20https://bestanimations.com/SignsShapes/Arrows/Left/leftarrow15.gif https://anilist.co/review/4983I should begin by stating that I really do like High Score Girl. While my criticisms may seem harsh its only because I was enthralled by the concept enthralled by the shows novelty heart and competence. While all those concepts can be found in the shows second season High Score Girl II theyre not nearly as prevalent as Id like. The shows cuteness and competence oftentimes are devoured to make way for the drama which I didnt care for. It wasnt what I signed up for and the second season certainly didnt make me clamor for it. 520https://i.ur.com/Q4tayxT.png Im not sure how much of a synopsis is in order since this is just a continuation of the previous season. Haruo must contend with Hidakas increasingly overt feelings towards him as he tries to connect with Oono despite it growing more difficult due to the different lives they lead. The music is good and the animation is of the same quality as before so I dont feel the need to get into those aspects of the season. Giving credit where credit is due the comedy is still spot on. I loved the comedic dynamic created by Oonos sister Makoto and Haruos mother Namie. Theres just so much energy when theyre in a room together and I love seeing them as the coaches for Haruos relationship even if theyre a bit ineffectual. My favorite bit was Namies weird snores that kept Makoto up. Haruos friends are also quite good. While the side characters dont have much depth though I found myself caring a lot about Jiiya and Gouda they will provide some laughs. I also enjoyed the obscure bits of gaming history including Virtua Fighters very strange CG portrait series. This is the one Haruo watched in the show:https://www..com/watch?v=ip7fl9A2g2k The parts where games and/or the romance with Oono were the focus were enjoyable but more than the first season I could not stand the love triangle. Regarding the first season I said that the love triangle did not detract from the plot. This is not true for the second season. 520https://i.ibb.co/VNL4hW8/1s1s.jpg I know it may seem that I dont like the triangle simply because I dont like Hidaka. This isnt the case it would be petulant for me to not like a triangle if it served the story well or if both members were viable. Does it serve the story well? I suppose that begs the question of what the story is. If its a story of two children who grow closer due to video games then no it mostly obstructs it. The love triangle also doesnt seem to help Oono or Haruo grow as people. It doesnt really help Hidaka because for one without the love triangle she wouldnt need to grow and its thanks to the love triangle that she needs to grow in the first place. Hidaka as a love interest is an absolute joke. The first thing we see her do in High Score Girl II is use her clout within the local arcade community to have Haruo bullied and driven from the arcade. Later she tries to flirt with Haruo and sleep with him in a hotel room. She doesnt get very far and the entire ordeal and I suppose Hidaka makes me uncomfortable. It contrasts nicely with Haruo and Oono who had a very pleasant time when they had to share a hotel room last season. Overall I didnt see Hidaka as doing much besides confirming that Oono and Haruo were meant for each other which I could have told you without her existence. The drama just feels really tiring which is unfortunate given how exciting other aspects of the show are. Bear in mind Im not saying the love triangle isnt realistic Im just not sure what the point of it is for besides drama for dramas sake. Oonos family problems feel more organic since they were always there and are a central part of Oono and Haruos dynamic. This conflict didnt grow old for me while the love triangle wore its welcome at the beginning of this season if Im being generous. 520https://i.ibb.co/QFQ6YKc/0101.jpg At the very least Oono never gives into jealousy towards Hidaka...she does get angry at Haruo picking a female character at a video game however. Sometimes I honestly couldnt with this show. The parts with Oono and Haruo were pretty cute as always however. Its just so wholesome seeing them connect over video games no matter how much older they get. Its clear that an ending can truly make or break a story. While an ending breaking a story is welldocumentedhttps://anilist.co/forum/thread/9049 but its important to recognize endings that improve the overall experiencehttps://anilist.co/review/5663. High Score Girl is an example of such an ending. I had such a good time with the final arc of this show in which Haruo and Oono compete in a Street Fighter tournament together. This arc showcased the blend of video game appreciation and romance that Ive come to love reminding me of why I fell in love with the series in the first place. The tournament was very tense. While Oono and Haruo ended up facing each other in the final match I still liked the swerve of Oono losing her first match thus needing to climb up the losers bracket to get to Haruo. The final arc left me with feelings of both happiness and romantic longing. Probably one of my favorite aspects of the conclusion of this show is the fact that Haruo doesnt need to compromise his passion for games to be an effective lover. He can love Oono as much as he loves video games something that wouldnt work with Hidaka for she desperately wishes for him to separate her from video games. The final episode is also very nice we see Haruo struggling with having to deal with Oono leaving again. Since she returned his trinket he understandably believes that shes moving on from him. This creates a somber mood. While most can guess that Haruo will get over his funk its nice to see him have to finally work through his feelings since things are so dire. Its cool to see the video game characters helping Haruo make it to Oono at the airport once again tying the romance to video games in a way that viewers wont see anywhere else. The ending was delightfully bittersweet. While the two finally declare their love for one another Oono still must depart for America. Haruo vows to meet Oono there one day. As much as I love happy endings when it comes to romance this ending felt quite authentic and I respect the show for that. I have to give a lot of points for the ending it really did do a good job of showing just how great this show can be at times ..the key words unfortunately are at times. While I really really did enjoy the ending Id be remiss to let the show off the hook just because it ended well. The journey not just the destination is important and the journey was very very rocky at least for me. It wouldnt be fair to me to give the anime a score that didnt reflect the vast majority of my time with it. Its really disappointing for me to come out and say it since I had high hopes for this series going in but I spent the vast majority of the season season being annoyed. 520https://i.ibb.co/fkGF2kB/131.jpg Maybe its easier for me to acknowledge my feelings because the last episode showcased my biggest problem with the show: Hidaka. Hidakas appearance in the conclusion provides a nasty catch22. Assuming she doesnt appear then all the time we spent with her will have no payoff thus well feel that our time has been wasted. Assuming she does appear however she takes away from Oono and Haruos moment possibly stirs up drama and otherwise just reminds us of the tiring love triangle. Ill admit that its nice that the show subtly conveys that Hidaka has moved on showing that she has cut her hair and helps Haruo with Akira. What isnt nice is how Hidaka physically and verbally assaults Haruo for again very understandably interpreting Oonos return of her trinket as meaning shes moved on. The scene did very little in assuaging my negative feelings toward Hidaka. She rocks the boat to such an extent that my cute show is just uncomfortable to watch. A bit later Haruos mother isnt quite as bad but she still criticizes her son for giving up when as far as he can tell Oono has as well. This bit of the final episode reeks of taking agency away from Haruo and I dont particularly enjoy it. Nor did I like the general framing of Haruo being somehow dense and not being a mindreader for hed have to be to know that Oono wants him to go to her despite actively providing evidence for the contrary. I dont consider myself particularly dense but according to the show me and Haruo are. Ugh 520https://i.ur.com/svTxr8n.png And bear in mind thats the last episode one that I actually enjoyed. That might give a sense of just how annoyed I was for the rest of the segments involving Hidaka. 520https://i.ibb.co/b2jDqjN/12121.jpg Still the ending did do a lot to regain the points the show lost in my mind but the points dont amount to a much higher score than the first season. All High Score Girl II did was flip its high and low parts. The first season not counting Extra Stage had a very solid beginning before declining while II features an annoying beginning and a strong finish. Ultimately the higher score I gave Extra Stage was not indicative of the second season improving upon the first it was just indicative that the sequel season would have select sections that were great. At the end of the day High Score Girl is a hard show to hate. Its cute its interesting and fulfills a very specific niche for anime. Im sure there are many anime watchers who enjoy video games and romance stories so theyll be sure to get something out of High Score Girl. Id still want people to see this show of themselves due to how unique it is. At the same time Ive found this is a difficult show to love. If its not somewhat average its annoying. The highs are high yes but it can be a slog to get to them and Im not sure its worth it. Like I said last season unless youre really into all the elements of the show Im not sure I can recommend it. Of course I infamously dont enjoy love triangles so maybe its just me. As I said in the beginning I do like this show. I even love parts of it. But overall I dont love all of it. 7.4/10 C 520https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/107963990071603200/658073052516712448/SPOILERw4es4v54b4aeb.png