Note: There are minor spoilers for the finale of the manga in this review, so if you wish to avoid any reveals, the short version is that they're good, and you should read them.

Hi Score Girl volumes 9 and 10 bring this sweet series to a satisfying conclusion with a big sendoff that does not entirely close the door on future stories for the cast. It manages to stick the landing in such a way that the sheer strength of the finale almost wholly overshadows my minor gripes with the volumes.

First and foremost, these two volumes deliver more of the same delightful combination that makes the series stand out in the first place: school-age romance and fighting games. Even though the stakes get higher and higher as the conclusion comes into focus, the core remains the same as Haruo, Akira, and Hidaka still work out their real-world struggles via the medium of fighting games. The fists speak where the heart cannot, and this doesn't change until the final few scenes. Why say what you mean when sending a flurry of Hadokens at your romantic rival is much easier? Why speak plainly when Lariats and giant green hands let you avoid the painful risk of honest confession? Although many series have a natural escalation component when there's a conflict or the emotional weight of their final battles, Hi Score Girl remains the same, and that's a solid positive. It shows Rensuke Oshikiri's deftness with the pen, as writing conflicts with increasing stakes that still predominantly work within the same fundamental elements is a serious challenge.

One place where there is a great deal of escalation is the artistry on display. I have enjoyed the art thus far; it fits the tone and subject matter well. Plus, the work exists in a somewhat stylized but largely grounded real-world environment with a typically direct depiction of events as they would happen. In that sense, there haven't been many opportunities for the stylish or the outrageous, save for the depictions of video games and their characters.

That is why it is such a treat that in these volumes, video games bleed into the real world more than ever before. The big moments, like Haruo achieving a heightened transformed self as he rides to make his final confession while surrounded by a great flock of video game characters knocking aside obstacles, or Hidaka becoming nearly demonic as she prepares to obliterate Akira under a storm of Akuma's air fireballs, are exhilarating moments. They leap off the page with a supernatural flair that the series has not expressed until now, save for a brief comedy aside or the talking video game characters.

This adds an extra layer of intensity to our characters' emotional finale. Haruo, Akira, and Hidaka must come to terms with what's happening between them. Ultimately, Haruo has to admit to himself how he feels about Akira – and the challenge of uncovering why he feels that way about her. In another smart bit of writing, the reasons are entwined with video games in a way that feels very natural. There are heartfelt confessions and moments of cutting truth, leading to a finale that doesn't tie up every single loose end but does provide satisfactory closure to the trio's story.

I also like the more artful touches that are peppered throughout the story. The link between Haruo and Guile has been a fun running theme and a (sadly?) relatable one. A young man so obsessed with games that he's having imagined conversations with a video game character – I get it. But the big dramatic moment when Haruo realizes he has, in many ways, been Guile all along – too emotionally defensive, turtling, and looking for certainty when, in fact, he needs to grow and take more risks – all for it to culminate in Guile fading as Haruo has to become his own man – great stuff, honestly. A fun side bit that becomes a huge emotional payoff is terrific writing in my book.

Some of the same old problems rear their ugly heads, of course. Without getting too specific, Hidaka's emotional arc feels very rushed. I'm glad she gets to say her piece in one big speech, but it's hard not to see her as even more of an apparent supporting character in these final volumes. She feels the most like she is performing a function within the narrative, namely telling Haruo what to do and what he should know when he is too ignorant (or in the past has been too selfish) to know better. Hidaka says her piece, which isn't really about her, and it just isn't all that satisfying for her.

Similarly, Akira's continued silence is grating. It would have been nice to have her say… anything, even once at the end. I think the increasing inclusion of Akira's sister in the story is a tacit admission that having Akira be completely silent creates many problems. Still, now we've committed to the bit. Maybe I'm belaboring a point, but having a character who seldom speaks is perfectly fine; I find the notion that she chooses never to speak to be an odd choice. It feels unnatural even after ten volumes, and by the end, there are a lot of characters showing up to tell Haruo how Akira feels, and it starts to make you wonder if, I don't know, maybe she could say something herself—just a thought.

Yet, these are minor complaints in a very strong ending to a sweet series. Hi Score Girl provides a fun time capsule of video game history, largely framed around the fighting games of the 1990s, with a tender and awkward love story at its core. It doesn't shoot for the stars necessarily, but it hits its mark and exceeds expectations. I highly recommend everyone give this series a read.