Alternative TitlesEnglish: Special A Synonyms: スペシャル・エー, S.A., Special A Class Japanese: スペシャル・エー
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 24
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 7, 2008 to Sep 15, 2008
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.191 (scored by 12833 users)
Ranked: #2162
Popularity: #117
Members: 23,170
Favorites: 964 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
comedy romance school life shoujo |
SynopsisHikari Hanazono has always been second to Kei Takishima. When they were six years old, their pro-wrestling loving fathers introduced them to each other. Assuming that she was the best in wrestling, young Hikari challenged Kei to a wrestling match only to be thoroughly defeated by him. Ever since that fateful incident, Hikari swore to beat Kei in school grades, sporting events - anything. To do this, she has enrolled in the same school as Kei since elementary. Now she attends Hakusenkan, an ultra elite school, that costs her carpenter father a lot of money. Hikari and Kei are the top two students in the school, with Kei holding firmly to that number one position. While Hikari considers Kei to be a rival and important friend, she is completely unaware that Kei loves her. The story primarily focuses on Hikari and her constant attempts to defeat her one and only rival, Kei, and how she finds love in their rivalry. |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Special A
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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shadowraze
32 of 47 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
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 not frustrating 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 read more
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Master_M2K
43 of 69 people found this review helpful
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24 of 24 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
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 on the 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.
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Recommendations
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Both have the essence of comedy and romance, and they have a similarity of the story outline which held in school with rich and famous people. Also the similarity of some characters is a bit matched, and surely both will give laughter at the end.
Both of these deal with a specific group of high school kids and strangely enough their main protagonists are both "poverish", young girls!! Many similarities, yet so many differences, but somehow they're one in the same! Fun, hilarity, and drama are packed with the complicated and interesting lives of each character. And as it always is in animes like this, almost every character is loveable in their very own special way.
Both are closely similar... Hikari, a talented girl raised under a normal family, attends a prestigious and elite school. She gets to be a member of a special class of rich and bright students who goof and fool around. Ouran is just like that too...
Both have a club consisting of rich, beautiful and talented students. The main girl from both series are the oddballs out as far as money is concerned. The romance situations have the main guy in love with the main girl who doesn't even take notice. The comedy is about equal, though in my opinion, I found SA more comical.
Having seen one of the two, it's impossible to see the other without being constantly reminded of the first.
Special A and Ouran Host Club have the same general feel. Each features a group of distinct characters with slight focus on the relationships between the male and female leads. If you like the comedic adventures and exaggerated animation style of Ouran, Special A is certainly worth a try.
I believe they have some similarities in the fact that there is this "elite" group in school to which only a few are allowed. And there is this display of wealthiness from a couple of its members, it shows in the kind of activities they make. A lot of bishounen running around too, with wicked father or mother figures. I suppose these are common traits in anime that are mostly developed in school. Also the wealthiest boy , or at least the one that shines the most, is in love with a girl of humble origins who is into studying and has a strong personality.
School settings with plenty of romance and humor to go around. Main characters are all funny as hell and give off good feelings.
Both revolve around a prestegious group of students and most of them are extremally wealthy. They both have the same type of comedy and are both very good animes if your looking to just relax and laugh. Also I think if you like HaruhixTamaki, you'll love HikarixKei
First, both are absolutely different from their manga counterparts. Second, both involve an elite group of students, be they the best looking ones (Ouran), or the top students (Special A). Third, both are drop dead hilarious. Finally, both involve the leading member of the group (Kei and Suou) liking an extremely dense female member of the group (Hikari and Haruhi).
Well Both have Story About School and special class and both have story about special class love
They both depict the lives of students in highly exclusive schools. There were a lot of fun moments in both, though I find Ouran to be far superior in almost every aspect.
The atmosphere of Ouran High and Special A are the same with those students who enjoy themselves staying in a luxurious room and leisurely spend their days are very much similar. Though Ouran High is much more comedic than special A, still I could say that if you liked Ouran High there's a high possibility that you would also like Special A.
Both great cute Anime where the girl is not really a push over and the guys aren't jerks!! Very funny, great characters.
Both have a comedy genre which makes them both fun to watch.Random things appear all the time and you can't help but love all the characters
Well firstly, both are shoujo comedy school slice-of-life anime. both shows the dramas of each member of a special group of friends. ouran is romantic in that the club is set up to entertain women, whilst special is romance in the sense that most of the characters have their own love story and pair up. however, both have similar atmospheres. ouran's comedy is better, but special a still has it's fair share. they even end nearly the same!! many scenes reminded me of the other.
Speical A has the a bunch of Rich Kids doing what they do best, just like in Ouran. It also has really great characters like Ouran, but what makes this fancy is that it follows the romantica story of each character. It will make you laugh and brigten up your day when you are feeling down.
well..its both about school and a special club..in OHHC it has host club..while in special a it has this special class for top7 student..i found some episode similar in some ways..like in the last episode..where tamaki is going to france while kei is going to ??(the main branch of takashima)..it is both comedy..and emotional in some episode but more on in comedy..
Is basic on almost the same place, but what is different is that we don't know the true result of who loves who =P
They are both about a group of high school students in a 'club' of some sort. (Host Club for Ouran and selective students for Special A) The school is both for rich kids with the main character in both being female, being a commoner but still getting into the school anyway. The female main is also every smart in both of them, S.A 2nd in school and Haruhi top of grade. They also both have love problems within their group. Not to mention they are both funny with those hilarious signs.
The story is kinda similar.
If you liked Ouran you willl love "special A",Both are romantic comedys, about an Average girl who acts more like a boy,hanging out with rich people in a special class/club.
I found the both Anime to be very similiar, both are talking about school life, each of the Anime are focusing the school life on Private Groups that the main characters take part in, While Ouran High School talks about a school of rich people and a private Host Club, Special A talks about rich people that are in the private special group of the smartest students.. xD make sure you watch them both!
In both anime's there are elite class students and one normal (commoner) person, romance between main characters, great humor, related to school and both have 7 friend's brought together.
Both are about a group of people that have gathered together.The leader of both anime likes the protagonist .They are both romantic comedies and are shoujo .There are also a similarity in characters,Tamaki from Ouran is like Tadashi from SA,Kyouya from Ouran is like Kei from SA,Haruhi from Ouran is like Jun from SA,Takeshi(Mori-Sempai) from Ouran is like Ryuu from SA.Both shows also have a pair of twins,Hikaru and Kaoru (both Boys)from Ouran and Jun and Megumi(One boy one girl) from SA.Another suprise is that both groups consists of 7 people.Also in both shows only the protagonists are not rich.So mch similarity in both shows but they both develop in different ways.Still i liked both so why wont you?
They're similar in a lot of ways, also the characters relate to each other a lot.
Same situation, one commoner and a bunch of close rich friends in a really prestigious school. the guy that likes her looks a lot like tamaki. It's also really funny and sweet.
Special A and Ouran High School Host Club are both shoujo comedies that center around a somewhat special group of high school students. In Special A this group is an elite class of the best students in school while in Ouran its a "host club". Still, the characters in both groups are eerily similar; in both groups you have a perfect male (lead), a cool reserved character, a cute character and a guy who appears to be a dummy.
Also both animes (being shoujo) center around a very clueless (but strong) heroine. Both shows have a lot of silly comedy. The character designs are alike. Overall both animes have the same feel, so I think that fans of one of them will like the other.
Ouran is a really funny anime! Every character is special in itself. and the same goes for SA. but Ouran has more individually gone into each character.
Well, both anime are really awesome.
Both are comedy, romance, school life, shoujo..
Both have a main female char that is 'poor' but talented and goes in a special elite school/class..
Both series have a extremly good char design, both can be funny, both can be romantic.. Both have characters really good definited.~
I suggest to watch both.. believe me, both worth it! :3
Ouran Host club and Special A have a similar mood going...
both deal with some high school for the rich n a normal talented
young girl that somehow gets caught up with a certain group/club
of the elite...even though they both have their slight differences...
they're both romantic comedies that are completely watchable^^
Both Ouran High School Host & Special A have a student, which is the main character, who is attending an elite school & is an oddball who does not fit in well when it comes to money. Haruhi from OHSHC & Hikari from Special A are both very dense when it comes to love & they do not realize that Tamaki [OHSHC] & Kei [S.A.] love them. They also share a couple of the same episodes, [I hope I don't ruin this for you guys] including the time when the Host Club & Special A visited the main character's house. Coincidentally, the Host Club & Special A both have seven members, including Haruhi & Hikari. Both are also comedies and I enjoyed watching every episode of both series. All in all, if you have watched one of the two, I recommend you watch the other. OURAN HIGH SCHOOL HOST CLUB & SPECIAL A ROCK ! (:
If you liked Ouran Host Club, then you will surely appreciate Special A, a mix of love, comedy, good looking and rich guys, who will capture your heart! Strongly recommended.
initial character design is very similar however developement more unexpected i would recomend watching ouran high first as SA goes as far as to openly spoof ouran thats how close they are please watch one if you have watched the other
they are very similar... characters, humor... Host Club is more funny, special A is cuter ^^
If you like something funny like Ouran High School Host Club than you might as well like Speacial A!These two manga/anime are the best comedy I seen yet.They also have a little romance in them.But mostly comedy.So atch it you might find yourself laughing before you know it!!!
Both Have Hilarious Characters
Both are romance
Great Story/Plot
Both are in special High Class schools
The story revloves around elite high school students. If Ouran revolves around rich characters, S.A revolves around the intelligent students. They are packed with comedy but if Ouran is more of a slice of life genre, S.A is more of a romance anime. They way how both stories end is similar.
Both about school life and its about the girl with her rich friends.
Special A seems like a copy of Ouran High School Host Club that is not superior to Ouran High School Host Club. But if you are still looking for a humourous anime to watch that is similar to Ouran High School Host Club, try Special A.
Romance, school, slice of life, comedy, a good series ^^
These both have romance and comedy at prestigious school clubs
Special A = Ouran High School Host Club + School Rumble
Pompous, rich and good-looking people that can do anything and everything to perfection and are clearly superior to all humans and even posses hearts of gold.... check.... Male lead in love with the totally adorable and equally dense and clueless female lead who doesn't notice his feelings even if slapped in the face with them..... check.... ^^
+All 3 are fantastic series
Both focus around school life, and are romantic and funny in their own way :)
You'll love them both.
They both take place with a school that houses a prestigous group. Both are a comedy and both have a similar feel. The animation in each series is unique and beautiful with great color.
Both are highly recommended.
these tow are too similar to each other .. both talks about 7 students .. the main girl is poor and while the rest are rich .. and a lot of similar situations ..
Special A and Ouran High School Host club are very similar in storyline. Both are Romance+ Comedy animes and the endings are very similar because in both the girl and the boy jump off something (Clock tower + Bridge). The build-up is also fairly similar as the girl is clueless that the guy(s) like her.
Both anime have girls of low social classes attending a prestigious school, and both anime are LOADED with comedy! As far as length goes, they have almost the same amount of episodes.
Both involve a group of elite rich kids who go about their daily lives. Each have more than a daily dose of comedy (chibis galore, everyone! ^^) and a little romance (Special A much more so than Ouran). All the characters are also made out to be extremely attractive, and often have moments where they are surrounded by roses (Ouran) or doilies( Special A) to promote this sort of appeal.(There's also quite a bit of squealing and fangirling among the background characters in both. 0.0) We also get to see some of the hardships of each character's past or current homelives in both. There's a lot of differences of course, but the only big differences are that 1) The main male lead is much, much smarter and moe serious than the main female lead in Special A, wheras it's reversed in Ouran. In fact, Hikari is pretty much the female version of Tamaki. ^^ and 2) There's much more drama in special A than in Ouran.
These two series are almost one in the same. Had the characters in Special A looked like the cast of Ouran I would've been fooled completely into thinking there was a season two of OHSHC. If you like Special A, there's no doubt you will love Ouran.
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Characters and story are very similar; however, the mood and pace of the show is quite different, as well as the animation style. If you enjoy Special A, you will probably enjoy Itazura na Kiss.
They both have a girl who isnt in the top. Except that she's in F-Class and he's in A-Class.
They both have a girl who isnt in the top.
Both shows contain a male lead who are geniuses and can memorize things after seeing it once, they both contain a girl that are below them academically and both have a great mix of comedy and romance
Both of them have a main girl who isn't the best. They are quite similar, but in Special A the comedy is on a higher level unlike Itazura na Kiss. Although Itazura na kiss is not much of a comedy, it is the better romance. I recommend both of them
They are both really great anime's with the same kind of romance feel. Both female protagonists and both male protagonists resemble another a lot, and i just loved watching both of these. If you liked Special A you will deffinetly like Itazura na Kiss. !! I absolutley love both of them!
Itazura na Kiss and Special A both have the "cute-klutz" heroine in both the animes. Both are heart warming and very funny. Special A includes romance, but has much more comedy than Itazura na Kiss, and is therefore directed more towards younger audiences, whereas Itazura na Kiss is sweet, but is the "slice of life" style.
I recommend both, if you liked one, you are bound to like the other.
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Opening Theme#01: "Special Days" by Yuko Goto (eps 1-12)
#02: "Gorgeous 4U" by Jun Fukuyama, Hiro Shimono, Tsubasa Yonaga and Kazuma Horie) (eps 13-24)
Ending Theme#01: "Hidamari no Gate" by Jun Fukuyama, Hiro Shimono, Tsubasa Yonaga, Kazuma Horie (eps 1-12, 24)
#02: "Special Gyutto Good Luck!" by Yuko Goto, Hitomi Nabatame, and Ayahi Takagaki (eps 13-23)
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