OK, then. Where did we leave off?

In season one of Hi Score Girl, Yaguchi Haruo, a grade school student, cares for nothing but video games. One day he sees his rich classmate Akira Ono in an arcade pretty much cleaning up all challenges. To Yaguchi, she’s a rival. But Akira is a girl with a troubled life. Forced by her parents to prepare for her future role as heir to the family business and estate, Akira comes to the arcade to escape, and she sees Yaguchi as an emotional crutch. When forced to go to the United States for schooling, Akira breaks down into Yaguchi’s arms in one of the most heart-wrenching scenes in anime. Oh, Akira does return, but only after a blonde named Hidaka has her sights set on Yaguchi.

So on to season two. And while not bad, season two is a letdown – until we get to the final three episodes. By now, everyone is in high school, and Akira has changed. She is still silent and shy, but not as weak as she was in season one. In season one, Akira’s angst was the center of the story. But while we were all pulling for her to persevere, we certainly did not expect season two to devolve into a stereotypical love triangle. Now it is Akira and Hidaka who are rivals, and the clueless Yaguchi begins to figure out that maybe these girls just want to be more than friends? It is all rather routine, until Yaguchi finally becomes honest with his feelings, but will he totally blow his chance at love?

Will the ending be uplifting or a letdown. Will the viewer get the resolution hoped for? It is not all that clear, but I liked the wrap up.

Artistically, Hi Score Girl sets no new levels of achievement, but is simple style does serve the story, as does the animation. In all, the series keeps its innocence, though at times you are not too sure how far the characters will go.

If you liked season one of Hi Score Girl, you might as well watch season two to see how it all turns out. You won’t regret it.