Hop Dance Mania

***Hop Dance Mania***, abbreviated **HDM**, is a video game in *Magical Girl Policy*. It is a rhythm game for arcades and home consoles, and is the favorite video game of Eli and Kara. It is the series' equivalent to *Dance Dance Revolution*.

## Description

*Hop Dance Mania* tasks one or more players with stepping on areas of a dance pad when instructed to by arrows that scroll across the screen, matching the rhythm of the selected song. The pad comes in hard and soft varieties; the hard ones are considered superior, but are largely restricted to the arcade version of the game due to not being widely available for the home version. The player scores points by stepping on the arrows with good timing, and their score is is given a letter grade after the song concludes. The game's songs feature a mix of English and Japanese lyrics that, while nonsensical, are considered catchy.

## History

### Background

Eli would often play *Hop Dance Mania* at the arcade. He later received a version of the game for the GameStation console as a Christmas gift from his sister Mallory, who claimed it was to help him exercise rather than support his video gaming hobby.

After Eli gets a job at the Loose Change arcade, his attention is caught by Kara, a regular customer who would play HDM. Enamored with her but too shy to approach her, he dubs her "HDM Girl" and admires her from a distance.

### Week 1

Kara plays *Hop Dance Mania* at Loose Change for a short while, but is put off by the strange behavior of a group of children playing the new *Zombie Mansion* cabinet and leaves. Shortly after, Eli tells Robert and Cory how he's disappointed at this development, since he'd just worked up enough courage that he was going to try talking to her. After Polygal reveals herself, her grip on Robert is broken by Spirit Guard Charity, who fires an arrow from the top of an HDM machine. The ensuing battle between the Spirit Guard and monster wrecks the arcade and forces it close for repairs.

The next day, Eli meets Kara by chance at Angela and Mallory's apartment, as she happens to be a friend of his sister's. When introducing themselves, they recognize each other from Loose Change, and their relationship starts off strong.

Two days later, Eli plays HDM in his dorm at SAU, but pauses the game when Kara shows up at the door. After Kara returns Cory's laptop and she and Eli talk about what had transpired at Rob's meeting with the Spirit Guard at the Standridge Hill Stone Circle last night, she hears the "Lucky Justice" Voltage Remix song and notices Eli's HDM setup. Due to Loose Change's closure cutting off her means of playing HDM, she asks to borrow the game and GameStation as a way to absolve Eli of having spied on last night's meeting. Eli agrees and brings it to her dorm, though Cory is annoyed to learn later that day to find his GameStation had been given away without permission.

### Weeks 2-4

After Robynne's first day back at class following her Spirit Guard transformation, the team meets at Vivian, Kara, Noriko, and Rob's dorm. Eli and Kara play *Hop Dance Mania* for a while.

During the SFEERS opening social, several HDM setups are brought, which are noted to include hard dance pads. Eli and Kara introduce Stacy to the game, though she leaves after a while when she decides the pair might rather be with just each other.

At some point over the following weeks, Loose Change's repairs are completed and it is reopened. Eli and Kara start dating during this time, with their first date seeing them play HDM at the arcade.

## Notable players

* **Cory Frost:** Cory claims to be good at *Hop Dance Mania*, though he has not been seen playing it in the series.
* **Eli Drake:** HDM is Eli's favorite video game, with him playing it both at home and the arcade. Eli being in surprisingly good shape is credited to him frequently playing the game, which he is very skilled at.
* **Kara Balmer:** HDM is the only video game Kara plays with any regularity. She originally only played it at the Loose Change arcade, but borrows Eli's GameStation version after the arcade is closed for repairs.
* **Stacy Ambrose:** Stacy plays HDM for the first time at the SFEERS opening social at Eli and Kara's behest.