The first thing that impressed me was Young ladies don’t play fighting games is an obvious love for fighting games. Granted, it’s not an incredibly deep insight, since the story is actually about a girl obsessed with fighting games, but it’s a lot deeper than just using games as a vehicle for comic book storytelling. No, here, Ejima has created a complete game, with characters, types, attacks, defenses, strengths and weaknesses. The game is clearly based on other fighting games, and it had its own mythology, updates, and patches before we encountered it. We just entered a world that already existed Young ladies don’t play fighting games (referred to in the series as π4). As we get into volume one.
And, once we take that first step, we are locked in a never-ending battle. First, we meet Mio, a girl who would give up everything to play fighting games. When Aya and Mio’s illegal gaming behavior was discovered, they pulled the seniors in the dormitory rules into their conspiracy. Eventually, they competed in a massive fighting game tournament. One might think they would lose quickly, but Mio’s rivalry with an elementary school student is so intense that she becomes temporarily famous.
Aya could only watch helplessly, her desire growing more and more to be the one to defeat Mio. But if she wants to become Mio’s true rival, she’ll have to wait… because they’re captured again.
This cycle will repeat on the volume. They risked expulsion to defeat the student union. Mio’s mother, and even the faculty advisor, who initially wanted to destroy their nascent club ended up setting them up as anchors. they use it again and again π4 Act as their agent…for everything.
The details of the game analysis may not surprise anyone familiar with esports, but they are detailed enough to make one imagine playing the game. does not exist outside the pages of this comic. The anime adaptation, while staying true to the manga’s characterization and plot, also replaces the original game produced by Ejima with more recognizable characters and skills from Street Fighter 6. Capcom Sponsor animation. While more people will be able to follow the combat through such well-known gameplay, I definitely support the comic creator and the time and effort she put into creating a completely original game for the character.
Since the story touches so deeply on the idea of ”struggle” and fighting discrimination in school and at home, it makes sense that the larger world of esports would also be portrayed as a place where girls are barely tolerated. They do face the typical trash talk from small players, so may I remind readers again, Monkeys with smaller testicles scream louder to compensateI will always mention facts related to the game.
However, this comic is not about discrimination or acceptance. This is a manga of pure obsession, especially as we see Mio fighting against everything that prevents her from playing fighting games with the same dedication. Whether it’s school senior Whether it was her violation, or her mother, she didn’t want Mio to lose herself, and Mio’s battle was never ending.
The art here is magnificent. Each character has their own specific game-focused look, and the game’s drawing is so dynamic that you can hear and see the attacks as they’re meant to be experienced. From an anthropological perspective, Ejima’s notes are fascinating, not only in terms of her game builds, but also in her own keyboard mods. I have a hard time typing on a full keyboard; the thought of using a keyboard that is 30-40% smaller gives me a headache.
My final note has to be the Yuri shivers some people attach to this. This series, like all stories depicting two women having an intense relationship of any kind, is often attributed to Yuri. You all know that I have been pursuing excellent Yuri all my life. Here we have another great example of a woman dedicated to being “seen” by another woman and becoming her ideal. Aya’s desire isn’t romantic; it’s not familial; it’s the drive to become Mio’s perfect rival. If this is yuri to you, then enjoy it. I won’t make any promises until we see where Aya and Mio end up.
If there’s a flaw with this story, it’s that there’s only one real way to create a new arc – by adding an antagonist. As a result, we see internal and external opponents step up, be fought, and replaced by the next game with little relief. By the time I finished reading all nine existing volumes, I was, not surprisingly, exhausted. Maybe the weekly anime format will be a relief since it’s the manga’s serialized format. There is an unyielding quality to this story.
And yet…I wonder what would have happened. As Volume 9 comes to a close, COVID-19 has entered the battlefield, bringing live competition to a standstill. What does this mean for esports competitions? I actually don’t know because I haven’t paid attention to them in the real world.