Special A 01 - First Impressions

Hikari-Kei
More Screencaps from Special A 01
I have to say I am not really a huge fan of school life anime. Yet for some reason, two of my anime titles to watch this season belong under that category. It makes me wonder. But then again, it's been a while since I last saw an honest-to-goodness funny anime that I watch only for the laughs so I'm just probably trying to compensate for the lost time by watching not one but two -- and probably more if I ever decide to pick up Kamen no Maid Guy (I'm only interested in this because it has Megumi Toyoguchi in the cast) and Allison and Lillia (which isn't even school life in the strict sense). We'll see.

So Special A. What's so special about Special A? You have me there. Based on the plot synopsis from ANN, I thought that it reminded me a little of another school life title, Kareshi Kanojou no Jijou (or Kare-Kano or His and Her Circumstances), which was, strictly speaking, the first shoujo manga that I ever truly got into.
But Special A seems lighter in comparison. At least, superficially, it resembles Kare-Kano: the rivalry between the main characters Hikari and Kei are somewhat reminiscent of the rivalry between Yukino and Arima, but that's all probably there is to it. Certainly, Special A does not seem to have the same capacity for drama that Kare-Kano had with its wonderfully complicated cast of villains.

Instead what Special A does resemble is the lightness of Ouran High School Host Club. At least, the exclusive school setting seems dead-on, not to mention the absurd number of fangirls walking about the campus, the faux-sophistication of afternoon tea ceremonies, etc. etc.

Don't get me wrong though. I know better than to compare Special A to Ouran and Kare-Kano and I know that whatever similarities there are, that's natural under the school life genre. So what does Special A have to offer?
Aside from the comedic moments -- which sure are humorous, if you like slapstick comedy, which I do to a great extent -- the main focus of Special A is most likely character dynamics and how each character develops with each interaction with the rest of the cast. And the first episode, entitled -- appropriately enough -- Hikari-Kei, certainly affirms that.

Hikari is the genki daughter of a pro-wrestling fan who has no qualms in training his daughter at a very tender age the basics of beating up someone to a pulp. Having never once been defeated in battle, Hikari develops an overblown sense of confidence, which confidence is quickly dispatched when she is defeated in a fight by the son of a close friend, Kei.

From then onwards, it has seemingly become Hikari's purpose in life to beat Kei at anything. The problem is that since that one defeat several years ago, Hikari has never been able to top Kei, not even in high school, where both of them are enrolled under the Special A class, composed only of the top seven students of the school with Kei as the No. 1 and Hikari No. 2. Every day for Hikari is a challenge with Kei, who outwardly goads her on by insisting on calling her "Miss No. 2."

There are other characters in the story, of course -- other members of the Special A like twins Jun (3) and Megumi (4), both of whom have no musical talent whatsoever, which is ironic considering that they are the children of a music producer and a talented vocalist. Jun and Megumi are oddly attached to Ryuu (7), who likes animals. No. 5 is Tadashi, a carefree individual with a wanderlust and a sweet tooth, followed by No. 6 Akira, who likes afternoon tea, cute girls (like Hikari), baking, and beating Tadashi to a pulp.

The rest of the student body are either fangirls/fanboys of the Special A class or those who hate them for the privilege that they get -- Special A do not attend class and have their "headquarters," a greenhouse complete with fountains and artificial streams.

COMMENTS:

Depending on how good the second episode is going to be, I'll probably continue to blog about this. It's not so bad and some scenes are actually hilarious. Both Hikari and Kei are pretty likeable characters. I also like the other Special A members, especially Akira and Tadashi, because I like violence in anime. *sweatdrop*

MORE INFO:
Sample "School Days" (OP) by Yuko Goto
Sample "Hidamare no Gate" (ED) by Jun Fukuyama
OFFICIAL (Japanese)
Anime News Network
Wikipedia

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Special A PV Preview

So I just saw the promotional video for Special A (wiki) and I gotta say that I am definitely watching this show. The rivalry between Kei and Hikari reminds me a little of the competition between Arima and Yukino in Kare-Kano. And the exclusive school setting is reminiscent of Ouran High School Host Club. I don't know if that is a good combination, but based on what I see from the previews, the series looks like fun, and fun is what I need.


More Screencaps

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Spring 2008 Anime Previews

TITLE: Amatsuki
EPISODES: 13+
GENRE: adventure, fantasy, historical, samurai
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: A high schooler uses state-of-the-art museum technology that allows him to travel back to the Edo period only to end up trapped in time. There he meets another person who is in the same position as him and a female samurai who saves his life.

COMMENTS: I do so love my samurai animes.

TITLE: Vampire Knight
EPISODES: 13+
GENRE: supernatural, fantasy, vampires, romance
LINKS: ANN, TV-TOKYO, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: (from ANN)Yuki's earliest memory is of a stormy night in winter, wherein she was attacked by a vampire... And then rescued by another. Now 10 years later, Yuki Cross, the adapted daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy, has grown up and become a guardian of the vampire race, protecting her savior, Kaname, from discovery as he leads a group of vampires at the elite boarding school. But also at her side is Zero Kiryu, a childhood friend who’s hatred for the creatures that destroyed everything he held dear, is now determined never to trust them. This coexisting arrangement seems all well and good, but have the vampires truly renounced their murderous ways, or is there a darker truth behind their actions. Is Kaname's infatuation with Yuki the beginning of a forbidden romance, or is it something in her forgotten past that draws him to her. Because in this world of secrets, nothing is as it seems. And the price of misplaced trust may even be worse than death.

COMMENTS: Attractive character designs and intriguing story with the potential to be a sort of dark romance? But probably just a lot of angst. I don't mind. Angtsy vampires are just my thing.

TITLE: Chiko, Heiress of the Phantom Thief (Nijuu-Mensou no Musume)
EPISODES: 22
GENRE: mystery, action
LINKS: ANN, Fuji Creative Corporation, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: The adventures of a female thief.

COMMENTS: I am quite partial to thieves. I thoroughly enjoyed the Lupin series, both novel and anime version, so yeah. They must lead glamorous lives, these people, despite the danger.

TITLE: S.A. ~Special A~
EPISODES: 24
GENRE: romance, comedy, drama, school life
LINKS: ANN, GONZO, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: Childhood rivals, Hikari and Kei, are still at it even in high school. But while Hikari considers Kei as a rival (and perhaps occasional friend), Kei loves Hikari. Only problem is Hikari is too dense to notice.

COMMENTS: It's like Kare-Kano! But without the dark undertones, probably.

TITLE: Mnemosyne ~ Daughters of Mnemosyne ~ (Mnemosyne no Musume-tachi) (OVA)
EPISODES: 6
GENRE: dark, supernatural, scifi, horror, mystery, mature
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL, XEBEC, TRAILER
SUMMARY: Private investigator Rin Asougi and her partner Mimi make it their job to look into various mysteries, from a seemingly harmless search for a lost cat to top-secret research projects. But their own secret which they hide are by far more sinister.

COMMENTS: It's not my usual cup of coffee but I have been following this. Maybe because it has a kind of dark appeal.

TITLE: Kite Liberator (OAV)
EPISODES: 1
GENRE: action, scifi, thriller
LINKS: ANN, OFFICIAL
SUMMARY: (from ANN) Years after the events that transpired in Kite, Sawa's whereabouts are a mystery. During this time, rumors of a new killer have begun to circulate the city. They call her the Angel of Death, an unfeeling assassin who eliminates her targets with grace and precision, leaving only a flurry of feathers as her calling card. What the public is unaware of is the fact that this notorious hitman is a actually a polite young lady named Monaka. Like her spiritual predecessor, Monaka has lost most of her family, and her father's duty as an astronaut keeps hims practically worlds apart. However, they are close despite the physical distances and Orudo promised his daughter that he would return. Until then, daily life for the timid and somewhat clumsy Monaka involves mostly school and her part time job as a waitress, but her nature completely changes once she receives an assignment.

COMMENTS: Uhm...Madlax?

Well, I'm definitely blogging about Kite Liberator. I am in fact downloading it now. Of Mnemosyne, I'm not too sure. I enjoy watching it but it's so graphic and dark that it's hard to take relatively clean screencaps. I'll be following Vampire Knight if the story holds. The rest, we'll see.

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