012. It was number two on the 2013 Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was also nominated for the 6th Manga Taishō and the 17th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. It was number nine in the 2013 Comic Natalie 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.
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 stating that the manga allegedly features over 100 instances of characters from The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, 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.