| S · A: Special A | |
| S·A(スペシャル·エー) (S·A (Supesharu Ē)) |
|
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Maki Minami |
| Published by | Hakusensha |
| English publisher | Viz Media |
| Demographic | Shōjo |
| Magazine | Hana to Yume |
| Original run | April 1, 2003 – March 19, 2009 |
| Volumes | 17 |
| TV anime | |
| Directed by | Miyao Yoshikazu |
| Studio | AIC, Gonzo |
| Licensed by | Sentai Filmworks |
| Network | Chiba TV |
| Original run | April 6, 2008 – September 14, 2008 |
| Episodes | 24 |
S · A: Special A (S·A(スペシャル·エー) S·A (Supesharu Ē)), also known as Special A or S.A, is a shōjo manga by Maki Minami. The series started serialization in the bimonthly magazine The Hana to Yume in 2003, and moved to the biweekly magazine Hana to Yume in 2004, after running for four chapters.[1] The series ended after 99 chapters on March 19, 2009.[2]
Special A has been licensed for English-language release in North America by Viz Media and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The series has also been licensed in Germany, Italy, Indonesia, and Singapore.
In 2007, Hana to Yume announced an anime adaptation of Special A, animated by Gonzo and AIC;[1] the animated series ran for 24 episodes from April 6, 2008 to September 14, 2008 in Japan.[3]
Contents |
Hikari 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 or any competition. 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 is in love with 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.
Hakusenkan (or Private Hakusen Academy) is the best school in the prefecture. The classes are separated into A-F based on grades. The A class is only open for the top students in each grade. The top seven within the A class, from first year to third year, are known as the Special A or SA class (hence the title). The members of SA are highly respected. The SA class has its own building, a 19th-century styled greenhouse dubbed "The School's Paradise". They also have a kitchen, where Akira makes her afternoon tea. Class attendance is optional and Hikari is the only one who chooses to attend classes. Their uniform is also different from the standard uniform. The members of the SA have been close friends since elementary school.
On February 23, 2007, a Special A drama CD was released in Japan. It focuses on Valentine's Day.
Voice cast:
A second drama CD was released on June 18, 2008. It focuses around the boys of the S.A class. The CD also includes background music tracks from the anime. A third drama CD was released in August 2008, focusing on the girls of the S.A class and includes more tracks of the background music from the anime. Both drama CDs use the anime cast.
In 2007's 21st issue of Hana to Yume, it was announced that S.A would have a 24 episode anime adaptation. The anime began airing in Japan on April 6, 2008.
The anime has been picked up for release in North America by Sentai Filmworks; it is distributed by Section23 Films. The first part of season 1 came out on November 10, 2009, and the second collection was released on January 19, 2010.[4]
Katherine Dacey compared the central two characters as "a gender reversed Frank Butler and Annie Oakley", and noted that Kei comes off as "rather sexist".[5] Erin Finnegan disliked the manga, because the secondary characters were poorly developed and she felt the story was misogynistic.[6] Jennifer Dunbar enjoyed the wish-fulfilment of seeing rich kids "getting to do whatever they want" without being conceited about this, but felt the complications in the last volume were boring.[7] Jason Thompson disliked the "action slapstick" of the first two volumes, but felt that even after the two leads became more fleshed out as characters through their romance that the series was "founded on cliches" and felt the rest of the cast was underdeveloped.[8]