Hikari Hanazono has always been able to do things that normal people cannot. As a child, she assumed no one could beat her—until she met Kei Takishima. Thinking she would win, Hikari challenged him to a match. But things didn’t go as planned; she lost not once but each time she rechallenged him. From that point on, she has sworn to best Kei at everything, ranging from academics to athletics.
To achieve her goal, Hikari enrolls in the same school as Kei—Hakusenkan, a prestigious institute for the wealthy. As a pair, they hold the top two rankings in school and are among seven of the academy's best students in a class known as Special A.
While Hikari treats Kei as a rival, she is completely oblivious that he harbors hidden feelings for her. Together, the members of Special A deal with competition, friendship, and just a bit of love.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
shadowraze
Special A is primarily a Shoujo Rom/Com that starts off slow but gets better as you go. Based on the inability of Hikari to understand Kei's true feelings for most of the plot. Normal laws of physics are generally ignored by the seeming superhuman duo of Kei and Hikari, who also are both at the top of their school academically. The story isn't the most original story ever, relying on the interaction of the seven members of the Special A (SA from now on) class and not involving many other characters. While somewhat predictable, it still manages to be entertaining most of the time if notfrustrating because of the general lack of development between the main couple's relationship. (The anime does have several minor changes in its adaptation of the manga's story)
The art style is pretty normal for your typical shoujo. The character models are somewhat odd in their unusually elongated limbs, but it's nothing that should ruin the show for you. The scenery and colors are good, if nothing fantastic, and I particularly liked the animation of the romance scenes where they would employ a pastel like color scheme which enhanced the scene.
The sound, much like the art, is, for the most part, good while not great. The background music appropriate and never seemed to get annoying or repetitive. The OPs and EDs have mixed opinions. The first OP and ED didn't really go over well with me and i doubt anyone would mind skipping right over them. The second OP and ED didn't seem to be much better at first either, but surprisingly they grew on me and ended up being pretty catchy. I don't have any complaints about the VAs, they all seemed to fit their characters and Kei and Hikari's VAs particularly were good, bringing out the same character that was seen in the manga.
The Characters were developed well, with the other members of the SA getting their own spotlight at times. While the main focus is on the Kei x Hikari pairing, there are a few other pairings that show up and will get episodes developing them. Obviously, being the two main characters, Kei and Hikari are developed the most and are both likable, though you might want to strangle Hikari a few times for being as stupid/ignorant as she is. Still, she definitely has her own great moments and you should be able to mostly ignore her own shortcomings and cheer her (and Kei) on.
The enjoyment varies as the series goes on, starting off somewhat weak compared to its peak later on in the anime. The comedy of the anime compared to manga is just as good if not better than the original. The romance on the other
inkmouse
Special A was anything but special. It was very cliche, but it's hard to avoid that in shoujo anime. There was nothing mind-blowing about neither the music or the art. The story is pretty basic. In all honesty, I don't really think there is such a thing as orginality, but it's up to the people writing or directing to make it seem real. We know Shakespeare based Romeo and Juliet off a book someone had already written. How many times have we heard the story of 'I must defeat him...oh, wait I just found out he loves me?' but the issue isn't whether it was originalor not, it's simply that they didn't know how to move the plot efficiently.
To me, one of the most important, if not the primary, thing to a story is character. If you have believable characters, then the audience will automatically simpathize and invest their own emotions into those characters. Yes, it is a comedy. Most of the things in the show defied the laws of physic, to say the least, but take Akira for example. The problems of her past evolving Yahiro really gives her more depth. As compared to Hariki who mentally retarded but ended up in the S.A. anyway. They should have developed a bit more of the characters. What's the point if it's just the same thing again and again? Yes, we know she thinks of him as his rival, but wouldn't it be more interesting if she had become aware of her own feelings on her own and had to defeat him in order to prove to herself she wasn't in love? Or what if he suddenly let her win (and I'm not talking about that crap challenge with the flower) what would she have done? Would she have realized that she probably really didn't want to win?
What I'm saying is that there could have been so much more done to make them more human. Why doesn't he let her win, anyway? Does he feel she'll love him that way?
That aside, though, I really liked the less fictional aspects of the show. It wasn't TOO bad, in all honesty. I won't watch it again, and I got bored about half way though, but hey, it had it's good parts. I can't think of any NOW, but I remember liking somethings....
Master10K
Special A is a Shoujo, Romantic, Comedy, Drama about the extravagant lives of some prestigious individuals and the romantic endeavours some of them pursue. It contains some side-splitting comedy but tends to fail when circumstances get too serious. The story… well it sort of has one and sort of doesn’t. For the most part, the series follows the random antics of an elite group of students known as the S.A (Special A). This usually involves any random theme you can imagine, be it competitions or festivals, whilst exaggerating the wealth of these students. This brings about some truly hilarious slapstick comedy moments, which varies depending onthe character delivering the joke nevertheless some jokes can become really repetitive. Then there are times it focuses on a specific member of the S.A, providing the viewers with some much needed back-story on one the characters and developing them further. However the transitions between the comedy & drama relies too much on clichés that it becomes tiresome very quickly. Not only that but a lot of the character arcs were completely ruined during the transition from manga to anime. It also doesn’t help that the main romance between Kei & Hikari is constantly prevented from moving forward and in the end you probably would have lost interest.
Speaking of Kei & Hikari, they certainly made an interesting pair; Kei being the typical cold & calculating guy (Jun Fukuyama perfect for the job ^^) and Hikari being a sort of naïve, brutish girl. Strange combination I must say. Then there are the 5 other members of the S.A who have their individual personalities and traits, making them all an integral part of the story. They each have their own funny, intriguing and annoying side, so it just depends on which has the biggest impact on you.
The animation is exactly what you can expect from your typical shoujo anime; lustrous environments that go well with the wealthy theme and slender character designs to appeal to the standard shoujo viewers. The comedy is certainly executed well on the other hand the romance would have been perfect without the annoying effects (especially when things go artsy for a brief moment). The music here is nothing special and can get very repetitive, along with some of the dialogue. It’s only the voice actors that do a good job in bringing out the most from their characters, allowing me to give the sound department a decent score.
Overall I though that Special A began as a really great Rom/Com that could compete with something like Lovely Complex, but the countless amount of clichés and cheesy moments failed to have a positive effect on the romance and drama. The fact that the story is rather inconsistent and the characters don’t have the same feel as in the manga, will certainly disappoint the fans of the manga but those who can ignore the numerous faults will be able to enjoy this great anime for what it is.
^_^
Dreameress
Delightful anime. From the very start you are drawn in. Hikari is not the usual clumsy, slightly dumb, female protagonist. She's a warrior basically. Learning the art of wrestling from a young age, she defeated everyone. Then she meets Kei and he is the first to defeat her. Her mission in life becomes defeating Kei in every aspect of life. Fast forward several years. They are both in High school apart of "Special A" a class of nine students who are the top 9 in the school. Hikari, of course, is number 2 which she hates because the number one spot is held by none other thanher arch nemesis/rival Kei. What she doesn't know is that Kei is in love with her. And so the story begins.
Story: The plot line is great so far. Kei keeps his feelings hidden but several things slowly reveal to Hikari that Kei might hold deeper feelings for her. She sees him only as her rival and is oblivious to most of these cues. They compete episode after episode with Hikari slowly realizing that there might be more to the situation than she originally believes. Not the most original plot, but with the great characterization, animation, and plot circumstances, the story becomes great!
Art: I love the art in this anime. Not the best in the word but good enough. Hikari is beautiful, Kei extremely handsome. The fight scenes are fluid. Facial expressions and everything else are so hilarious, yet cute and appropriate. I love when they do the soft animation for scenes where Kei realizes or appreciates something new about Hikari. *Update* I really like the art in this anime. Even with the stick figures (which show up every once in a while to emphasize the long length of the characters legs and works to be more comical than anything else) the characters are drawn either cutesy or very attractive. I especially like the way the eyes are drawn in this anime.
Sound: Not much to say here. Fitting with the theme of the show. :) Loves it. The opening theme is cute and appropriate. I tend to like the ending theme's more tan the opening, which is also the case for me in Special A.
Character: Character development is what the show is all about. everyone has a very unique and distinct personality. idiosyncrasies are utilized for comic effect and works very well.
Enjoyment: 10! Hands down! I love this show. I'm a connoisseur of great shoujo anime and this definitely makes my list. You will be sucked into the hilarious cuteness of the show.
Overall: 10. Just watch it. I promise you wont regret it. :)
animegurl09
Special A is a good story about two rivals (boy and girl) who slowly start to develop feelings for each other. There is much more to this story than that but this is the main focus. I really enjoyed watching it even though I think since the main focus is the developing relationship between Kei Takishima(male main character) and Hikari (female main character), that the show should have focused on them mostly. I got a little discouraged seeing that they really didn't have more kei and Hikari episodes but the ones that did focus on them was great. But basically you have a story about7 main characters attending this elite school called Special A and the bonds that grow and the challenges that they have to face.
Story 7: I give the story a 7 just because I think they didn't really focus on the main characters enough and the ending wasn't what I hoped.
Art 9: I enjoyed the art even though I think most of the characters were a little skinny.
Sound 10: Sound was oustanding
Character 9: I think all the characters in this anime were very likable. Some a little annoying but likable. Kei was the sweet and smart charmer that was great in everything and also the main females' rival. Hikari was caring and valued friendship and energetic. She works hard to accomplish things. As far as the other five Special A members, they all had something special about them but I dont want to go into detail about it or this would be too long of a review.
Enjoyment 9: I enjoyed this anime a lot and even put it as one of my favorites because it was that enjoyable and something I could watch over and over.
Overall I gave Special A a 10 because I love the romance/comedy genre and this anime sure has both and it was enjoyable.
aindah
Special A was a promising representative of the shojo genre. Was. Up until the seventeenth episode it was fun, cute, hilarious...everything a good shojo anime should be. The characters never escape the usual shojo mold, but still they were very likable and entertaining. Up until the seventeenth episode, I rated Special A with a subjective 9, because it made me smile, it made me burst into laughter, and because it was dynamic and simply fun. And I kept thinking: I can't wait to re-watch this one. How did it tumble down to a pathetic 2? Episode 17 - 24 were made. Then starts the downfall ofSpecial A. The story was concentrated on two main characters which suddenly lost their leading parts, and became "those two who you would wanna see, but won't because we have to make more episodes". Instead of dispersing the stories about the supporting characters, they shove them all together. This might actually be acceptable, if it doesn't happen as the series nears it's completion.
The characters I liked, became annoying and idiotic. Hikari and Kei are supposed to be these exceptionally intelligent and capable characters, but with all the unnecessary playing around you just get the feeling they are a bit slow, and possibly somewhat challenged in the brain department. I mean, every other character realizes his/her feelings, but our two main characters remain adamant in their silence (Kei) or their blatant ignorance (Hikari).
All in all, I'm pissed off. I regret they screwed up a potentially good anime. It could have been saved by a good ending. But no. The ending is so profoundly stupid and anticlimactic, that it subtracts from the overall grade.
I guess that's a problem when you make an anime out of an ongoing manga - you don't make it so it's great - you make it lacking so that the people feel the need for closure. Then those people think: "Maybe I should pick up the manga." I'm going to be a sucker and do just that, because I'm dying to know if it's any good.
Jenangelx3
I tried to like this anime. I really did. I was so excited when they announced the Special A anime because I had been following the manga for so long. This manga has a lot of memories for me and I know that anime tend to add new things, take things out, and change up the story a little to meet the limitations of the time constraints, but it was just impossible for me to love this anime. If I hadn't read the manga, I might've enjoyed watching this anime, but I agree, this anime really has nothing special compared to other student council anime (andthat includes the harem/ecchi ones!).
The characters have a few note features that are from the manga, but it feels like they took out a lot of core elements to the characters and added whatever they wanted to fit. I have such an issue with the change in character stories as well. Was it necessary to give Kei a stupid background story for why he wanted Hikari's bento? Couldn't it just be that he wanted to eat her cooking? That's simple as it is and very sweet; perfect for a romcom, but no, let's make it less romantic and more childish. Oh, and another thing, Kei's personality just isn't right. It feels completely off the entire time. Instead of cool and collected, Kei just seems a little pompous--or maybe that's just the voice actor who plays him. I just feel like he lost a lot of his appeal as a male love interest. Hikari just seems kind of innocent, which is fine, but she lost a lot of other traits that made her so distinct as a main character.
I know a lot of things are changed for comedic effect or drama to keep the audience on their toes, but the manga's story was a lot funnier and the drama that does happen in the manga really hits you deep. This anime failed to execute any of it properly.
Maybe if I hadn't absolutely loved the manga, I would have enjoyed myself, but maybe I would have complained about the generic characters and lack of originality. Either way, I am not happy with this anime.
Moon_Light
Not many have heard of this anime, living in the shadow of Ouran High School Host Club . Though not a harem, this one can definitely shine on it's own. I LOVE OHSHC but it's not the only one out there. Summary: You could skip if wanted :) Hikari was the best fighter, that title was hers for a long time until her dad introduced her to Kei, the one person she can't win against. Always placing second to him in everything from sports to academics, she vows to beat him and follows him from elementary to high school. In high school the Special A (S.A)clubis formed, in it are seven members, and even there Kei is first. What Hikari doesn't know is that Kei is and has been in love with her since they were small. This anime follows the lives of S.A members as they deal with life, love and high school.
Is the idea original? No. Don't get me wrong it's entertaining. I mean, just the rivalry between Kei and Hikari is enough to get me to watch this again and again. But the whole school special club of kids has been done time and time again, off the top of my head I think about Ouran High School and Shugo Chara (minus magical element). And most of the things are severely exagerrated (for proof see the second part of of the first episode)
The characters are what make this anime.
They are, most of them, original. You will see some of you in one of them.
-From Kei, the quiet yet chivalrous guy in love with his 'rival.' Reminds me of what Lelouch as a normal high schooler would have been like. But then again Lelouch wouldn't be Leouch if not for his ability to make an entrance and his Lelouchness. His facial expression alone will make you smile, swoon and laugh, sometimes at the same time.
-Twins Megumi and Jun who try to never be separate an have horrible social skills. Megumi with her never specking out loud to preserve her singing voice and always using signs. Jun being awkward and not know how to act around people.
Tadashi and Akira who with are their animosity towards each other and all the cooking you know there is something there. Akira is hilarious when she's mad and if they were real, she'd be in anger management classes. Tadashi is fun, he's the guy you'd party with.
Ryuu who loves nature and animals and frankly is sweetly weird.
Last but not least is Hikari , who with her being number one obsession you can't help but do the "ha ha!" *Melvin laugh from Simpsons* when she ranks in second.
Can't say much else without spoilers and I REFUSE to leak this one!
The anime color and style look good. The characters limbs look so long and stick figurish like and that takes some getting used to. Also I'm not sure if someone else noticed but most characters have the same posture and hands in the same place when they stand, I noticed the second time I watched episode 1, towards the end. But it's sweet, bubbly and funny. The way they are drawn makes them stand out a little from other anime but they are regularly drawn. there is no weird hair color or cool purple eyes, It's one of it's charms to be normal looking.
Music flows with the scenes and nothing feels out of place, though the ending song isn't my favorite.
Frankly I love the ending and I specially liked that even though similar to OHSHS the endings were different, though something leading up to it weren't. My rating on this one is based on smile ability. Making watchers smile unconsciously is a rare thing on anime, well not on good ones.
iSheep
Let me get one thing straight. I am a huge fan of the romantic comedy category. I was introduced to it by the show "Kaichou wa Maid-sama!", one that many rom-com aficionados credit as being one of the best rom-com manga/anime you can read/watch. After my introduction to this category, I began watching other notable shows: Toradora!, Clannad, and if it may be counted, Oreimo, all of which I enjoyed wholeheartedly. But the issue with the rom-com genre is the use of generic elements, some of them out of choice and some of them because there were no other alternatives. Getting past that issue, I oftenrefer to Toradora! as the benchmark rom-com, the [nearly] perfect rom-com. I refer to Clannad as a tearjerker with quite possibly the strongest storyline of any anime show. Oreimo, with its controversial title and incestuous elements, offers something new to the rom-com genre. Each of them had a black horse cleverly tucked under their sleeve and proceeded to expose and conceal it at the right moments.
And that is what surprises me the most about Special A. It has no black horse, no tricks, no twists, and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't even have sleeves, yet it still draws positive ratings from viewers. Special A is the dead basic rom-com. This is what every writer strives to surpass, because it's really that easy.
Story: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, where the Student Council President is a maid. Toradora!, where a boy and a girl have romantic interest in each other's best friends and help each other try to win their hearts. Oreimo, where it's quite possible that your lover is the otaku girl living in the room next to yours. How does it sound with Special A?
"Special A, where a girl goes to school."
Is that it?
"No, her rival is also in the same club."
Anything else?
"......they get good grades."
You think, okay, that's just about every other high school rom-com out there, but rom-com's have always shared the same generic format, the same elements, and in that essence, the same problems and situations. This would be like watching a sitcom on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. They exist on different channels. They can switch up the characters all they want, but when it comes down to writing, they all use the exact same storyboard. For a high school rom-com, the typical format would be a girl that goes to school. She has some type of issue relating to the male lead, but in the end, they end up together.
We know that's going to happen. We know that as soon as you show us the male and the female lead, they will end up together because there is honestly no other way it ends. What we're really interested in is how they get there or if there is any sort of twist that will distinguish this show from everything else, and offering nothing but the barebone story itself portrays lack of thought from the writers. Special A shows us the main characters. We know that they will end up together by the end of the series. We know the female protagonist has a problem with the male protagonist, and we have identified that as the main issue. However, since there is no twist or any supporting element that occurs alongside the storyline, that leaves us with the protagonists in a high school. Where's the fun in that?
Art: I think the only reason why this show is even remotely distinguishable is the art style. The characters seem taller than average and anorexic due to their long, skinny limbs, but the backgrounds for each scene were really appealing. One instance, in particular, would be the scene between Akari and Tadashi, when they leave the school to "see the night". Otherwise, I don't think the animation has grown on me yet, nor will it ever grow on me.
Characters: The characters are as generic as generic can get. Not like a parody show or a satirical piece where characters can get away with being generic because they portray common stereotypes. In a rom-com, what's there to make fun of, and who is there to address anyways? That leaves, nobody. These characters aren't generic to prove a point or to make anybody laugh. They're generic, because that's just how they are.
This seems to explain their distinct lack of energy as well. For example, Hanazono Hikari, the series protagonist, is bright, energetic, and dense. If any of you have watched School Rumble, the protagonist Tsukamoto Tenma shares all of the same traits. They both play a role as their respective series' protagonist, but while Tenma has enough energy to literally BE the Energizer bunny, Hikari, for the traits used to describe her, could be more likened to a desert: flat, dry, and a comparable lack of life. I believe that characters portray the mood of a scene through their words and actions, but how do you expect the viewers to catch on if the characters seem to lack the spirit?
As you continue down the line, you'll begin to notice that every character in this show is more insignificant than the last, the secondary characters in particular receiving an elevated form of neglected attention. The Yamamoto twins, for example, lack presence in this series; two characters in the Special A club who supposedly make up the main cast who could be easily mistaken for secondary characters, which they aren't supposed to be. Sure, we're quite aware that the primary protagnoists are Hanazono Hikari and Takishima Kei, but let it be known that they aren't the only characters in this series. There are other characters with interesting side stories. Shed a little more light on them.
Enjoyment: Bear in mind that you are watching a show about perfect people living perfect lives with the perfect amount of wealth going to the perfect school, making this show difficult to relate to as a normal person. You can be jealous, envious, or vicariously living through the lives of these characters, but I'll be honest; I have better chances of relating to a giant blender fighting outer space aliens across all seven dimensions. I may be wrong on this one, especially because we're talking about characters that can break through the bottom of cooking pots with their palms, but for a show that doesn't acknowledge science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural elements, why do I get the feeling that the writer set up Special A to be some kind of "superhuman fighting force from the distant future"? Was it implied in the name or did the writer think his idea for a superhero show would get scrapped? A rom-com doesn't have to be a slice of life to be able to relate to it, but why is Special A so out of reach?
Okay, I'll admit it. I enjoyed certain parts of this show, but if I wanted to rewatch any one of those scenes, I'd log into YouTube and find them myself. Even keeping that in mind, I'm absolutely certain that there are other shows with normal scenes much better than the ones found in Special A, so why would I rewatch them anyways? This leaves me back where I started, avoiding Special A altogether.
Overall: In my eyes, Special A is average at best, marking the most standard rom-com on the market. The writing is Disney Channel sitcom generic, the characters were likely picked from a hat, the art might as well be an advertisement to the world's most effective weight loss program, and the comedy is as good as that time Jeff Dunham picked up a puppet and reminded everyone of the joke he made on the last Comedy Central special. I can hardly say that I enjoyed it.
Remember earlier when I said that rom-com's tend to be generic either by choice or because there is no other way? There's a reason why writers choose to be generic: some do so to play it safe and gather a guaranteed fanbase. Special A would fit that category of shows that are generic by choice.
While writers take this route as an express ticket to quick profit (because writing is a difficult profession), a generic show is only average at best. Don't expect to engrave this show into the back of your head anytime soon.
jangofetts
A rank of 450 on MAL (at the time of watching this anime) was what got me interested in the first place. Suffice to say I have seen less ranked anime's far better than this. This anime for me was a huge disappointment. So you have this lead character with the resilience of superman, with the intelligence, charisma and wealth of Ironman and needless to say looks to match all in one cheesy shoujo manga basket. The female lead no matter how she tries to catchup with him does not succeed. While initially doing a good job of racking up the tension between the characters, thefailure to follow up and lack of closure leaves much to be desired. There is so little difference between the lead characters' abilities and the outcome so predictable that I could not help feel let down.
The side characters at least had better character development, though they get just an episode or two at most per character. Throw in a bunch of mistaken malicious anti-hero and a trillion dollar powerful corporation who pulls no stops in getting our reluctant hero to take over the reins as the heir. Other animes such as Ouran high and Kaichou wa maid sama have a much better storyline in this regard.
To sum up my verdict, the ranking was not a good indicator of the expectations I had from this anime. Wouldn't have missed anything by skipping this anime.
gravedigger
This is my first review , so don't be to hard on me (as I will be on this anime) :): Special A is another *of the numerous* "school" animes , so there are plenty of funny scenes , romance and other stuff that usually comes with this type of anime . And when there is romance , usually there is a "baka" person who doesn't understand the concept of love and love "signs" . Unfortunately that's the case here . The story is about class Special A , in which only the best seven students of the school can go , and by coincidence (ornot?) six of them are from rich families (Does that mean that only the rich students are the smart ones??) . And if U wonder what those extra-smart students do at school all day , the answer is :"They drink tea and eat sweets and cookies all day long" :D . And then they wonder why the most of the students from the school hates them ....
Anyway ... the focus is on the two main characters Kei and Hikari , and the 1000 ways of Kei showing Hikari his love for her , although she just can't get it . Kei is a typical cold guy , who works all day and night and don't have much time for fun , but somehow *I really wonder why?* he is in love with Hikari and he tries in all possible ways to show her his love . But when U have a "baka" person as Ur "opponent" , it's almost impossible to archive Ur goal . The situation is similar to Kenji and Temna from School Rumble with some extra annoying scenes .
The other 5 characters in Special A have their own stories and they are usually about some bad memories from their past or some weird sides of their personalities . But there are also some funny stories , although they are in minority here .
The animation is typical for this kind of anime , although there were some scenes where the characters would become all shiny and colored (usually in some romance scene) which annoyed me . The sound was pretty much ok . I didn't like the OP and ED , since it wasn't my type of music , so I just skipped them on each episode. The voice actors did a good job , and most of the voices fit with the characters (expect maybe for Kei's father).
Overall this anime deserves a 6/10 . But if U like the "baka" type of girls U can add 2 or 3 grades to my score . Otherwise , I would recommend U to watch some other (and better) "school" animes like Ouran High School Host Club , Clannad or Lovely Complex.
triangulor
This is one for fans of highschool romcoms. Its not a bad show but I wouldn't recommend it unless you are particularly a fan of the genre or really in the mood. So Special A is everything you expect from a romcom, a bunch of affluent highschool students hang out with a single poor student, one of them is very popular with the ladies but hopelessly in love with our plucky but unaware heroine. We see them get places in a series of romantic situations but she just can't seem to get it. Some laughs are had along the way and I don't want to spoilanything but everything works out pretty well int he end.
In this series the extravagant private school they characters attend has inexplicably decided to devote considerable resources to giving the 7 top students an impressive glass greenhouse where they basically drink tea all day. Part of their gifted and talented program to encourage the top students to slack off all day I am sure. But somehow they all manage stay on top, and when I say on top I mean on top. They are the best at literally everything, boxing, PR, athletics you name it! Except for the occasional bad cooking gag they are pretty much perfect but its actually not too annoying, once you get used to the ridiculous premise that is.
It's not a bad show, don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable. It can be funny at times, sometimes I was laughing with it sometimes I was laughing at it, but that's not always a bad thing, I did actually enjoy myself. I found the art style quite annoying. I got used to the weird long limbs but the male lead has these really weird eyes. He looks really cool in a single episode and I thought maybe things were looking up but maybe they just had a different artist, or maybe it was the black suit. In any case if you are particularly sensitive to art and that sounds like it could be annoying maybe just do an image search.
One thing I will say for Special A is that unlike other shows of its genre the characters lives don't revolve around the female lead. The supporting cast has their own stuff going on and occasionally I found it even more interesting than the what the lead characters were doing. It felt a bit more interesting and full that way, and I quite liked that about this show.
It's the kind of show that you will enjoy if you enjoy watching plucky heroines and the rich boys that love them and kidnap them lovingly in their private helicopters. That's the kind of show it is and its a solid addition to the genre. But it doesn't stand out, and if it doesn't sound like your thing I would give it a miss.
shoebox
A romantic comedy that is very fun, light, and enjoyable. Story: While there lacked a clear overall story, development in the relationships between characters linked the series as a whole. The short stories covering blocks of episodes were very entertaining, allowing for the audience to see the dynamics between and the growth of the characters. However, some of these short stories lack originality, but then again, the romantic comedy genre can easily be repetitious. Art: Artwork for the anime is good and pretty consistent throughout. The animation is still considered good even though I believe that the art of thisanime was not meant to be spectacular.
Sound: The seiyuus were well-matched with each character; they were able to bring the series to another level of humor and enjoyment.
Character: There could have been more character development in this anime. While the story did go briefly into each character's history, more background would have been useful and entertaining. However, considering the genre and the lightness of the overall anime, the creators of the series did well in presenting the past and present character drama and issues. The characters and their personalities were very well-suited for this series; the show contained typical characters: a louder, aggressive female with a calmer, smart-mouthed male counterpart.
Overall, the series was very enjoyable and had all the necessary (and audience-wanted) elements for this genre.
Smithy
When one sees visuals of “Special A” and reads that the main premise of the series follows the school days of a select group of intelligent, rich students at their prestigious school that has created an exclusive elite class for them called S.A., one can't help but to think of “Ouran High School Host Club”. Add the shared element that the wealth, insane levels of talent and skill that some of the members possess is often plastered all over the screen. The fact the group in “Special A” has one commoner among them, Hikari, quickly makes one think of Haruhi from “Ouran High School HostClub” to boot.
However comparisons end roughly there as Hikari and Haruhi are quite different characters. The relationship between the “Special A” leading couple Kei and Hikari and the “Ouran High School Host Club” couple Tamaki and Haruhi also plays out differently, and although both anime series don't have an entirely conclusive ending regarding the main pairing, the relationship between Tamaki and Haruhi does feel just that bit better paced and played out.
Spanning 24 episodes, “Special A” pulls the plot card of Kei and Hikari's love and possible relationship fairly soon in the series and even though enough episodes revolve around it, no real progress is made until the final episodes. Given that a large part of that is due to Hikari being totally oblivious to Kei's and her own feelings, her being an airhead about it may become annoying to some viewers. Especially since Hikari is no idiot but has excellent academic skills and is only dense about love, especially when it involves Kei and her own feelings.
Seeing several romantic pairings between the other characters form in the episodes in-between, perhaps it might have been better if they had only touched upon Kei and Hikari's relationship a bit later on so its pacing would not have been so slow.
Luckily the Kei and Hikari pairing is an unexpectedly good one. Childhood friends due to their fathers being acquainted, the straightforward and honest Hikari is a perfect match for the near emotionless genius Kei since she literally brings a ray of light in his else very cold and businesslike environment. No doubt that is why he has always loved her, she may not be of wealthy descent but she holds everything he lacks in that world.
The added gimmick that Hikari sees Kei as her ultimate rival and is hell bent on beating Kei in whichever task or test they perform adds some uniqueness and is the source of many jokes. Though it gets a bit repetitive towards the end when Hikari seems to desperately grab on to seeing Kei as a rival in order to not have to face up to the fact she's in love with him and always has been.
The other members of the S.A each have their own distinct personalities which offsets their more generic visual appearance, or their unique quirks which in turn leads to scenes filled with laughter but also when brought at the wrong time, can seem a little annoying when it causes the series to switch from a serious tone to a humoristic one too fast.
Throughout the series, some other characters are brought forth as seemingly purely evil influences bent on hurting the SA group, but most are redeemed as the series progresses, though it is especially Yahiro that is initially brought front as a nemesis.
One could say the final episode where Hikari pursues Kei makes it seem the rest of the cast are just dragged into it to show off their most common trait or role, but it also serves to show their group is a tightly knit band of friends that stands together.
Regardless of the romantic pairings and story, what I most appreciated in “Ouran High School Host Club” is the continuous barrage of humor and jokes that could have one laughing through their tears. Next to the romantic elements “Special A” also delivers tons of humor and jokes, however it doesn't seem to really reach up the level of “Ouran High School Host Club”. In that, “Special A” is nice but not really special since it doesn't excel. It is a nice comedy, but not the best one out there.
Animation throughout the series is decent to good, save for several scenes where corners are cut or the animation drops slightly it's always enjoyable to watch and never drops far. Typical for such a romantic school comedy are the bright colors, stylish school uniforms and extravagant settings.
A welcome change is the more realistic hair colors of the main characters, it's always nice to see a series that can have a diverse cast of characters that sport realistic hair colors.
The background music is generic for series of its genre, it does not really stand out but accompanies the scenes well. The OP songs are another matter, I must confess out of my own personal taste I found them both to be rather atrocious and soon skipped through them when watching an episode.
I have not read the “Special A” manga so I can not say how the anime compares to it or how faithful an adaptation it is.
Regardless, “Special A” will be an enjoyable romantic school comedy for everyone that they will surely enjoy and have a lot of laughs each episode!
matchaMochi
It was fun watching "Special A". Even if it isn't very original (it reminded me "Host Club" and "Fruits Basket"), some episodes are really nice. The relation between Hikari and Kei doesn't advance fast, so it can be frustrating sometimes. I especially liked the other couples in the series. So in summary, I can say it isn't the best anime I've ever seen, but it's nice to pass time.
armycat23
This will always be the best comedy/romance high school anime to me. Too often in a romance/comedy anime the side characters are pushed to the side as a mere after thought........and are just as significant to the story as minoru in boko no hero. THANKFULLY, that is not the case here. Each character in this anime has their own journey and it's fun to watch. Even certain characters who seem like an "antagonist" ends up being a character that is worth watching for his own growth. I enjoy all the romantic couplings, and I'm going to say that my favorite of which isn't eventhe main guy/girl..........it's Akira and Tadishi.
isabeladj
special a is just one of your typical anime shows but with a special twist.its nice cause the selection of characters are great.the characters have different personalities.each episode tells a different story about their lives in special a .unlike other animes,they focus oeverything not forgeting to mention this and that.
esofdiamon
For anybody who have read manga "Last Game" by Amano Shinobu, after find out how amazing that manga was, and when they try to search other manga that have the same story & style, they will find this one, "Special A" by Maki Minami. For your information, this is not the first manga that have the same theme, unrequited love between a long time childhood friend. There is another manga named "His and Her Circumstances" by Masami Tsuda in 1996 that slightly have the same theme. I expect nothing from this anime, but it turns out to be too funny and a lot of unpredictablesituation happen, even its also make me cry a lot with its drama. All character in this anime is sweet and adorable, each of them have their own past and back story that's so interesting. I could say that this anime's genre is fiction love. Anybody who want laugh and cry in the same time, this gem is highly recommended! I also write the same review in IMDB.
nagase
the greatest friendship-anime i've ever seen! both story and characters are very excellent. they mixed chibi arts and orginal arts very well. the story is rather common but they serve it in different way, so it wouldn't be boring... the seiyuu (Fukuyama, etc) are very expressive. the only thing i dislike is there are a bit much for side-characters and they usually don't have any use for the main story. if you love romance-comedy anime and "dense girl", i bet you will love it..
