Mixed Feelings
Let me get one thing straight. I am a huge fan of the romantic comedy category. I was introduced to it by the show "Kaichou wa Maid-sama!", one that many rom-com aficionados credit as being one of the best rom-com manga/anime you can read/watch. After my introduction to this category, I began watching other notable shows: Toradora!, Clannad, and if it may be counted, Oreimo, all of which I enjoyed wholeheartedly. But the issue with the rom-com genre is the use of generic elements, some of them out of choice and some of them because there were no other alternatives. Getting past that issue, I oftenrefer to Toradora! as the benchmark rom-com, the [nearly] perfect rom-com. I refer to Clannad as a tearjerker with quite possibly the strongest storyline of any anime show. Oreimo, with its controversial title and incestuous elements, offers something new to the rom-com genre. Each of them had a black horse cleverly tucked under their sleeve and proceeded to expose and conceal it at the right moments.
And that is what surprises me the most about Special A. It has no black horse, no tricks, no twists, and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't even have sleeves, yet it still draws positive ratings from viewers. Special A is the dead basic rom-com. This is what every writer strives to surpass, because it's really that easy.
Story: Kaichou wa Maid-sama!, where the Student Council President is a maid. Toradora!, where a boy and a girl have romantic interest in each other's best friends and help each other try to win their hearts. Oreimo, where it's quite possible that your lover is the otaku girl living in the room next to yours. How does it sound with Special A?
"Special A, where a girl goes to school."
Is that it?
"No, her rival is also in the same club."
Anything else?
"......they get good grades."
You think, okay, that's just about every other high school rom-com out there, but rom-com's have always shared the same generic format, the same elements, and in that essence, the same problems and situations. This would be like watching a sitcom on Disney Channel or Nickelodeon. They exist on different channels. They can switch up the characters all they want, but when it comes down to writing, they all use the exact same storyboard. For a high school rom-com, the typical format would be a girl that goes to school. She has some type of issue relating to the male lead, but in the end, they end up together.
We know that's going to happen. We know that as soon as you show us the male and the female lead, they will end up together because there is honestly no other way it ends. What we're really interested in is how they get there or if there is any sort of twist that will distinguish this show from everything else, and offering nothing but the barebone story itself portrays lack of thought from the writers. Special A shows us the main characters. We know that they will end up together by the end of the series. We know the female protagonist has a problem with the male protagonist, and we have identified that as the main issue. However, since there is no twist or any supporting element that occurs alongside the storyline, that leaves us with the protagonists in a high school. Where's the fun in that?
Art: I think the only reason why this show is even remotely distinguishable is the art style. The characters seem taller than average and anorexic due to their long, skinny limbs, but the backgrounds for each scene were really appealing. One instance, in particular, would be the scene between Akari and Tadashi, when they leave the school to "see the night". Otherwise, I don't think the animation has grown on me yet, nor will it ever grow on me.
Characters: The characters are as generic as generic can get. Not like a parody show or a satirical piece where characters can get away with being generic because they portray common stereotypes. In a rom-com, what's there to make fun of, and who is there to address anyways? That leaves, nobody. These characters aren't generic to prove a point or to make anybody laugh. They're generic, because that's just how they are.
This seems to explain their distinct lack of energy as well. For example, Hanazono Hikari, the series protagonist, is bright, energetic, and dense. If any of you have watched School Rumble, the protagonist Tsukamoto Tenma shares all of the same traits. They both play a role as their respective series' protagonist, but while Tenma has enough energy to literally BE the Energizer bunny, Hikari, for the traits used to describe her, could be more likened to a desert: flat, dry, and a comparable lack of life. I believe that characters portray the mood of a scene through their words and actions, but how do you expect the viewers to catch on if the characters seem to lack the spirit?
As you continue down the line, you'll begin to notice that every character in this show is more insignificant than the last, the secondary characters in particular receiving an elevated form of neglected attention. The Yamamoto twins, for example, lack presence in this series; two characters in the Special A club who supposedly make up the main cast who could be easily mistaken for secondary characters, which they aren't supposed to be. Sure, we're quite aware that the primary protagnoists are Hanazono Hikari and Takishima Kei, but let it be known that they aren't the only characters in this series. There are other characters with interesting side stories. Shed a little more light on them.
Enjoyment: Bear in mind that you are watching a show about perfect people living perfect lives with the perfect amount of wealth going to the perfect school, making this show difficult to relate to as a normal person. You can be jealous, envious, or vicariously living through the lives of these characters, but I'll be honest; I have better chances of relating to a giant blender fighting outer space aliens across all seven dimensions. I may be wrong on this one, especially because we're talking about characters that can break through the bottom of cooking pots with their palms, but for a show that doesn't acknowledge science fiction, fantasy, or supernatural elements, why do I get the feeling that the writer set up Special A to be some kind of "superhuman fighting force from the distant future"? Was it implied in the name or did the writer think his idea for a superhero show would get scrapped? A rom-com doesn't have to be a slice of life to be able to relate to it, but why is Special A so out of reach?
Okay, I'll admit it. I enjoyed certain parts of this show, but if I wanted to rewatch any one of those scenes, I'd log into YouTube and find them myself. Even keeping that in mind, I'm absolutely certain that there are other shows with normal scenes much better than the ones found in Special A, so why would I rewatch them anyways? This leaves me back where I started, avoiding Special A altogether.
Overall: In my eyes, Special A is average at best, marking the most standard rom-com on the market. The writing is Disney Channel sitcom generic, the characters were likely picked from a hat, the art might as well be an advertisement to the world's most effective weight loss program, and the comedy is as good as that time Jeff Dunham picked up a puppet and reminded everyone of the joke he made on the last Comedy Central special. I can hardly say that I enjoyed it.
Remember earlier when I said that rom-com's tend to be generic either by choice or because there is no other way? There's a reason why writers choose to be generic: some do so to play it safe and gather a guaranteed fanbase. Special A would fit that category of shows that are generic by choice.
While writers take this route as an express ticket to quick profit (because writing is a difficult profession), a generic show is only average at best. Don't expect to engrave this show into the back of your head anytime soon.
