Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games

Episode 6

Whatever the genre of player you want to call Mio—overly optimistic and earnestly strategizing with something spiritually similar to “I just won't get hit”—is so real. I guarantee you, everyone with any connection to the FGC knows someone like this (if they're not this type themselves). They're real, and even in real life—anecdotally, at least—everyone who fits this archetype I've met has been nothing but charming. Overly hopeful, yes, but charming. And Mio, in this regard, is no different. As the girls set out for their first major, I can't help but love Mio's “But I'm going to win!! We have to stick around for the whole tournament, because I'll be playing up until the end!!” attitude. There's something so endearing about it, and if I didn't already love her before (and I did), I certainly do now.

As much as I find myself loving Mio this week, I have a long way to go before I can catch up to how much Aya loves her. Not since Naruto and Sasuke have I seen a more obvious rivals-to-lovers pairing as Aya and Mio. And that is, I think, a good comparison to make, because in many ways they're like battle shonen rivals who obviously have so much more chemistry with each other than even their intended love interests, except you know, it's actually intentional this time (because this time, they're the love interests). Take notes, Kishimoto. The absolute level of yearning I could feel radiating from the screen when Aya was trying to fall asleep whilst looking at Mio's empty futon—be still my beating heart!

In any case, as the girls finally actually arrive at EVO Japan and we see them take it all in and appreciate how cool it is that they get to be there, I find myself also reminded of something I've really only gained an appreciation for fairly recently, as I've gotten into the more competitive side of trading card games (Pokémon, in particular). Specifically, you can just walk into any fighting game major—well, any save for a handful of invitationals, but certainly all the largest tournaments—and even if it's your first time playing a game, you can compete so long as you pay your entry. Anyone, at any tournament—it's open-bracket. Meanwhile in Pokémon TCG-land, you have to get invited to participate in Worlds (the biggest tournament of the year, which is actually happening later this month), and I'll save you a bit of a tangent and just say that it's gotten considerably harder to do that in recent years, as they've changed the requirements. Regionals, meanwhile, are open in theory, but many tend to hit their limit pretty quickly these days. This has all really made me appreciate the openness of the FGC, and episodes like this one, which highlight how happy the girls feel to be there—and, by extension, that they can be there at all in spite of everything—really encapsulate why that openness is such a wonderful thing.

Suffice to say, as always, this anime brings an interesting dose of reality with it. For the first time this week, we saw other fighting games being mentioned (especially Guilty Gear, my beloved; if you're reading this on Friday, August 14, happy birthday to its creator, Daisuke Ishiwatari!). We saw them talk about buttons, and how different players will prefer different amounts of give in their buttons. We saw a discussion of patch notes and how delicate balance can be in a fighting game—although I doubt CAPCOM would ever release such a big patch right before a tournament as major as EVO Japan (and even if they did, I question whether or not the tournament would use the update). We even saw what I'm pretty sure were meant to be legally distinct versions of certain players in the FGC (EX: AngryBird and Kakeru), and I can't begin to imagine how they must feel seeing themselves in this way in an anime. It all brings an element of realism to this anime that I appreciate, and I think really helps to build up the setting—to say nothing of how it might get people more interested in fighting games, which is always a plus.

And you know what else is a plus? Another good rivalry. A rivalry so good that the rivals in question show up to the function wearing matching outfits, and nobody seems to be questioning it. Two Chun-Li mains, visually stuck in the 90s (complimentary), who feel compelled to fight one another in Street Fighter. Their rivalry is almost as beautiful as the fact that they both look like they're in costumes and doing a bit, but nobody is really acting like it's a bit—it's being framed like they both just coincidentally like dressing like punks from the '80s or '90s. And that this is just normal behavior for them. Love to see it now, and I'm sure I'll love to see more from them next week as well.

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Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.