Arcadia (June 2001) interview with SWY Yusemi.

INT: First, please tell us when you had the opportunity to start frequenting the arcades.

SWY: I started going to the arcades from the time when I was a middle school student. As a fighting game player, I played shooting games mainly for fun. I didn't think about patterns or anything, and I'd say things like "there's no way you can dodge this!" as I played. As for fighting games, I entered Gamest competitions in Vampire Hunter, Street Fighter Zero 2, Street Fighter EX, and Street Fighter III.

INT: When did you start playing shooting games in earnest?

SWY: From the time when Dodonpachi was setup in my local arcade. In the beginning I played the game just thinking it was really fun. But one day I had the opportunity to see the scoreboard at TRY tower in Akihabara. Up there was NAI-san's 2-5 hi score, and I thought "wow, that's amazing. Man, I'm frustrated. I want to get scores like that too!". So that was the trigger.

After that, I started commuting to a prep school to study for the University entrance exams. On the way to the school was an arcade called TILT in the town of Jimbou, and the salesclerk there at the time, a guy named N.F., started talking to me and asked me "are you entering any scores?", and from then on I slowly started making more friends. At TILT, I saw Masashi-san playing G-Darius and Puchi Carat, and I thought wow, the world of hi scores is pretty amazing. So this made me want to score attack Dodonpachi all the more.

But, I always heard rumblings that NAI-san's (Dodonpachi) score was ahead of mine. I'd get 300 million, and he'd have 400 million. When I got 400 million, NAI-san came up with 500 million... it made me feel like I always had to look at NAI-san's back.

In all honesty, at that time I found myself in a hopeless mood many times. Especially when I heard that NAI-san said he found a path through Hibachi's final attack. That was a real shock. And I just thought how could he see such a thing? Now that I think of it, it didn't stop there.

After that, I had my first opportunity to talk with NAI-san when he reached 638 million at TRY. Upon talking with the guy in person, he really gave off a 'winning' vibe.

INT: I hear that after that there was one time when you passed NAI-san's score.

SWY: Yeah, when I got 648 million! And I thought maybe it was the best score in the country. But sure enough (NAI) passed my score, and I wasn't able to take the top spot in the country. After that I played desperately for awhile, but eventually gave up.

At the time I really didn't know that NAI-san was such an amazing guy. But I think all the effort I put into wanting to win against NAI-san is still sustained in me now.

INT: And then your first #1 score in Japan was in Gunbird 2 with Marion, right?

SWY: I started to seriously skimp on the bombs after seeing GAP-san play with HEI-COB. In a swift attack I returned to my local arcade and credit-fed trying to work out a no-bomb pattern. It was there when I hit 4.31 million on the day of the score submission deadline, and I took first place with the score I entered.

While I'm always happy when I get a countrywide #1 score, you know the first one always leaves a special impression. So yeah, I was really happy.

INT: And afterwards, you continued with Gigawing (Raijin) and Guwange (Hiiragi Kosame), right?

SWY: The trigger for me playing those games was watching players get better scores, and I just gave into the temptation to play as it looked so fun. That's pretty much the pattern with me. Recently I've started playing Psyvariar, and it's the same story. The only exception was Guwange. Since I was really drawn to Cave's games like Dodonpachi and ESP.ra.de, I knew even before the game came out that I wanted to play the game for a conclusive score.

INT: And then you got the counter stop, yeah? (laughs) SWY: Yeah basically by dodging and ad-libbing spots at the third boss, the Cat-spider. My real intention to do it was just because it was fun. Milking that boss makes it more difficult than the last boss. (laughs)

INT: After that, did you start playing Gradius IV?

SWY: I saw M.B.-san play Gradius IV at Gyaresso in Tsudanuma and saw him use the type 5 weapon config, which looked like it was a lot of fun, so I started (playing with the type 5 weapon config) from that.

As I found myself being able to play through a high number of loops and my skill was improving, I started thinking I might be able to pass 10 million. But then NAI-san changed from the type 6 weapon config to the type 5 weapon config. This made things pretty stressful for me, but I had the drive to press on. I sorta sensed it was going to happen, but sure enough NAI-san got to 10 million first. When he got 10 million there was still a week left before the score submission deadline, but it was over for me. I never entered my score, but for the record I got to the 9th stage of the 13th loop with a score of 8.32 million, and that was my best (with type 5).

After that I tried type 4, and around that time I heard NAI-san got 10 million with type 1, so I got an urge to go at him again. I got to the 6th stage of the 13th loop with 4 lives in reserve, and used those lives to make it to the 5th stage of the 16th loop, where I got the counter stop (10 million, with type 4). And I was like "I finally did it!!". So yeah, I was truly happy with that.

[Translator's note: while it was not mentioned in this interview, SWY also holds the world record for the type 2 weapon config, with a score of 8.84 million on stage 15-6]

INT: What are your current plans?

SWY: I intend to play Psyvariar until I'm satisfied. It suddenly becomes more difficult mid-game when I have to do some puzzle-ish patterns without rolling.

Besides that, since Gigawing 2 has been installed at my local arcade, I think I'll start on that at my home base.

INT: Are there any specific players or runs you have seen up until now that have left an impression?

SWY: First Masashi-san and NAI-san. The Dodonpachi A-type run by Nagata Sennin-san I saw by chance was amazing, as was GAP-san's Raiden Fighter's 2 play. N.F-san and DAB.S-san were also amazing. I really saw a lot of amazing players at TILT in Jimbou, and I still remember how impressed I was at that time.

Besides that, after I started going to Tsudanuma, M.B.-san's Tetris: The Grandmaster plays were just too incredible. Really at an incomprehensible level of skill. You know, his Gradius IV plays were also brilliant.

INT: When score-attacking, if there's any advice you can give us, please do.

SWY: If I mess up I play ahead and practice, and I try out patterns different from those I usually employ. I think of new patterns as I do this, and if chance is in my favor, it works out. But there's also times when all I can muster on the day of the score submission deadline are crap runs.

I don't just relax with the patterns I make, I rather worry about them. I always want to try and think of new approaches when I play.

INT: For the last question, what is a hi score for you?

SWY: Games are just for fun, and going for hi scores is one way to have that fun. When I'm playing for score - and by the way sometimes it's pretty tough (laughs) - I'm enjoying the games that I find fun to play, basically.

INT: Thank you very much for today.

Translated by EOJ