96 South Korean Reactions on KiShin's video games

[Seoul, South Korea]

While many South Korean people expressed their dissatisfaction with Japanese companies entering their market, numerous video game enthusiasts were filled with excitement.

Aeon Retail in South Korea, which has long established a presence in the country, began distributing stocks of KiShin FamiCom.

Young South Koreans could be seen lining up at retail stores across the nation.

Among them was Rim Mee, a young woman with a deep passion for video games ever since Tora's initial release in the country.

She genuinely enjoyed Tora games at first, but over time, her interest waned, and she found Suzuki's games less appealing.

However, despite her low interest in these two Japanese companies' video games, they ignited her overall passion for the gaming world.

Rim Mee's curiosity was piqued not only because she found some Tora and Suzuki games interesting but also because she discovered a Japanese company that had surpassed these two, known as KiShin.

She developed a genuine interest in KiShin's video games, though she was disappointed to learn they were not available in South Korea.

Then, the exciting news broke that KiShin would finally enter the South Korean market, bringing her great joy.

She promptly left her home to purchase the game, heading straight to the Aeon retail store.

Upon arrival, she noticed a considerable crowd already forming, and her excitement grew.

"I heard 'Super Mario Bros.' was the first video game to gain immense popularity in Japan after many decades," a person in the line shared with his friend.

His companion responded with a snort, "I had my doubts, you know... Japanese have some peculiar tastes. It might turn out to be a subpar video game."

Another person in the line chimed in, saying, "I saw the preview in a TV advertisement, and it seemed like it's going to be a great video game."

A third person added, "We won't know for sure until we try it ourselves."

Rim Mee listened to the conversation out of curiosity, as the people around her engaged in lively discussions.

Being an introvert, she remained silent and patiently waited. In the meantime, she retrieved her Suzuki Walkman from her bag and listened to Michael Jackson's music.

After a while, it was finally her turn to make the purchase, and she acquired the KiShin Famicom for 19,000 Won, which equated to 14,000 yen.

After purchasing the console, she also acquired a collection of games, including 'Super Mario Bros.,' 'The Legend of Zelda,' and 'Metroid.'

Her excitement to get home quickly was palpable, and upon returning home, she arrived at her family's mansion, as she hailed from a wealthy background.

Upon entering, her mother, Han Yoo-Jin, clad in traditional Korean attire, noticed her carrying the KiShin warp package.

Han Yoo-Jin furrowed her brows and remarked, "Ttalla (daughter - 딸아), you've bought more of those seemingly useless video games again."

Rim Mee-Jin smiled and gently reassured her mother, "Eomeoni, you know this is my only source of enjoyment after arduous studying." She approached her mother and warmly embraced her.

Han Yoo-Jin's expression softened as she gazed at the logo on her daughter's package. "KiShin?"

Rim Mee nodded with anticipation in her eyes and replied, "Yes, that's right! I heard Uncle is working at this company."

Han Yoo-Jin furrowed her brow and remarked, "He left the country a long time ago and distanced himself from the Han Family, so our connections are quite limited now."

Rim Mee pouted, expressing her disappointment, "It's a shame. I've always wanted to meet him..."

Han Yoo-Jin chuckled and teased, "You only wanted to meet him because he works for a Japanese video game company, didn't you?" She saw right through her daughter's motive.

Rim Mee offered a wry smile and let out a small "Hmph" before heading upstairs to her room.

---

Rim Mee promptly entered her room and connected the FamiCom to the television.

Once it booted up, she eagerly inserted the video game she was curious to play, 'Super Mario Bros.'.

The video game sprang to life, and the iconic Super Mario Bros. theme music filled the room.

Rim Mee's eyes were glued to the screen, where she watched Super Mario dashing across the title screen.

With a rush of excitement, she initiated the game and saw her character, a diminutive man.

As she played, she controlled her character, making it jump. She remembered the preview gameplay she had seen earlier and imitated it, leaping towards the floating boxes adorned with question marks.

With each successful strike on the boxes, they rewarded her with shiny gold coins, and the question marks vanished. Then, she leaped onto another box, causing a mushroom to pop out. Her character absorbed it, instantly growing larger and more robust, making it effortlessly jump to greater heights.

She continued to play the game, encountering ground-dwelling enemies. Skillfully, she hopped on their heads, causing them to tumble into the background.

Her initial curiosity quickly transformed into an absorbing experience as she played for just a few minutes. She could already feel herself getting deeply engrossed in the video game.

However, her immersion was abruptly halted by a 'Game Over,' accompanied by a melancholy Super Mario Bros. melody.

"Argh! That plant suddenly appearing on the pipes caught me off guard!" she exclaimed as she restarted the game.

Gradually, she discovered that she could make her character enter the green pipes by pressing the down button. Initially, she had assumed the pipes were merely part of the background.

Inside the pipe, she encountered a multitude of illuminated question mark boxes, each rewarding her with valuable points.

Then, she skillfully directed her character to leap onto blocks and bricks, initially thinking they would shatter, only to realize that she could collect coins from them.

"Wow! A hidden treasure trove!" she exclaimed.

As time passed, her initial expectation that her interest might wane as she continued playing shifted. Instead, she found herself becoming even more engrossed in the video game, Super Mario Bros.

Similar scenes were unfolding in households across South Korea as players engaged with Super Mario Bros. at the same time.

Those who had initially harbored doubts openly confessed they were mistaken, and those who had purchased the KiShin FamiCom and its video games out of sheer curiosity found themselves not regretting their choice.

As time passed, a growing number of people began to enthusiastically share the appeal of KiShin's console and its video games...

[For those requesting an additional 5 chapters, since we are in the top 5, if you look closely next to the top 5, top 10, and 15, there's a checkmark beside them because the additional chapters have already been posted. As for the top 1, the absence of a checkmark next to it indicates that the additional 8 chapters haven't been posted yet, as we haven't reached the top 1 position. Thank you for your understanding.]