History Manga / HighScoreGirl

* ILetYouWin: One of Haruo's biggest BerserkButtons. [[spoiler: During the Kyoto [=SSF2=] tournament, Haruo finally manages to defeat Akira--only for the arcade technicians to discover that some of the buttons on Akira's side of the machine had been broken by an earlier contestant, but only after the tournament proper was concluded. He first mistakes her silence on the matter as an act of condescension towards him, but Guile later muses that Akira may have simply let the issue slide so as not to cause a fuss during the finals.]]

Written and illustrated by Rensuke Oshikiri, ''High Score Girl'' is a Main/{{Seinen}} romantic comedy manga that chronicles the OddFriendship between the under-performing delinquent Haruo and LonelyRichKid Akira as they slowly bond through their shared enthusiasm for video games. It was first published in Creator/SquareEnix's ''Big Gangan Monthly'' magazine in 2010 and is still ongoing. It was rumored to have an anime adaptation in 2013, but so far nothing has appeared.

* BestHerToBedHer: Gender-flipped version. [[spoiler: Hidaka believes that Haruo will only take her seriously if she can overcome him in fighting games, to the point of training herself to become better than he is. She eventually makes a bet with him on the condition that if he wins against her, he can go after Oono; but if he loses, then he has to date Hidaka instead.]]

* TheGamblingAddict: Akira's personal butler is hopelessly addicted to pachinko. [[spoiler: It also helps him to empathize with her love of arcade games despite appearing to be a strict authoritarian at first.]]

* ILetYouWin: [[spoiler: During the Kyoto [=SSF2=] tournament, Haruo finally manages to defeat Akira--only for the arcade technicians to reveal that some of the buttons on Akira's side of the machine were broken by an earlier player, but only after the tournament proper was concluded. He first mistakes her silence on the matter as an act of condescension towards him, but Guile later muses that Akira may have simply let the issue slide so as not to cause a fuss during the contest finals.]]
* InsaneTrollLogic: Haruo has an episode of this when playing VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha for the first time, as Guile was not present in the prequel. Guile then advises him to play as Charlie since they both have similar movesets...until Haruo [[BaitAndSwitch decides to play as]] [[VideoGame/FinalFight Guy]] because "Guy and Guile are similar-sounding names". He also uses this method to endure his part-time job as a bento factory line worker by imagining the entire process as a PlatformGame.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Haruo's mom may be strict when it comes to his grades, but at least she encourages her son to love his video game hobbies, noting that it would be hard for him to excel in anything else if he can't even do one thing right. [[spoiler: Also, Oono's chauffeur and personal butler, who recognizes her need to cut loose after witnessing just how harsh Moemi-sensei can be.]]

* RousingSpeech: Guile gives several to Haruo over the course of the manga. [[spoiler: Later on, Miyao does the same when advising Haruo about his LoveTriangle, much to the annoyance of several girls in a swimming class close to them.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Hidaka]] became much, ''much'' better at fighting games after the TimeSkip, to the point where [[spoiler: she]] could consistently beat Haruo in both ''Darkstalkers'' and ''[[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Samurai Shodown II]]''. On a different scale, Haruo begins to take both his studies and gaming more seriously [[spoiler: after Akira's butler implores him to become her pillar of support.]]

* OnlySaneMan: Miyao seems to be the most grounded character compared to everyone else in the cast, with the additional perk of being perceptive enough to [[TheEmpath read his friends' feelings] at a single glance.

* ObliviousToLove: Haruo. It took [[ItMakesSenseInContext Guile throwing a Sonic Boom at the back of his head]] to make him realize his feelings for Akira, and several years after the fact he's still as oblivious as ever [[spoiler: which forces Hidaka to make a [[TheBet bet]] against him in order to try and win him away from Akira. Ironically, it is this act of desperation which makes him realize how much he cares for his beloved {{Ojou}}.]]

* ChickMagnet: Surprisingly enough, not his HandsomeLech classmate Doi, but ''Haruo himself''. Both his mother and Miyao note that his kindhearted nature would be sure to make him a lady-killer in the future; they're both right.

* NiceGuy: Miyao, [[SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan the sensitive guy to Haruo's manly man]]. He's polite to a fault, is always ready to lend a helping hand to anyone, and is empathic to the point where he's able to read his friend's true feelings. In fact he's one of the few to recognize that Haruo is a NiceGuy himself despite his JerkassFacade.

* AmbiguouslyBi: Miyao. While it's never explicitly mentioned, he notes at one point that if he were a girl he would have fallen for Haruo himself. He did confess to Haruo at one point that he had a crush on Oono, however.

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Hidaka]] became much, ''much'' better at fighting games after the TimeSkip, to the point where [[spoiler: she]] could consistently beat Haruo in both ''Darkstalkers'' and ''[[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Samurai Shodown II]]''. On a different scale, Haruo begins to take both his studies and gaming more seriously [[spoiler: after Akira's butler implores him to rescue her from her fate as a zaibatsu heir.]]

* UnbrokenVigil: As a result of Oono's violent pranks, Haruo falls sick early on in the manga. Akira ends up visiting him in his room, and it is here that she first realizes her attraction for Haruo while watching over him. Hidaka mirrors the same vigil later on...which in turn [[LoveEpiphany causes Haruo to realize that he misses having Akira around]].
* UnskilledButStrong: A variation. Hidaka had never bothered to play fighting games before in her entire life, but when she picked up the joystick she could execute difficult super moves and even [[VideoGame/MortalKombat fatalities]] despite never having played the games in question before. [[spoiler: She takes advantage of this fact and trains hard to try and win Haruo's affection, and the results show after the timeskip.]]

* MadeOfIron: Haruo lampshades it concerning himself after getting struck by Oono's limousine:
-->''"I'm not smart, I'm not the best at gaming and I can't win fights, but I do have one thing going for me: I can take a hit."''

* InsaneTrollLogic: Haruo has an episode of this when playing VideoGame/StreetFighterAlpha for the first time, as Guile was not present in the prequel. Guile then advises him to play as Charlie since they both have similar movesets...until Haruo [[BaitAndSwitch decides to play as]] [[VideoGame/FinalFight Guy]] because "Guy and Guile are similar-sounding names".

* ILetYouWin: [[spoiler: During the Kyoto [=SSF2=] tournament, Haruo finally manages to defeat Akira--only for the arcade technicians to reveal that some of the buttons on Akira's side of the machine were broken by an earlier player, but only after the tournament proper was concluded. He first mistakes it as an act of condescension on her part towards him, but Guile later muses that Akira may have simply let it slide so as not to cause a fuss during the contest finals.]]

* ClingyJealousGirl: Akira. [[spoiler: She and Hidaka end up meeting at an arcade and playing VideoGame/VirtuaCop together. The latter takes advantage of the opportunity to question Akira about her relationship with Haruo, which throws her game off at first. Once Hidaka lays out her intent to have Haruo to herself, though, Akira [[BerserkButton goes ballistic]] and [[LetsGetDangrous completely dominates the game]], leaving Hidaka in the dust.]]

* ClingyJealousGirl: Akira. [[spoiler: She and Hidaka end up meeting at an arcade and playing VideoGame/VirtuaCop together. Hidaka takes advantage of the opportunity to question Akira about her relationship with Haruo, which throws her game off at first. Once Hidaka lays out her intent to have Haruo to herself, though, Akira [[BerserkButton goes ballistic]] and completely dominates the game in one go.]]

** ''[[Mondegreen "Fani-foom!"]]''

** Mrs. Yaguchi performing seemingly impossible stunts just to peek in her son's bedroom.

* ShownTheirWork: Rensuke Oshikiri is very passionate about video games, and it ''shows''. He includes many references to console and video game release dates, mechanics particular to certain titles, and even [[MetaGame beginner, intermediate and advanced techniques]] used in fighting games like Guile's tick throw method[[note]]forcing an opponent to block against weak attacks before walking up to them and using a throw[[/note]]. At one point a win-ratio chart[[note]]used for determining CharacterTiers[[/note]] for ''Night Warriors: Darkstalkers' Revenge'' is even shown and the topics of zoning and ''fighting game frame data'' are discussed in brief.

[[caption-width-right:350:Haruo and Akira.]]

-> ''"The world wavered in 1991...and a bond with that girl began."''

** At one point, [[spoiler: ''Zangief'']] utters a very familiar line while trying to convince Akira of Haruo's goodness:

* Tsundere: Amazingly, both Haruo ''and'' Akira are this ''towards each other''. It's just as awkward as it sounds.

Written and illustrated by Rensuke Oshikiri, ''High Score Girl'' is a ''Main/{{Seinen}}'' slice of life manga that chronicles the OddFriendship between the under-performing delinquent Haruo and LonelyRichKid Akira as they slowly bond through their shared enthusiasm for video games. It was first published in Creator/SquareEnix's ''Big Gangan Monthly'' magazine in 2010 and is still ongoing. It was rumored to have an anime adaptation in 2013, but so far nothing has appeared.

** Don't try to cheat Oono at video games. [[spoiler: And for that matter, don't try to steal Haruo away from her, as Hidaka found out.]]

* MementoMacguffin: Haruo manages to win a toy ring from an old prize catcher machine inside the Cracked Skull arcade and give it as a parting gift to Akira before she went to the States. [[spoiler: After her subsequent return and defeat at his hands during a [=SSF2=] tournament, they get into a fistfight sparked by a misunderstanding--and it is only stopped when Haruo sees that she had been keeping the same toy ring on her necklace all along.]]

* UnbrokenVigil: As a result of Oono's violent pranks, Haruo falls sick early on in the manga. Akira ends up visiting him in his room, and it is here that she first realizes her attraction for Haruo while watching over him. Hidaka mirrors the same vigil later on...which in turn causes Haruo to realize that he misses having Akira around.

--->''"Since I know very well what it feels like...[[WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph to be labeled the bad guy...]]"''

* TheAce: Oono Akira, full stop. Not only is she an honor student, she's also classically trained in music, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, calligraphy and ''[[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers mixed martial arts]]'', on top of being ''incredibly'' good at most arcade games.

* AmbiguouslyGay: Miyao. While it's never explicitly mentioned, he notes at one point that if he were a girl he would have fallen for Haruo himself.

** Don't try to "invade" Haruo's "personal sanctuary" and show him up at fighting games.

* BestHerToBedHer: Done in reverse. [[spoiler: Hidaka feels this way towards Haruo, to the point of training herself to become better at fighting games than he is. She eventually makes a bet with him on the condition that if he wins, he can go after Oono; but if he loses, then he has to date Hidaka instead.]]

* ButtMonkey: Haruo. In the first chapter alone he gets an ''arcade cabinet'' kicked into his midsection and a right hook to the face due to using a cheap playstyle against Oono, and it gets worse from there; even his mother gets in on the act later on by ''suplexing him''. Doi is also one due to his CasanovaWannabe tendencies.

* ChickMagnet: ''Haruo'', surprisingly enough. Both his mother and Miyao note that his kindhearted nature would be sure to make him a lady-killer in the future; they're both right.

* DifficultButAwesome: To cement her skill level, Akira is shown to pick the most difficult characters to play fighting games and beat 'em ups with, particularly grappler characters. She is able to execute Zangief's 360 degree Atomic Buster / Spinning Pile Driver consistently and with little effort, and can 1-coin clear VideoGame/FinalFight with Haggar. She later translates these skills to VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} when playing as Victor. [[spoiler: It's later shown that she picked these characters because she felt they were unwanted and unloved due to how difficult they were to play as.]]

* ElegantGothicLolita: Futako, an underground pro gamer whom Hidaka meets later in the story.

* LoserProtagonist: Haruo. He's BookDumb, [[TheSlacker incredibly lazy]] when it comes to schoolwork, isn't physically attractive whatsoever and has no ambitions in life apart from video games. [[CharacterDevelopment Meeting Oono slowly breaks him out of this mold]].

* MadeOfIron: Haruo lampshades it concerning himself:

* RescueRomance: Played with. Akira overhears Haruo talking to another gamer about a legendary 10-Yen arcade somewhere in the city, and when the latter gets on his bike she immediately hops on the back. Despite Haruo's protests, he agrees to take her with him out of kindness. It's then shown that she's actually trying to run away from Gouda-sensei's overly strict mentoring, and it's this act of Haruo's that truly begins cement their relationship.

* SadistTeacher: Gouda Moemi, towards Akira. [[spoiler: It is later revealed that she became this after Oono's elder sister chose to be a delinquent]].
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[spoiler: Oono's elder sister decides to [[AbdicateTheThrone opt out of becoming the Oono Zaibatsu's next heir]] when she realizes just how much of a burden it would be, which in turn causes Moemi-sensei to become harsher towards Akira.]]

* ShownTheirWork: Rensuke Oshikiri is very passionate about video games, and it ''shows''. He includes many references to console and video game release dates, mechanics particular to certain titles, and even [[MetaGame intermediate/advanced techniques]] used in fighting games like Guile's tick throw method[[note]]forcing an opponent to block against weak attacks before walking up to them and using a throw[[/note]]. At one point a win-ratio chart[[note]]used for determining CharacterTiers[[/note]] for ''Darkstalkers'' is even shown and the topic of ''fighting game frame data'' is discussed in brief.

* SoreLoser: ''Haruo''. The kid can't take defeat in fighting games so easily.

* TimeSkip: Several are used throughout the story. [[spoiler: the first one happens after Akira leaves for the States and is used to introduce [[TheRival Hidaka]]; the second happens after Haruo fails to enter the same school Akira was going to study in after returning to Japan.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Hidaka]] became much, ''much'' better at fighting games after the TimeSkip, to the point where [[spoiler: she]] could consistently beat Haruo in both ''Darkstalkers'' and ''VideoGame/SamuraiShodownII''. On a different scale, Haruo begins to take both his studies and gaming more seriously [[spoiler: after Akira's butler implores him to rescue her from her fate as a zaibatsu heir.]]

* DifficultButAwesome: To cement her skill level, Akira is shown to pick the most difficult characters to play fighting games and beat 'em ups with, particularly grappler characters. She is able to execute Zangief's 360 degree Atomic Buster / Spinning Pile Driver consistently and with little effort, and can 1-coin clear VideoGame/FinalFight with Haggar. She later translates these skills to VideoGame/Darkstalkers when playing as Victor. [[spoiler: It's later shown that she picked these characters because she felt they were unwanted and unloved due to how difficult they were to play as.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Hidaka]] became much, ''much'' better at fighting games after the TimeSkip, to the point where [[spoiler: she]] could consistently beat Haruo in both ''Darkstalkers'' and ''Samurai Shodown II''. On a different scale, Haruo begins to take both his studies and gaming more seriously [[spoiler: after Akira's butler implores him to rescue her from her fate as a zaibatsu heir.]]