Hi Score Girl

Kris Naudus

Senior Editor

Ask most people what arcades look like, and they'll probably describe games like Pong and Space Invaders sitting in dimly-lit, neon-decorated rooms filled with smoke and a soundtrack of Pac-Man Fever. Arcades are firmly grounded in our collective consciousness as peak eighties culture, which is odd when you consider the average gamer these days is in their mid-30s and much too young to have experienced that era. For those adults marching closer toward middle age, our actual arcade nostalgia is set in the early '90s: The era of Cruis'n USA, Lethal Enforcers and the six-player beat 'em up X-Men. And fighting games. Oh man, the fighting games. Street Fighter II and all those it inspired, like Fatal Fury, Mortal Kombat and Virtua Fighter. Burning through a stack of quarters as you tried to master every move, fight every boss and stand up against the surly teenagers who would inevitably kick you off the machine.

One of Netflix's upcoming anime premieres, Hi Score Girl, is a love letter to that era. Ostensibly it's about a little video-game-obsessed boy living in 1991 Japan, who befriends a shy classmate of his with The Wizard-esque levels of skill when it comes to any game she gets her hands on: The eponymous "Hi Score Girl." But really, what it's really about is how it felt to live in that era, what it was like to learn how to play these games, to face off against random challengers much older than yourself and finding the best ways to make your meager allowance of quarters (or in this case, 100-yen coins) go a lot further. It's chock full of nerdy references, sure. (How often are you ever going to hear any show refer to the "Waiting Guile?") And the show goes a long way toward establishing some authenticity, even enlisting composer Yoko Shimomura to make the music: She was one of the original composers for Street Fighter II (though these days she's probably better known for Kingdom Hearts).

But what really lifts Hi Score Girl above reference fests like Ready Player One is that it's a show about how it felt to live in that era, regardless of specific game titles or music or any other material things that existed then. Name-checking a beloved title can certainly inspire a pang of nostalgic familiarity, but Hi Score Girl wants to remind you what childhood itself felt like. The specific games are irrelevant to the overall story of these two children's friendship, where it takes them and the sense of wonder at each new experience. That's the kind of childhood throwback I can really get behind. Well, that and a spinning bird kick.

Bojack Horseman

Nick Summers

Reporter BoJack Horseman is one of the smartest and most emotionally gut-wrenching shows Netflix has ever produced. Season five continues to explore Bojack, a frequently drunk, angry and drug-fueled person who has committed some truly (truly) horrific deeds, as he tries to piece his life back together and support those who stick by him. The show's relentless interrogation of Hollywood, celebrity culture and mental health is utterly captivating, as always.

Daniel Cooper

Senior Editor

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"IRL" is a recurring column in which the Engadget staff run down what they're buying, using, playing and streaming.