Game Center Arashi

Game Center Arashi (ゲームセンターあらし) is a Japanese manga by Mitsuru Sugaya, which ran in CoroCoro Comic from 1978 to 1984. It sold over 5 million copies and won the 1983 Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga. The series was adapted as a popular anime television show that aired in 1982 in Japan on Mondays from 7:00pm to 7:30pm.; and in Hong Kong.

In Japanese, the word "Arashi" means "storm". In Hong Kong, the show aired under the title 電子神童, which translates to "Electronic Prodigy". The series was considered iconic in Asia, since it came at a time when the public was being exposed to video games for the first time. The manga and TV series opened the imagination and possibilities of what gaming entertainment was about, while boosting its popularity as a new phenomenon.

Story
The story is about a young boy named Arashi Ishino who is obsessed with video games. He would spend all his time trying to beat the games and conquer the local arcades. He would meet competitors like Satoru Daimonji and Ishii, who would try to out match him with higher scores. At a certain point in each episode, he would display his special skill of unleashing a top which will spin so fast that both the top and his hands would catch on fire. On release, the spin would land on or near the cabinet panels, turning the ordinary button into a turbo button thus giving him a major advantage. His appearance is known for being bucktoothed, and he always wears a hat labeled "Arashi" with a picture of a sprited alien.

Game Center Arashi was the first animation with a gamer as the lead character and have the plot revolve around life with competitive gaming. Some of the games featured in the show include Space Invaders, Breakout, Galaxian, though they were not explicitly named. Some of Arashi's gaming techniques even have special names like "Blazed Top", "Vacuum Hurricane Shot", "Fish Stance".

Characters

 * Arashi Ishino (石野あらし)
 * Satoru Daimonji (大文字さとる)
 * Ippeita Tsukikage (月影一平太)

Video games
In 1999, the series spawned a PlayStation novel called Game Center Arashi R.

Spinoffs
In 2002 the manga Arcade Gamer Fubuki reused the concept of a powerful gamer in the arcades, which also spawned a TV series of the same name. The show would use entirely different characters and plots, modernizing while separating itself from the 1982 counterpart.

Trivia

 * In 2004 Microsoft Tokyo used the character of Arashi as a mascot to boost Xbox sales and image.