All Mitsuki Aya (Ikumi Hasegawa) wants is to become a sophisticated young lady and fit in at her new school, the prestigious Kuromi Girls’ Academy. Most of her fellow students are in awe of the school’s seemingly flawless “White Lily,” Yorue Mio (Kana Ichinose), who moves and acts like an angel of poise, and vying for her attention is enough to make them all green with envy (green with envy).
But when Aya stumbles upon Mio’s dark secret, everything changes.
That dark secret? Mio is a hardcore gamer, obsessed with Street Fighter-style video games. As it turns out, Aya was once a pretty decent gamer herself, before she decided to hide her talents behind her goal of becoming a lady. Such gaming is strictly forbidden at the academy, but that doesn’t stop either of them from breaking the rules and forging a complex and chaotic friendship.
Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is a wonderfully wacky anime that is destined to work its way into any gamer’s heart. Based on Eri Ejima’s manga, the series contrasts the demure, well-behaved daily routine of studying to become more refined with the absolutely bonkers moments of video game-fueled bonding. Work hard, play hard, at its best.
Interspersed with cuts of Street Fighter showdowns to really hammer home the two girls’ devotion to gaming, Aya and Mio’s meeting and budding friendship mixes intensity and humor (with occasional splashes of blood—yes, blood. So ladylike, amirite?).
Indeed, regardless of how you feel about the concept of “ladylike” and whether it seems outdated, it’s worth suspending your belief in this setting, if only for the entertainment factor. Because the academy’s rules are merely a vehicle to create conflict and tension as Mio and Aya engage in often bloodthirsty behavior for dramatic effect.
And the moments of chaos are next level—this pair of gamers is headed for a total KO, and I for one can’t wait to see ’em kick some ass.
Rating: B+
Level of Enthusiasm: 89%
Watch on Crunchyroll on July 7 – new episodes Tuesday
Opening Theme Song:
“Inochi Mijikashi Taisuru Otomeyo” (translated as ‘Life is short, fighting maidens’) performed by HANABIE.
Ending Theme Song:
“NEW GAME” by halca
– JAPANESE VOICE CAST / CHARACTERS –
Ikumi Hasegawa as Aya Mitsuki
Kana Ichinose as Mio Yorue
Sayaka Senbongi as Yu Inui
Shino Shimoji as Tamaki Ichinose
Maria Naganawa as Arisa Fujimiya
Aru as Flamberge
