While a number of anime shows on Netflix will be a one and done type property depending on what it is, there’s also the reality that Netflix wants to get a couple of seasons of something to keep people as subscribers. The second season of High Score Girl is working through its run there and while we’re used to seeing extended promos prior to broadcast, it’s unusual to get them mid or late into the run. But that’s what we’re getting here with a highlight of the theme song as well to show off a very fun property I suspect a lot of anime fans just haven’t checked out because of where it streams.
Yoshiki Yamakawa directed it while Tatsuhiko Urahata worked on the series composition while Michiru Kuwabata adapted the character designs. JC Staff is in charge of the animation production.
The Japanese cast includes Kohei Amasaki as Haruo Yaguchi, Sayumi Suzushiro as Akira Ono, and Yuki Hirose as Koharu Hidaka, Kazuyuki Okitsu as Koutarou Miyao, Daiki Yamashita as Kenta Doi, Dario Midou as Chihiro Onizuka, Satomi Arai as Namie Yaguchi, Shizuka Ito as Moemi Gouda, Chō as Jiiya, Chinatsu Akasaki as Makoto Oono, Tomokazu Sugita as Grade School Homeroom Teacher, Kana Ueda as Tohno-sensei, Taketora as Koharu’s Father, and And Hōchū Ōtsuka as the Narrator.
Etsuko Yakushimaru is handling the ending theme song for the series with her song “Hokago Distraction” being used for it.
The manga series from Rensuke Oshikiri has been on an odd journey overall as it’s something you don’t hear happening too often out of Japan for a number of legal reasons. Oshikiri’s series High Score Girl began back in 2010 and had an anime adaptation announced in late 2013 with what was believed to be a 2014 debut. Little happening in regards to that series for awhile – no staff or cast were ever revealed – and then the manga series itself went on hiatus in 2014 due to publisher Square Enix being sued over the use of characters that SNK Playmore owned within the book in May 2014.
And then back in 2015, it looked like everything had been resolved as Square Enix has announced that they’re going to pursue “collaborative opportunities” with SNK Playmore and SNK Playmore has dropped its complaint.
Check out the official site and Twitter.
Plot concept: The year is 1991 and 6th grader Yaguchi Haruo only has video games to live for. He’s not popular in school and he’s neither handsome, funny, nice nor even friendly. The only thing he has going for him is that he is good at video games. One day at the local arcade, he plays Oono Akira, a fellow classmate but who’s popular, smart, pretty and a rich girl that absolutely destroys him at Street Fighter II. Not only does he lose to her 30 times in a row, he can’t beat her at any game. Haruo can’t seem to shake Akira off as she follows him from arcade to arcade everyday after school and beats him every time. As weird as it sounds, the odd couple begins a strange bond and friendship.
