Tenchi's Thoughts: Special A

After picking up volume 1 and 2 of Special A, I was surprised to learn that there was an anime series made based on the manga. And as the series was almost done being shown in Japan, I decided to put it next on my list to watch, as I had enjoyed the two manga volumes so far.

That could hurt!

For those who do not know about the series, here is the quick overview. At the age of 6, Hikari was really into pro wrestling as was her father. He taught her moves in the backyard and she ran around attacking bullies and defending people. One day a boy named Kei comes over and beats her in one move. From that point on, Hikari has made it her life’s mission to BEAT her rival Kei in whatever way she could. She manages to convince her middle class family to enroll her in the prestigious Hakusenkan School just so she can beat Kei. This particular school gives a whole meaning to honors classes. The top 7 students are places in a special class, Special A, and are given a totally different part of the school to study in. With Kei constantly number one and Hikari constantly number 2, the other five members (Jun, Megumi , Tadashi , Akira , and Ryuu ) watch them constantly challenge one another and ponder when the two will finally come together as a couple.

Rivals in love :O

Slight Spoilers lie ahead...

Let me start off with saying I think the art on this show was very good. I know I am a bit of a snob when it comes to anime in the aspect it must be drawn well to capture my attention. I don’t like a show with huge boobs or a lot of fan service. So yes, I can be picky when it comes to the art portion of a show. I think S.A. did a great job with that art EXCEPT one consistent thing: banana hair. A lot of the guys had their hair perfectly in place…except these two flyways on the top of their heads. If you look at them from a certain angle, it was in the shape of a banana! I laughed every time I saw them. Other than that, the art was spot on! I actually enjoyed the art more in the anime than the manga, which may be a first! (although I just reread the first two volumes and they also have banana hair in the manga too) It angers me when the art on the cover of a manga does not match the art inside the book. So, I give the anime two thumbs up in improving the art.

Did anyone ever tell you there is a banana on your head?

There was a bit of Host Club aspect to this show with the one “normal’ girl surrounded by rich friends. The Special A class gets its own section of the school, which is this HUGE and expensive greenhouse type building. Instead of a normal school festival, these kids get a rented boat and private island adventure. One member of Special A manages to get 40 expensive cars to school to pick up her friends with one simple phone call. The Special A class gets to dine on special foods every day of the week. Also, they tend not to…go to class. :P However, unlike Host Club, there are some students at the school who are against Special A. Some of their classmates do the very dramatic Hikari-sama and such when they see the members while the others resent them for not taking school life as seriously as they do. Some of the plot revolves around Special A having to compete against other classes to keep their position. So the series is not OOZING with uncalled for spending and over the top indulgences….just some over indulgences.

Closets bigger than my room.

I really did compare this anime to the manga for the first few episodes (as I have only read the first two so far…reading manga online makes me feel like a thief, but I am okay with anime :P).Based on my limited manga knowledge, I found the first few episodes very similar. I did enjoy Kei’s birthday party more in the manga than the anime, as I felt it was rushing throwing it in the first episode. The manga also made more sense in regards to Kei saving Hikari during the Sui episode. They seemed to leave out a few details in regards to WHY Hikari needed/wanted a job in the anime so it seemed a little random. However, there are things I like more about the anime than the manga. Ryuu comes off much more loveable in the anime and Akira personality pops more with animation.

Akira has a lovely personality.

There is a lot of romance in this anime. While the manga is a little more subtle with showing Kei’s feelings towards Hikari, we are shown right off the bat how strongly Kei feels for her. Hikari is very intelligent in every other aspect except picking up on Kei’s and her own feelings, which can be frustrating and amusing at times. Hikari fails to realize that sometimes Kei’s chauvinist ways are just to protect her (although I was slightly angry at him mention “you’re a girl, you are not match” at times). Sometimes his motives are only to make Hikari happy or to be with her. Akira obviously has a crush on Tadashi, whom may or may not be aware of it. However, the Special A’s arch rival (and once friend) Yahiro has feelings for Akira, but he chooses to be the bad guy to protect her from reality. In an effort to protect Akira and Tadashi, Megumi asks out the “psychopath” Yahiro but ends up falling for him herself. Kei’s father sets up a marriage meeting with a girl named Sakura, who ends up failing for Jun instead. :O Got that all down in your head? The only one left out of this love mix is Ryuu, who has his hands full anyway taking care of the twins and every animal known to mankind. All these different romances lead to the fuzzy sketch scenes of weirdness, because once you have romantic feelings for someone, everything gets blurry and red and blue. But I enjoyed the characters being young and trying to figure out how to have or start a relationship.

Sketchiness of doom!

There are plenty of crack moments in this show. Many members of the casts have psycho moments when things are not going their way. I find Akira and Hikari moments of crazy the most amusing, but Kei makes a great demon lord. Every time Kei calls Hikari number 2, the kanji for that falls on her (usually her head) and attempts to crush her. When Hikari becomes sick later in the series, her wrapped up in her blanket makes her look like a scary monster (a scary monster who confesses her love to Kei :O). When Kei is sick, Hikari and her awesome cooking skills create porridge that has bubble faces. In fact, it is an ongoing joke that that Hikari is great at almost everything, yet she cannot cook to save her life. She is however great at creating rice ball cannons. Episode 7 was nothing but crack with the race. There are many hilarious moments mixed in with this romance anime.

That looks safe to eat!

One thing that got annoying at times was Kei and Hikari’s godly ability to (almost) be good at everything. I know that sometimes impossible scenarios make for great comedy in an anime, but at times it was a bit much. Kei just seems indestructible, a bear and a rock slide falling on him can’t make him break a sweat. He just is too perfect in every aspect of life, it is a bit sad to watch Hikari and think she will never win. He is just one of those annoyingly perfect people who can do no wrong. Half the time you want to stab him in the face and the other half you wonder how he has any time to be perfect if his life is so busy.

Anyone can make that jump, what are you talking about!?

This anime also shows the downsides to being rich. Of course they have bigger houses, better food, and money just lying around all over the place. But for the kids in Special A, it is hard to make friends. It might be the reason they stick together throughout their entire school life, because they know they can trust each other. Yahiro is portrayed as the villain for most of the series, but it is later revealed he was protecting Akira from a person who was only using her for money. Kei is beyond happy to get a homemade lunch, as he always gets catered meals and nothing made from the heart. Akira befriends a girl at a different school, helps her out in many different ways, and what she gets in return is stolen jewelry. It is sad and you feel bad for these rich kids, because they have problems too. It is hard constantly being judged because of how much money your family has. Kei has the biggest problems out of the bunch, as he has to help run his father’s business. More is expected from these kids and the pressure can get to them. So in-between the 15 feet vault jumps and karate moves, there are serious moments in this anime.

Overall, I found this anime very interesting to watch. It is a shojo anime with lots of romance and confused feelings. But it also a great source of comedy and laughs. The plot never got boring and I did not see one episode I would classify as a filler. I still have 2 more episodes to watch, so look for my closing thoughts on this anime. But unless something drastic happens, this anime is on the must watch list at my house.