[ Episode 3: Onigiri ･ Sincerity ]

This episode was definitely better than the last. Sure there wasn’t any “action” but I still found it to be quite enjoyable. The whole setup with Hikari making a bento for Kei isn’t exactly new but I loved how it was all executed. Kei’s reason for wanting a bento made me smile a bit. If you place yourself in his shoes, I think it’s easy to understand why he’d desire something homemade from someone he cares about so much. However, no matter how you look at it, Hikari can’t cook to save her own life. She made a cannonball for goodness sakes! There’s no telling how her last effort turned out but if I were Kei I very likely would have said it tasted good as well, especially after waiting so long for it.

I found Hikari’s mother to be particularly hilarious in this episode as well. She didn’t pull any punches in telling Hikari just how much of a horrible cook she is and really had me laughing when she went all maniac on her. The interactions between Akira and Tadashi are hilarious as ever and I can’t help but wonder if those two won’t become something more in the future. It’s probably not as likely as I would like it to be but I can’t ignore the thought of the two becoming a couple. I’m also interested in seeing how Akira and Hikari came to be such good friends. My guess is that there will be a flashback segment of sorts to explain it.

[ Episode 2: Pride ・ Pro Wrestling ]

It must suck being Eternally Second.

This was a rather fun episode though I think it had a little less impact than the first episode. I say that because the conflict in this episode never really felt urgent or worrisome. After all, Hikari and Kei are the two top best in the school at pretty much everything. So when I saw the two huge wrestlers they had to fight, I automatically knew they’d get pounded by Hikari and Kei. Granted I did enjoy seeing Kei be protective of Hikari such as when he was worried about her being ambushed, but it was obvious that the entire handcuff thing didn’t need to happen for it to be shown. Kei or even Hikari could have simply snapped those things in half from the beginning so the sense of “OMG what are they going to do” was pretty absent. Still, it showed that the two care for each other quite a bit and so far we know Kei has more than just normal feelings for Hikari. It was best displayed at the beginning of the episode when he got really jealous after Hikari told the Student Council guys that she loves men who try their best. Seeing his dark aura was absolutely hilarious! Hikari, however, seems to be completely oblivious of Kei’s feelings so it looks like it will take a while before they confront each other with their feelings of romance.

ANN Encyclopedia | AniDB | AnimeNfo
OP: “Special Days” by Yuko Goto
ED: “Hidamari no Gate (陽だまりのゲート)” by Jun Fukuyama, Hiro Shimono, Tsubasa Yonaga & Kazuma Horie
Production: AIC, Gonzo

[ Episode 1: Hikari・Kei ]

There can only be one Number one! Then again, wouldn’t it be better to be second?

I’ll be straight to the point: I liked the premiere of Special A. I haven’t read the manga before and I’m not sure I’m going to even after being charmed by the series already.

First thing’s first: There were times that when I was watching and I mistook Kei for Lelouch. Dammit Fukuyama Jun! You’re everywhere this season! He used his Lelouch voice at least once or twice when the situation got pretty serious but it wasn’t 100%. I don’t have a problem with it but it can be a bit funny and confusing at times.

The characters are more likable than I expected them to be. Normally in a high level class you’d expect all or most of the students to be snobbish but all seven of them have their own unique personalities and don’t follow the stereotypes of elitists. Hikari, Kei, Akira, Tadashi, Ryuu, Jun, and Megumi are all hilarious in their own way. Hikari and Kei have the whole competitive dynamic. Akira adores Hikari and totally assaults Tadashi when he pisses her off. Ryuu, Jun, and Megumi have this weird trio thing going on where he can control their behavior with a whistle. Yeah. I couldn’t believe it myself when I saw it and yes I did laugh. I’m wondering about Megumi though…she doesn’t speak at all yet at the end of the episode when she was about to sing her voice seemed to cause an explosion (of sound at least). I can only imagine how awesome her performance was to have rendered Kei pale and unresponsive!

The animation isn’t exactly top-of-the-line but it is still attractive. The colors are vibrant and the character movements aren’t stiff. The character designs may bother some but I find them to be just fine. Their long limbs don’t bother me either since such things are common in the shoujo manga that I read and I am a CLAMP fan as well. Vocal-wise I was impressed with the seiyuu cast. Even if Fukuyama Jun came off as Lelouch once or twice, he still did a great job making Kei sound different that Lelouch. I could hardly tell that Goto Yuuko was Hikari. She’s got amazing range given that she voices Mikuru in the Haruhi series.

Overall, Special is quite enjoyable. The characters are all lively and likable. While watching I must admit I was thinking of Ouran Host Club as well as the manga/dorama Yukan Club, both of which are great series. I’m hoping that GONZO and AIC will continue doing a great job with this series because it would be a shame to see the quality drop because of laziness.