Hiya!

It’s usually the practice here at 3rd World Geeks to review a television show or anime once it’s been completed. This way, we can avoid the issue of a show just putting all their efforts in the first episode and crap all over the rest of the season, leading to really good initial thoughts but crappy overall reviews. For Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games, I had to make an exception because, when it was announced, I was super interested in it. I was already aware of the original manga but I didn’t really bother to read it as they used a fictional fighting game. With the adaption, however, I just had to see the first episode as the anime of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games ditched the fictional game and replaced it with Capcom‘s Street Fighter 6! What’s even more amazing is the anime is planning to use actual game footage of Street Fighter 6 throughout the show!

Well, color me intrigued! Color me intrigued so much I couldn’t wait for the initial season to end before I give my thoughts on the first episode! I even used up a free trial subscription to Crunchyroll just to see the first episode! So, as someone who both loves Street Fighter 6 and anime, I would like to give you my thoughts on the initial outing of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games!

As the first episode just came out, I will be making this a SPOILER FREE review. I will be mostly discussing on how accurate the show feels from the point of view of a lady who has been fighting games for quite a while as well as if they get the nuances of fighting game mechanics correctly also. Anyway, SPOILER FREE review!

Aya Mitsuki had just transferred to the ultra-prestigious Kuromi All-Girls Academy with the intention of becoming a prim and proper lady. She runs across the White Lily, also a new transfer student but has become extremely popular in the school due to her beauty, grace and elegance. Even Aya is drawn in by the White Lily’s allure. However, she eventually discovers the White Lily’s secret: she plays fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and, when she does, her personality totally changes from being demure to more brash. The White Lily figures out Aya also loves playing fighting games but Aya believes, in order to be a true lady, she had to give up fighting games. Still, Aya can’t help herself and begins to start playing with the White Lily. This can prove to be dangerous as Kuromi All-Girls Academy will expel anyone caught playing Street Fighter 6 or any video game for that matter.

First off, I do love the little twist here as, because Kuromi All-Girls Academy bans all video games, there is now an inherit danger for both Aya and White Lily to play together. They have to manage to find a way to play in secret… much like their “friendship.” As expected, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is a yuri anime. I normally don’t watch yuri animes intentionally but, as Young Ladies Don’t Play Video Games has Street Fighter 6 in it, I really didn’t care if it was. Oh, there are some definite very strong yuri moments right in the first episode and I do think it came on a little strong. I would’ve loved a little more nuance in the budding romance between the two.

I will say the animation portion of this anime is very good. While I can’t really say it was stellar, there is a certain “softness” to the colors used during the “normal” scenes in the school and when the characters aren’t gaming. When they do start playing, however, the colors become darker and the anime also becomes more “erratic” and “messier” when they get in the zone. In that way, it does try to convey what playing competitively in a game like Street Fighter 6 can feel like. I still don’t understand why the main characters start to literally bleed at times, though.

As good as the animation is, the biggest reason why I wanted to watch Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games is to see how much it understands and respects fighting games and, in turn Street Fighter 6. Were the writers able to translate some of the nitty-gritty of how to play Street Fighter 6. Right now, I would have to give a wholehearted “yes” to that question. They actually mentioned a whole lot of fighting game tech like “option selects,” “frame kills” and “hit confirms” in one big speech, which I found amusing, especially since they don’t explain what any of that means in the scene. I’m guessing they’ll explain all of these fighting game concepts in later episodes but i just found it funny how they just say these things and hope the viewer will understand.

When it came to the actual gameplay shown off, I do think they did a good job of showing some, well, decent gameplay. I guess they actually got some pro players and some input from Capcom regarding what to show off during the couple of games which were on-screen. They showed off some gameplay which did need some skill to pull off, like tech throws and a cross cut anti-air special. I do like they used max damage combos for a lot of these scenes but a part of me does wisht they did show off more complex combos. Then again, they used Ryu and Cammy, who don’t really have the more flashier combos like other Street Fighter 6 characters such as Rashid and JP can do. I’m betting they’re saving it for later episodes. Don’t want to drown the newbies in super flashy combos this early on, right?

All-in-all, I really liked Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games. I’m really interested how this yuri story will play out between Aya and the White Lily and how they can keep their love and their love from fighting games a secret from the school. I’m also curious as to what will happen regarding what they’ll do with their love for fighting games. Will they try to do things like join officially Capcom licensed tournaments or EVO? The opening does suggest EVO will make an appearance but in what way, I don’t know. However, I’m not really sure if I’ll continue my Crunchyroll subscription just because I want to watch Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games to completion. It’s just not enough for me to shell out for a subscription service at the moment. I would need another anime to make it worthwhile. Still, if you do have a Crunchyroll subscription, enjoy yuri content as well as fighting games like Street Fighter 6, I say give Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games a chance.

Byee!

Have you seen the first episode of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games? Will you be continuing with the series? Better question: are there any real good yuri animes on Crunchyroll? Let me know in the comments section below!