The Girl in the Arcade (Series Review)
Mobuo works in the arcade his family owns and is quite a wizard with all the games. So, when he accidentally sees Nanora’s panties, she demands that he shows her how to win… Well, that’s how it started…
The Girl in the Arcade (Series Review)
What did you read?
When I decided that I would sample a vast array of manga, this was one of the first titles I picked up. I knew absolutely nothing about it except that the cover art was visually appealing and there were some gaming references. That was about a year ago! Since then, I’ve started more than seventy different manga series and this is only the third series where I have read all of the books. The other two were Summer Time Rendering and Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku. It’s safe to say, I’ve read a wide variety of genres and I have no plan on slowing down. I’m having way too much fun. Anyhow, let’s talk about The Girl in the Arcade.
What happened?
Mobuo is the definition of an NPC. He blends into the background and shows up when needed to answer a question or provide some insight. However, there were some guys causing a bit of trouble in his arcade so he stepped in and asked them to leave. They were annoying the customers and that had to stop. One such customer was Nanora, the beautiful girl from his class at school. He was surprised to see her there, and even more surprised to see her panties when he was trying to get the punks to leave. It was a fairly harmless event, however, Nanora saw that he saw and wasn’t about to let that slide. If he helped her win at the games she would be willing to forgive him.
So, day after day, Nanora returned to the arcade and was given personal instruction by Mobuo on how to beat the games. They played everything in the arcade and even stopped a rival business from impacting their reputation. Things were going great. Never in Mobuo’s wildest dreams did he think that he would spend this much time with someone as beautiful as Nanora. Then, things took an interesting turn when his childhood friend showed up, and she had really grown up. Shigure didn’t seem to appreciate Nanora hanging around with her old friend and since they were in an arcade, there was really only one way to solve it…
What did you think?
I loved this series and was gutted when I got to the end of volume three and read the note from the mangaka explaining that the series was over. Sure, it made sense, but it also ended on a massive cliffhanger that left us wondering who Mobuo ended up with. Was it Nanora, Shigure, or Rarara? I hoped it was Nanora, but it could have been any of them. Anyhow, if you enjoy video games and arcades then this series will be right up your street. There are so many references to classic games, modern games, and even some more futuristic ideas that you will be constantly entertained. Then, there’s Nanora who is delightful. I can’t believe it’s over!
What was your favourite moment?
There was a scene in the third volume where they were at a hot springs that had an amusement arcade attached to it. For whatever reason, all four of them were sharing a room. They were a little giddy from the hot springs and too much sugar, so when the girls found a giant controller in their room and started to play with it, I almost died of laughter. Where was Mobuo? The narrator tried to claim that it was in fact a giant controller and not Mobuo that the girls were playing with, but no one is going to believe that. They were wiggling the stick and slamming those buttons. Seriously, too funny!
What was your least favourite moment?
I’m sorry, but it has to be the ending. The girls were desperate to make Mobuo pick between them and became the prizes in a giant human claw game. Mobuo was the claw so whichever girl he dropped down and grabbed would be the one he chose. Then, the lights went out and we didn’t see who he picked. To make matters worse, that was the very last panel in the series… ever! We will never know. The mangaka said that they hoped that everyone would be able to decide for themselves, which is kind of nice, but also a bit of a cop out. Anyhow, for me, it’s Nanora. It has to be.
Who was your favourite character?
Well! Talking of Nanora, she was unsurprisingly my favourite character. As far as character development went, she had the best journey. When we met her, she was hard and a little scary. She forced Mobuo to help her because he saw her panties, even though it wasn’t his fault. However, the more they played together the softer she got. Then, in the third volume, we met her little brothers and it was a great moment, and not just because they were running around with her panties on their heads… She’s the sort of character that made me want to keep reading just to hang out with her. Had the series kept going, I would have definitely kept reading.
Who was your least favourite character?
At first, I was a little surprised to see them add a third girl, but Rarara eventually grew on me. However, she’s not at all like the other girls, which is a good thing in one sense. You wouldn’t want three Nanoras… or would you? Anyhow, I liked Rarara, but she was definitely my least favourite of the three. She was the overly confident YouTube star who seemed to enjoy tormenting the others and using them for views on her channel.
Would you like some more?
I think this series would make a great anime. I’d even settle for shorter episodes and I believe it would work as this is much more of a sketch-type series. There isn’t much of an ongoing premise other than Mobuo and Nanora getting together, but there are lots of smaller scenes that would all make hilarious moments in an anime series. Of course, it would be on the ecchi side of things, but I don’t see an issue with that and I doubt most people that would be the target audience would either. This is a series that I would consider buying too, especially as it’s only three volumes.
What have you learned?
Obviously, the hot girls playing video and arcade games trope is targeting a very specific demographic, however, there’s more to it than that. There’s a huge nostalgia factor to this series and that’s something that I think could be used across multiple tropes and genres. Everyone is nostalgic for something and that elicits some very powerful feelings. Nostalgia can trick us into believing something is far better than it may appear if we were being objective about it. The fond memories bask everything in a warm glow that’s hard to shake.
Imagine if you were able to incorporate some of those feelings into your writing. Reminding the audience of things from their past that give them warm feelings can only do wonders for your story. It’s not a substitute for anything, but it would be a welcome addition for sure. Anything that creates an emotional link with the audience is worth its weight in gold. I know I loved being reminded of the time I spent in arcades and playing video games when I was younger.
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