Ranked #429

Special A

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

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.

^_^ read more

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 original or 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.... read more

Story:8 School comedy/romance focusing upon 7 elite students who are form Special A. Main focus of the series is on the rivalry and developing relationship between Kei and Hikari although mostly the relationship bit is from Kei and the rivalry from Hikari. Well written episodes, with a progressive story and time for character development. A bit slow in the beginning but by about halfway through the pace of the story really begins to pick up. I like how each of the students get some episode time to themselves, I never felt like I was watching a "filler" episode.

Art:8 Character designs are a bit odd at first (long limbs) but the good animation throughout. Kei reminds me of Lelouch from Code Geass in terms of look. One noteable part of the anime is during the romantic, happy scenes, the art style changes to more of a artbook, manga style drawing, works well.

Sound:7The OP/ED are ok but tbh I mainly skipped them. However the voice acting is very good throughout and make certain scenes even more funny.

Character:9The best thing about Special A is the characters and there relationships with each other. Using a mix of childhood memories and experiences at certain times, I'm sure you will be rooting for each of the potential couples.

Enjoyment:8Plenty of laughs and smiles from watching each episode and later on you will get touched and moved by the romance and drama. Its a feel good sort of anime.

Overall: 8 A excellent addition to the romance/school drama series. Great characters, plenty of funny moments, a steady but progressive story. It ain't very realistic in regards to abilities of human beings but hey this anime, its ok to over the top and for the most part it works.

This is of course speaking from a non mange perspective, so I understand if the anime was disappointing (its like reading a novel and watching it as a tv/film adapation) However thanks to Special A I'm reading the manga now, although I skipped like a load of chapters (to 53) read more

Special A is a 24-episode anime adaptation of a manga by Maki Minami. It stars a group of teen-aged students of the super elite school Hakusenkan. The protagonist (considering the anime is of the shojo demographic) is a female called Hanazono Hikari. She, of course, is an elite student belonging to the A-class, which is considered special (hence the title). B- to F-classes are highly inferior to the A-class. It’s a good thing that A-class students don’t overestimate themselves, though they always stand out wherever and whenever they go.

The story Special A features is a mixture of comedy, some bits of drama, and of course romance. Hikari sees Kei only as a rival and doesn’t really take interest in her love life. It has become obvious ever since the first episode that Kei looks up to Hikari as someone he loves. But on the contrary Hikari is somewhat dense, as many would consider her to be, and takes only a little pint of interest in her love life. Romance is exhibited by the main of the main characters, Hikari and Kei, only at the latter part of the series. The other major characters, on the other hand, have taken one step (or two) ahead of Hikari and Kei. More and more characters pop up and end up getting paired with the earlier characters. Their love stories do not take a turn to another phase easily. They have so-called ‘issues’ that would make each of their stories more interesting. In short, they are not revolving around a simple romance story. Making the other characters go ahead is quite a good idea. It won't have that much of an impact if the lead characters develop ahead of the others. Comedy, on the other hand, is demonstrated via exaggeration. It is acceptable for them to do almost impossible things since, of course, they are highly regarded ‘elite’ students [and are in an anime]. The comical parts (which is also equivalent to the romantic parts) of the story are not what many would consider corny or half-witted. Drama is the least of the three genres this anime falls under. There may not be enough tear-jerking scenes, but there are quite a good number of heart-trending thoughts and deeds displayed by some characters.

Almost each episode of the anime features one certain thing Hikari does to prove herself better than Kei. However, it’d be boring if there weren’t anyone to stir up some schemes. Sometimes, the characters deal with seemingly antagonistic guys or a group of jealous students. Such ‘antagonists’ make the story unpredictable as they prove themselves to be misunderstood—quite a good method of making twists in the plot. Most of the time, however, their 'opponents' would be themselves. Conflict featured is often psychological.

The story, though it advances slowly and focuses almost entirely on Kei’s growing love for Hikari and Hikari’s intimate passion for defeating Kei, is unique in its own way. The planning of events by the manga-ka is not mediocre, though it would always show a little bit too much of one thing. The story isn’t always (and very seldom) predictable, except for parts about Hikari losing to Kei in whatever task they perform. You would only find the events unsurprising if you know the characters too well. The plot isn’t that much complicated and is good enough for young viewers. One event leads to another and doesn’t jump to an irrelevant setting. The characters are regarded equal senses of importance. They’re not intended to look second-rate to either Hikari or Kei. Each possesses a distinctive trait/s, so they aren’t boring—they give off the same aura of enthusiasm as the lead characters do. Their looks befit their characteristics, too. The music is as of any other typical shojo anime—soft, melodious, and is not in a gloomy atmosphere. The art and animation are good, though not perfect (like duh). The animation seems not rushed, the coloring and shading aren’t bad, and the strokes are light. There are only a few unnoticeable discrepancies. But in one certain part of the series we could say that the animators are somewhat ‘experimenting.’ Changing the style of animation and strokes isn't exactly that good of an idea, considering the viewers are already adept with the previous style. Nevertheless, watching this anime won’t be considered a total waste of time—it’s not dull and it features a good storyline. Overall, Special A deserves a commendable 8/10. read more

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 (or not?) 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. read more

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 about 7 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. read more

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 Host Club” 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! read more

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 than her 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. :) read more

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 this anime 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. read more

Coming to this, I thought it would be just another anime to watch to pass the time while looking for an anime I'd really enjoy. I'd read a couple of reviews and the synopsis and just thought it sounded like a generally likeable anime with some comedy to keep me entertained.

When I started the first couple of episodes I received exactly what I was expecting and was content, a funny show with likeable characters and a nice, but pretty standard storyline. However as I reached around episode 5, I realised the series had kinda hooked me. Without realising it I had been dragged in by the charm and comedic nature of what was turning into a particularly interesting and deep show. The storyline of each character grew and all the personalities and traits of the main characters became fully explored and developed. The story began to add new characters and twists and stayed interesting, yet never left that basic structure it had started with.

The art is great. There's really nothing to complain about at all if you like they style unless you're really trying to find faults. The changes between character animations from serious to comedic are all pulled off flawlessly and the effect it has is definitely in favour of the show. Everything looks exactly as it should to fit the mood of the show. The sound too is great, all the voice actors are talented and portray their characters perfectly, the sound effects and background music all compliment the style and feel of the shower and nothing ever seems particularly out of place. The only complaint I could make, and this is purely my opinion, is that I wasn't too fond of the opening and ending themes throughout the series, this is all I could really mark it down for, and clearly this won't apply to everyone.

Having finished now, I'm quite surprised out how much I thoroughly enjoyed this show. Its very enjoyable, the characters and storyline are interesting, it’s presented in a manner that compliments the show nicely, and its well written and funny from start to finish. All in all I liked this show, it far surpassed my expectations and probably would rate highly among my favourite anime to date.

Definitely recommend it to those who are fans of comedy or romance, or anyone just looking for a light-hearted show to watch to pass some time. Hopefully, you won't be disappointed. read more

If I've never read the manga, I'd probably enjoy this anime for the crack that it is. But knowing how really great the manga is, I'm really disappointed with the anime adaptation.

I know that when animes are set with a strict 24 episodes border they have to leave out things from the original story and alter things so that it makes a coherent story in tha anime, too. Lovely Complex, for example, managed to pull this off well - even though they changed many things and left out a lot of chapters, the general mood still remained the same, so it was enjoyable for manga readers, too.

But I feel like Special A isn't being true to the manga, and it's really bad adaptation wise.

Even if the anime makers change a story a bit, manga readers can usually enjoy any kind of scenes with their beloved characters. The main problem with SA is that it didn't manage to grab the character's personalities at all. It seems like they looked at the characters, remembered a few traits they have then they animated them between these traits, without really paying attention to the character's depth. I don't want to get into spoilers, but the anime couldn't portray Kei's relationship with his brother well, and the end of that episode had a completely different message then it originally had in the manga.

Another problem is that the anime doesn't have the same mood as the manga at all. In the manga, these 7 people are extraordinarily talented, but still, normal people. The anime made them look really out of this world, especially in the first and the seventh episode. What most of the readers liked about the original story is that these characters were normal people, just outstanding ones. The anime completely took this aspect away.

The SA anime is only really enjoyable for those who hasn't read the manga, so if you want to watch all of the episodes while enjoying it, I'd like to recommend you not reading the manga. However, when the anime is over and you had your fun with it, I'd like to ask you to read the manga, which has a lot more levels. read more

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)club is 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.
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I tried, I really tried to make it through this series. I really don't like dropping anime series when I am this close to the end. Sadly I just couldn't take it anymore.

This one was a mediocre to bad romance/comedy anime series. The characters were uninteresting and on some levels very annoying. I kept waiting for the series to go some where. I know romance anime sometimes start off slow like Love Hina, Onegai Teacher, Suzuka and others, but this one went no where. The animation done by Gonzo and AIC was the best part of the series. What Gonzo gets involved in is good, but even they couldn't save this series. The music was also decent but nothing special.

Overall another average to bad romance/comedy anime series. read more

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.

At 1st, when this anime was aired in the Philippines (I think it was aired in TV5), I heard a lot of my schoolmates murmuring, “Uy, napanood mo yung Special A kagabi? Nakakilig si Kei nu? Ang sweet nya ke Hikari!” —> Translation: “Hey, did you watch Special A last night? Kei’s so sweet with Hikari right?”. I was really curious, so I tried watching an episode. I liked it too, but I didn’t have the time to continue watching it because of my hectic schedule (this was way back in High School).

Here comes my Summer Vacation from College! My boyfriend downloaded this anime for me because I was planning to write fanfiction this summer and it would be better if I know the original story from the Anime. I didn’t expect that I was going to be so hooked with it.

Story? The story was nice. It is an anime full of genres, and every episode is unexpected, it will really surprise you. The characters are usually growing and developing on every episode.

Graphics? I don’t comment much on the graphics, (since I’m not really a very good art critic) but I think it’s alright although the characters are thin or they all have the same body built. I also noticed the same usage of clothing on different episodes, and I find it quite simple though.

Likes? The story, the variety of each characters from one another and the insertion of comedic relief on every situation. It doesn’t bore me.

Dislikes? There is a rare development on every love story or the relationship between each love team. And the ending left me hanging. So I really expect a Season 2 or an OVA from this Anime. Swear, all those who have watched this anime want more right?

Special A is an anime where you’ll be learning, laughing, cherishing and crying. You’ll definitely enjoy it. No, it’s not corny because of the love tandems around. It’s really worth watching.

Then again, Special A.. All I can say is, more please? I regret reading the manga 1st before watching the Anime because now I am expecting more! I’ll give you an overall rating of 8! One of the best Anime I had watched, and one of my favorites. Suggesting this to all Anime fans! Be in love. :) read more

Special A is a really brilliant and fun story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything was great, right down to the last sketch and I felt it compulsory to write a review.

Story:

Well, you have probably already read the basis on it. It is a funny, and clever twist on school life, and shows you how determination can get you anywhere.
The plot was good, and it was set out episode by episode in a fantastic sequence.
/The story itself was heart warming and never failed to make me laugh. Even in a serious episode, it still made me chuckle, which I think is a good sign.

9/10

Art:

I like this kind of anime style, its realistic, but still a cartoon-ish drawing. The eyes are cute on girls, while boys have more of a serious vibe coming off them.
There are scenes where the characters look either really weird, or just so life-like (for a cartoon) that I've said to myself "Wow, how is anyone THAT thin?" or "OMW she looks SO real!" But usually, it just looks great, and normal.

9/10

Sound:

I think the sound on this anime is absoleutly incredible, the voices match the character perfectly and every beat, line and pitch is delievered exactly how it should be. The voice actors have done an amazing job with this anime, and I'm pleased to say, its perfect.

10/10

Character:

All of the characters (excluding some CERTAIN characters!) are very lovable, funny and well, unique.
Their each individual personalities fit in so well with the others, yet they are so different at the same time.
Each character holds their own special talent and unique ability that is so precious and super, really.

9/10

(I only gave it a 9, because of a certain character > read more

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..

First off, I've only seen the first six episodes of this anime and never read the seemingly well known manga, so take my review with a grain of salt.
This show is yet another romantic, shoujo, school life kind of anime:

Story:
From what I've seen up till now, there is really barely a story. There are a few story arcs, which at most go over 2 episodes. I'd say the story is just stuck onto the relationship between the 2 main characters and kind of obsolete. Other than that, I really don't know what to say about the story, except maybe the relationship between the two:
The show is all about how Hikari Hanazono has always been second to Kei Takishima, who is more than perfect in everything. She always calls him her rival, which destroys any romance from really building up in the first few episodes. I guess the idea of each story arc is, thatHikari challenges Kei to something and the story then revolves around the competition, and maybe creates a few romantic moments. I really don't see any proper story, though that may change with future episodes.

Art:
The art really bothered me. The way the characters are drawn is really strange and kind of put me off right from the start. Every person in this anime is extremely tall and thin with very long legs. Some shots through out the show just look really wrong because the proportions don't seem to match.

Sound:
The sound is OK. It's not amazing to the point where I would have to by the CD, but not bad to the point where it would disturb me. It just fits well into the "story" and "plot".

Character:
I find every character, except Kei, annoying and/ or unlikable. I guess the anime could turn out great it they did the character development well, but Hikari is just too annoying for me to handle and I really didn't at all sympathize with her.

Enjoyment:
I flat out did not enjoy watching these episodes. I had to push myself to episode six and had forgotten what had happened in the "plot" till then, if that tells you anything.

Overall:
It is really kind of unfair to bash an anime of which I've only seen six episodes, but I really disliked it. The show does have some potential and I really hope that it will make use of it.
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To me, it was just the greatest anime i have watched so far. Its romantic & kind of prince like. I loved this anime, it was so interesting how the story was abnormal, but at the same time it was normal too. It just makes you want to keep watching and watching until your already done! [that happened to me obviously=P]