@midoripads’ “The Girl” mousepad was one of the most anticipated cloth pad releases of the year, especially amongst the enthusiast community. The pad comes in a 500x500x4mm size format, with a ‘Star Shine PU’ base, and 100% hand drawn art. It features a balanced performance profile, with a wide range of applicability amongst titles.
Games Played:
- Kovaaks
- Black Ops 6
- Rainbow 6: Siege
- CS2
- Delta Force
- Path of Exile 2
Skates Tried:
- Ghostglide Cyclones (Dots and Donuts)
- X-Raypad Jade Air (Dots and Donuts)
- X-Raypad Obsidian Pro (Dots)
- LaOnda Softeis (Dots)
- OP1 8k stock skates
Average Testing conditions:
- Humidity: 40-45%
- Temperature: 19 – 24 Degrees C
I bought this pad with my own money, so the review is in no way impacted by the creators of the pad, or any other reviews which have previously been released.
Design
The pad features a monochromatic design, with a more realistic drawing than typically associated with the “anime waifus” of recent, especially on glass pads. I wouldn’t associate the design with these kinds of pads at all, as it has it’s own unique style and character. The design is very sharp and clear.
Cloth pads typically allow for a far clearer design than glass pads, though there is somewhat of a limitation in terms of printing due to the fibers used, compared to images which are underlaid under the glass components of glass pads. Midori have found a good sweet spot though, where the relatively simplistic design in terms of it’s linework pops out well, and the color scheme working well to accentuate it’s design choices. Overall, the pad looks incredible on desk, to the point where if someone were to choose to display the pad in the case that they aren’t actively using it, I wouldn’t be shocked.
Production Quality and QC
Overall, the production quality of the Girl is very good, although some smaller details of QC on my unit specifically were slightly disappointing. The surface is incredibly consistent, with sub-surface stitching along the sides.
The quality of the stitching all around is incredibly high, when compared to Artisan’s stitching, it is slightly wider and not quite as tight, however in the long term I don’t think this will be noticeable at all. The low profile stitching combined with the thicker pad was very comfortable to play on and not noticeable at all.
As mentioned above, my unit had some small QC issues with the stitching, as shown below. These did not impact my playing experience whatsoever, but may be worth mentioning. As this is the first mousepad release for Midori, smaller QC inconsistencies should be expected, though these are relatively inconsequential and likely to become less and less frequent as more pads are released.
Overall, the pad feels incredibly premium, stacking up very well against other premium mousepads in it’s price category.
Surfacing and Performance
While the pad is advertised as a control pad on the Midori website, it’s incredibly smooth surface provides a lower friction coefficient than other “control” pads on the market. It is more similar to the Artisan Hien Mid in terms of friction, however the Girl’s smooth texture is NOTHING like the Hien’s abrasive texture.
The incredibly plushy Starshine PU base at 4mm thick, does allow for strong stopping power across the pad however. For those who like to “dig in” to their pad to produce stopping power, the pad can provide a controlled experience, with lower static friction than other pads. This does however vary based on technique of the individual, as well as the skates and mouse used.
Typically, lighter mice and faster skates will perform faster on this pad, while heavier mice with larger skates will offer more control. As someone who applies a lot of pressure, I struggled using the Girl with 4 dot skates applied on several mice, as these bottomed out rather quickly at the beginning. However, after spending some time with the pad, and applying a total of 8 dot skates on several different skate types, this became far less of an issue and made the experience far more enjoyable.
I typically used a lower sensitivity compared to usual, ranging from 35-45cm/360 in most games, in order to make better use of the controlled aspects of the pad when aiming. I was worried that this would come at a detriment to my tracking and target switching, though while it took some getting used to (compared to my usual 20-25cm/360 in games such as Black Ops 6), I felt as though my aim was far smoother than on these higher sensitivities I typically used on more speed focused pads.
Final Thoughts
If it wasn’t evident enough by the title of this article, this pad did nothing but impress me. As someone who has spent a lot of time on glass pads and mid hardness cloth pads such as the Hien Mid, Zero Mid and Kurosun Samurai, I was worried that I would not enjoy the pad, but after spending some time with it to get used to softer cloth bases again, I find myself drawn to the pad over and over again when I need to perform.
The balanced performance of the pad due to it’s smooth surface and plush base allowed me to maintain strong tracking performance with lower arm tension, but also enhanced my static and flicking performance in higher pressure scenarios where my tension was naturally higher. This pad single handedly made me remember how great cloth pads can be after I was “glass pilled” for so long, especially in games like CS2 and Rainbow 6 where holding angles, accuracy and control are rewarded over consistent tracking or high flick speed.
The design of the pad is fantastic as well. The color choices make it a far more “neutral” pad, with the design exuding far more class than the anime waifu glass pads that have been flooding the market. A special mention should go out to the packaging as well, with it being incredibly simple, but gorgeous in it’s own right. This kind of attention to detail is what truly captures the innovative intentions of @midoripads, who have shown with this release that they will be SERIOUS contenders in the premium mousepad space in years to come.
Ratings
Speed (General): 6/10
Production Quality: 8.5/10
Visual Quality: 10/10
Arm Feel’: 9.5/10
Glide: 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Do I recommend the The Girl?
Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, yes 
Thank you for reading this review! I would massively appreciate any support or feedback which you may have! Sharing this article and following me does a lot to help support me personally, as well as help me improve future reviews! Check out my YouTube channel as well, where video formats of these reviews, as well as other peripheral related content is coming!
