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This was a groundbreaking shōnen manga for its time, centered on the theme of video game strategy guides. While it featured competitive play using video games—equivalent to what we now call “electronic sports (e-sports)”—many episodes depicted duels that were less about free will and more akin to forced confrontations where the loser faced the threat of having the protagonist or hostages killed.
00:20This work, Game Center Arashi, is set in the late 1970s and 1980s, the heyday of game centers, and follows a group of players who use superhuman, ultimate techniques to defeat rivals and organizations one after another in gaming tournaments.
00:44Now, let's take a look at this work.
00:50Game Center Arashi was originally written by Mitsuyuki Sugaya and aired for a total of 26 episodes in 1982.
01:02The story begins with a scene in a computer showroom where a boy named Arashi is pulled out by a store clerk for being engrossed in playing a game, ignoring the other customers, even though he has no intention of buying anything.
01:15Arashi has nowhere to play games, but when he is invited to a newly opened game center on an island, he gladly accepts. However, his rival Tsukikage Ippei and the famous genius Oomonji Satoru have also been invited there.
01:34Just as Chairman Namdo, who commands the huge organization, appears before the astonishing storm, a giant computer appears from underground.
01:44Then, Omonji Satoru shows off a game he has programmed himself and throws down the gauntlet to Hara and Ippei.
01:54The game was a shooting game that was like a three-dimensional version of the Space Invaders game, and it seemed to have some kind of secret mechanism.
02:05However, Hara and Ippei, who wanted to play the game, had no interest in such gimmicks, and Ippei tried the game first.
02:15Ippei managed to complete the first sector without any issues, but in the next sector, only audio was shown, with no images on the screen.
02:28Then, with a scream from Ippei and the others, the game was over in an instant.
02:34Hara had no idea what had happened as he only heard the audio, so Ippei and the others told him to be careful of that guy, and then fainted.
02:46The sense of tension is epic for Hara, but after making it through the first sector, the problematic second sector begins.
02:55Suddenly, a large ghost, Space Ghost, appears and attacks them fiercely, causing them to be defeated.
03:05In fact, Space Ghost was a game character developed through a thorough analysis of Arashi's habits and strategies.
03:15Nevertheless, Hara used the yoga pose of the fish-water pose to regain his composure and regain his balance. By sensing the presence of darkness, he was able to conquer and defeat the Space Ghost.
03:30However, the huge computer is put under too much strain, causing it to explode, and Hara and his friends are forced to evacuate the island.
03:39This battle marked the beginning of Hara's rise to fame in the gaming world, as his name suggests.
03:50Now, let me introduce the characters.
03:55The main character, Mr. Ishinohara, is a sixth-grade elementary school student whose trademarks are his buck teeth and red Invaders cap.
04:04He's completely useless at sports and academics, but when it comes to games he's a genius boy with miraculous technique, being able to control a game stick while producing flames.
04:18He is a playful guy who shows no interest in anything other than games and women, but he is kind to the weak.
04:27Tsukikage Ippeita is a middle school gang leader with many subordinates, and in an Invaders game tournament he lost to Arashi and came in second place.
04:41Although he is a top-notch gamer, for some reason he failed his compulsory junior high school exams for two years in a row.
04:48Despite her appearance, she has a girlish taste that is hard to imagine, and she seems to wear a negligee to bed.
04:59Omonji Satoru is a junior high school student who is a genius at all sports and has an IQ of 300.
05:06In addition, he boasts advanced computer programming skills and can operate supercomputer-level machines.
05:16At first, he confronts Arashi as a game programmer, but gradually begins to work alongside them.
05:25Surprisingly, he also has ninja subordinates, as he is of Fuma ninja blood.
05:30Matsumoto Sumire is a classmate of Arashi and a beautiful girl whom Arashi has a crush on.
05:39He often hangs out with Arashi and the others, and he is very fond of Arashi's younger brother, Tongarashi.
05:49Tongarashi, a doctor, is a baby with a single bucktooth as his trademark, and is also Arashi's younger brother.
05:56He was born with genius intelligence and intuition, but because he is a baby, there are scenes where he urinates himself during the game.
06:08Chairman Minamido is the chairman of the mega-organization, Demon Corporation, and he is competing against Arashi in a game he developed in order to obtain the Invader Cap.
06:19His age is unknown, but he has a competitive personality and is small in stature with an abnormally large bald head, a pale face, and always wears a green suit.
06:32Erikano is Chairman Minami's beautiful secretary and programmer, and seems to be good at disguises.
06:42Although he becomes enemies with Arashi, he comes to Arashi's rescue several times throughout the play.
06:49Ginpachi-sensei is Arashi's homeroom teacher, and he holds games to encourage Arashi to study a little.
07:00Although he initially made fun of the game, after his confrontation with Arashi he has begun to show some understanding of it.
07:10The main techniques that Arashi uses in game battles are as follows:
07:15The Flame Piece is a technique in which you control a lever at super speed, just like rotating a piece with your bare hands, to create movements that surpass those of a computer, eliminating your own attacking aircraft or magnetism.
07:33The Moonsault, or Return to the Moon, is a move that is performed while standing upside down, allowing you to become one with the game console itself.
07:42Later, he mastered multi-stage strikes such as two-stage strikes and twelve-stage strikes.
07:51Electric Thunder is a technique that uses friction between your arms to generate electricity, causing computer disruptions.
07:59Supernova is an advanced mental technique that gathers the energy of the entire universe into one's body and radiates it, but it is a dangerous technique that can leave the body exhausted if the user lets their guard down even for a moment.
08:13The Vacuum Hurricane Punch is a technique in which you rotate your body at high speed and use the airflow to control the lever.
08:24Great Typhoon is an advanced version of Vacuum Hurricane Strike, and is a powerful technique that not only uses spiritual energy to create strong winds, but also summons thunderclouds and lightning.
08:38The Rainbow Bazooka is a technique in which the weapon spins at high speed in the air, collecting tiny particles of ice and water floating in the atmosphere to create a giant lens, which then focuses the sun's rays and creates a beam of light and heat that hits the machine directly.
08:57The main rivals that Arashi faced off against were:
09:04First, there is the loser of the game who challenged Arashi, who had developed tooth decay.
09:10Perhaps due to his profession, he has become interested in the origins of Arashi, which are said to be harder than diamonds, and he now pursues them like a stalker.
09:19Yamaarashi Daisaku is a con man who took advantage of Arashi's popularity and opened Yamaarashi, a game center located in a very small mountain area.
09:32However, his gaming techniques were also excellent, and he even showed off some original techniques using nunchucks, but he was defeated by the Vacuum Hurricane Shot.
09:41Skull Emperor is the leader of the secret society, Neo Skull Island, and kidnaps Arashi, challenges him to a game, and corners him in a hyperspace black hole.
09:56However, when Arashi uses the Great Typhoon, he loses control of the black hole and disappears into another dimension.
10:04Arthur Jr. is a billionaire and a Hollywood movie star.
10:12In the finals of the gaming tournament to decide Princess Melon's husband, contrary to appearances, she uses her wits to pull out Arashi's bucktooth and resorts to other dirty tricks.
10:23However, due to the mental concentration of the Fish-Water Pose, the bucktooth of the storm, permanent death, grows, and he is defeated at the last moment.
10:38Hamburger Mask is ostensibly the owner of a hamburger restaurant, but in reality he is rivals with Arashi, and in order to win he tricks them into eating hamburgers that will shrink their bodies.
10:52They then compete in a match where if they lose, they will be eaten by rats, but Arashi drinks a recovery potion and is defeated by Arashi, who has returned to his original size.
11:03In fact, it turns out that the person inside is Chairman Namdo.
11:07Kintoki Musume is a girl who grew up in the mountains and rides a bear and carries an axe.She has appeared to play a game against Arashi after her apprentice, the monkey, was defeated in the game.
11:22The five game warriors are fierce warriors who fought in a game for the medicinal herb, the spotted lily, needed to save Arashi's younger brother, Tongarashi, who had suddenly fallen ill.
11:37Somehow, he manages to win, survives the fierce battle against the Game King, which is the final hurdle, obtains the Spotted Lily, and recovers Tongarashi.
11:48Now, finally, it's the final episode.
11:56One day, Arashi has a dream about his wedding with Sumire.
12:02However, it wasn't me standing next to Sumire, but a strange man.
12:09When he approaches to check, he is shocked to see that it is a man who looks just like Arashi, and wakes up from his dream.
12:17When he tells Ippeita and Satoru about it, they laugh at him, but then Sumire, the party leader herself, shows up and gives Arashi a letter and Satoru a tape, then leaves without saying a word.
12:31Arashi becomes suspicious and opens the letter, which causes a commotion when he finds enclosed a wedding invitation for the groom, a doctor named Arashi, and the bride, Matsumoto Sumire.
12:46Confused, Arashi and the others head to Fuuma Castle to analyze the tape that Satoru had given them.
12:53When the data is analyzed using a large computer located underground, the entire castle is suddenly teleported somewhere.
13:02Before they know it, Arashi and the others realize they have been transported to Earth, a parallel world.
13:09Then, with a flash of light, Arashi's castle and Uri's two castles appeared, and another pair, Ippeita and Satoru, appeared before them.
13:20Later, in order to meet Sumire, he has to compete in a game, and although he has a very hard time, he manages to win by using his buck teeth.
13:33They then meet their selves in a parallel world, where they learn the truth about the strong edge.
13:40In fact, Sumire in the parallel world died of illness, so her fiance, Arashi, was planning to marry Sumire who lived in the other world.
13:54Unable to decide which one to marry, Sumire decides to choose the one who wins the game as her partner.
14:04Since the match is between the same person, the outcome is uncertain, but then Erika and Chairman Minamido, who had secretly infiltrated this world, steal the mobile parallel laser by blending in with their lameness.
14:20Later, while the two Arashi are fighting, when the special move, the Rainbow Bazooka, is used, Erika and Chairman Minamido fire parallel lasers at it.
14:31The parallel laser is then reflected by the Rainbow Bazooka, and they end up being hit by the parallel laser they themselves fired, and the entire area is covered in a vortex of light.
14:48The scene changes, and Sumire, along with Arashi and the others, has safely returned to their original world, or perhaps their own parallel world.
14:57While Arashi and the others were rejoicing, Erika and Chairman Minamido realized that they had been caught up in the vortex of light earlier and had split into two groups, including themselves, who had come from different parallel worlds.
15:12Unaware of this, the show ends with Arashi running off into the sunset while talking about the future.
15:26Now, let's take a look at Game Center Arashi's performance.
15:31Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
16:01Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
16:31Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
17:01Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
17:31Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
17:33Let's take a look at Game Center Arashi in action.
18:01normal pressure
18:03Storm, storm, storm
18:07Stormy, auspicious normal pressure
18:12What did you think?
18:25This is an episode about the Skull Emperor that appeared in the play.
18:28Am I the only one who thinks it's contradictory that he's plotting world domination, yet he's playing a video game against elementary school kids?
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